Blood Fury: Black Dagger Legacy Read online

  Blood Fury is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 by Love Conquers All, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Ballantine and the House colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

  Names: Ward, J. R., author.

  Title: Blood fury : Black Dagger legacy / J. R. Ward.

  Description: First edition. | New York : Ballantine Books, [2018] | Series: Black Dagger legacy ; 3

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017047820 | ISBN 9780451475343 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780698193321 (ebook)

  Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Romance / Paranormal. | FICTION / Fantasy / Paranormal. | FICTION / Romance / Fantasy. | GSAFD: Love stories. | Occult fiction. | Fantasy fiction.

  Classification: LCC PS3623.A73227 B57 2018 | DDC 813/.6—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017047820

  Ebook ISBN 9780698193321

  randomhousebooks.com

  Cover photograph: Claudio Marinesco

  v5.1

  ep

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Glossary of Terms and Proper Nouns

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter Forty-two

  Chapter Forty-three

  Chapter Forty-four

  Chapter Forty-five

  Chapter Forty-six

  Chapter Forty-seven

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  By J. R. Ward

  About the Author

  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 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 been outlawed.

  the Chosen (pr. n.) Female vampires who had been bred to serve the Scribe Virgin. In the past, they were spiritually rather than temporally focused, but that changed with the ascendance of the final Primale, who freed them from the Sanctuary. With the Scribe Virgin removing herself from her role, they are completely autonomous and learning to live on earth. They do continue to meet the blood needs of unmated members of the Brotherhood, as well as injured fighters or Brothers who cannot feed from their shellans.

  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.) Non-temporal 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.

  hyslop (n. or v.) Term referring to a lapse in judgment, typically resulting in the compromise of the mechanical operations of a vehicle or otherwise motorized conveyance of some kind. For example, leaving one’s keys in one’s car as it is parked outside the family home overnight, whereupon said car is stolen.

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

  leelan (adj. or 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.

  lewlhen (n.) Gift.

  lheage (n.) A term of respect used by a sexual submissive to refer to their dominant.

  Lhenihan (pr. n.) A mythic beast renowned for its sexual prowess. In modern slang, refers to a male of preternatural size and sexual stamina.

  lys (n.) Torture tool used to remove the eyes.

  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 (n., f.) or nallum (n., m.) 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.

  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 non-temporal realm and has extensive powers, though not the power of creation.

  phearsom (adj.) Term referring to the potency of a male’s sexual organs. Literal translation something close to “worthy of entering a female.”

  Princeps (pr. 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.

  rahlman (n.) Savior.

  rythe (n.) Ritual manner of asserting 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 previously was counselor to the King as well as the keeper of vampire archives and the dispenser of privileges. Existed in a non-temporal realm and had extensive powers, but has recently stepped down and given her station to another. 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 of the aristocracy as a result of a petition by the female’s family. Places the female under the sole direction of her ghardian, typically the eldest male in her household. Her ghardian 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 race 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 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, he or she must drink the blood of the opposite sex to survive and is 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 the memories of humans, provided such memories are short-term. Some vampires are able to read minds. Life expectancy is upward of a thousand years, or in some cases, even longer.

  wahlker (n.) An individual who has died and returned to the living from the Fade. They are accorded great respect and are revered for their travails.

  whard (n.) Equivalent of a godfather or godmother to an individual.

  When you had everything in the world, it never dawned on you that there were chances to miss. Opportunities that were only temporary. Dreams that could not be fulfilled.

  As Peyton, son of Peythone, hid his eyes behind blue lenses, he stared across the training center’s break room. Paradise, blooded daughter of the King’s First Adviser, Abalone, was sitting one-eighty on a not-fancy chair, her legs dangling over one arm as her back rested against the other. Her blond head was down, her eyes reviewing notes on IEDs.

  Improvised Explosive Devices.

  Knowing what was on those pages—the promise of death, the reality of the war with the Lessening Society, the danger she had put herself in by joining the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training program for soldiers—made him want to take the notes away and rewind time. He wanted to return to their old lives, before she had come here to learn how to fight…and before he had learned she was so much more than an aristocratic female with a stellar bloodline and classic beauty.

  Without the war, though, he doubted they would have ever grown close.

  That terrible night when the Lessening Society had attacked the houses of the glymera, slaughtering whole families and legions of servants, had been the catalyst for the two of them to get tight. He had always been a hard partyer, running with a fast crowd of rich, world-is-my-oyster males who frequented human clubs during the night and stayed home smoking up all day long. But after the attacks? Both of their families had decamped to safe houses outside of Caldwell, and he and Paradise had fallen into the habit of calling each other when they couldn’t sleep.

  Which had been most of the time.

  They had spent hours on the phone, talking about nothing and everything, from the serious to the stoopid to the silly.

  He had told her things that he had never shared with anybody: He’d admitted to her he was scared and that he felt alone and worried about the future. Had said out loud, for the first time, that he thought he had a drug problem. Had worried about whether or not he could cut it in the real world away from the club scene.

  And she had been there for him.

  She was the first female friend he had ever had. Yeah, sure, he had fucked raft loads of the opposite sex, but with Paradise, it hadn’t been about getting laid.

  Although he wanted her. Of course he did. She was incredibly—

  “Admit it.”

  As Paradise spoke up, he snapped to attention. Then looked around. The break room was empty except for the two of them, everybody else either in the weight room, the locker rooms, or loitering out in the hall as they waited to leave for the day.

  So, yeah, she was talking to him. Looking at him, too.

  “G’head.” Her eyes were very direct. “Why don’t you say it finally.”

  He didn’t know how to respond to that. And when the silence stretched out between them, he felt like he’d done a line of blow, his heart turning his rib cage into a mosh pit, his palms getting sweaty, his lids going venetian blind from the blinking.

  Paradise straightened in the chair, shifting her long legs around and crossing them primly at the knee. It was a reflexive move, something that came from her lineage and her aristocratic upbringing: Every female of her station sat properly. It was just what one did, no matter where one was or what one was wearing.

  Crate & Barrel or Louis XIV. Lycra or Lanvin. Standards, darling.

  He imagined her in a gown, dripping in her dead mahmen’s jewels, under a ballroom’s crystal chandelier, her hair up high, her perfect face radiant, her body…moving against his own.

  “Where’s your man,” he said in a rough voice—one that he hoped she blamed on his weed habit.

  The smile that hit her face made him feel old and ugly-wasted, even though they were the same age and he was sober.

  “He’s just getting changed.”

  “Big plans for the night?”

  “Nope.”

  Yeah, right. That blush told him exa
ctly what they were going to do—and how much she was looking forward to it.

  Popping his sunnies up, he rubbed his eyes. It was hard to believe he was never going to know what that was like…having her under him as he rode her, her naked body his to explore, her thighs spread wide so he could—

  “And don’t change the subject.” She sat forward in that chair. “Come on. Say it. The truth will set you free, right?”

  As the compressor behind the soda machine kicked on, he glanced over at the food service counter, where meals and snacks were offered when they were logging classroom and gym time. Even though the Brothers were letting the trainees out into the field for proper engagement with the enemy, there was still a lot of theory and hand-to-hand and weapons work that was done on a regular basis on-site.

  At least two to three nights a week, he ate here—

  Wow. Check it. He was trying to distract himself.

  Peyton swung his stare back to her. God, she was so beautiful, so blond, with those big blue eyes…and those lips. Soft, naturally pink. Her body had gotten a little less curvy, a little more muscular, since she had started working out so much, and the power was a turn-on.

  “You know,” she murmured, “there was a time we didn’t keep anything from each other.”

  Not really, he thought. He had always kept his attraction to her on the DL.

  “People change.” He stretched and cracked his back. “Relationships, too.”

  “Not ours.”

  “What’s the point.” He shook his head. “Nothing good can come from—”