"The sharp light of the stars and moon sliced away her misconceptions and pared down their layers until the feelings that had always existed between them lay bare."

"A sullied green 'S stood out on a graying backdrop that made for a road marker up there. We called it the wasteland."

"The jury's still out on your level of intellect. After all, you signed up with Evil Incorporated in the first place."

"Sierra couldn't afford complications, not in her position, but the way he flirted with her and teased had amped her touch hunger to a deafening roar."

"He'd fallen in the trap before of believing she had the cold soul of an ice queen, but moments like these, it seemed more like she'd been encased a long time ago and couldn't break free."

"Harsh, bitter laughs exploded from her like shrapnel, and she didn't care who was cut in the process."

"Being inside this cottage, with dark wooden walls and hand - carved furniture like my own home, cast a darkened stain onto my heart."

"Too late; my awkwardness had already made an unforgettable appearance, so, of course, I couldn't be let off the hook."

"This one sank deep into her marrow and made her heart soar like the shuttles piercing the stratosphere."

"This date had started as bland and was speeding right along to abysmal."

"Because one look into his eyes, and she was drowning in what existed there and didn't want to surface."

"Wasn't allowed to have pets. I killed my pet cockroach when it crawled into my ear."

"For a long time, Conor had known his father and Liam followed a stricter - than - average code, that their hate shone a little brighter than most, but until today, he'd never seen so clearly what fools they were and how blinded they'd become in their intolerance."

"She'd sworn she wouldn't end up like her little brother, but loneliness didn't arrive with flashing bulbs and a warning label. The descent was as simple and complex as a faked smile, white lies about being 'okay, and the nod and acceptance as her own peers didn't delve deeper, shutting the coffin lid for her."

"You heard Alanna. Someone's got to be on you at all times. His dark eyes glinted with a hot sort of mischief, his double entendre clear as day."

"Sorry, one night stands don't stack up as credentials for tending bar."

"She was the type who chased, who danced into your life like a spring storm, and left you battered and quaking in the wake."

"Why don't we keep that secret? Hunters will lose their reputations if we're seen saving puppies and painting flowers."

"Overhead the sliver of a moon barely illuminated anything and shadows slunk on every corner."

"Despite the cold chill, she burned inside with a hunger she didn't want to dismiss. Not tonight."

"Darkness lingered in those blue eyes, like ghosts haunted him despite only the two of them standing in this cabin."

"They dabbled in dark magic like finger painters in first grade art class, and then most of them were either killed by their creations or ran the other way from the nightmares they unleashed."

"Whatever crimes this man had committed, they weren't as egregious as his inflated self - image."

"He leveled his gaze on her - the intensity there whispering promises she couldn't fathom - and she shivered."

"So this is how the merchant ship won't follow us, I mumbled, 'They aren't insane enough to join the party."

"Her lips against his, the sun soaking into their skin, and the sweet, fragrant breezes that wafted through this isolated picnic area was nothing short of perfection."

"Mislabeled the sign, a cocky voice called from the door. 'Should read 'Doggie Daycare' with the number of pups packed into this place."

"Are you telling me Kara Orris is afraid of rain? Hunter's grin twisted into a smirk as his eyes lit up, relishing his new discovery with absolute delight. 'Why, that's adorable!"

"She made him yearn for a future his kind could never have, and a connection he sure as hell didn't deserve."

"Aggression like this demanded slinging the first punch in a bar brawl, firing rounds at a range, or setting a car on fire."

"A thousand words blossomed to her lips and died there, because no amount of speaking could communicate the depths of how he'd affected her. Of how he'd changed her."

"They'd reached the point of no return, and she wanted to throw herself into the fire until the flames melted away the years of ice that claimed her."

"Guilt chilled me more than all of this rain combined."

"We deal with so many nightmares on a regular basis. When I'm watching a horror movie, there's a pattern, a sense of control in them. I'm just an observer, not having to deal with any of the repercussions. It's a nice dream to think monsters play by the rules, that they've got a pattern you can unlock and follow. Real life's messy, and the chaos leaves you devastated in the wake."

"They surrounded him here, but beyond, flames licked the cabins, the incendiary glow striking a similar spark inside him from the injustice they'd faced tonight."

"Three things lit her match without fail - abusive assholes, idiots who didn't use their turn signals, and unannounced shifters moving in on her territory."

"May as well have ox blood running through those veins, I added, 'You're as stubborn as one."

"What bothered me the most was the hesitation in his voice when he said that - like he was running out of time."

"Blonde hair drawn into a no - nonsense bun, her new manicure the deep red of fresh blood, she'd even donned a blouse and slacks for the occasion, something Neve had forgotten Veronica owned."

"As she'd walked along this street, a million stars stretched across an indigo canvas, holding all the freedom she'd yearned for every night."

"The dreams that surfaced upon meeting up with him again winked out of existence, stars darkening for good."

"Time to make herself scarce because, hell, she didn't want to pass that thunderhead on her way out."

"She would never forget how his soul was lonely as the moon they'd met under, and how, for several brief moments, she'd been able to chase the loneliness away."

"From the way his face lit with curiosity to the slight tilt of his jaw, even the lingering scent of brine and breeze gave him away."

"Jev was certain the words 'should've known better would go somewhere on her tombstone, but at the moment her focus shifted to the dozens of angry pixies honed in on her."

"He stroked her back and kept a fierce grip on her like she'd fade away into one of the thousands of ghosts in this cemetery."

"Mom used to tell us stories of these bogeymen when we were kids, and Lizzy would crawl into my bed so she could fall asleep. Stories of the monsters who forced us underground, and when the force field faltered, would snatch us from our homes."

"Because if I fell any deeper for the way his eyes crinkled with his smile or his habit of tapping on his nose to emphasize a point, my ship would be sunk."

"He knew too well the sting of loneliness and how over time it stole you away, piece by piece, until a mere shell remained."

"Everyone's searching for someone to end the pain of loneliness. Even the darkest of souls wants a shot at redemption."