Venator: A type of bounty hunter who collects bounties for the capture or destruction of parahuman outlaws. Traditionally human, in recent years parahumans have joined the Venator ranks. Venators must be trained, licensed, and registered with the Guild before they are permitted to hunt. They gain this 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 dark magic-wielders, or tracking down rogue Animalians. An Aeternus in the grip of Necrodrenia is known as a Necrodreniac or dreniac.
Wolfsbane (Aconitum vulparia or aconite): A toxic poison, especially to Animalians.
Races
Aeternus: A race of vampiric people—although not the “living dead” of legend—who must ingest human blood to live, the Aeternus have created a symbiotic existence with the humans that feed them. They are either born of Aeternus parents or created when a human is embraced (see Embrace). Those born to Aeternus parents live as humans until their twenty-fifth year, when they may or may not awaken to become an Aeternus. Those who do not awaken are known as Latents.
Animalians: Intrinsically, they are part man and part animal, but differ from shape-shifters. There are three main genera in the Animalians: ursians (man-bears); felians (man-cats); and canians (man-canines). Each genus is made up of several subgenera; felians, for instance, have families of tiger, panther, lion, cougar, etc. There is much infighting between the genera. Humans cannot be turned into an Animalian—they must be born. But it is possible for a human to mate with an Animalian, and then the child has a fifty-fifty chance of awakening to their Animalian heritage. It is the same between the genera—the child of two different genera will not know its genus until it awakens.
The three main genera:
Family: A clan or family group of ursians.
Pack: A clan or family group of canians.
Pride: A clan or family group of felians.
Bestiabeo: Traditional name for what are more commonly referred to as Animalians.
Cubii: Collective term for the race of the male Incubus and the female equivalent Succubus. In centuries past they were used as sex slaves, agents of espionage, and sometimes even as assassins. When the CHaPR Treaty came into existence over a century ago, the race was freed from the enforced slavery it had suffered at the hands of humans and parahumans alike. Fearing their freedom would not last, they went into hiding. Only now are they starting to come out.
Dreniac: See Necrodrenia.
Faciabeo or Facimorph: Also known as shape-shifters or shifters, they have the ability to bend their form to mimic other shapes through the use of magic. Once changed, they retain their own consciousness and only take on the limited physical characteristics of the form they are mimicking—for example, flight when shifting into the form of a bird. Shifters do not become the animal they mimic, unlike Animalians, who are part human and part animal.
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.
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.
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.
Shape-shifter or shifter: See Faciabeo.
Thaumaturgist (magic-wielders): Races that practice thaumaturgy to bend and use life-and-death energy—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; dark witches use death energy for self-gain and chaos.
Unari: The first magic wielders, thought by some to be only a legend. It was said they harnessed magic in its pure form from the magical beings that inhabited the Earth long before humans and parahumans existed. They can manipulate all the casts of magic.
The five castes of modern thaumaturgy:
Natural: Use the earth, plants, and nature, including weather. Druids are one of the best known races in this caste and tend to focus on plants.
Familial: Use an animal as a conduit to pull in thaumaturgic energy to weave into a pattern to form a spell.
Divination: Can see the past, present, and future through divination such as cards, crystal balls, etc. Can also scry for missing people or items and can tell fortunes.
Focal: Focus thaumaturgic energy into or onto items. Users of focal magic produce magical potions and medical preparations (such as love potions, glimmer creams), and can also enchant items such as jewelry, charms, and talismans; an apotheke, for example, is like a magical pharmacist.
Necromantic: Deal with the dead. They contact spirits of the dead to help heal, to find things, to guide them, and speak to the dead. Also use the energy released from the death itself, such as animal sacrifices, bones, blood, feathers; for instance, voodoo.
Government and Organizations
Academy of Parahuman Studies: 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 become 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.
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 human students studying parahuman courses. In the early seventies the Guild moved its training and testing facilities to NYAPS 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 laws that govern human and parahuman coexistence. It is governed by the CHaPR Treaty, 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.
Five, the: A small council of five representatives—each from a different race of parahumans or humans—that represents the wisdom of the combined population of the world. While they still have to answer to the rest of CHaPR, they have considerable power, especially in emergency situations.
Department of Parahuman Security (the Department): The umbrella group responsible for enforcing the laws handed down by CHaPR, the Department consists of many divisions and branches, including the following five: divisions are only some of those that make up the Department.
Necrodreniac Control Branch (NCB): Responsible for monitoring and setting Necrodreniac bounties.
Parahuman Intelligence Division (Intel): The Intelligence division of the Department, which gathers information (or “intel”) on gangs and rogue parahuman groups, usually through the use of undercover agents.
Personal Security Branch: Provides bodyguard details to officials and VIPs.
Office of the Chief Parahuman Medical Examiner (OCPME): The office that performs the autopsies for the Department.
Violent Crimes Unit (VCU): A team that investigates serious violent crimes usually committed by or against parahumans.
Draconus Nocti: An elite black ops force, named after a legendary group of warriors. The earlier version of the modern Draconus Nocti went behind enemy lines and performed extractions and assassination as required by their employers (rumored to be the Elders of CHaPR). Now, Raven Matokwe is training new recruits specializing in black ops tactics in order to fight the Dark Brethren and their followers.
Guild, the: An organization founded by humans as a part of the CHaPR Treaty and as 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 an academy for parahuman studies. 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
Akentia, Princess: Aeternus. An ancient Aeternus and chancellor of the Five of CHaPR.
Crompton, Trudii: Unknown. Roving reporter for WTFN news.
DuPrie, Oberon: Ursian. Current head of security at NYAPS and former VCU agent. He is putting together a covert team of specialists to look into the possible recurrence of the Trouble of several years ago.
Ealund: Dark Brethren. An incorporeal being that thrives on violence.
Geraldi, Tones (Antonio): 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.
Hilden, Astrid: Witch. Board member of the Hilden Group Corporation and Gayla Hilden’s daughter.
Hilden, Gayla: Witch. Head of the Hilden coven, Domina of the Eastern Seaboard, and CEO of the Hilden Group Corporation.
Hilden, Marcus: Witch. Board member of the Hilden Group Corporation and Gayla Hilden’s son-in-law.
Hilden, Tiffany: Witch. Gayla Hilden’s granddaughter.
Jordan, Kitt: Felian. Former Chief Medical Examiner for OCPME. She recently resigned from OCPME to take up a teaching position at the New York Academy of Parahuman Studies and to join Oberon’s Team.
Keith: Ursian. Personal bodyguard of Princess Akentia.
McManus, Lancelot: Human. Detective with the NYPD Homicide department. Burnt out, a drunk, and addicted to a new drug, Neon Tears.
O’Connor, Tez: Unknown. Medical Examiner at OCPME and occasional lover of Oberon.
O’Shea, Corey: Unknown. Freight and transport magnate and suspected drug lord.
O’Shea, Seamus: Unknown. Corey O’Shea’s younger brother. A silent and dangerous man, rumored to be a crack assassin.
Petrescu, Antoinette: Aeternus. Ex-Venator and newly turned Aeternus. Oberon offered her a job after she was expelled from the Guild for threatening several members.
Roberts, Neil: Human. Agent in charge of VCU and the man responsible for having Oberon kicked out of the unit.
Rudolf: Human. An old human expert on the Dark Brethren, and chancellor of the Five of CHaPR.
Shields, Cody: Incubus. Head of Administration at NYAPS, he looks more like a surfer than an office worker. Oberon uses Cody to defuse emotional situations and as a liaison to external agencies.
Sin, Artemisia: Witch. High ranking witch and current Alto of the Sin Coven. Artemisia is Bianca’s mother.
Sin, Bianca: Witch. Expert in forensic thaumaturgy and head of thaumaturgy at NYAPS. Bianca is a nonpracticing familial witch and often called on by city law enforcement agencies to consult on cases.
Acknowledgments
The road to writing this book was rather more difficult than others, but I have to say how much I love the result. Several people helped me along the way. So a big thanks goes to my editor, Diana, and all those people at HarperVoyager who helped get this book out, and to my agent, Jenn, for her support.
With this book I had several readers who really stepped up when I needed it the most. So a big kiss goes to Heather, Nicky, Mel and Cathy—love you girls muchly. Without you I couldn’t have done it. Also I would like to thank Karyn, who suggested the brilliant newspaper moniker for my serial killer on facebook. It was priceless and perfect.
And as always I would like to thank my supportive family—specially my husband, David, who is the love of my life, and my two wonderful sons, Corey and Seamus, who found their way into the pages of this book. Love you boys.
About the Author
TRACEY O’HARA grew up reading Stephen King, Raymond E. Feist, and J.R.R. Tolkien, where she developed her taste for adventure and the paranormal thriller. When she’s not writing, reading, or listening to heavy metal, she spends time with her husband, two sons, and three cats. The author of Night’s Cold Kiss and Death’s Sweet Embrace, she lives in Australia.
www.traceyohara.com
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By Tracey O’Hara
DARK BRETHREN NOVELS
Night’s Cold Kiss
Death’s Sweet Embrace
Sin’s Dark Caress
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover art by Larry Rostant
SIN’S DARK CARESS. Copyright © 2012 by Tracey O’Hara. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition AUGUST 2012 ISBN: 9780062096500
Print Edition ISBN: 9780061783159
FIRST EDITION
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