Lover Unbound

J. R. Ward Lover Unbound

The fifth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, 2007

Dedicated to: You

I got you wrong in the beginning and you have my apologies.

It's just so like you that you stepped in anyway, and saved not only him, but also me in this endeavor

* * *

With immense gratitude to the readers of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, and a shout-out to the Cellies!

I'm not even going to bring up the couch. I can't count that high.

Thank you so very much:

Karen Solem, Kara Cesare, Claire Zion, Kara Welsh.

Thank you, Dorine and Angie, for taking such very good care of me-and thanks also to S-Byte and Venture for everything you do out of the goodness of your hearts!

As always with gratitude to my executive committee:

Sue Grafton, Dr. Jessica Andersen, Betsey Vaughan, and my Partner.

And with much respect to the incomparable Suzanne Brockmann.

To DLB-guess what? ya mummy still love ya xxx

To NTM-as always, with love and gratitude. As you well know.

And I have to say, none of this would be possible without: my loving husband, who sticks by me always; my wonderful mother, who's been with me since… well, hey, the very beginning; my family (both those of blood and those by choice); and my dearest friends.

Glossary of Terms and Proper Nouns

ahvenge (v.) Act of mortal retribution, carried out typically by a male loved one.

attendhente (n.) Chosen who serves the Scribe Virgin in particularly close manner.

Black Dagger Brotherhood (pr. n). Highly trained vampire warriors who protect their species against the Lessening Society. As a result of selective breeding within the race, Brothers possess immense physical and mental strength as weir as rapid healing capabilities. They are not siblings for the most part, and are inducted into the Brotherhood upon nomination by the Brothers. Aggressive, self-reliant, and secretive by nature, they exist apart from civilians, having little contact with members of the other classes except when they need to feed. They are the subjects of legend and the objects of reverence within the vampire world. They may be killed by only the most serious of wounds, e.g., a gunshot or stab to the heart, etc.

blood slave (n.) Male or female vampire who has been subjugated to serve the blood needs of another. The practice of keeping blood slaves has largely been discontinued, though it has not been outlawed.

the Chosen (pr.n.) Female vampires who have been bred to serve the Scribe Virgin. They are considered members of the aristocracy, though they are spiritually rather than temporally focused. They have little or no interaction with males, but can be mated to Brothers at the Scribe Virgin's direction to propagate their class. They have the ability to prognosticate. In the past, they were used to meet the blood needs of unmated members of the Brotherhood, but that practice has been abandoned by the Brothers.

cohntehst (n.) Conflict between two males competing for the right to be a female's mate.

Dhunhd (pr. n.) Hell.

doggen (n.) Member of the servant class within the vampire world. Doggen have old, conservative traditions about service to their superiors, following a formal code of dress and behavior. They are able to go out during the day, but they age relatively quickly. Life expectancy is approximately five hundred years.

ehros (n.) A Chosen trained in the matter of sexual arts.

the Fade (pr. n.) Nontemporal realm where the dead reunite with their loved ones and pass eternity.

First Family (pr. n.) The king and queen of the vampires, and any children they may have.

ghardian (n.) Custodian of an individual. There are varying degrees of ghardians, with the most powerful being that of a sehcluded female.

glymera (n.) The social core of the aristocracy, roughly equivalent to Regency England's ton.

hellren (n.) Male vampire who has been mated to a female. Males may take more than one female as mate.

leahdyre (n.) A person of power and influence.

leelan (adj.) A term of endearment loosely translated as 'dearest one.'

Lessening Society (pr. n.) Order of slayers convened by the Omega for the purpose of eradicating the vampire species.

lesser (n.) De-souled human who targets vampires for extermination as a member