“Oh, Zoeybird, did I call your mother's husband a damn turd monkey outloud?''Yes, Grandma, you did.'She looked at me, her dark eyes sparkling. 'Good.”

“That man is such a damn turd monkey.""Grandma!" I said. "Oh, Zoeybird, did I just call your mother's husband a damn turd monkey out loud?""Yes, Grandma, you did."She looked at me, her dark eyes sparkling. "Good.”

“That man is such a damn turd monkey." "Grandma!" I said. "Oh, Zoeybird, did I call your mother's husband a damn turd monkey out loud?" "Yes, Grandma, you did." She looked at me, her dark eyes sparkling. "Good.”

“You are old beyond your years Zoeybird. Believe in yourself and you will find a way. But remember darkness does not always equate to evil just like light does not always bring good.”

“Sylvia's dark eyes widened. "You are more than you appear to be""Yes. I am a monster of Darkness, a beast," he agreed with her. Her lips tilted up. "Can a beast weep in sorrow? Does darkness have the capacity to feel loneliness? I think not.”

“Da, hes waiting for me to tell the two of you our news first, then he'll join me."He cocked a dark brow at her. "And why would he not come to your mother and me first and ask permission to handfast with you, as is the honorable thing to do?"She cocked her own brow, mirroring his expression perfectly. "Because he's not stupid. Anyone with any sense would be scared of you two. But even scared to death, he wanted to come with me. I wouldn't let him. I knew I needed to talk to you alone first.”

“Oh, for crap's sake, I can barely look at it," Aphrodite said, turning her head from the archway and averting her eyes. "And I usually love sparkly things.”