“You’ve got to start admitting it.”“Why are you doing this to me? Are you trying to break me?”“No, you won’t break. You’ll bend, but you won’t break. Because until you admit it, it’ll never really go away,” he said. “You might’ve taken control, but that man took something from you he shouldn’t have. And that’s not your fault—whether or not you gave in is irrelevant. Come to terms with it now, Isabelle, before it’s too late.”

“You have a dark heart in you, Valentine’s daughter,” he said. “You just won’t admit it. And if you want Jace, you had better accept it. Because he belongs to me now.”

“I love you, and I want you to be happy, I want you to have the life you deserve. And if that means … if that means I have to stand here and watch you walk away, then I’ll do it. I won’t be happy about it. It’ll break my heart. But … if that’s what you really need, then we’re done.”

“She rests her hand on the ruffled costume beside her. “Just answer this one question. My brother never got over you. Did you ever get over him?”I swallow. “There are some people in life that you can’t get over.”“Good.” Calliope stands and gives me a grim smile. “But break Cricket’s heart? I’ll break your face.”

“We’re not breaking up because you want to do the noble thing for me,” he said, his voice dropping low in warning, the edge there, dark and twisted. “You will never get away from me; you should resign yourself to that now.”“Lan––”“I’ll kill you and then myself, that’s a promise.”The way he said it, so matter-of-fact, I really should have worried.”

“I want to drag you off and hide you away,” he whispered. “Why?” “I always knew you were beautiful, but now everyone else will too. I won’t be able to keep other boys away from you, and it’ll make me crazy.”

“If you could go back and relive any perfect moment in yourlife, which one would it be?”His smile took her breath away. “You know I’m forbidden to use that‘gift’ except in the direst of circumstances. And itdoesn’t work like that—remember, I can only bend it to gain back the last few minutes.”“I know, butif youcould. Humor me.”He thought for a longmoment. “None of them.”Disappointment stabbed her. “Why not?”“Because the perfect moment can never be improved, and should be remembered, cherished, just the way it was. Like every moment I spend in your arms,” he said.“We should just go forward and make more of them.”