The Parents:
Konstantine Varinski (68), former leader of the Varinskis. He successfully led the clan of mercenaries andassassins as both a man and a wolf, keeping his position through cruelty and ruthlessness — until the day he kidnapped Zorana from her Romany clan. He was thirty-three, she was sixteen, beloved among her people for her spirit and beauty as well as her prophetic visions. Never since the first Konstantine made a deal with the devil had a Varinski fallen in love. The couple fled the fury of both his family and her tribe. They immigrated to America, changed their last name to Wilder, settled in the mountains in Washington and raised grapes and children.
Cursed by the memories of his vicious deeds, Konstantine understands the pleasures of turning into a predator — the freedom, the sense of being better than normal people — and how those pleasures deliver a man right into the hands of the devil. He urges his sons to control their urge to change. Yet he also knows that someday, the Varinskis will come for their vengeance, and so he trains his children for war. |
Zorana Wilder (51), who for the thirty-five years of her marriage has not suffered a vision, until one night she receives a terrible prophecy — that the battle between good and evil has been joined, that her sons are warriors, and that her husband’s soul hangs in the balance. |
The Children:
Jasha Wilder (34), the oldest Wilder son. Gold eyes and black hair. The president of Wilder Wines, Jasha is the first to be called into battle with the Varinskis. When he turns, Jasha is a wolf willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family — and the woman that is his destiny. |
Rurik Wilder (33), the second son. Reddish-brown eyes and brown hair. A former Air Force pilot grounded by tragedy, now an archeologist, he hunts for the clue that will help him break the pact that ruined his life. He finds the woman he loves … the woman he must deceive, the woman who would do anything to destroy him. |
Adrik Wilder (32), the third son, and the boy who ignored his father’s counsel and indulged in the pleasures of being a panther and a predator. Over twelve years ago, he disappeared into Asia. No one has heard from him since. |
Firebird Wilder(21), the first daughter born to a Varinski in a thousand years. Konstantine calls her a miracle, her family adores her, she’s intelligent, witty, beautiful — and she hides a terrible secret. |