"Slán mo ghrá (slawn muh GRAW): "Goodbye my love."Cabhraigh leis, a Mháiví (KOW-ree lesh, uh VAW-vee)..."

"The flowers for Ánnailís' wake started arriving yesterday, mountains of them, all in shades of white..."

""Sorry, I took so long. If you can find space, just put them over there, Twig."I motioned to the bur..."

""Ugh! I never could warm to that boy," grumbled a now-familiar voice. "It's those cat-green eyes of..."

"I veered off the main path, opting for a narrower trail choked with sprawling vines, fallen branches..."

""There's more where that came from, you son of a bitch!" A gruff voice growled from a rotting mattre..."

""Who did this?"Before Ánnailís could answer, Liam's legs buckled. He fell forward with a groan, stri..."

"I strode out of the room, leaving her to tend to Liam. After ensuring I'd locked all the doors and w..."

"A shuffling sound roused me from the settee. "Ánnailís? Liam?" I asked, still muzzy from the blood c..."

"Her warning followed me downstairs, whining in my ears like a cloud of mosquitoes. Don't look, don't..."

"Liam left shortly after that, the click of the back door the only sound to mark his departure.As tho..."

"A handful of leaves fluttered down through the honeyed hues of the gathering dusk. As the first wisp..."

"While my vision returned to normal in record time, the burns from the roses hadn't faded by the time..."

"Eleven-thirty came and went without a priest in sight. Not superstitious, Margaret scowled down at h..."

"My knees nearly buckled. The air turned thick as molasses, and I couldn't breathe, couldn't think pa..."

"I maneuvered through the crowd until I stood less than an arm's length away from him, with only Marg..."

"When the glow subsided, two still, lifeless bodies lay before me. There was something unearthly abou..."

"I didn't know how long we lay on the lawn, limbs entangled, or what brought me back to consciousness..."