“I felt somewhat like a fire hydrant – with everyone marking their territory around me.”

“I guess I haven’t mentioned it before but I was, I am and I think I might always remain in love with you,” he said with such passion that I froze in surprise. He went on. “And just so you know, I am prepared to fight for you, regardless of whether or not you share my sentiments.”

“I have fallen in love with you Sasha Ava Stryker. I am afraid it is eternal and binding. I wanted to stake my claim on you tonight. To make you mine – for now and infinity to come.”

“The lines of fate on my hand, once so bright, faded into echo.The memory of his face in my dreams, once so luminous passed into shadow.”

“Her heart was leading her where it belonged. To him.”

“Self-defense was an accepted motive for murder.”

“But that did not stop her heart from shattering into countless pieces or her soul from shredding into slivers.”