“She jerked away from me like a startled fawn might,if I had a startled fawn and it jerked away from me.”

“Sean settles swiftly behind me, and I'm startled by the sudden closeness of him, my back suddenly warm against his chest, the press of his hips on against me. i turn to ask him a question, and he jerks his face away from the proximity of mine. I say, "Oh. Sorry.”

“His head jerked up. He had one of the most startling and unwelcome thoughts of the last century. Am I a boyfriend?He growled and jerked the door open.”

“The gods! long since they hold us in contempt,Scornful of gifts thus offered by the lost!Why should we fawn and flinch away from doom?”

“...the sensation was so startlingly intense that I couldn‘t help it, I slipped into the shadow."What in the name of—" Simon jerked backward, voice shocked. "Gods and suns, Lily, where did you go?"I froze where I was, embarrassment flowing over me in a fiery tide that burned everything else away. Sweet lords of hell, what had I done? I was fairly certain that vanishing during such a moment was just not done.”

“Mrs Bawden yanked me away from the table and dragged me across the food hall. I tried to twist away from her, but she had a grip like a python on steroids.”