The Black Dagger Brotherhood_ An Insider's Guide - J. R. Ward [108]
Wrath’s parents were tortured and killed in front of him. He survived only because his father forced him into a crawl space and locked him inside just before the attackers came in. Wrath watched the slaughter with horror, and when he was released by the servants the next day, he buried his parents according to custom and vowed revenge. It was a pathetic covenant. With his under-developed body he knew he was no warrior. During the mourning period, as his people came by to pay homage to him as the last surviving member of a pure bloodline and the new chief of their race, he despised himself and his weakness even more.
Wrath set off alone and traveled Europe for three years, trying to find out more about the men who killed his family. He had no money, having left all his worldly goods behind, and with his pitiful body, he had no way to earn from his labor. He was attacked and beaten, mugged, threatened, and left for dead by humans a number of times. Somehow he managed to scrounge by, eating scraps and fetid animal carcasses until he finally found work as a servant.
When his transition hit, it caught him unaware because his parents had sheltered him and not told him what to expect. After drinking from a female vampire who materializes before him, he grows six inches, his muscles develop into rugged flesh, and he finally has the physical force necessary to exercise his vengeance.
Wrath spends the next four hundred years hunting members of the society and being hunted by them. He despises humans both for their cruelty to him before his change and for the fact that their race has spawned the society of vampire hunters. He lives a warrior’s life with few possessions other than his weapons and no ties except to his band of brothers.
Marissa, the female vampire who came to him on the night of his change, was chosen by his parents to be his mate but he has no love in him to give her. He never sees her unless one of them must feed and he knows their relationship is slowly killing her. He’s asked her to find someone else but she’s refused and her loyalty makes him uncomfortable because he knows he hasn’t earned it.
His band of brothers are six other vampires he’s met through the centuries. They fight mostly alone but they share information and coordinate strategy when they need to. He’s aware that the others look to him as their leader because of his bloodline and his strength as a fighter but it’s a position and an adoration he doesn’t want. He prefers the sting of hatred to any warmth and he sees himself not as a hero for defending his race but as someone who’s just marking time until death puts him out of his misery.
Marissa
Marissa is Wrath’s shellan, or wife, but her gentle nature makes her wholly unsuited for him. As Wrath and her do not share the kind of relationship that most vampires have with their mates, she lives with her brother. She is utterly devoted to Wrath and hopes that someday he will stop fighting and find that he loves her. She’s a virgin, has never even been kissed, and she’s socially isolated. Other males will not approach her out of deference to Wrath and the females pity her. She feels as though she exists in the shadows, watching other people’s lives unfold while her days and nights are stagnated by her paralyzing hope.
Brian “Butch” O’Neal
Butch is a homicide detective who’s strong sense of justice and passion for victim’s rights can at times take his temper over the edge. He’s tough on perps, protective of the innocent, and no one’s fool. He’s a good man but he’s living a hard existence and he’s lost his faith in humanity. His life revolves around his work, he’s never been married, nor has he ever had a meaningful relationship with a woman. He’s very lonely and sometimes he thinks that if he gets killed in the line of duty that’s alright.
Havers
Marissa’s brother, Havers, is a vampire physician, a