It was a weird thing to me, the next morning, thinking about going to class. Like everything was fine and nothing had changed. But things had changed.

The strangest dreams plagued me all night, tied to the vampire and her history-the ancient people she encountered, her battles with Cesard. And though I woke completely rested and feeling like I'd slept for a week rather than just a few hours, I'd finally found my worry button.

Every time I tried to think about her, ...