Free Born in the Shadows (In the Shadows Series Book 1) by Courtney McPhail

His words had focused her mind and when he asked the final question, she had understood him. Somehow, in those moments she had known the weight of what he was offering. Perhaps it was fear at the idea of dying or the allure of the boy coming to her rescue but she found herself deciding what she wanted in a heartbeat. She wanted to live, no matter the cost.
                  In the present, she looked at Nicky and spoke, her voice tight with emotion. “I remember. I remember what you said and how I felt. I knew, I don’t know how, but I knew the full extent of what you were offering and I wanted it. I made that choice of my own free will. You don’t need my forgiveness because there is nothing to forgive.”
                  Nicky’s face beamed up at her. “Your heart is too big, my child.”
                  His delighted expression caused her to impulsively lean over and embrace him and he returned the gesture, squeezing her tightly.
                  “Can I ask you something?”
                  “Anything.”
                  “You keep calling me your child. It’s not that I mind because there is this feeling inside me that you are my father. I just want to understand why I feel that.”
                  “To understand it, you need to understand where our kind comes from,” he explained, settling back against the lounge and she did the same, giving his words her full attention. “The truth is this world isn’t the only one in existence. Whether you call them alternate dimensions or parallel universes, they exist alongside this world and they are infinite in number.”
                  “There are all manner of beings that exist in the other worlds. Shape shifters, demons, dragons, fairies; almost all creatures in human mythology can be found in the other worlds. The reason they came to be myths for humans is because they did exist in this world at one time. There were some that were pulled from their world into ours by accident. And there are some that were cast out of their world.”
                  “That is where our kind comes from. Our ancestors, who we call the Old Ones, were beings that were exiled from their world. They had been gods in that world but in this world they were monsters. The sun here burnt their flesh and the blood of humans, the only beings that resembled them in appearance and intelligence, ignited a terrible craving inside them. Eventually they discovered that they could change humans by sharing a part of themselves, their blood, with them.”
                  “And that was how Shadow Walkers were created. When I changed you from human to Shadow Walker, I passed along a part of myself into you, just as a parent does when they create a child. My blood runs through your veins and that is why we have this bond.”
                  As outlandish as the tale was, it made sense to her. At least as much as anything had made sense since she had woken up here. She could not deny what she had been turned into or what the others in this home were, so believing that they had descended from inter-dimensional travelers seemed almost logical.
                  “I’m glad you changed me,” she said, smiling gratefully.
                  “As am I,” he replied. “I’m glad that you are a part of my family now. And I am glad that you did not end your life alone, murdered by a coward in some filthy parking lot.”
                  She had momentarily forgotten the part that Sampson had played in what happened to her tonight. “I still can’t believe that he ended up killing me.”
                  Nicky pulled back, his expression grave. “Do you know who did it to you?”
                  “Yes, his name is Barry Sampson. I work with him. He was angry about something that happened during the day and he wanted to