I was feeling safe. Not the kind of safe where you know there are still bad things howling outside the door waiting to get in. No, it was the kind of safe where you sink down in your bed at the end of the day and know you can go to sleep and everything is going to be the same tomorrow.

Christophe, with the careful tone of an adult telling a kid not to pet the nice foaming-rabid pooch.

What you can't run away from, you have to face

I looked like a ghost. And I should know. I’ve seen a few.

"So you're a dom, huh? Nice." I stabbed my pancakes again. "Kinky." "You're the one who ties people up, babe."

It wasn't sarcasm." Graves blew out a cloud of acrid smoke. "It was pointing out a fallacy in your logic, babe." Anna's jaw actually dropped. For a moment, I wasn't sure if I should laugh or push him out of the room. Way to go, Graves.

The only place their voices were left was in my head. It was better than being alone but it was so, so lonely.