Shadows suited him. On James they skittered and fled, even in the dark, leaving him bright and shining. On Alex they clung and caressed, dressing him in mystery.

I got it together, of course. I always did. I pushed away what shamed me and made me unhappy, and I smoothed out the rest to make a pretty, perfect surface. It was getting harder and harder to do.

There had been times when missing him had felt like someone had reached inside her and pulled out the part of her that remembered how to breathe. And times when she’d barely given the memories of him a second’s worth of her time.

He put my fingertips to his mouth and kissed them. Licked the trace of blood away. Made them clean. Then I knew the truth I had been denying. He made me clean. Dan made me clean and shining and bright. He made me beautiful, and I did not want to lose him.

Love comes in all shapes and flavors, and I just want to be able to taste them all.

Haunt me,” he whispered. “Make me crazy for the rest of my life. But please, Effie. Don’t leave me. Just let me love you.

Sometimes you have to take your time to get your reward.

This book is for those who would rather be haunted and driven mad than left behind.

Heath said, cold as ice, cold as a void, so cold it burned her worse than any fire. “Don’t you know? Not wanting to and not being able to are not the same things.

Everything changes,” I told him. “Eventually.