“Don Severo dropped his fork, Doña Remedios nearly chocked, but Jesús carried on playing with his food. He’d never really liked broccoli.”

“A vampire may play with his food, but he never sets it free.”

“He checked her face first to see if she was all right, then dropped his eyes to the keyboard. It was like someone had plugged him in. His eyes widened, his mouth dropped open, and he stretched his fingers.“Will you play it, Blake? Will you?” Livia almost jumped with excitement.Blake covered his smile. He nodded. Livia plopped the keyboard on the kitchen table, which was still moist from where he’d wiped it with the kitchen sponge.Blake kissed her and then spoke solemnly. “I’ll play it for you.”

“He [dad] always had some kind of trouble with his leg. He’d have bandages wrapped around it all the time but he’d never go and see a doctor. He’d rather have dropped dead than go to a doctor. He was terrified of them, like a lot of people his age were. And he’d never take a day off work. If he ever stayed at home feeling ill, it was time to call the undertaker.”

“Don’t you have a class this morning, Georgie?”Day mumbled something that sounded like“Ancient History of the Near East and Greece.”“Poof!” scoffed Everhart, flourishing his fork,“Come with me and see the Near East.”

“Kirpal’s left hand swoops down and catches the dropped fork an inch from the floor and gently passes it into the fingers of his daughter, a wrinkle at the edge of his eyes behind his spectacles.”