This introduction to the Bitter Ashes Series is written in novella form (18K words). Following installments are 28K+ in length. "We laughed together, covered in blood and surrounded by corpses, and I knew my life would never be the same again." In the middle of the night, Madeline is snatched from her life of chosen solitude into a world where she might actually belong. Due to her empathy and other "gifts," Madeline is a danger to humans, and finds...