Court of the Vampire Queen

Malachi is a bloodline vampire and the last remaining vampire in his bloodline, which is one of seven original vampire families. His bloodline power is fire. Mina’s first impression of him is that he is “gorgeous in the way all vampires are […] dark brown hair that falls in a sleep wave to his shoulders, fathomless dark eyes, and a muscular body” (2). Malachi “wears a pair of fitted pants and a shirt that would be at home on some historical romance about a pirate” (14). He also has scars from weapons made of silver, especially around his heart. At first, he is ravenous for Mina’s blood and orgasms because Cornelius trapped him with a blood ward. However, Malachi waits to take Mina’s virginity until she asks him to. His combination of predatory hunger and almost old-fashioned courtesy marks him as a character who takes dominance for granted but consciously reins it in for those he cares about.

Malachi is at the center of the polycule. He has a long romantic history with Rylan and Wolf. Mina notes Malachi’s “fierce possessiveness, his determination to claim all of us as his in a way that can’t be broken” (277). He worships Mina and consistently loves her. Mina repeatedly thinks about how he is “[c]areful. So fucking careful” (202) with her. On the other hand, Malachi demands subservience from his male lovers. This double standard reveals a hierarchical streak: Malachi sees himself as a protector and anchor, expecting deference from those he leads while offering near-absolute loyalty and reassurance in return.

Malachi is “overprotective” (237) of Mina and initially withholds information from her. Eventually, she convinces him to share information more freely, but it is a point of contention for much of the omnibus. Through the three parts, Malachi remains “arrogant and predatory” (27). Mina marvels that “he can be so steady, so unafraid, so sure things will work out” (444). In the end, Malachi is correct; they do kill Cornelius, take over his compound, and create a family. His emotional constancy and optimism contrast sharply with Mina’s anxiety and Rylan’s suspicion, positioning Malachi as the emotional center of the group, a character whose personality is defined less by change than by his steadfastness in crisis.

Wolf, like Malachi, is a bloodline vampire with a magical power, but Wolf controls blood rather than fire. Unlike Malachi, Wolf has family members who are still alive, such as his sister, Lizzie, with whom he doesn’t get along because she set him on fire. He has “blond hair cut into a short mohawk” (53) and wears fitted pants with steel-toed boots and graphic tees with anachronistic touches like gothic jackets or suspenders. Mina repeatedly describes Wolf as chaotic or chaos personified (62, 118, 166) and his “default expression: a mocking smile” (84). Wolf has a long romantic history with Malachi but isn’t upset about sharing him with Mina. His style, jokes, and flirtation function as a mask for deeper volatility, suggesting a personality that uses humor and theatricality to manage fear and guilt.

Initially, Wolf dislikes Mina because she is part of Cornelius’s plan to control Malachi’s bloodline. Wolf is mercurial for most of the omnibus; he is “arguably the most unhinged of [Mina’s] men” (326). Mina repeatedly describes her interactions with him as “dancing on the bladed edge” (173). He is not comforting or overprotective like Malachi all of the time. Wolf’s impulsiveness and willingness to threaten violence mark him as the most unpredictable member of the group, but his actions consistently stop short of true betrayal, revealing a strong underlying loyalty once his trust is earned.

Wolf is the kind of vampire who has demon acquaintances and can perform magic to summon them. He “weaves a spell with his words” (75) and “is terrifying” (242). In the third novella, Wolf confesses his love for Mina and allows her to see his softer side. He finds “joy at finding what feels like home” (277) in their polycule, including with the children. By the end, Wolf’s personality is still irreverent and provocative but deeply invested in the safety of the found family he once pretended not to want.

Rylan is another bloodline vampire whose power is shapeshifting. He can fully transform into animals like birds and wolves, or transform parts of his body, like turning his hands into claws. Like Wolf, Rylan has living family members, including a terrifying mother who is prejudiced against seraphim. However, Rylan is considerably older than both Wolf and Malachi. Mina repeatedly refers to him as an apex predator (109, 299). Rylan “looks like some kind of CEO” (109) because of his seemingly “endless supply of suits” (164). He has a cold presence, in contrast with Malachi’s fiery one, but is still “sexy” (124). His controlled exterior and precise language suggest a character who has survived by mastering self-discipline and distance, even as the bond drags him toward emotional entanglement he does not initially want.

In addition to his mother teaching Rylan to be prejudiced against seraphim, Rylan dislikes Mina because Malachi loves her. Rylan and Malachi have a complicated past because Rylan wanted to be monogamous with Malachi, but Malachi is polyamorous. Rylan “looks at [Mina] as if [she] stole his only love” (223). Resisting the seraph bond causes Rylan to bite Mina too deeply. Overall, he is the roughest with her during sex; Mina thinks sex “always seems to feel different with Rylan” (285). His harshness is tied to fear rather than cruelty. Rylan clings to old prejudices and possessiveness as a way to protect himself from loss, and only gradually admits that these defenses are hurting the people he cares about.

Eventually, Rylan gives in and admits he loves everyone and wants to be a part of the polycule. This causes him to feel “relief, the way this moment feels like all the broken pieces have clicked together in his chest, turning into something whole” (277). He accepts Malachi as the alpha of the group. In the third novella, Rylan’s words help Mina feel confident in using her new shared magical powers to kill her father. He assures her that she always has a way to fight back and that “no matter what else is true, [they] are warriors” (299). Once committed, Rylan becomes the group’s strategist and realist, the partner most likely to name uncomfortable truths and to remind Mina that her power is not an accident but something she has the right to wield.

Cornelius is Mina’s father and the main antagonist of the omnibus. He “looks nearly as normal as Lizzie does. Silvering brown hair, vaguely attractive features that would be forgettable if not for the charisma he exudes […] weaponizes” (455). He runs a cult-like compound in Montana and abuses Mina because she is only half vampire and hasn’t manifested her magical powers yet. Cornelius’s magic is controlling spirit; he can compel people, as well as use illusions: he “can get anyone to do anything he wants as long as they’re in the same room and he’s able to speak” (168). He imprisoned Malachi with a blood ward and sent Mina to him so he could feed from her and impregnate her. Cornelius plans to “collect his daughter, and then he’ll have [Malachi’s] child under his control—and as leverage” (58). His outward respectability and reliance on persuasion rather than brute force mark him as a charismatic authoritarian, someone who frames his domination as rational necessity rather than obvious sadism.

However, this plan will no longer work after Mina manifests her seraph powers. With magic, she becomes Cornelius’s heir. Malachi and Mina’s other lovers reveal that Cornelius “really is an asshole” (283) for lying to Mina about vampires and humans. Once the group sex ritual frees Malachi, Cornelius begins to hunt down the polycule. He is able to trap Malachi, Wolf, and Rylan. After they are rescued by Azazel, they help Mina plan to kill Cornelius. Lizzie shoots out his throat, breaking his power of compulsion, and Mina kills him with her various powers; she turns her hands into wolf claws, beheads Cornelius, and sets him on fire. Cornelius’s refusal to acknowledge Mina as heir, even when it is strategically foolish, underscores his misogyny and need to hoard status; he cannot imagine power that is shared or decentered from himself.

Azazel is a demon with “light brown skin, dark hair and eyes, a face so perfect it’s actually a little eerie to look at” (238) in his human form. Mina only glimpses his true form: with “massive shoulders and arms, horns like a bull coming from either side of its head” (351). He makes deals with women, granting their wishes in exchange for seven years of service in the demon realm. Mina considers how Azazel is a “predator in a way even vampires can never aspire to be” (336). In other words, he is more of a predator than Rylan.

Azazel seems antagonistic but can be contrasted with Cornelius. Mina thinks Azazel is “frank about the terms [of his deals]. There were no hidden catches or trickery. It’s more than [she] can say for how [her] father operates” (318). Unlike Cornelius, Azazel believes in consent. The women who serve in the demon realm cannot be sexually assaulted, per the terms of his deal. Azazel also helps Mina create a shield for her unborn child to keep the fetus from draining her magic and health. He is kinder to Mina than Cornelius. This does not make him benevolent; rather, his personality embodies a transactional ethic in which harm is acceptable as long as all parties have ostensibly agreed to the terms, raising questions about what “choice” means in asymmetrical power structures.

Azazel makes a deal with Grace to save Malachi, Wolf, and Rylan. The epilogue of the omnibus is Azazel’s auction that presumably includes Grace. He hopes that the auction will create peace between the demon leaders who participate, and the epilogue sets up another story about the demon realm with Azazel as the star. His closing appearance as a political broker in the demon realm reinforces his role as a fixer who operates on a scale larger than Mina’s story, suggesting that his ambitions and calculations extend far beyond any individual bargain.

Grace shows up at the end of the second novella. She is a “tall white woman with a mass of wavy brown hair and an athletic build” (305). Her family owes Rylan a debt, which is not detailed in the omnibus. It is why she allows Rylan and his polycule to stay in her grandfather’s bunker. Like Malachi, Grace is the last of her line: the “last of the Cel Tradat family” (352). However, she and her family are monster hunters. As such, Grace carries a lot of weapons, especially knives and swords, and can see magic. She only reluctantly helps Mina: Grace “seems to want to be anywhere but helping [Mina]” (314). Her reluctance, blunt speech, and readiness to act mark her as a pragmatic survivor rather than an idealist. She is driven by obligation and personal stakes more than by abstract loyalty to Mina’s cause.

Grace agrees to pay the price for Rylan, Malachi, and Wolf’s freedom because she wants to look for her mother in the demon realm. Grace’s decision to bargain herself away suggests a personality shaped by generational trauma and duty. She is determined to resolve her family’s unfinished business, even if it requires stepping into the same dangerous pattern that claimed her mother.