“In fact, there was an ancient bearded guy in the corner who looked like he'd probably palled around with Mary Shelley.”

“A smile played around the corners of his mouth. He looked up at me. "Bad dog.”

“Of course I'd feel butterflies when a guy who looked like that said something so swoon-worthy.”

“I glanced around, but no one seemed to be watching me. That would probably change once I started yelling at a waiter. I have Archer what I hoped was a significant look, but thanks to all the sparkle, I wasn't sure he got it. I walked away to the corner of the room and ducked behind a truly insane amount of potted plants. The light back there was dim and green, and everything smelled rich and loamy.”

“There were only six adults in the oldest picture,and all of them looked really serious,like they'd probably kicked kittens for fun.”

“The spell...curled around...like smoke before settling in.Sophie: "Okay, do you guys feel protected?"Archer: "Yes. Also a little violated, but that's neither here nor there.”

“She was around fifty, with dark blond hair that had been twisted, teased, and probably threatened into a complicated updo.”