As a human slave in a vampire house, Blaine always thought he was prepared for death. While trying to help Wanderer Garrett in his goal of assainating the Vampire Lord Meirakat, his Lord's house is invaded, he comes to find that he is not as ready to die as he thought.

Lorna was already a slave in Klueger's House, his favorite to be precise, when Blaine was added to the barracks. The circumstances of her turning are up for debate - though the official word is it was accidental. Lorna swears Klueger did it to keep her and Blaine apart from each other. When the invasion happens, she does what she feels she must to save Blaine - bless...or curse him with the Burning Blood.

Garrett didn't know until his 17th year that he was anything but a prodigy in the Chicago witches coven. When his father, the vampire Lord Meirakat, kills Garrett's mother, the Warlock found out the truth. It's driven all of his decisions following - including betraying his own kind and joining the most illustrious group of supernatural hunters in the United Territories - Victor Sierra.

Cabal is a dhampir - A half-vampire. He has spent the past 550 years chasing his father Renate through the post-apocalyptic remnants of the United States. The vampire took his mother's heart, her immortality, and then rejected her. It's funny how revenge is a harder thing to come by than one thinks.

Miranda met Cabal when she was merely 15. She's gone through a lot of emotions towards the dhampir - infatuation, hate, indifference, attraction, and finally love. She's tried ever more desperate means of garnering his attention and the affection she can see him trying to hide. He's never taken the bait until now.

Renate started life as a human. The one night stand he thought he'd gotten into with Carmen ended up being life-altering and not in a good way. He's never been right with being a vampire - unable to kill his meals. It's a practice that's made him a good many enemies. So when Cabal shows up looking for his hide - he thinks he's run into another in a long line of vampire hunters. He couldn't be more wrong.