Table of Contents
Praise for the Novels of J. R. Ward
The Novels of the Fallen Angels
Fans of the Brotherhood, clear a shelf: Your next series addiction has just begun.
Publishers Weekly
Crave
A sumptuous mix of danger and romance.
Booklist
Evocative writing... high-octane action and high-voltage chemistry.
Publishers Weekly
[Ward] has smashed expectations and provided a new novel that will captivate readers. This authors incredibly unique style of writing, mixed with her outrageous shocks and twists... changed the face of paranormal romance.
Suite 101
Covet
Ward provides the combination of fun, thrills, and... sex shes best known for.
Publishers Weekly
Proves that J. R. Wards talents dont stop at vampires.
LoveVampires
Complex... fascinating.... With a strong cast of lost-soul humans, angels, and demons, fans will enjoy the exciting Covet and look forward to six more deadly sins.
Midwest Book Review
The Novels of the Black Dagger Brotherhood
Now heres a band of brothers who knows how to show a girl a good time.
Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of Hide
Lover Unbound
The newest in Wards ferociously popular Black Dagger Brotherhood series bears all the marks of a polished storyteller completely at home in her world.... This fix will give Brotherhood addicts a powerful rush.
Publishers Weekly
Lover Enshrined
Terrific... explosive... exciting....Ward has outdone herself.
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Lover Revealed
These erotic paranormals are well worth it, and frighteningly addictive.... It all works to great page-turning effect.... In just two years, the... series [has] earned Ward an Anne Ricestyle following, deservedly so.
Publishers Weekly
Lover Awakened
Best new series Ive read in years! Tautly written, wickedly sexy, and just plain fun.
Lisa Gardner
Utterly absorbing and deliciously erotic. I found myself turning pages faster and fasterand then I wished I hadnt, because there was no more to read.... The hottest collection of studs in romance, and I cant wait for the next one!
Angela Knight, USA Today bestselling author of Master of Dragons
Lover Eternal
Ward wields a commanding voice perfect for the genre.... Hold on tight for an intriguing, adrenaline-pumping ride... leaves readers begging for more. Fans of L. A. Banks, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Sherrilyn Kenyon will add Ward to their must-read list.
Booklist
[An] extremely intense and emotionally powerful tale.... Wards paranormal world is, among other things, colorful, dangerous, and richly conceived... intricate plots and believable characters.
Romantic Times (top pick)
Dark Lover
Its not easy to find a new twist on the vampire myth, but Ward succeeds beautifully. This dark and compelling world is filled with enticing romance as well as perilous adventure. With myriad possibilities to choose from, the Black Dagger Brotherhood series promises tons of thrills and chills.
Romantic Times (top pick)
A dynamite new Vampire seriesdelicious, erotic, and thrilling! J. R. Ward has created a wonderful cast of characters, with a sexy, tormented, to-die-for hero... a fabulous treat for romance readers!
Nicole Jordan, New York Times bestselling author of Touch Me with Fire
J. R. Ward has a great style of writing and she shines.... You will lose yourself in this world; it is different, creative, dark, violent, and flat-out amazing.
All About Romance
An awesome, instantly addictive debut novel. Its a midnight whirlwind of dangerous characters and mesmerizing erotic romance. The Black Dagger Brotherhood owns me now. Dark fantasy lovers, you just got served.
Lynn Viehl, New York Times bestselling author of Shadowlight
BY J. R. WARD
NOVELS OF THE FALLEN ANGELS
Covet
Crave
NOVELS OF THE BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined
Lover Avenged
Lover Mine
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insiders Guide
Dedicated to:
David B. Fox, DMD
The master smile-maker in so many ways.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to Kara Welsh, Claire Zion, Leslie Gelbman, and everyone at NAL! Thank you to Steve Axelrod!
With love to Team Waud: LeE, Nath, D, Lu, Jen as well as
Jake(Ken) and Cheryle, Buster (Ben) and Shanna, and
Elwood (Mike) and Jenn.
With thanks to my family and all the angels in my life,
whether they have two feet or four.
You all know who you are....
CHAPTER 1
It was in the spring, on a dark April evening, when Detective Thomas DelVecchio Jr. learned that nightmares could in fact make the jump out of the mind and into real life.
Unfortunately for him, it wasnt exactly a news flash.
Blood was everywhere. Glossy and crimson in the moonlight, it was as if a gallon of paint had been cracked open and spastic-splashed all over not just the forest floor... but the man who lay shredded and unmoving on a bed of decaying leaves.
At Vecks feet.
All that red shit was not a premium interior latex, however. Or an oil-based trim. Or a hearty exterior barn paint. You couldnt buy it at Home Depot or Lowes, and you didnt clean it up with turpentine or use it in some B movie.
That was real life, right there. Leaking out all over the fuck.
What had he done? Dear God...
Ripping off his leather jacket, he wadded the thing up, knelt down, and pressed it against the mans exposed thorax. Gurgling sounds mixed with the hard bursts of Vecks own breath as he stared down into eyes that were going opaque. Fast.
Did I kill you? Did I?
No response. Then again, the bastards voice box was probably hanging from a branch somewhere.
Shit... oh, shit... it was like the night his mother had been killed.
Except in this case, hed actually come to slice up someone.
That much he knew for sure: He had gotten on his motorcycle, driven out here, and waited in the forest for this psychotic POS to show upall the while telling himself the lie that he was just going to take the suspect into custody.
His palm had told the truth. When his prey had finally arrived, his knife had been in his hand, and hed made like a shadow in his deliberately black clothes, closing in....
The Monroe Motel & Suites was only fifteen yards away, on the far side of this thick stand of brush and pines. Illuminated by piss yellow security lights, the seedy lineup of rent-by-the-night-or-the-hour was the reason both he and this sieve of a murderer had come out tonight.
