"I guess you weren't around," says David, laughing a little uncomfortably and rubbing the back of his neck. "Well as a quick rundown . . . Lucy found the thing when she was nine. I was thirteen. I . . . was badly damaged in the incident, unsealing our . . . friend." His mouth twists. "I went into a coma. And he fed off of me for five years."

He gestures down at himself. "I became something that wasn't human anymore as a result."