Lover Revealed.pdf

J R Ward: Lover Revealed

LOVER REVEALED

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a war raging between vampires and their slayers.

There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. But now an

ally of the Brotherhood is about to encounter his own dark desires...

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in

the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world-to

engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an

aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have Marissa, then at least he can fight side by side

with the Brothers...

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from

the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the

Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him...

ONYX

Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York,

New York 10014, USA

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published by Onyx, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, March 2007

10 987654321

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J R Ward: Lover Revealed

REGISTERED TRADEMARK-MARCA REGISTRADA

Printed in the United States of America

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright

owner and the above publisher of this book.

Publisher's Note

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's

imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business

establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party

Web sites or their content.

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Dedicated to: You.

Man, you had me at Hard-ass, you really did.

But then there was your Here's looking at you, kid...

Mad love to you.

With immense gratitude to the readers

of the Black Dagger Brotherhood

and a shout out to the Cellies-

what couch are we on now?

Thank you so very much:

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

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J R Ward: Lover Revealed

Thank you, Cap'n Bunny a.k.a. the Pink Beast and

PythAngie the Pitbull Mod-

seriously, Dorine and Angie, you take such good

care of me.

Thank you to the Party of Four: MFN hugs...

M-F-N hugs.

Don't know what I would do without you.

To DLB: Remember ya mummy loves you. Always.

To NTM: The thing I love most about you-know-where

is... you. I'm just so lucky to know you.

As always, with thanks to my Executive Committee:

Sue Grafton, Dr. Jessica Andersen, Betsey Vaughan.

And with much respect to the incomparable

Suzanne Brockmann.

With love to my Boat, my family, and my writer friends.

Glossary of Terms and Proper Nouns

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

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 well 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 only by 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

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J R Ward: Lover Revealed

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.

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, known as a whard.

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.; n. 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 of the Lessening Society.

Lessers must be stabbed through the chest in order to be killed; otherwise they are ageless. They do not eat or

drink and are impotent. Over time, their hair, skin, and irises lose pigmentation until they are blond, blushless,

and pale-eyed. They smell like baby powder. Inducted into the society by the Omega, they retain a ceramic jar

thereafter, into which their heart was placed after it was removed.

lheage n. A term of respect used by a sexual submissive to refer to her dominant.

mahmen n. Mother. Used both as an identifier and a term of affection.

mhis n. The masking of a given physical environment; the creation of a field of illusion.

nalla (f.) or nullum (m.) n. Beloved.

needing period n. Female vampire's time of fertility, generally lasting for two days and accompanied by

intense sexual cravings. Occurs approximately five years after a female's transition and then once a decade

thereafter. All males respond to some degree if they are around a female in her need. It can be a dangerous

time, with conflicts and fights breaking out between competing males, particularly if the female is not mated.

newling n. A virgin.

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J R Ward: Lover Revealed

the Omega pr n. Malevolent, mystical figure who has targeted the vampires for extinction out of resentment

directed toward the Scribe Virgin. Exists in a nontemporal realm and has extensive powers, though not the

power of creation.

pheursom adj. Term referring to the potency of a male's sexual organs. Literal translation something close to

"worthy of entering a female."

princeps n. Highest level of the vampire aristocracy, second only to members of 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.

sehclusion n. Status conferred by the king upon a female as a result of a petition by the female's family. Places

the female under the sole direction of her whard, typically the eldest male in her household. Her whard then

has the legal right to determine all manner of her life, restricting at will any and all interactions she has with

the world.

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.

symphath n. Subspecies within the vampire world characterized by the ability and desire to manipulate

emotions in others (for the purposes of an energy exchange), among other traits. Historically, they have been

discriminated against and during certain eras hunted by vampires. They are near to extinction.

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.

trahyner n. Word used between males of mutual respect and affection. Translated loosely as "beloved friend."

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 particular. Prior to their transitions,

vampires are physically weak, sexually unaware and unresponsive, and unable to dematerialize.

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 cannot "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

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