Dark Lover

the First Family or the Scribe Virgin's Chosen. Must be born to the title; it may not be conferred.

pyrocant (n.) Refers to a critical weakness in an individual. The weakness can be internal, such as an addiction, or external, such as a lover.

rythe (n.) Ritual manner of assuaging honor granted by one who has offended another. If accepted, the offended chooses a weapon and strikes the offender who presents him or herself without defenses.

the Scribe Virgin (pr. n.) Mystical force who is counselor to the king as well as the keeper of vampire archives and the dispenser of privileges. Exists in a nontemporal realm and has extensive powers. Capable of a single act of creation, which she expended to bring the vampires into existence.

shellan (n.) Female vampire who has been mated to a male. Females generally do not take more than one mate due to the highly territorial nature of bonded males.

the Tomb (pr. n.) Sacred vault of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Used as a ceremonial site as well as a storage facility for the jars of lessers. Ceremonies performed there include inductions, funerals, and disciplinary actions against brothers. No one may enter except for members of the brotherhood, the Scribe Virgin, or candidates for induction.

transition (n.) Critical moment in a vampire's life when he or she transforms into an adult. Thereafter, they must drink the blood of the opposite sex to survive and are unable to withstand sunlight. Occurs generally in the mid-twenties. Some vampires do not survive their transitions, males in par-ticular. Prior to their transitions, vampires are physically weak, sexually unaware and unresponsive, and unable to de- materialize.

vampire (n.) Member of a species separate from that of Homo sapiens. Vampires must drink the blood of the opposite sex to survive. Human blood will keep them alive, though the strength does not last long. Following their transitions, which occur in their mid-twenties, they are unable to go out into sunlight and must feed from the vein regularly. Vampires may not 'convert' humans through a bite or transfer of blood, though they are in rare cases able to breed with the other species. Vampires can dematerialize at will, though they must be able to calm themselves and concentrate to do so and may not carry anything heavy with them. They are able to strip the memories of humans, provided such memories are short-term. Some vampires are able to read minds. Life expectancy is upwards of a thousand years, or in some cases, even longer.

Chapter One

Darius looked around the club, taking in the teeming, half-naked bodies on the dance floor. Screamer's was packed tonight, full of women wearing leather and men who looked like they had advanced degrees in violent crime.

Darius and his companion fit right in.

Except they actually were killers.

'So you're really going to do this?' Tohrment asked him.

Darius glanced across the shallow table. The other vampire's eyes met his own. 'Yeah. I am.'

Tohrment nursed his Scotch and smiled grimly. Only the very tips of his fangs showed. 'You're crazy, D.'

'You should know.'

Tohrment tilted his glass in deference. 'But you're raising the bar. You want to take an innocent girl, who has no idea what the hell she's getting into, and put her transition in the hands of someone like Wrath. That's whacked.'

'He isn't evil. In spite of the way he looks.' Darius finished his beer. 'And show a little respect.'

'I respect the hell out of him. But it's a bad idea.'

'I need him.'

'You sure about that?'

A woman wearing a micromini, thigh-high boots, and a bustier made of chains trolled by their table. Her eyes glittered from behind two pounds of mascara, and she worked her walk as if her hips were double-jointed.

Darius gave her a pass. Sex was not on his mind tonight.

'She's my daughter, Tohr.'

'She's a half-breed, D. And you know how he feels about humans.' Tohrment shook his head. 'My great-great-grandmother was one, and you don't see me yakking that up around him.'

Darius lifted his hand to catch their waitress's eye and pointed at his empty bottle and Tohrment's nearly dry glass. 'I'm not going to let another one of my children die. Not if there's a possibility I can save her. And anyway, there's no telling whether she'll even go through the change. She could end up living a happy life, never knowing about my side. It's happened before.'

And he hoped his daughter would be spared. Because if she went through her transition, if she came out alive on the other side as a vampire, she was going to be hunted as they all were.

'Darius, if he does it at all, he'll do it because he owes you. Not because he wants to.'

'I'll take him any way I can get him.'

'But what are you giving her? He's about as nurturing as a sawed-off, and that first time can be rough, even if you've been prepared. Which she hasn't.'

'I'm going to talk to her.'

'And how's that going to go? You're just going to walk up to her and say, 'Hey, I know you've never seen me before, but I'm your dad. Oh, and guess what? You've won the evolutionary lottery: You're a vampire. Let's go to Disneyland!' '

'I hate you right now.'

Tohrment leaned forward, his thick shoulders shifting under black leather. 'You know I got your back. I'm just thinking you should reconsider.' There was a heavy pause. 'Maybe I could do it.'

Darius shot him a dry look. 'You want to try and get back into your house after the fact? Wellsie will stake you through the heart and leave you for the sun, my friend.'

Tohrment winced. 'Good point.'

'And then she'll come looking for me.'

Both males shuddered.

'Besides…' Darius leaned back as the waitress put their drinks down. He waited until she left, even though hard-core rap was pumping all around them. 'Besides, we're living in dangerous times. If something happens to me-'

'I'll take care of her.'

Darius clapped his friend on the shoulder. 'I know you will.'

'But Wrath is better.' There was no jealousy in the remark. It was a statement of fact.

'There's no one like him.'

'And thank God for that,' Tohrment said with a half smile.