J.R. Ward

Isaac Rothe, Matthias

husband and my family and the better half of WriterDog. Prologue

the only one who wanted to be free. Surprise, surprise. CHAPTER

Time to the face the music,

Wrath: look at how their folklore portrays our species. There's Dracula for Christ's sake, an evil bloodsucker who preys on the defenseless. There's piss-poor B movies and porn. And don't get me started on the whole Halloween thing. Plastic fangs. Black capes. The only thing the idiots got right are that we drink blood and that we can't go out in daylight. The rest is bullshit, fabricated to alienate us and stimulate fear in the masses. Or just as offensive, the fiction used to create some kind of mystique for bored humans who think the dark side is a fun place to visit.

Fear of change was a weakness

He cleared his throat and reminded himself that if you pissed Her Holiness off, they'd need barbecue tongs to pick up your steaming pieces.

His ears caught a sweet chiming noise, and a moment later a warm rush fell over his body. How we doing Rhage? Too hot? Butch's voice. Up close. The cop was in the shower with him. And he smelled Turkish tobacco. V must be in the bathroom too. Hollywood? This too hot for you? No. He reached around for the soap, fumbling. Can't see. Just as well. No reason for you to know what we look naked together. Frankly, I'm traumatized enough for the both of us. Rhage smiled a little as a washcloth scrubbed over his face, neck and chest.

What is your name?" she murmured.He cocked an eyebrow at her and then went back to staring at his brother. "I'm the evil one, in case you haven't figured it out.""I wanted your name, not your calling.""Being a bastard's more of a compulsion, really. And it's Zsadist. I am Zsadist.

Sometimes the only thing that got you through hell was that you were in too deep to pull out.-Ehlena's thoughts

From out of nowhere, Phury felt an overwhelming tide of guilt, like someone had popped the lid off allhis deepest concerns and his fears for the future of the race. He had to respond to it, couldn't bear thepressure. Riding the wave, he found himself saying in a rush, "We live and die for our kind. The species is our firstand only concern. We fight every night and count the jars of thelessers we kill. Stealth is the way weprotect the civilians. The less they know about us, the safer they are. That is why we disappeared.

Phury knelt beside him and stroked his face. "I've only ever had you to live for. If you die I have nothing.I'm utterly lost. And you are needed here." Zsadist tried to reach out, but couldn't lift his arms as Phury stood up. "God, Z, I keep thinking this tragedy of ours is going to be over. But it just keeps going, doesn't it?" Zsadist blacked out to the sound of his twin's boots heading from the room.

The place is also big enough. We could all live there without killing each other." -Rhage"That depends more on your mouth than any floorplan." -Phury

Vengeance was one hell of a roommate.

You are a manipulator.I like to think of myself more as an outcome engineer.

Listen, I don't want things to get weird, okay.""Oh, yeah, no, weird is bad.""But just so you and I are clear, I really fucking want to kiss you right now.

Life is such a glorious trauma, is it not?

The weight of the dead was heavier than the pounds of the body.