Excerpt from book

That night the guys stood around by the door awkwardly.  Mickey’s hair was especially bright looking, contrasted with his billowing black baggy sleeved shirt that laced up the front; the material was loose and light to stay comfortable in the heat.  Simon was dressed in a dark gold and Caleb in a pale green.  Zane and his aunt came out of the kitchen, both wearing white.  James, dressed in a deep blue, the same color of his eyes, was leaning up against the back wall while the rest of the guys talked.  His skin looked pale beneath the dark blue lacing over his chest. 

Looking up, Mickey whistled and grinned.  Sam was coming down the stairs in a black dress made out of the same material as the guy’s shirts, with her fiery red hair pulled back and curled down her neck.  The green ribbon tying her hair accented her eyes bringing out the piercing multi-green circles.  All the boys whooped as she jogged down the stairs grinning to stand by Simon’s side.

James glanced up, flipping his dark hair out of his eyes and stopped short as he saw Izzy at the top of the stairs following Sam.  She was wearing a silvery blue strapless flowing gown that came all the way down to gently pool at her feet, like she was wearing air.  Her hair, unlike the usual ponytail, was left untouched, curling in waves around her face, neck and shoulders.  The black of her hair made her skin so pale that if she’d been outside she’d have been glistening like the moon and probably out shinning it he thought.  James shook himself as Izzy reached them and Mickey put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. 

“Wow Iz, I was actually expecting you to show up in our usual gear.” He teased.

She punched him lightly in the stomach laughing and left him coughing as she headed outside with everyone.  “Shut up, Mick.” She called over her shoulder. 

The festival glowed with lights hanging everywhere so that the entire town reflected the stars.  The music and lights blurred together in a dreamlike atmosphere.  The group danced around, ate the food, tasted a few too many drinks, and laughed. 

After a while James noticed that Izzy was no longer hanging around and went off to look for her.  He spotted her standing at the shore with Shard sitting by her side.  She was looking out to sea, the wind blowing her hair back off and across her face.  Her dress was flowing around her like the wind.  Her skin was so pale that she shone the moons color back at it, and he knew that if he could see her eyes they would be sparkling all the light of the world back at him.  Seeing her there struck him in a way that was unfamiliar and scared him a bit.  He felt light headed and the same sort of feeling in his chest.  He shook himself and walked over to her, calling her attention from the crashing waves. 

“Oh, hey Jim.” She said glancing at him.  He saw her give him a strange look and wondered what was showing on his face but she was already gazing back at the sea.  “You know, there’s nothing more beautiful than the sea.

“It sits there crashing and flowing, soaking in all of the world's hurts and pains, its joys and friendships, its fun times and bad, soaking them in and reflecting them back.  You can see everything in the sea, the playful waves, the turmoil, the foreboding stillness.  It reflects the sun, shining light over everything, it catches the mood and prisms all the light out at us.  Then it comes and soaks our toes as we watch it work its wonders.”

She turned and looked at him this time, and as their eyes met, James felt that same strange feeling and this time figured out what it was.  He wanted to protect this girl that he had known all his life.  She was still hurting from the death of her grandpa and now she had lost her dad and Oliver and had no idea where they were.  He wanted to shelter her from all the fear and pain in the world, wanted to hide her from the dangers and hated that they were coming on so quickly.

But he knew he couldn’t, he knew she wouldn’t let him, and he knew she didn’t have to.  She could take care of herself, but he would be there for her when she needed him.  Those feelings had always been there.  They’d always been friends, always had each other’s back.  Now there was just a little something extra.

As they gazed into each other’s eyes, something seemed to change.  Maybe it was the ocean and the festival, maybe it was just the fact that they had taken the time to connect again, but it was different.  There was trust and comfort there that could never be broken and they both knew that no matter where they were in the world they would never be alone.  Izzy grinned, and the moment was over, but the connection remained.  James walked over and stood next to her with his arm on her shoulders looking out at the waves.  She leaned her head on his shoulder comfortably. 

“How long are we planning on staying here?” He asked.

“As long as it takes.  I want something to go on, and this place is amazing.”

“Alright,” He said, looking down at her. “Let’s get back to the festival then, if it’s so amazing.”
She laughed and turned with him to go back, calling Shard.  As they walked up to the town center, they saw Mickey and Sam dancing in the center of the square.  Izzy turned to James with a glint in her eye.  Not feeling like embarrassing himself, James shook his head and started walking towards Caleb, but Izzy grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the crowd with a peal of laughter. 

Once she had him trapped in the crowd, she was spinning away, a teasing smile on her face.  The dance floor was crowded with people’s bodies beating into each other as they danced around him; he tried to keep sight of her.  She popped up in front of him and grabbed his hands.  Some glitter had found its way into her hair and it sparkled in the lights.  Her eyes were twinkling with mischievous intent as she pulled him into an excited dance.  She was smiling all over her face.  She had a way of losing herself in something that made him smile back.  Her hands let go of his, and she raised them above her head as she spun around him.  Her dress fluttered around her as she danced like he imagined angels would. 

She swirled around him and was suddenly close again.  His breath caught.  Her face was open and happy; she looked young.  She looked like she used to in the days when they'd spend all day in the water, splashing and playing.  Her eyes shone with a mixture of joy at just being wet, and the promise that all was not yet over.  He saw that promise now and despaired; he would not be done dancing for a while.  She laughed delightedly and took his hands again.  As they spun he noticed clouds moving in. 

Sooner than he expected there was a crash of thunder, a flash of lightning, and it began to rain.  A few people paused but, mostly everyone just kept dancing.  Izzy had stopped and was looking up at the sky.  Raindrops bounced off her face, giving her a halo of water.  Droplets clung to her eyelashes and plastered her bangs to her forehead.  She grinned and raised her hands as high as she could.  Water ran down the lines of her lean muscular arms as she stretched.  Her dress spread flat against her defined stomach.  Without thinking he reached out and put his hands on her waist.  She looked at him, for a second lost in his eyes, then she smiled and began dancing.  They danced through the rain.  Completely soaked, he could feel the tight muscles in her abs and hips move as they danced. 

The music slowed down and the wild dancing turned to soft swaying.  She looked up at him through her wet hair and smiled.  His shirt clung to his arms and chest and his dark hair was falling wetly over deep blue eyes.  Eyes like the one spot of clear blue sky on a stormy night.  A deep cobalt at the center with the cloudier midnight blue around the edges.  They took her breath away.  She looked into his eyes, suddenly hesitant, and they started swaying back and forth.  His hands were already on her hips, and he pulled her closer.  She could feel the hardness of his muscles beneath his drenched shirt. 

Putting her hands around his neck, she stretched up on her toes to whisper in his ear that he was dancing and was rewarded with an amused look.  But he didn’t stop, which surprised her.  He had never liked dancing, and it had been a long shot pulling him out here with her.  She wondered why he was willing to stay.  The rain was cold, and she was starting to shiver, but she didn’t want to stop dancing.  She looked up at him again and saw him watching her.  She cocked her head to the side slightly and smiled at him.  Something flashed behind his eyes, but she couldn’t tell what.  He leaned his head down and rested his forehead against her's.  She realized she’d been holding her breath and exhaled.  He raised an eyebrow at her and lifted his head a bit. 

They were in unfamiliar territory.  Her skin was glistening with thousands of tiny droplets of prisms.  Her rain tangled hair fell around her face, and bits of it were plastered to her cheeks and forehead.  Her silver eyes were shining up through her bangs with all the mystery and adventure he could imagine.  There was something unnatural about her, something inhuman.  Obviously she wasn’t human, she was a Silver Eye.  Her heavenly ancestry shone through her eyes, smile, and tilt of her head.  The way her chin was always raised just a little past confidence and into arrogance.  Her eyebrows were always cocked just enough to make her seem amused, and her smile always look a little smug.  But her eyes shone with such complete honesty and affection and joy all the time that they tied the whole face together into the sun.  She was glowing at him in the rain, and he was absolutely fascinated by the divine creature.  If she wanted him to dance, he would dance.  If she wanted him to fight a hoard of raiders, he would do it.  If she wanted him to stand here in the rain with her, he would.  He pulled her in and held her close to him.  Just for this moment he wanted to hold her when everything was so unreal and perfect.