Mary

"The female was gorgeous- not in the flashy, beauty-queen kind of way, or the all-angles, no meat, anorexic model stuff, and not even the girl next door standard. Mary was like the glow of a banked fire in the deep vicious winter, warm and sustaining, captivating and illumination." -Marissa^[1]

Mary is a human mated to the Brother Rhage and in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward; they are the main characters of the second and fourteenth books, Lover Eternal and The Beast, respectively. Together, they adopted an orphaned girl, Bitty. Thanks to the Scribe Virgin, she's semi-immortal and will only pass unto the Fade at a time of her choosing. She serves as therapist to those who live at the Black Dagger Brotherhood's mansion and to survivors of abuse at Safe Place.

Biography[]

Mary was born to Cecilia Luce and an unnamed father. Her mother named her after the Virgin Mary. Due to her mother's strong religious beliefs, she was raised Catholic, but at times Mary questioned her mother's belief, ultimately because her mother had died. For awhile, Mary worked with autistic children teaching them how to read and write, while also counselling. Sadly, Mary underwent intensive treatment for leukemia. After surviving it, she became an accountant for a law office and volunteered for a suicide prevention hotline.

John Matthew, a mute orphan, regularly called the Suicide Prevention Hotline and listened to Mary talk to him. One night, concerned for her safety, he followed her home. While relaxing in the backyard, she spied John, a scrawny boy, and invited him to join her. He confessed that he lived across from the hotline office and worried about her getting home safely since it was in a bad neighbourhood, which was why he'd followed her.

As was her custom, Mary's neighbour, Bella, came over to visit and recognized Mary's visitor as a pre-trans vampire. She coaxed John Matthew into visiting the Brotherhood's compound, vaguely describing it in a way that led John Matthew and Mary to think it was a type of martial arts dojo. John Matthew refused to go without Mary and while in the training centre, Mary met Rhage. At that time, he'd had very recently changed into the Beast and was mostly blind while recovering, but was immediately attracted to Mary's voice, trapping her to a wall and instructing her to keep talking.

Although Mary's memories of the trip to the compound were removed, Rhage convinced Bella to set him up on a blind date with Mary. On the date, she met Rhage, going by the name Hal E, for what she believes is the first time, but upon seeing how gorgeous he was, she thought it was a joke at her expense; she couldn't believe that a man like him would fall for her. After their meeting, he dropped by her house and they began to spend time together.

They fell for each other, but Mary's leukemia returned and it's terminal. Afraid of hurting Rhage with her pending death, remembering how bereft she was after losing her mother to multiple sclerosis, she tried to push him away. Accustomed to having constant sex with random women to control his Beast, Rhage realized that he didn't want anyone other than Mary and refused to let her push him away.

Rhage bargained with the Scribe Virgin for Mary's life, offering to keep the curse of the Beast for the rest of his life if she would save his shellan. Since there must be a balance, there had to be a sacrifice, which the Scribe Virgin had decreed would be Rhage forsaking Mary for the rest of his life and she would never remember him. However, once theScribe Virgin discovered that Mary was sterile from the cancer treatments, she brought Mary and Rhage together since Mary's inability to bear young was sufficient sacrifice.

She works at Safe Place, which she helped Marissa to create, where she originally met Bitty and her mother. When Annalye was dying of a miscarriage, Mary brought Bitty to her to say good-bye. As the girl touched her mahmen's hand, Annalye passed away and Mary blamed herself for traumatizing Bitty. Shortly after that, Rhage was dying of a gunshot straight to the heart and although she could follow him into the Fade, she was reluctant to leave Bitty all alone in the world. Mary managed to coax the Beast into healing the wound, saving Rhage's life, but was wracked with guilt because she felt it was for the wrong reasons.^[2]

Personality[]

Mary is patient, kind, and humble, but also stubborn when it comes to something that she wants to do.

Physical Description[]

Mary is described as being thin due to her illness but still a unique beauty that catches Rhage's eye. She has storm grey eyes, brown hair, and scarring throughout her body from multiple operations and procedures. Usually, she wears khakis, polo shirts, loafers, and a huge gold watch Rhage gave her. Her plain gold wedding band matches Rhage's, both of which were made by Vishous.^[3]

Skills[]

American Sign Language
Counseling
Teaching

Abilities[]

Although Mary is fully human, she will live as long as she wants and will go into the Fade when she chooses, which she states will be when Rhage passes.

Relationships[]

The Beast[]

The Beast adores her and she can call it to her like a beloved dog, which is kind of how she treats it. She talks to it when it's in tattoo form and when she gets up before Rhage is awake, she tells it where she's going so her hellren doesn't worry when he finds her gone.^[4]

Bitty[]

Adopted daughter

Rhage[]

At first, Rhage was scared to sleep with Mary because he feared he would lose control over the Beast within him. Mary, on the other hand, was unafraid and kind to the Beast, talking to it while Rhage slept, and found that the Beast listened to her; her calm voice appeared to soothe it. They were able to be together, proving to Rhage that the Beast wouldn't take over and hurt her. In fact, she's the only one who can calm the Beast and is safe with it.

Zsadist[]

He met with her regularly in the basement of the mansion in front of the boiler to process the trauma from having been a blood slave; she taught him how to read and write.^[5] He credits her with helping save his life and loves her like a sister.^[4]

Lassiter[]

Mary and Lassiter get along well, connecting on an emotional level. Lassiter looks out for Mary, Rhage, and Bitty in Blood Vow when Ruhn arrives. He distracts Bitty and comforts Mary. As Mary is crying, he turns her tears into gemstones. After all is resolved, Lassiter gives the gemstones as earrings to Mary at Christmas.

Trivia[]

Vishous told Rhage that his destiny would be a virgin. Rhage took the prediction to mean never having had sex, over time he realizes that it meant the Virgin Mary, after whom Mary was named.
Her taste in movies runs towards deep, meaningful, foreign films.^[6]
Although Rhage gave her a 7-carat, flawless D diamond engagement ring, it sits safely in a drawer.^[3]
She drives a blue Volvo XC70.^[7]
One Halloween, she dressed up as a red Tootsie Pop.^[8]
When she saved Rhage's life, Wrath gave her an antique sword of ornate gold encrusted with gems and hung on a ruby red sash.^[4]

Appearances[]

References[]

↑ Blood Kiss, Ch. 17
↑ The Beast, Ch. 7
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 The Beast, Ch. 15
↑ Lover Awakened, Ch. 49
↑ Lover Enshrined, Ch. 15
↑ The Shadows, Ch. 18
↑ Beth. "Missive From the Mansion." Caldwell Courier Journal. Vol I, Issue 8. October 1, 2019

Gallery[]

Mary-the-black-dagger-brotherhood-27845652-900-727

[1] Blood Kiss, Ch. 17

[2] The Beast, Ch. 7

[:0-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide

[:1-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 The Beast, Ch. 15

[5] Lover Awakened, Ch. 49

[6] Lover Enshrined, Ch. 15

[7] The Shadows, Ch. 18

[8] Beth. "Missive From the Mansion." Caldwell Courier Journal. Vol I, Issue 8. October 1, 2019

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