“Who’s a** is this?” Mo asked...“Mine!” Mykel shouted.Mo stilled and then laughed. Mykel thought about what he said and then felt his face heat up from embarrassment. “I mean yours.” “God, I love you,” Mo said...”

“Who are you?' Mo looked at the White Women. Then he looked at Dustfinger's still face.Guess.' The bird ruffled up its golden feathers, and Mo saw that the mark on its breast was blood.You are Death.' Mo felt the word heavy on his tongue. Could any word be heavier?”

“I didn’t hear what was said, but I laughed, because I was too embarrassed to embarrass him by breaking up his punch line and laughter by asking him to repeat it.”

“I thought your life was like this because you were new, but it's always gonna be like this, isn't it? You'll always have to answer to people.""So it would seem," I agreed. "Life isn't a fairy tale,Duncan.""And you know what they say," Willa chimed in. "Mo' money, mo' problems.""Well,that was embarrassing to hear you say that, so I'm good.”

“A re you going to kiss me now or what?” I finally blurted out.“No,” he said.“Then why is your face like two inches away from mine?” I asked.“I just like to look at you,” he said seriously. “I want to look at you.” His expression was almost pained.”

“I tried to think of something good to ask of him. “Do you always do this?Rescue girls from embarrassment?”Surprise flickered across his face and then there was something else I couldn’t recognize.“No..” he said softly. “Not always.”There was something in the way he said that, which felt like there was something else underneath the words I wasn’t catching.”