Fang-mistress: A human kept in luxury by an Aeternus in return for exclusive feeding and often a sexual relationship.
Fang-virgin: A human who has never allowed an Aeternus to feed from his or her vein.
Fang-whore: A derogatory term for those who sell themselves indiscriminately to any Aeternus for blood, and usually sex, in exchange for money and/or blood for spiking.
Glar-Achni or Glarachni: An ancient race made up of several clans that came to earth ten thousand years ago. They adapted to their new surrounds by transmuting their DNA and mingling it with elements from their new planet. Each clan transformed into a different parahuman race according to the areas they chose to live in.
Latent: One born to parahuman parents who does not awaken in the designated year for their genus, instead continuing to live as a human.
Littermate: A Bestiabeo term for the siblings that result from the same pregnancy. Two progeny are the usual result of a Bestiabeo birth, one male and one female. While other combinations can happen, they are more the exception than the norm.
Mem: An endearment word for “Mother.”
Mer-people: A little-known race of parahumans who live beneath the sea. They have been known to mate with humans; however, this is rare and the hybrid offspring seldom survive.
Necrodrenia: A disease that develops when an Aeternus completely drains a human while feeding, resulting in a death-high. Addiction is certain and immediate. Death is the only cure.
Orb or orbing: A crystal orb used by a witch to capture images from a subject as they tell a story. Commonly used to reenact crime scenes, but because of the subjectivity of the witness or suspect, the evidence is not admissible in court. However, it can supply valuable insight into the crime, which can give investigators leads to pursue.
Parahumans: Alternate humans that include the Aeternus, Animalians, shape-shifters, magic-wielders and Mer-people. All begin life as human and change to parahuman in different ways, depending on their genus and race.
Primara: A midwife in the old sense of the word. The female who is the spiritual and cultural center of an Animalian group and uses a mix of modern medicine and old herbal remedies to treat members of the community.
Shadow-combat: NYAPS state-of-the-art arena in the newly upgraded Venator training wing doubling as a venue for the sport of Shadow-combat. Also the term for the game in which individuals or teams, made up of human, parahumans, or both, are pitted against each other in mock-combat scenarios. It was first introduced in the Paris Academy of Parahuman Studies in the 1980s to help students hone their skills, and quickly gained popularity as a mainstream sport.
Shape-shifter or shifter: see Faciabeo.
Spiking: A human practice of mixing a couple of drops of Aeternus blood with a diluted amphetamine mix, which is injected intravenously. This increases the effect of the narcotic and “spikes” an extreme sexual high. Highly addictive and illegal, users eventually destroy their body’s ability to produce white blood cells, eventually resulting in death. A human that spikes is known as a spiker.
Tech or Venator tech: The technical support for a Venator. They monitor police channels and other avenues, looking for signs of dreniac activity, and support Venators with intel and environment monitoring when on a hunt. Many can also excel in weapons invention, computers, and communications support.
Thaumaturgist (magic-wielders): Races that practice thaumaturgy to bend and use life-and-death energy—for example, witches, druids, shamans, etc. Each race uses magic in a unique manner and for a specific aim. For example, light witches use life energy for the benefit of others; and dark witches use death energy for self-gain and chaos.
Thaumaturgists—Druids: Druids are Thaumaturgists who use the power of plants in their magic. Their strong religious beliefs center on nature in all forms. They are one of the most sensual of the magic-wielders, and sex features strongly in ceremonies.
Thaumaturgists—familial witches: Require a bond to an animal familiar to be able to channel magic energy through.
Thaumaturgy: The art of invoking supernatural powers, such as magic, which are created from life or death energy.
Troubles, The: Europe in the early nineties saw unrest among the Aeternus community, which almost caused a split in CHaPR. Assassinations were rife and Necrodrenia was on the rise through deliberate infection, causing major friction with humans. These events seemed to cease after the death of Dante Rubins, who was much later named as the supposed instigator, although there was never any proof. The reasons behind The Troubles were never identified and seemed to die with Dante.
Venator: A type of bounty hunter who collects bounties for the capture or destruction of parahuman outlaws, and is traditionally human; but in recent years, parahumans have joined the ranks. Venators must be trained, licensed, and registered with the Guild before they are permitted to hunt. A Venator gains a license by attending the Guild Academy in their final year of training and passing a set of rigorous exams. Venators may specialize in various fields, including Necrodreniac destruction, hunting of dark magic-wielders, or tracking down rogue Animalians. When an Aeternus is in the grip of Necrodrenia, they are known as a Necrodreniac or dreniac.
Wolfsbane—Aconitum vulparia or aconite: a toxic poison, especially to Animalians
Government and Organizations
Academy of Parahuman Studies, the: A tertiary institution of parahuman studies for both humans and parahumans alike. All potential Venators must spend three years at the Academy learning their craft and preparing for the final exams—a set of grueling mental and physical tests to determine a candidate’s suitability to becoming a licensed Venator and what specialization they will undertake—be it Necrodreniacs, Rogue Animalians, or Dark Thaumaturgists. Other courses are offered such as parahuman law, corporate thaumaturgy, and parahuman forensics to name a few.
Academy, the—NYAPS: New York Campus of the Academy of Parahuman studies—one of the first parahuman academies. Originally constructed in the early 1800s as an Aeternus stronghold, the complex has several underground dormitories and lecture halls connected through a large network of tunnels; years later, rooms and halls were built on the surface as well. When first converted to a center for learning, it catered only to parahumans, but in the 1960s, a period of integration for renewed human and parahuman relations, the Academy was opened to include human students studying parahuman courses. In the early seventies, the Guild moved their Venator training and testing facilities to the Academy to bring all parahuman studies under the one umbrella. Day and night lectures are scheduled to suit different student lifestyles.
Council for Human and Parahuman Relations (CHaPR): A council similar to the United Nations consisting of parahuman and human ambassadorial representatives. The CHaPR passes the laws that govern human and parahuman coexistence. It is governed by the CHaPR Treaty that was established in 1887 after a bitter and bloody war between the Aeternus and an alliance of Animalians and humans. Since its inception, a majority of the other parahuman races have also signed the treaty and are bound by the laws.
Department of Parahuman Security (the Department): The umbrella department responsible for enforcing the laws handed down by CHaPR. The Department consists of many divisions and branches. The following four divisions are only some of those that make up the Department.
Necrodreniac Control Branch (NCB): Responsible for monitoring and setting Necrodreniac bounties.
Office of the Chief Parahuman Medical Examiner—OCPME: The office that performs the autopsies for the Department.
Parahuman Intelligence Division (Intel): The intelligence division of the Department. This division gathers information (or “intel”) on gangs and rogue parahuman groups, usually through the use of undercover agents.
Personal Security Branch: Personal security provides bodyguard detail to officials and VIP.
Violent Crimes Unit (VCU): A team that investigates serious violent crimes usually committed by or against parahumans.
Guild, the:
An organization founded by humans as a part of the CHaPR Treaty and a form of protection against the parahumans. The Guild is responsible for Venator licensing. Once licensed, a portion of all Venators’ bounty earnings go to the Guild.
Petrescu School of Training: One of the many small institutions that take a young human and train mind, body, and soul through regular academic studies supplemented with strong martial arts regimes. This school has built a reputation for preparing its students to enter the Parahuman Academies. This is not a Venator training facility; but those wishing to take up that line of work compete for a place in the school.
Characters
Kitt Jordan: felian—exiled from her Jordan Pride just under eighteen years ago. Kitt studied human and parahuman medicine, then specialized in forensic pathology to eventually become chief medical examiner for OCPME. She recently resigned from OCPME to take up a teaching position at the New York Academy of Parahuman Studies.
Raven Matokwe: canian—Kitt’s ex-lover and father to her twins. He has been missing for many years and is thought to be the killer of her husband. He has recently returned to the U.S. after the twins were discovered in Australia and returned to the Pride.
Oberon’s team
Oberon DuPrie: ursian—Current head of security at NYAPS and former VCU agent. He has put together a covert team of specialist to look into the possible recurrence of The Troubles of several years ago.
Antoinette Petrescu: Aeternus—Ex-Venator and newly turned Aeternus. Oberon offered her a job when she was expelled from the Guild after threatening several members.
Bianca Sin: witch—An expert in forensic thaumaturgy and head of Department of Thaumaturgy at NYAPS. Bianca is a nonpracticing familial witch and often called on by the city’s law enforcement agencies to consult on cases.
Cody Shields: Incubus—Head of Admin at NYAPS, he looks more like a surfer than an office worker. Oberon uses Cody to diffuse emotional situations and as a liaison to external agencies. Cody is an Australian and has a strong Australian accent.
Tones (Antonio) Geraldi: Aeternus—Former VCU agent. Oberon poached the computer expert to work on his team. Tones is a humegetarian and a card-carrying member of Parahumans Against Animal Abuse.
Jordan Pride
Tyrone: The Pride Alpha and father to Kitt, Dylan, and Nathan.
Serena: The Pride Primara and mother to Kitt, Dylan, and Nathan.
Dylan: The littermate of Kitt, recently killed in the line of duty by an insane killer who was after Antoinette.
Calliope: “Cal”—One of the special twin daughters of Kitt and Raven. She and her twin were separated at birth from their mother to be brought up by foster parents in the distant country of Australia. They were recently returned to the Jordan Pride after they were discovered following news reports of their foster parents’ death in a car accident.
Persephone: “Seph”—The other twin daughter of Kitt and Raven, sister to Calliope.
Nathan: Older sibling of Kitt and Dylan. He’s had to work hard to overcome perceived unluckiness since his littermate died during his birth.
Emmett: Late husband of Kitt. Was murdered just before she gave birth to her daughters.
Jericho: Was taken in by the Jordan Pride at a young age along with his twin, Joshua (collectively, the “Tiger Twins”) and older half-brother, Leon—the only survivors of Pantella Pride, which was decimated by a forest fire.
Joshua: The other of the Tiger Twins, twin brother to Jericho and half brother to Leon.
Leon: The older, aggressive brother of Joshua and Jericho, well known for his mistreatment of women and bad temper.
Rainbow: Pregnant wife of Leon and childhood friend of Kitt.
Dreniac gang
Marvella Maria Molyneux: An Aeternus female who, in the eighties, was a famous rock-and-roll singer known as Marie Vella, until it was discovered she was creating dreniac slaves, then feeding groupies and followers to them.
J.J.: A former Venator turned Necrodreniac by Marvella.
Other characters
Christian Laroque: Aeternus agent working for intelligence and Antoinette’s lover.
Ealund: Dark Brethren—and incorporeal being that thrives on violence.
Gideon: A serial killer with a penchant for fresh heart, preferably still beating.
Mark Ambrosia: The new all-state Shadow-combat champion.
Murray: The security guard at OCPME.
Neil Roberts, Agent: The agent in charge of VCU and the man responsible for having Oberon kicked off the unit.
Rudolf: An old human expert on the Dark Brethren.
Tez O’Connor: Medical Examiner at OCPME and occasional lover of Oberon.
Tripper McKee: Ex-Venator tech whose brother was killed in a Guild setup. He now works freelance, gathering evidence against the institution that put him in prison for five years.
Trudi Crompton: Roving news reporter for local television station WTFN.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my editor, the fabulous Diana Gill, for her consideration and ability to get the best out of me, and my agent, Jenn Schober, for her patience and understanding. To all the readers and booksellers who have not only read my first book but wrote and told me how much they enjoyed it—words can’t express my gratitude.
I would also like to thank my family and friends for being there when I needed you—especially my parents, Betty and Tim, and my dad, Bob. My wonderful grownup boys, Corey and Seamus, thanks for looking after your mum when the deadlines loom. And Corey’s mates Adam and Phil, for their enthusiastic reaction to my books and telling me so. To Cathy—what more can I say that I haven’t said before—‘cept luv ya. Also, to my work mates for listening to my babble, and to my boss for understanding.
But most of all I want to thank my husband, David, without whom I could never have done this. You make me want to reach for the stars so I can hand them all to you.
By Tracey O’Hara
Dark Brethren Novels
NIGHT’S COLD KISS
DEATH’S SWEET EMBRACE
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by Tracey O’Hara
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