“Finely blinked, "Griffin?""That's my girl." He murmured in a low tone, so no one but her could hear. Then, as the crowd drew too close, he swept her away,”

“There were moments in a person's life that they would carry with them until their dying day, and Finely knew the moment Jasper's heart broke would be one of those for her.”

“My knee struck a tree root as my vision went black. Suddenly, I was in a building at Haven Crest, kneeling on the floor. Blood, thick and clotted like canned cherries, crept down the walls. The lights above my head flickered off then on with a menacing hum.”

“You don't look so special""You're looking in the wrong place," he replied with a hint of a smile. "Look into my eyes.”

“Finely blinked, "Griffin?""That's my girl." He murmured in a low tone, so no one but her could hear. Then, as the crowd drew too close, he swept her away,”

“Disturbed to her very soul, Finley could only shake her head. "You ask too much."A crooked grin curved his mouth. "Too much? You strange and wonderful girl, that is the least I'll ask of you.”

“You're perfectly safe. Emily is here to protect your virtue." "That's too bad.”

“It was at that moment, that even though she'd thought it before, Finley realized that Emily was a bloody genius.”

“Miss her a little? God, was she daft? He was going to miss her more than a little. No, he wasn't. He leaped to his feet and practically ran to the door. He wasn't going to miss her at all. He was going to find her and bring her home.”

“Her heart kicked hard against her ribs, seized by a terrible fear that refused to let go no matter how hard she pushed.”

“It was almost romantic, in a mad-inventor sort of way.”