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The Shadows

(Book 13 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series)

A novel by J R Ward

DEDICATED WITH LOVE TO:

THE BOTH OF YOU,

BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY OF SEPARATING

ONE FROM THE OTHER.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

With immense gratitude to the readers of the Black Dagger Brotherhood!

Thank you so very much for all the support and guidance: Steven Axelrod, Kara Welsh, and Leslie Gelbman. Thank you also to everyone at New American Library—these books are truly a team effort.

With love to Team Waud—you know who you are. This simply could not happen without you.

None of this would be possible without: my loving husband, who is my adviser and caretaker and visionary; my wonderful mother, who has given me so much love I couldn’t possibly ever repay her; my family (both those of blood and those by adoption); and my dearest friends.

Oh, and my WriterAssistant, Naamah.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND PROPER NOUNS

ahstrux nohtrum(n. ) Private guard with license to kill who is granted his or her position by the King.

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 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 recently been outlawed.

the Chosen(pr. n.

) Female vampires who have been bred to serve the Scribe Virgin. They are considered members of the aristocracy, and, in the past, they have been spiritually rather than temporally focused. They have recently been granted broad freedoms away from the Sanctuary, and are meeting the blood needs of certain Brothers. Some have the ability to prognosticate.

chrih(n. ) Symbol of honorable death in the Old Language.

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.

exhile dhoble (n. ) The evil or cursed twin, the one born second.

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