Glossary
GLOSSARY
Candy : A term used by Strangers to refer to humans. Describes their deliciously sweet blood, and also the addictive nature of it.
Coalition (The) : The group of both Drinkers and Shifters who govern the Stranger population, and supposedly are in charge of ensuring the Treaty with the humans is upheld. Currently incredibly corrupt, it has been headed by a Drinker named Fortis for centuries now.
Drinker : Immortal Strangers who are fast, attractive and who have the ability to thrall others (except their own kind). The human legend of the vampire is most commonly confused with this species.
Echo : A very rare type of Shifter who is able to shift into more than one form, is in fact able to change into whatever form they can visualize.
Hybrid : A term for half-human, half-Stranger beings, created by Operation Strangers. May also be referred to as half-breeds, or half-bloods.
Join / Joined : To Join is to complete the bonding process between two fated mates. It requires a couple to drink from one another while having sex. Joined is the term that one in this bond might refer to the other as.
Joining Pains : A sensation of pain, becoming increasingly intense, when a newly Joined couple are separated by more than a short distance. The pain worsens with longer distances or over longer periods of time. Joining pains will cease once the couple have fully settled into their Join—a process that can take several years to over a decade.
Mine : The word that echoes inside the heads of Strangers when they first discover their fated mate. Also a term used to refer to their fated mate once they are Joined.
Mirror Wound : A phenomenon exclusive to newly Joined couples, where if one of the couple is injured, the other will experience the same injury, and a reason why most newly Joined couples will find a safe place to nest until their Join in settled.
Nest : A term used when newly Joined couples find somewhere safe to be alone together, to encourage their Join to settle.
Operation Stranger : A secretive government organization, created when it was discovered that the treaty between humans and Strangers was being flouted by Fortis and his Coalition. The aim of Operation Stranger is to create an army of hybrid immortal/humans who will be able to fight and overthrow the Coalition regime. At least, that’s supposed to be their aim …
Pureblood/s : A term for all full Strangers, both Drinker and Shifter. Used predominantly by Operation Stranger to differentiate between their hybrids and full-blooded Strangers.
Pures : A colloquialism for Purebloods
Shifter : Immortal Strangers who have the ability to shift into one or more forms. Some can partially shift, growing wings or a fish tail. Others fully shift into other animals. Most shifters, even those with a single animal form, can shift parts of their body individually (like growing claws, or sharp teeth, or changing their voice box … or their tongue …). Human legends that refer to Shifters include werewolves, angels, merfolk, etc.
Skin Thief : A derogatory term for Shifters, mostly used by Drinkers.
Stranger : A blanket term for both immortal species—Drinkers and Shifters. All Strangers are immortal, possess heightened physical capabilities, rapid healing, and require blood in addition to human food to maintain their immortality. They do not, however, require human blood. Most prefer to drink from another Stranger, although human, or Candy, blood is like a delicious (often addictive) treat …
Sucker : A derogatory term for Drinkers, mostly used by Shifters.
Thrall / Thralling : Similar to hypnotizing, this is a power used by Drinkers to get Candies to turn a blind eye to them, or to do small tasks for them.
Treaty : The agreement, penned by Raoul, between the human governments and the Coalition, that humans will not hunt Strangers, and that Strangers will not hunt or drink from humans (except within licensed clubs, where Candies consent to being drunk from, and where there are rules and guidelines in place to ensure that no Candy dies from being drunk from). The Treaty is flouted regularly by the current Coalition.
Zip / Zipping : The ability, exclusive to Drinkers, to teleport to another immortal they have a blood connection with (their biological parent, or their Joined).