“Danny couldn't help it, he laughed as he shook his head. "You bit the apple.""I bit the apple," Paul agreed. His eyes glimmered bright blue as tears welled up in them and he gave Danny a soft smile.”

“Danny looked stunned. “But what about the people who care about you?”I shook my head. “They shouldn’t waste their time … I’m not gonna change. I can’t be fixed Danny!” I wiped ferociously at the tears that were falling down my cheeks and threw him a challenging look. “I’m not trying to fix you Darcie.” Danny told me softly, his eyes boring into mine. “But you have to realise that everyone’s a little bit broken and all they need is someone to help fill in the holes and cracks – that’s all.”

“Danny swallowed hard, his eyes still narrowed as they ran over Paul. “I should say no.”“Oh, you should,” Paul agreed, feeling wonderfully devious as he reached for the hem of his shirt and worked at pulling it over his head, being slow about revealing his stomach muscles, watching with a sense of satisfaction as Danny’s gaze started to follow his movements. “Say no, Danny Boy. That makes it fun. I like a challenge.”

“He'd stepped on something. He took a step back and knelt and parted the grass with his hands. It was an apple. He picked it up and held it to the light. Hard and brown and shriveled. He wiped it with the cloth and bit into it. Dry and almost tasteless. But an apple. He ate it entire, seeds and all. He held the stem between his thumb and forefinger and let it drop. Then he went treading softly through the grass. His feet still wrapped in the remnants of the coat and the shreds of tarp and he sat and untied them and stuffed the wrappings in his pocket and went down the rows barefoot. By the time he got to the bottom of the orchard he had four more apples and he put them in his pocket and came back.”

“Danny shook his head, amusement relaxing the tense line of his mouth. 'Is that all you think about?''No! Sometimes I think about food. And beer. The color cyan. I'm a complex and multilayered flower, Danny.”

“Rhys threw his arms around his twin, holding him, hugging him. "He is my mate, brother. I could not kill him. I feel a strong bond with him.""Stronger than ours?" Ceri asked as he embraced Rhys."No." Rhys shook his head. "Not stronger. Equal, but not stronger."Rhys felt Ceri's lips on his cheek. His twin gave him a soft kiss and then turned his head. "Thank You for the beautiful lie," he said right before he bit into Rhys's neck, almost tearing his throat.”