" All right,” he said slowly, as if he’d only just made up his mind about something. “You win. I’ve decided to help you.”
Serilda’s heart lifted, filling fast with untethered hope.
“In exchange,” he continued, “for this.”
He pointed a finger at her. His sleeve slipped back toward his elbow, revealing a ghastly knot of scar tissue above his wrist.
Serilda gaped at his extended arm, momentarily speechless.
He was pointing at her heart.
She stepped back and placed a protective hand to her chest, where she could feel her heartbeat thudding underneath. Her gaze lingered on his hand, as if he might reach into her chest and tear out the beating organ at any moment. He didn’t exactly look like one of the dark ones, with their majestic figures and flawless beauty, but he didn’t look half-faded like a ghost either. He seemed harmless enough, but she couldn’t trust anyone in this castle.
The boy frowned, confused at her reaction. Then understanding hit him and he dropped his hand with a roll of his eyes. “Not your heart”, he said, exasperated. “That locket.”
Oh. That.
Her hand shifted to the chain around her neck. She gripped the locket, still hanging open, in her fist. “It will hardly suit you.”
“Strongly disagree. Besides, there’s something familiar about her. "

― Marissa Meyer , Gilded (Gilded, #1)