Since the fall of Man and the return of Magery and our older ways, most disputes were settled in a civilized manner: sword to the face, mace to the neck, acceptable societal situational handlers

I groan but answer the call in a sing song voice."Kitty Lung, hero or terrorist, you take your pick.

Kalina remained paralyzed in her seat. __h, crap. Aaron was a vampire._ She straightened up. Remain calm, Kalina. Breathe. __ou're not going to eat me, are you?___o,_ said Stuart. __ot all vampires feed on humans. I choose not to. I drink Vampire Wine.___ampire Wine._ Kalina put the pieces together. __aegar...I thought he was kidding...___nd Aaron drank Vampire Wine, too. To avoid succumbing to temptation. To avoid drinking blood whenever he got too...excited....__alina's eyes widened. __o you mean...___ampire Wine wasn't the problem, Kalina. It was the only solution.

Why are you in my room?___ecause I can be.___ou shouldn__ be.___ave it, Rochester. You broke my nose.___oes it hurt?__e lifted a hand toward his face and dropped it. __ou could say that.___ood.__e nudged a tray on the floor with his boot. It had oatmeal, toast, and orange juice on it. __ungry?__onor__ stomach growled. __o.__yder__ lips turned up in a fleeting sadistic smile. He kicked the tray across the room. It hit the wall and overturned. __ood.

To know of the existence of evil, true evil that corrupted the world, had forever altered her heart and mind. If she had chosen a different path, she wouldn't have slept another night. Her head would have been restless as she thought only of the horrors that might be creeping outside her door, waiting to rend her flesh. She would not live a life as the hunted; she would be the hunter.

There are countless reasons for reading, but when you__e young and uncertain of your identity, of who you may be, one of the most compelling is the quest to discover yourself reflected in the pages of a book.