Last updated: 7/1/2018 — new information in italics

These cheat sheets summarise what we know so far about the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Click here for a round-up of BDB-related posts on Book Thingo.

This section contains information on:

• Qhuinn (hero of Lover At Last)
• Blaylock, Qhuinn’s mate
• Saxton
• Ruhn
• Luchas

Lover At Last: Amazon | Book Depository | Booktopia | Fishpond | Galaxy | Library | Audible 

Qhuinn Warrior

(Formerly Qhuinn, son of Lohstrong)

Blaylock

(Son of Rocke)

Qhuinn and Blay grew up together, but their home lives were very different. Qhuinn was hated for his heterochromia (the ‘defect’ of having one blue eye and one green), even by the doggen, so he spent as much time at Blay’s house as he could. The first time Qhuinn met Blay’s mother, he looked her straight in the eye with his mismatched stare, not necessarily daring her to thrown him out of her house, but being upfront that he was ‘defective’ and she could do what she saw fit. She welcomed him warmly.

Qhuinn’s oldest sibling was his sister Solange, who was glymera-thin and consequently snuck food whenever she could, but retained a slight lisp from before her transition. That did not seem to be considered a flaw.

One of the times Qhuinn spent the weekend with Blay, he returned to find that his older brother Luchas had gone through the transition and realized he’d been sent away to avoid jinxing Luchas, whose mate has already been selected.

Blay was there for Qhuinn at this low point, when he realized he would never get his family ring, even if he survived his transition.

Together they were enrolled in the Brotherhood’s pretrans training program, where they met and befriended John Matthew.

Blay was the first in the class to go through the transition and since he’s a naturally modest type, he hunches over and tries not to be so much bigger than everyone else. On the other hand, Qhuinn doesn’t have an ounce of modesty in him. He not only got laid (three times) after the change, but was more than ready to share the details with JM and Blay.

Qhuinn’s transition was the only chance his body would have to repair the ‘defect’ of heterochromia (one blue eye and one green), so his father managed to get him a female from a really good family, but his eyes stayed the same and his father punched him in one. His father cut off his allowance and denied him the ring that newly transitioned males receive from their fathers.

In contrast, Blaylock is an only young and has a happy supportive family, and Qhuinn compares his friend’s mother to Marion Cunningham from Happy Days. He already had a room prepared in his house for Qhuinn to move into when his father decided to boot him out. Although Blay’s family are aristocratic, they are economically closer to a comfortable middle class than the obscene wealth of Qhuinn’s.

Blay’s parents are unaware of his preferences and even though Blay knows they won’t judge him, he doesn’t want to disappoint his mother by telling her there won’t be any grandkids.His parents don’t care about the glymera’s requirement for perfection, whereas Qhuinn’s parents shipped him off to his wild cousin Saxton’s so he wouldn’t have to be either acknowledged or ignored at a glymera event Qhuinn’s family was hosting.

After his transition gave him a sex drive, Qhuinn has sex with anyone, male or female, that he considers hot, and it’s often a group affair. But he wants to settle down with a female of worth someday and hopes he will be faithful to her.

Although Blay has had experience with females, he’s discovered that he is actually gay and loves Qhuinn, even though Qhuinn doesn’t understand how anyone could love him.

After he slit Lash’s throat, Qhuinn was disowned by his family and thrown out of home. The family also sent an honour guard to beat him just short of death in reparation for the impact his actions had on the family name. Blay called Doc Jane and offered to put Qhuinn up. Qhuinn refused because then Blay’s family would suffer from the stigma of associating with him, but Blay said his friends are all he has. When Qhuinn tried to sneak out to avoid justice, Blay wanted to go with him, but was shot down when Qhuinn acknowledged Blay’s feelings and broke his heart.

Qhuinn changed his mind and faced the music as well as the king. Wrath asked him if he had an axe to grind against Lash and was using John as an excuse. The only thing on his mind had been protecting John, because if the story of John’s rape were widely known, John wouldn’t be respected in society and very likely would never be mated. He wasn’t sorry for what he did and would do it again. Wrath was satisfied with that answer and made Qhuinn JM’s ahstrux nohtrum, a bodyguard with a licence to kill to protect a person of interest, such as the king’s brother-in-law.

Vishous attached a heavy chain around his neck and inked a red teardrop just below his eye. If Qhuinn fails to save JM from dying, the drop will get a black cross over it to show his disgrace, and the chain will be removed after Qhuinn’s decapitation. Otherwise, the drop will be shaded black at JM’s passing and a link will be broken to remove the chain. Until then, he’s in for life. He also got V to tattoo the date on the back of his neck: August 18, 2008.

John made him go to Blay’s to mend their fences, when the house was attacked by lessers. Blay’s parents escaped to their safe house. Then they got the news that Qhuinn’s ex-family had been killed, but his brother was missing.

The boys were allowed to join the war. Blay’s father used to be a soldier before he was mated and wants Blay to be a male of worth, while his mother is worried he’ll be killed.

They all returned to the compound and, while patching up Blay, Qhuinn said that if he could love a guy it would be Blay, but he knows he wouldn’t be faithful and treat him right, so he’s not going to do anything about their attraction. There was a very hot, very sweet kiss, but Qhuinn won’t let it go further for Blay’s sake. He said he’ll kill the guy who hurts Blay.

Since becoming JM’s bodyguard, Qhuinn has been celibate, even while he, JM and Blay feed from the same female at the same time. He’s only prepared to have sex if JM is as well. Blay has started smoking, which Qhuinn doesn’t approve of. I think it’s a combination of stress relief, petulance from being rejected and a demand for Qhuinn’s attention.

While John was getting his Xhex tattoo, Qhuinn screwed the receptionist in the back room, separated by a thin curtain that let Blay see everything until he went outside for an extended smoke break. Their eyes had met so briefly that Blay was sure Qhuinn had only meant to check on JM, but Qhuinn

While Qhuinn was feeling left out of JM’s conversation with the Moors, his cousin Saxton arrives on legal business and is more interested in becoming reacquainted with Blay than catching up with Qhuinn.

Blay is more modest than Qhuinn and is more used to watching than being watched, so Saxton’s attention initially discomfits and confuses him.

The next evening Qhuinn confronts Blay, realising that something is wrong between them. Blay asked Qhuinn what the receptionist’s name was, but Qhuinn didn’t remember or care what her name was. Because Blay couldn’t tell Qhuinn that he’d been deeply hurt by something that meant nothing to Qhuinn, he lit up and told Qhuinn to deal with his smoking.

Qhuinn encouraged Blay to feed because they’ve been through a lot, but he’s not all that enthusiastic because he knows Layla is attracted to Qhuinn and stands a better chance of having sex with him than Blay does.

After she fed them, she confided in them about her growing emptiness over not being wanted sexually. Qhuinn was about to tell her why they all feed from her specifically, but was interrupted. She told Qhuinn she wanted him and Blay left the room. He was reaching the point where he couldn’t take any more either and called Saxton.

Qhuinn saw him getting ready for his date and told him Saxton was a slut. Blay told Qhuinn to just say the word and he would cancel on Saxton to be with Qhuinn. Qhuinn kissed him passionately but too damn briefly before letting him go. He told Blay to go on his date, but not to fall for Saxton because he would break Blay’s heart.

Blay enjoyed being on a date (his first) but Qhuinn was always in the back of his mind. Saxton kept him on the back foot with his compliments and by acting on his interest. They had a meal in a private room at Sal’s and went to a cigar club, but left early after being harassed by a table of homophobes.

The date ended in the alley where Saxton asked Blay if he’d ever kissed a male. He shook his head to clear out the image of Qhuinn’s kiss and Saxton kissed him.

Qhuinn had left JM and Xhex at Tohr’s place and materialised downtown outside the cigar club and watched Blay and Saxton’s date, misinterpreting Blay’s shake of the head as denial that Qhuinn had kissed him. He got drunk in his room and called Layla because she’s a professional, so she knows what to expect and she wants to have sex with him.

Blay returned to the mansion and Layla accidentally appeared in his room. After sending her to Qhuinn, he escaped to the training room, where JM was wearing out treadmills in his desire to destroy Lash. After learning the truth about what Lash did to Xhex, he swore to help with whatever JM needed.

Remembering that Qhuinn was with Layla, Blay called Saxton. He sounded strange, so he materialised to his place right before sunrise. He had been beaten by those homophobes after kissing Blay in the alley, so Blay spent the day with him.

Qhuinn taught Layla how to kiss, but left her a virgin. He initially thought she was only interested in mechanical knowledge of sex, but realised that she wanted more from him and he wasn’t prepared to offer her that. On paper, she is the perfect female for him: high-ranking and willing to accept him despite his flaws, but he realised she isn’t what he really wants. He sees her as the embodiment of everything he’s ever wanted to achieve, but instead of crossing the finish line and mating with her, he pictures Blay instead.

He thought of the receptionist whose name he can’t remember. If she would have sex with a stranger in semi-public with little to no privacy, she’s not someone he’s willing to have a relationship with. He doesn’t see this as a double standard because he sees himself as being just as filthy as she is from all the sex he’s had that led to him being able to pleasure Layla.

Blay brought Saxton to the mansion so he could feed from Selena and heal from the beating. Qhuinn resented his cousin and reacted pettily, demanding to know if Blay had been with him. Blay told him it was none of his business without blushing, so Qhuinn knows nothing happened. But the voice in his head told him he wouldn’t leave Blay alone for a long time, if ever.

After Selena fed Saxton, Blay went to check on him and they had sex. Qhuinn couldn’t sleep and went looking for Blay, but his room was empty. He went to Saxton’s door, but instead of knocking, he listened and heard them doing more than sleeping, which broke his heart.

The next night he saw Blay but after making sure that Saxton had treated him well, Qhuinn couldn’t think of the words to say that would take them back to how they used to be, so he just told Blay to take care of himself, which is what he says to all his one-nighters when he’s finished with them. He thought about the difference between all the anonymous, quick sex he’s had and Blay’s intimate sex.

Qhuinn looked for release with a hetero guy in a club because the guy had red hair, but afterward felt empty. He started to wake up to the fact that he would like to be with Blay, but doesn’t have the courage to come out after being raised as an embarrassment to his bloodline. He’s tired of the sex and the hard edges and wants to be more real so he can find out what he really wants, other than Blay.

In the space of a week, he cut his hair, removed his visible piercings and spends most of his time on a treadmill. He’s lost a lot of weight because he rarely ate. John called Layla to attend him and left him a meal, but he didn’t even have the strength to make it up the stairs to his room without her help.

She fed him the meal and even after he rejected her body, she still did her job and offered her blood. Qhuinn discovered how selfishly they had all used her by feeding from her and never ensuring she was fed. They became friends as they both know what it’s like to feel lost and worthless because of factors they cannot control and to be denied what they really want.

He confessed that he wished he had feelings for her because she’s everything he wants, but he’s in love with Blay.

After Blay in injured in a lesser ambush, Saxton busts Qhuinn hovering outside their window. Sax says that Qhuinn was there first and he would leave if Qhuinn wanted, but Qhuinn believes he’s made too many mistakes with Blay and he’s lost his chance. He needs to let go.

While feeding Layla he has a vision of a female with blonde hair like Layla’s and mismatched eyes like his.

Blay feels safe with Saxton, unlike the way Qhuinn makes him feel. Although they have a connection, he’s really hiding from Qhuinn behind Saxton. Blay sometimes resents Layla for her connection to Qhuinn, despite his relationship with Saxton, who he finds to be a complete contrast to Qhuinn – refined, good sense of humour, well-dressed, uncomplicated and unjealous.

When Xcor shot Wrath at Assail’s place, Qhuinn went out alone to provide cover for Tohr and Wrath. He found Xcor poised to attack the van taking Wrath home and fought hard, but ultimately Xcor escaped. Both warriors left their mark on the other.

When Saxton suggested Blay speak up in favour of Qhuinn’s heroism, Blay saw an expression that suggested Saxton knew his feelings were unrequited.

At the next meeting, Wrath bowed to Qhuinn and everyone applauded him, but he’s unused to the attention and his eyes held Blay’s.

He and JM took Layla out to avoid the effects of Autumn’s needing and she told them about feeding Xcor. They told her who he really was and she passed out from the shock of learning she’d accidentally betrayed her king. They drove her home.

Autumn’s needing set off Layla’s first needing and she asked Qhuinn to service her even though they’re not in love so the two orphans would have something that was theirs. Qhuinn remembered his vision of his female young and agreed.

Saxton told Blaylock what Qhuinn was doing and Blay admitted his love for Qhuinn. Saxton was of course unsurprised but chose to take Blay’s frustrated arousal.

Afterwards, Qhuinn and Layla discuss the possibility of a young, so maybe she knew what she was getting herself into. Qhuinn decides he’s going to take charge of his future with Blay.

The first in a series of mishaps for Qhuinn, his Hummer was stolen by two potential lessers on their way to their induction, because he left the keys in the ignition. He lost serious face because he had to call V, a Brother he respects enormously, to track its GPS. He dematerialises and lands on his bonnet, startling the thieves and causing an accident that kills the thieves and writes off his vehicle.

On the way back, towing the Hummer, Qhuinn tries to explain the situation between him and Layla, but Blay doesn’t believe him and talks up his relationship with Saxton, while minimising any connection with Qhuinn. Qhuinn demands to be let out of the tow truck and JM notices that they’re near where he’d been attacked by his family’s Honor Guard.

When they got back home, Blay got drunk and Qhuinn started working out. Blay accidentally walked in on him and saw the extra muscle his old friend has gained, and although he felt like he was being unfaithful to Saxton, he got himself off while thinking of Qhuinn, while Qhuinn hoped the erection he saw was because of him.

Saxton broke up with Blay because he realises that his feelings have deepened and that Blay still loves Qhuinn. Blay wishes things could have been different because he knew Saxton was a good match for him in so many ways and sees his continued feelings for Qhuinn as a curse.

The next night, they visit a hangar based on the coordinates from the thieves’ phones and smell a whole lot of lesser. In a gunfight, Z is shot, and Qhuinn volunteers to fly him home in this decrepit plane, since he considers himself more expendable than the others, being neither a Brother or a hellren. In a sheer miracle, Qhuinn manages to get it off the ground, but a distracted Blay is also shot while providing cover for the plane.

Blay dematerialises home in time to see Qhuinn crash land the plane against the estate wall. It demonstrated a lot of skill and luck, given how crappy the plane was but Qhuinn feels bad that he destroyed the lawn after killing his car and getting Layla pregnant and is uncomfortable with the attention.

Blay called his mother and came out as gay to her but asked her not to say anything to his father. She accepted his sexuality and wants him to visit. She also wants to hear about Qhuinn and notes how animated her son is when talking about him.

Saxton returned from his date and Qhuinn, smelling another male on him, strangled him for betraying Blay, but as soon as Blay showed up and told him to stop, he immediately obeyed.

Blay refused to explain that he and Saxton had broken up, and Quinn kept saying “I’m sorry,” but never admitted it was for all the times he’d kept Blay at a distance. He tells Blay again that he’s not in love with Layla and, because he thinks this explanation will make sense to Blay, that his brush with death has made things clearer. He wants Blay any way he can, so he suggests Blay have sex with him to get back at Saxton.

Blay gives in and they destroy the room. But when Qhuinn starts taking care of him in the afterglow, it’s too intimate for Blay, so he rejects Qhuinn hard. Qhuinn feels like karma is giving him the bitchslap he deserves.

Qhuinn checked on Layla and discovered her condition. Placing her health above discretion and his own safety, he told Doc Jane. During the exam, Phury is ready to beat the living shit out of him, but Layla, despite her frailty, ended it in a big way by threatening Phury if he hurt Qhuinn.

The four of them visited Havers, where Phury’s presence and Qhuinn’s strong-arming got Layla the information and courtesy she was entitled to. Unfortunately, there is nothing he could do.

Blay was there for Qhuinn when he returned. Qhuinn told him about his vision of his daughter and broke down in Blay’s arms, which is something Qhuinn never does with anyone. Qhuinn begs for a kiss and Blay allows the contact and connection because it’s safer to be needed than to need. More incendiary sex, but again, when it’s over the shields are back up while they both feel raw, exposed and vulnerable underneath.

Qhuinn had asked Blay to make the miscarriage stop and Blay realised there might be a way he could. He told Payne about Layla and asked her to help.

Qhuinn is confronting the idea that, despite acting out, he is actually a coward because he knew what he wanted and was too afraid to go after Blay, even after his disapproving family had been killed.

It looks as though the pregnancy is more certain now and Qhuinn pledges himself to Payne in thanks should she ever need him. She told him to thank Blaylock.

The next night a team returns to the hangar and investigate the lessers’ nearby cabins. In one, they find oil drums, one of which contains Qhuinn’s still-living older brother Luchas. V resuscitates him and Qhuinn asks Blay drive him to the clinic.

Qhuinn finally tells Blay what it was like growing up with his family and tells him that he was the one who got him through those years. While waiting to hear about Luchas, he thanks Blay for all the times he’d looked out for him. They kiss until V comes out of the OR and Qhuinn acts like nothing happened. Part of Blay realises that it’s because V isn’t someone you want to go soft in front of, but the rest of him sees it as another retreat from Qhuinn because a gay relationship isn’t something he’s capable of, and while this would have once wiped Blay’s slate clean for Qhuinn, he’s been through this too many times, so he retreats to save himself.

They feed together from Selena, which is really just foreplay for them and Qhuinn lost his virginity to Blay, where instead of doing the taking, he allowed himself to be penetrated. He fell asleep in Blay’s arms.

When he woke up, he was surrounded by males in black robes. Believing it to somehow be another Honor Guard, he starts fighting anyone who gets close to him until V holds him against a wall and they reveal themselves to be the Brotherhood. There is a question they want to ask him, but it will only be asked once and he only gets one chance to answer. He is ready to be asked.

Qhuinn, son of no one, is the first non-royal, non-Chosen born male to be inducted into the Black Dagger Brotherhood based on merit.

He visited Luchas again, who reclaimed him as his brother. Luchas admits that he hated their father and Qhuinn realises that they were equally trapped in their lives. But he does not tell his brother about Blay, Layla or his induction.

Blay and Qhuinn get into a fight where Qhuinn accuses Blay of cheating on Saxton (unaware this entire time that they are no longer together) and Blay tells Qhuinn he’s hiding from himself.

Blay came out to his father, who accepted him wholeheartedly. Blay started to feel bad about they way he’d laid into Qhuinn, but feels they can’t go back to how they were.

Qhuinn went to the Iron Mask to get away from the mansion and Blay found him there turning down sex. He apologised and Qhuinn said he was right because he had allowed his family’s opinion to keep him from Blay. He admitted to having loved Blay for years. Blay finally admitted he and Saxon had broken up and it could never have worked because he was still in love with Qhuinn. He put his family crest on Qhuinn’s finger and Qhuinn loved this gesture of acceptance from the person who had always accepted him. They kissed right there in the club.

Two weeks later, Qhuinn surprised Blay with a proposal in front of everyone in the mansion. He’d already asked Rocke’s permission, Blay’s parents were cool with Layla and with everyone dressed up, they looked set for a mating ceremony off the page.

Although Qhuinn hasn’t told Luchas that he is a Brother now, he can’t stand to watch his brother die and brought Selena to feed him. She gave them privacy to talk and Luchas told him that his life will never get better and he’s lost too much to want to continue. He is determined to die. Although they haven’t had the best relationship growing up, Qhuinn lays the blame for that at their parents’ feet. He wants Luchas to have hope and used himself as an example of how much things can change. Still never told him he’d become a Brother.

Layla collapsed at the doorway to the mansion with a broken arm and a checkup revealed that she was having twins. It is likely that they are not going to be identical, as the second one was not detectable 2 months ago. It hangs back until it looks like the pregnancy is progressing well and then catches up.

Twins are often seen as a bad omen, indicating an excess of good luck, with something bad around the corner to balance it out.

Although Qhuinn is the young’s father, Blay offers Layla his blood and support.

Qhuinn noticed that her coat was covered in dirt and leaves, which wasn’t consistent with falling in the vestibule. She told a partial truth about needing to get out, so she goes for walks sometimes.

Jane told him that is brother’s life was in danger and if she didn’t amputate his leg, he would die. Despite knowing what Luchas wanted, Qhuinn just couldn’t live with letting him die, so he gave his consent, knowing Luchas would hate him for his choice.

When Luchas woke up without a leg, he felt betrayed both by his brother and doctor and told Qhuinn he hated him.

Layla went into early labour and both she and the young were at risk. The young male was delivered safely, but the female was grey. Qhuinn let out an ungodly scream. V demanded Payne save the kid. She filtered her energy through Qhuinn and saved her life. Payne and Qhuinn passed out.

Layla named their daughter Lyric for Blay’s mother and to represent their father, who is a brave Brother, she requested Wrath give their son a Brother’s name. Wrath ultimately chose the very traditional, very Ward name of Rhampage.

All the vampires and doggen put the ribbons of their lineage on the incubators, even Luchas.

Saxton

(Son of Tyhm)

Saxton is Qhuinn’s wild older cousin who he’d looked up to before his transition and was the one he visited while his family was celebrating his father’s promotion to leahdyre.

He is now a lawyer best known to Wrath for preparing bloodline reports. The late Montrag’s lieutenant sent him to the Princeps Council meeting in the Council’s stead following the failed assassination attempt on Wrath, possibly as an insult because Saxton isn’t so much as a Council member’s son.

Saxton is beautiful with a lean build, blond hair cut short in the back and longer in front and a Great Gatsby-type style. Any questions about his sexuality were answered when he checked out Vishous at the Council meeting.

He accidentally meets his cousin Qhuinn at Sal’s where he has business with the Moors and notices how much Blaylock has grown and how attractive he’s become. Before Blay leaves, Saxton slips him his number, hoping he might be gay.

They go on a date to Sal’s and then a cigar club, so it’s likely that Saxton made the arrangements. He is the older and more experienced of the two and seems to enjoy keeping Blay off balance and getting involuntary responses from him. Blay appeals to him with his scholarly face and well-muscled body and classic sense of style.

After kissing Blay in the alley next to the club, Saxton is beaten up by the same group of homophobes who’d harassed them on their date. Blay spends the day with him, but Saxton is not at his best.

Although Blaylock insists that there is nothing between him and Quinn, Saxton believes otherwise and even though he wants Blay, he also doesn’t want to push him into a bad situation with Qhuinn.

Since Wrath believes he owes Saxton, he let him into the mansion to feed from Selena. When Blay came to check on him afterwards, they had sex.

Qhuinn believes Saxton’s family accepts his homosexuality. But that’s actually not true. His father threw him out of the house with no money and only the clothes on his back when he was outed (he did not come out) shortly after his mother’s death.

After Blay is injured in the field, Saxton notices Qhuinn outside their window. He says, “I’m his lover, not the love of his life”, and offers to step aside, but Qhuinn is determined to let go.

After Qhuinn fought Xcor, Saxton suggested to Blay that he should speak up about Qhuinn’s heroism to the king, knowing Blay still loves his cousin. Once he got the go-ahead, he started his research to rewrite the laws preventing Qhuinn becoming a Brother.

He told Blay when Qhuinn serviced Layla in her needing and, well aware of Blay’s feelings for Qhuinn, he actively chose to take everything Blay’s frustrated arousal could do to him. He wants Blay enough to take whatever he will offer as long as it’s available.

After months of research into the laws surrounding Brotherhood elegibility, Saxton has found the way to reword them so that Qhuinn can be inducted. However, he equates the end of his assignment with the end of his relationship with Blay, knowing he feels more for Blay than Blay does for him. They break up amicably and Saxton has sex with someone new to start the process of moving on.

Qhuinn, unaware of the breakup, smells another male’s cologne on Saxton and strangles him for his apparent infidelity, which, not surprisingly is a huge shock to Saxton’s system. He decides to go on vacation for a few days, but promises to return and continue working for Wrath.

Part of the appeal of his job is not just the ego boost of being the one selected for such a powerful role, but also because he respects the changes that need to be made and wants to ensure they are made properly.

When Blay and Qhuinn are finally together, he is genuinely happy for them, but really wants to find the love of his life.

Saxton is obligated to visit his father on his own birthday and is left waiting in the ladies’ parlour, a gesture meant to be insulting, but Saxton always preferred the room that reminded him of his mother, to whom he was close.

Tyhm is rude enough to keep his son waiting on his birthday while he takes a meeting he never bothered to reschedule. While waiting, Saxton noticed that his father was researching the laws of succession and figures out that they glymera will use Beth to dethrone Wrath.

When Tyhm finally does grace Saxton with his presence, he talks about the family members who have followed tradition by getting mated to members of the opposite sex and popping out the young, with the obvious undertone that Saxton is a disappointment to Tyhm because he is gay. It’s this mindset that fuels Tyhm’s efforts to overthrow Wrath.

Saxton asked his father if he hates him. The answer is yes. Happy birthday, Saxton.

He tried to tell Wrath of the glymera plot, but Wrath refused to listen, wanting to put Beth first at that moment. The vote of no confidence was passed an Saxton felt as though he’d failed, because that route had never occurred to him. He was hamstrung legally and could not do anything to reinstate his king until Beth wanted a paper divorce.

Saxton has brought the Old Laws into the 21st century by entering them into and easily searchable database.

Saxton is called to read the will of Naasha’s elderly hellren, as he is an aristocrat of great wealth, which means the King will be involved. He also notes Assail’s presence and gives him a nod, suggesting that he will help delay matters to smooth the path for Assail.

He was very much needed when he was asked to leave the room so Throe could calm Naasha after she learned she was getting nothing from her hellren’s estate, and saw Assail with a tattooed blood slave in his arms. To facilitate their escape, he gave Assail the keys to his car and plans to draw his meeting out.

Somehow, he was not part of Bitty’s custody debate, so it came as quite a shock to him to see that Bitty’s uncle, who is about to move in with them is a large, young male with a calm, quiet demeanour. Their introduction is adorably awkward, but Saxton is impressed with Ruhn’s skill when his signature is actually a realistic sketch of his own face.

The documents are notarised on the spot and returned to the Audience House.

Ruhn

Ruhn is a manual labourer living in South Carolina where he works on a large estate. His family has worked on the same estate for the same family for generations. He and his sister Annalye had a good childhood there.

He is a loner, but known within is community for being reliable and is well-liked. He cannot read or write (so he didn’t immediately find out about Bitty since he doesn’t use social media), but is an amazingly skilled artist.

When he learns of Annalye’s passing and Bitty’s existence, he goes to Caldwell and arrives at the Audience House in construction boots and clean, but well-worn clothes. He’s young and muscled like a labourer, but isn’t armed. He looks just like Bitty with brown hair and similar features, only older and masculine. He speaks with a commoner’s accent.

When Rhage approached him in a threatening way, he raised his fists. He’s no stranger to a fight, but won’t start one. His demeanour tends towards calm. In fact, he defused Rhage by telling him that the Brother’s violent reaction proves to him that Bitty had been well-protected, which is more than her own father ever did for her.

He wants to look after Lizabitte because he feels like he let Annalye down. The family knew that one day her hellren would kill her. He looked for her up north but didn’t have the resources to find her. Before meeting Bitty, he gave Rhage and Mary a letter dictated to someone else and a full page illustration of the farm where he lives.

As his is Bitty’s nearest blood relative, he stands the best chance of being awarded custody, so Bitty suggests that he move in with her, Mary and Rhage. He has no ties in South Carolina.

When he arrived, he was unaware of the adoption process under way, so yes, he wanted to take Bitty home. What changed his mind was learning everything that Rhage and Mary had done for Bitty and seeing them together as a family. His guilt over Annalye isn’t a good enough reason for him to break that up. He doesn’t need to move in, but he does want to see her periodically. Rhage declared Ruhn part of the family and told him he was moving in.

He had an adorably awkward introduction to the King’s attorney, Saxton, who brought some custody papers for him to sign. He can’t sign his name, but makes such a realistic sketch of his own face that there is no doubt whose mark is on those papers.

He may be quiet, but he’s no pushover. He moved is stuff into the mansion himself and is preparing to be a thorn in Fritz’s side by finding things to repair.

He’s never seen any movies, so Bitty and Rhage set up a schedule for him, starting with The Goonies.

Christmas was held on New Year’s Eve and the household got together and bought Ruhn a truck. He’s become like Rhage’s son and is learning to read, working out and watching B grade movies.

Luchas

(Son of Lohstrong)
Qhuinn’s older brother and middle young of the family, Luchas was considered physically perfect and his life was already planned out for him. After his successful transition, his mating had already been arranged; however, it appears not to have taken place before the raids that took the rest of his family.

That same night, the family removed Qhuinn from the line and Luchas was in the black-robed Honor Guard sent to beat Qhuinn up, showing society’s disapproval. He gave himself away when he told the others not to kill Qhuinn.

Lash kept him because of Qhuinn in a drum of Omega oily crap. He was recovered around a year later with most of his bones smashed, but had not been converted to lesser. The only finger left un-mangled was the one bearing his family ring. Some, if not all have been removed.

He begged Qhuinn to kill him, but was taken to the training centre for medical attention. Later, he apologised to Qhuinn for what he’d done and confessed that he’d hated their father. He can’t believe that Qhuinn is being so decent towards him. When Qhuinn offered him the old family home, Luchas declined.

I’m wondering what the age difference is between Luchas and Qhuinn. Females go into their needing every ten years or so and pregnancy lasts eighteen months. Marissa is eleven years older than Havers, so I would tend to think that there is a similar gap between Luchas and Qhuinn. Qhuinn went through the transition in his mid-20s around the same age as everyone else does, so if Luchas did as well, that would have been about ten years earlier and yet his arranged mating had not yet taken place, which I find odd, without further information. Maybe they were twins and we haven’t been told yet? I don’t think that’s too likely.

Luchas doesn’t think he’s ever going to recover from what the lessers did to him and feels like a “brain trapped in a broken vessel”, so he refuses to eat or feed. If he commits suicide, he cannot go to the Fade, but if he doesn’t maintain his strength, his infected leg will kill him.

Qhuinn tried to talk him around, but Luchas refuses to entertain what he considers false hope.

Luchas noticed that Qhuinn carries black daggers, and has not been told that the rules were changed to enable Qhuinn to be inducted into the Brotherhood.

Jane found that Luchas’s life was in jeopardy if she didn’t take his leg. As he was unconscious, she asked Qhuinn for his consent, which he gave, knowing Luchas would hate him for it. He felt completely betrayed by his brother and doctor, neither of who could stand to let him die. He never gave his consent and is even more determined to die, having permanently lost another part of himself.

He tried to destroy everything within reach in his rage. While Jane went to get him a sedative, Selena told him that she was dying and would trade places with him if she could, to be able to stay with the one she loves. He quieted down after that. It was the last time he saw her.

Luchas gets around in a wheelchair now, which is at least major psychological progress for him. He visits Layla, but they don’t talk much. She’s hiding too much and he’s suffering too much.

He joined the rest of the household in placing the ribbons of his lineage on his niece and nephew’s incubators.

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