“I like a little fight in my girls."She grinned at him,causing blood to dribble down her chin."Then you're going to love me.”

“It would take little effort for her to hurt him right now. She could hurt him badly.But Griffin King could hurt her, as well, and he hadn’t. Instead of using force or violence against her, he used patience and understanding. She had no defense against that.When he let her go, she was shaking. Tears filled her eyes as she turned to her mother who stood staring at her in horror.“My sweet little girl,” her mother whispered. “I didn’t know. I would never…” Her words faded into a choked sob. Finley crossed the short distance between them on quivering legs and wrapped her arms around the shorter woman. She didn’t care if Griffin or his nasty aunt saw her tears. If anything was worth crying over, the discovery that her father had made her a monster had to be one.”

“The girl stood in the center of the large four-poster bed. She wore a nightgown and robe that Cordelia had generously, and unknowingly, donated. Anything of Emily’s would have been far too short and too small. Her honey-colored hair fell over her shoulders in messy waves and her similarly colored eyes were almost black with wildness, her pupils unnaturally dilated.Fear. He felt it roll off her in great waves. It shimmered around her in a rich red aura Griff knew he alone could see, as it was viewable only on the Aetheric plane. She was afraid of them and, like a trapped animal, her answer to fear was to fight rather than flee. Interesting.She was certainly a sight to behold. Normally she was probably quite pretty, but right now she was…she was…She was bloody magnificent. That’s what she was. Except for the blood, of course.”

“Call me Jack, darling. All the pretty girls call me Jack."Finley rolled her eyes.Emily grinned at him, bright eyes sparkling. "No doubt they call you many things, some of which they might even repeat in polite company.""You come here to talk or flirt?" Sam demanded.Jack smiled. "Unlike you, mate, I'm able to do two fings at once.”

“What am I?"She grinned. "A pain in my posterior."He smiled, too, crinkles forming around his eyes. "I like your posterior.""Yours isn't too shabby, either.""Answer the question.""I thought I had.”

“Disturbed to her very soul, Finley could only shake her head. "You ask too much."A crooked grin curved his mouth. "Too much? You strange and wonderful girl, that is the least I'll ask of you.”

“There was something in his gaze that told her he liked how she looked in his clothes. It had to be a bloke thing, because she certainly wouldn't want to see him wearing hers.”