“The soft-spoken words fell off the side of the bed, emptying to the floor like powder.”

“She jumped off my bed and shoved my stack of books over; thousands of words crashed onto the floor.”

“Only Gracie knew what it was like to wake up at night and feel how cold sheets can get on the empty side of a bed.”

“I clawed my eyes open and rolled off my bed. For some reason, someone had moved the floor several feet lower than I had expected, and I fell and crashed with a thud.Ow.A blond head popped over the side of the bed, and a familiar male voice asked, “Are you okay down there?”Curran. The Beast Lord was in my bed. No, wait a minute. I didn’t have a bed, because my insane aunt had destroyed my apartment. I was mated to the Beast Lord, which meant I was in the Keep, in Curran’s rooms, and in his bed. Our bed. Which was four feet high. Right.“Kate?”“I’m fine.”“Would you like me to install one of those child playground slides for you?”

“He talked and talked, his words fell through him, trying to find the floor of his sadness.”

“The cafe door opened. A young man in dusty white leathers entered, and the wind blew in empty crisp packets and newspapers and ice cream wrappers in with him. They danced around his feet like excited children, then fell exhausted to the floor.”