"Personally, Rhage had always thought the poor bastard was suffering from Phury syndrome- a condition whereupon one brother was so fucked up that the other fell into a black hole trying to save him." -Rhage's opinion of iAm[1]
iAm is a Shadow, a mortal species closely related to vampires, in The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward and is one of the main characters in the thirteenth book, The Shadows. He's the elder brother to Trez and is mated to maichen.
Biography[]
iAm was the first born to a family of modest wealth, however, he didn't thrive and wasn't expected to live for very long, whereas his twin, Trez, appeared perfectly healthy. Queen Rashth had the twins' astrological charts altered to reverse the birth order and declaring Trez the Anointed One, essentially the breeding stud to the heir of the throne, instead of iAm.[2]
Trez was taken away to be raised in isolation by the queen's staff and he went on a hunger strike until they brought iAm to him, which was when their dysfunctional relationship began and their parents saw themselves as no longer responsible for iAm.[3] When Trez first attempted to escape the Territory, s'Ex, the queen's executioner, beat iAm severely and threatened to torture and even murder him if Trez make another attempt.[4] Twenty years later, Trez was successful and iAm was allowed to look for him on the condition that he brought his brother back to serve as the Anointed One.
iAm found Trez and fell in with him, Rehvenge, and Xhex; the brothers worked as Rehvenge's enforcers and helping to run ZeroSum and Iron Mask, including the drugs and prostitution. After Rehv faked his death, iAm focused more on his Italian restaurant, Sal's, where he's also the head chef.
iAm tried to run interference with s'Ex who was eventually sent to bring Trez back to perform in his role as Anointed One. With s'Ex's help, iAm sneaked into the palace's library to search for possible cures for Selena's disease where he met maichen disguised as a servant. The two of them continued to meet in secret and fell in love, until maichen revealed her true identity. Feeling betrayed, he told her that he never wanted to see her again.
After maichen and s'Ex discovered the queen's deceptions and maichen took the throne, iAm approached her and they made amends. Currently, they are expecting a daughter.[5]
Personality[]
iAm's typically quiet and self-contained with short-lived, hidden smiles. He's demisexual as he didn't feel sexual attraction to anyone until he met maichen.[6]
Physical Description[]
Tall and muscular, brown skin and black eyes. iAm keeps all of his emotions hidden[7], although, occasionally, his eyes will flash peridot green in the equivalent of a wink.[8] His voice is low and gorgeous.[7]
Skills[]
- Cooking
Abilities[]
- Those that come with being a shadow.
Relationships[]
Boo[]
Even though he calls Boo that Goddamn Cat, he really likes Boo.
maichen[]
bonded shellan
Parents[]
Like his brother, iAm holds their parents with very little regard for essentially selling Trez to improve their standing at court and sees them more as DNA donors than family.
Therese[]
Although he got along well with Selena, he was disinclined to like Therese at first because he thought Trez had an unhealthy fixation on her due to her resemblance to her previous incarnation.
Trez[]
Not only are they twins, but they wear similar clothing, weapons, and share the same principles.
Trivia[]
- He drives a BMW X5 that he shares with Trez.[9]
- He drinks vodka cranberries.[10]
- The perfect cappuccino is bliss to him.[7]
- He never gets hangovers.[11]
- He likes his coffee screaming hot.[12]
- When he has problems sleeping, he'll watch Dr. Phil with Lassiter.[13]
- He wears a knife at the small of his back and a pair of H&K's.
- He carries a lighter on him because he's used to dealing with temperamental gas ranges.[14]
- iAm and Trez are often referred to as "The Moors"
- He doesn't wear watches, rings, or bracelets because he'd just have to take them off when he cooks.[15]
- He likes cheese pizza.[16]
Appearances[]
- Lover Enshrined
- Lover Avenged
- Lover Mine
- Lover Reborn
- Lover at Last
- The King
- The Shadows
- Where Winter Finds You
References[]
- ↑ The Shadows, Ch. 56
- ↑ The Shadows, Ch. 79
- ↑ The King, Ch. 26
- ↑ The Shadows, Prologue
- ↑ Where Winter Finds You, Ch. 16
- ↑ The Shadows, Ch. 54
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lover Avenged, Ch. 10
- ↑ Lover Enshrined, Ch. 32
- ↑ Lover Reborn, Ch. 58
- ↑ The Shadows, Ch. 39
- ↑ The Shadows, Ch. 76
- ↑ The Shadows, Ch. 44
- ↑ The Shadows, Ch. 64
- ↑ The Shadows, Ch. 52
- ↑ Where Winter Finds You, Ch. 16
- ↑ Lover Mine, Ch. 50