“. “It’s time, bro.” “No.” “Wraith, Shade is about to collapse.” Wraith glanced over at his brother, who was trembling so hard his teeth were chattering. His dermoire’s glow had faded and began to flicker. “You’ve got to let her go.” A sob welled up in Wraith’s throat. The moment Shade let go of Serena, she’d die. And if the turning didn’t take… I’ll lose her forever. Eidolon gave Wraith’s shoulder a little squeeze. Oh, Gods… Wraith closed his eyes and nodded. Instantly, Shade’s power cut off, and Serena’s chest stopped moving. Her heart thumped once. Twice. And beat no more. The only sound in the room after that was the sound of Wraith’s scream.”

“The boy, who did everything well and with a natural unslumped grace the wraith himself had always lacked, and whom the wraith had been so terribly eager to see and hear and let him (the son) know he was seen and heard, the son had become a steadily more and more hidden boy, toward the wraith's life's end; and no one else in the wraith and the boy's nuclear family would see or acknowledge this, the fact that the graceful and marvelous boy was disappearing, right before their eyes. They looked but did not see his invisibility.”

“Tayla cursed under her breath. "I was just explaining to Eidolon that Sin is a Smurfette."Wraith swung his big body around to study Sin with blue eyes that were very different from Shade's, E's. and Lore's. Sin's, too. "Nah. Smurfette is way hotter.""What the fuck is a Smurfette?" Eidolon was seriously getting annoyed now."There's this cartoon called The Smurfs," Tayla explained, slowly, as though Eidolon were the child here."They're these little blue people, and they're all male. But one day a female shows up. She shouldn't exist, but she does."Eidolon considered that for a second. "How did she get there?""An evil wizard named Gargamel made her," Tayla said. "In a lab or something.""So you're suggesting that an evil wizard made Sin?""Of course not, silly. I'm just saying she's a Smurfette. A lone female amongst males."Eidolon frowned. "Did the Smurfette mate with the males?""Dude." Wraith grimaced. "It's a cartoon.”

“I’m leaving.” Her cold lips barely moved as she mouthed the words.Horror fisted around his vitals. “No.”For the first time she met his eyes. Hers were red-rimmed but dry. “I have to leave,Simon.”“No.” He was a little boy denied a sweet. He felt like falling down and screaming.“Let me go.”“I can’t let you go.” He half laughed here in the too-bright, cold London sun before his ownhouse. “I’ll die if I do.”She closed her eyes. “No, you won’t. I can’t stay and watch you tear yourself apart.”“Lucy.”“Let me go, Simon. Please.” She opened her eyes, and he saw infinite pain in her gaze.Had he done this to his angel? Oh, God. He unclasped his hands.”

“Either one of you kill him, or I will.”Shade, Wraith and Kynan raised their hands to volunteer. How special. Brotherly love ran like syrup in the room.”

“And he was big, so big. Even in her wedge heels, her nose only reached the middle of his chest as he edged closer. His shoulders blocked the light as his breath washed warm over her skin. Her pulse leapt like a rabbit at her throat as he lowered his mouth to brush over her parted lips, once, twice, before settling over them.Oh, God. His lips were firm, and molded to hers, learning the shape of her mouth. His tongue teased the entrance of her mouth, then he delved deeper.”