For Roland every day and night is a battle. Fighting to remain true to his beliefs. Fighting against the drives of the being he was changed into. Fighting against what his heart wants in order to protect the woman he loves and the race of Paladins he was born to.
For Karissa since the death of her grandfather every day was a fight for survival until she realized that Roland was her soulmate. Or was he, can a vampire have a soul.
What I really like about this book is that the characters are good or evil because of the choices each makes and not because of what someone else chooses for them. Kind of like in real life, just because someone says you are bad doesn't mean you really are, that's up to you and the choices you make. Choices that are not always easy but doable if you want them bad enough.