The Shadows (Black Dagger Brotherhood #13) - J. R. Ward Page 0,239

at iAm. Looked back at him. Then she put her hand over Trez’s. “I know I would have adored her. iAm spent most of this afternoon talking about her.”

“Really?” Trez said, glancing across to his brother. “You did?”

iAm came back with a couple of cannoli. “Yeah. I wanted maichen to know who her sister-in-law was.”

Annnnnd cue the eye sting.

Shit.

Looking away to the stove, Trez cleared his throat a couple of times. “I think that’s awesome. That’s just … really awesome. Thank you.”

When he was able to shift his focus back, he found the pair of them staring into each other’s eyes, as if they were so grateful to have one another, as if they knew just exactly how lucky they were … as if they had every intention of cherishing each night they had together.

May it be a hundred thousand more.

As Trez looked at them both, he thought his queen had been right. If he had stayed up in the Fade with her? iAm would not have this moment, that female, these coming years.

Selena had been one hundred percent correct.

Painful as it was to be without her, agonizing as some nights were undoubtedly going to continue to be … seeing his brother happy and in love gave him a sudden peace about it all.

Somehow, in the midst of the great infinite, and in spite of his mourning, he knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be at this point in time.

Guess it was fate.

As iAm leaned in to kiss his mate, Trez tilted his head back and mouthed, Thank you, my queen. We needed this.

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.

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.

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

leelan (n.) A term of endearment loosely translated as “dearest one.”

Lessening Society (pr. n.)