Whether it's simply some fierce animal joining of mates or a sublime merging of souls, she is mine, and I am hers.

I unfolded the note, and it took me a few seconds to decipher Adrian’s writing. If he did write me a dating proposal, I really hoped he would type it.

Is he having a party?" "Dorian is a sociable king. He likes keeping people around him, mostly so he can mock them.

Oh God," I said. "I'm Zmey's daughter. Zmey junior. Zmeyette, even.

For every bad thing in life, there are more good things to tip the balance.

He has no right to threaten my boyfriends. I'm eighteen. An adult. I don't need his help. I can threaten my boyfriends myself.

For a moment, I was captivated as I studied them side by side. My mother: the perfect picture of guardian excellence and decorum. My father: always capable of achieving his goals, no matter how twisted the means. Uneasily, I began to understand how I’d inherited my bizarre personality.