“Awkward dot com.”

“You never give up, even when you should.”

“Sleep now a little whileTill within our dreams we wakeUnfolding our ForeverIf only for Never’s sake And take me to your ever afterLet’s hide behind our eyesTogether pour through that doorWhere autumn never diesAnd I’ll sift my sands to your sideBefore we slip awayBefore we’re little more than siltBeneath the rocking waves And side by side we’ll fight the tideThat sweeps in to take us downAnd hand in hand we’ll both withstandEven as we drown.”

“I keep telling myselfThat you’rejust a girl.Another leaf blown across my pathDestined to pass onAnd shrivel into yourselfLike all the others.Yet despite my venomYou refuse to witherOr fade.You remain golden throughout,And in your gaze I am left to wonder if it is me aloneWho feels the fall.”

“To Madeline, This subtle second selfSheaf of meCan do more than you ever could.Like you, it can leaveAnd goSomewhere else.The night splits me in two.I disconnect —To sink, to fall, to flyAnd rageForeverAnd alwaysWithout you”

“He opened his palm and saw that the watch remained. Still there. Still real.Varen looked up at the figure that stood atop the fountain.With a howl of rage, he made it burst apart.He fell to his knees amid the wreckage and floating dust.Crumpling into himself, he released a choking sob, knowing that he, too, belonged to the ruin.”

“Can I tell you something?" He tilted his head, moving in closer still, so close that she could feel his breath against her cheek. "Do you want to know what my grandma used to say about kisses on the forehead?"He pressed his lips to her brow, holding the silk soft kiss for a long moment while Isobel stood in place, unable to bring herself to shove him away."She told me it’s the kind of kiss we save for the dead.”