Adam Vega

Adam Vega, a character in the Bloodbound series, was a U.S. Senator and a vampire, as well as the leader of Clan Vega until his death in Chapter 15. He is the main antagonist of Book 1. He is first seen in Book 1, Chapter 6.

Appearance
Adam has black hair, brown eyes that turn red as a vampire, tan skin and a goatee. He wears a gray suit over a white dress shirt. In Chapter 6, he is described as "even more handsome in person than on TV", and Adrian mentions that "everyone" finds him "attractive."

When seeing him up close as a vampire, your character describes that he has "cruel eyes", a "hungry grin" and "glistening fangs." Overall, his teeth are described as "dazzling." Your character notes that he has "a comfortable, charismatic way of speaking."

Personality
A key aspect of Adam's personality is his charisma. Your character describes him as "incredibly charismatic" when listening to his speech upon meeting him in Chapter 6. Adrian adds to this with a warning that "[Vega's] persuasive powers are strong" to the point that he "could sell water to a whale". Adam makes use of his charisma and charm in both his working and private life - according to Adrian, "[h]e always was a lady killer. Sometimes literally."

Furthermore, Adam is extremely manipulative. This is a skill he uses whenever it benefits him. He tries to appear friendly to potential voters such as your character and Lily, saying things like that "[a]nyone with a heart would have [Turned Lily]" or that "those human bonds... are what make the world worth living in", which is obviously not what he believes, as well as that he "applaude[s]" and "appreciate[s]" your character's "passion" and "clear devotion to [her] friend". He also relativizes his plans of genocide of the Clanless to others such as your character by saying that it "breaks [his] heart" but has to be done for the "safety" of the people. He fakes feelings and expressions of sadness in order to make this seem believable.

Via close observation, it can be seen that Adam lacks a great deal of feelings. He seems happy, enthusiastic and passionate at first glance, mostly at public events such as parties, galas and even council meetings, where he calls the members his "friends," but it is later revealed that all of these feelings, including his friendliness, sadness and anger are fake. An implicit proof of this is his reaction after the Massacre at the Awakening Ball, which he himself staged; he presents himself as angry, apparently wishing to "bring whoever did this to justice." However, when your character asks about his ways to cover up what happened, he slips up and "shrugs", proving that he is not moved one bit by his deadly crime. He seems rather careless as well in the flashback of Chapter 13, when Gaius presents the council his machine to get blood of innocent humans. Excluding The Baron, he is the only one who is neither sad nor shocked at this sight. He only reacts, neutrally, after having observed "his companions" reactions. Moreover, he despises Adrian for feelings he himself does not possess - for example, his "sad little nostalgia".

Something else worth of note is that Adam is intelligent, and seems very well-raised and generally polite. Gaius describes him as " always so chivalrous" when he attacks him to defend Priya in the flashback of Chapter 16. He also kisses the hands of both your character and Serafine in a way that is "delicate [and] courtly" upon meeting them. His language seems generally sophisticated and overall, he has only cursed a single time in absolute anger ("Damn you, Adrian"), further indicating his good manners.

Needless to say, Adam is motivated purely by his unhealthy self-interest in "power", willing to do absolutely anything to get his way. He is very much "ambitious", as stated by Adrian, and "cunning", as stated by himsef. At the same time, he is careless about who he harms in his calculated real-life game of chess. Guilt seems to be an unknown concept to him, as well as altruism; with a beaming smile on his face, he asks, "Who would I be to turn my back on a vampire in need?". He says this after having been bribed to help.

During his past life as a colonial Spanish noble, Adam was said to have been dictatorial, implying he has a penchant for suffering and tyranny. This appears to have carried over in some ways to his current job as a Senator. He has no qualms about being bribed and uses his charisma to win over crowds, which could go a long way in his upcoming campaign to become the next President (of the United States).

Further examples of Adam's less than pleasant nature include wishing to launch massacres against Clanless vampires. One of his peers on the Vampire Council, Adrian, has said that Adam has the harshest opinion of the whole council on what to do with the Clanless.

In Chapter 15, his seemingly harsh view of the Clanless was revealed to be a disguise for his true intentions.

He took advantage of the panic over unauthorized Turnings and is planning to use the Ferals (Clanless vampires that he Turned) as his personal army in order to consolidate power over the Council and take over the world as the King of the Vampires.

Background
Not a lot of Adam's background is known. In Book 1, Chapter 6, Adrian reveals that "only 300 years ago, he was a Spanish lord who was famous for his cruelty and tyranny."

In Book 2, Chapter 8, however, Adam is seen in a flashback that is set in the 1500s. He seems rich, well-mannered and introduces himself as "Sir Adam Vega", confirming that he is indeed of noble birth.

Historically, Adam lived during the Spanish Inquisition. Regardless of his exact time of birth, it can be assumed that he was raised Roman Catholic. His biblical first name hints at this as well.

Book 1

 * Chapter 6: The Senator
 * Chapter 7: The Judgment
 * Chapter 9: The Ball
 * Chapter 10: The Massacre
 * Chapter 11: The Den  (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 12: The Tribunal
 * Chapter 13: The Dungeon (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant)
 * Chapter 14: The Cabin
 * Chapter 15: The Showdown
 * Chapter 16: The Dawn  (Determinant)

Bloodbound: Dark Solstice

 * Chapter 3: Silent Night, Unholy Night (Mentioned; Determinant)

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: The Calm  (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 8: The Crypts (Determinant)

Book 3

 * Chapter 15: The Loss (Mentioned; Determinant)

Veil of Secrets

 * Chapter 16: All's Well That Ends... (Mentioned; Determinant)

Adrian Raines
Adrian is shown to be wary of Adam due to his past life as a dictator and his suggestion to go the offensive against Ferals and Clanless. According to Adrian, he was a ruthless Spanish lord prior to being turned into a vampire who was "famous for his cruelty and tyranny." However, he learned long ago to to put forward a compassionate face. Their differences seem to go back to at least the 1920s; in the first scene presented, Adrian greets him with an angry facial expression and Vega's smile drops as well when seeing Adrian. Adam later asks him why Gaius asked them here only to have him respond by saying he doesn't know, in order to mock him by saying with a grin: "Even the dog doesn't know his master's will. Fascinating." Adrian gets angry at this, but his response is interrupted by Lester's entrance.

Adam believes he is more cunning than Adrian, and is disgusted by the latter's affection towards humans. "Humans are our prey. We shouldn't be fearing them, protecting them, loving them. We should be ruling over them like the gods we are!" In Chapter 12, he frames Adrian for creating the Ferals after learning from Nicole that he had created a serum that would Turn Vampires back into humans. He doesn't understand why Adrian would want to become a "mewling sheep" and plans to use the serum to increase his power.

"The serum is the key to everything. If we use it, we no longer have to fear the day. The humans' greatest advantage... gone. No need for blood farms or viruses. We can rule them openly, directly, in the light of the day. Thanks to you, Adrian, the age of man comes to an end. The age of vampires begins!"

- Adam about his plan

Upon his target fleeing to hide, Vega hunts Adrian down with Nicole, dedicated to "extract that serum out of [him] even if [they] have to drain every last drop of [his] blood to get it." However, Vega won't get his own hands dirty in the process even if Adrian wants to kill the former with his bare hands. Instead he uses an army of ferals to fight for him, impatiently waiting for them to kill Adrian. When the Clanless arrive and turn the tables, Vega is forced to have his standoff with Adrian one to one. You help give Adrian an edge to defeat Vega once and for all.

Nicole Anderson
Nicole informed him of Adrian's serum after Lily was Turned into a Vampire. The two of them teamed up and Vega promised to Turn Nicole in exchange for Adrian's serum. It is unknown how he actually felt about her, and if he would have followed through with his promise.

Priya Lacroix
Adam and Priya were in a relationship in the 1920s that is said to have been "casual" and only about "hooking up". In Book 2, Chapter 2, it is revealed that he was the one to Turn her into a vampire "mostly out of affection", as Jameson supposes. The fact that he attacked Gaius to protect her shows that he may have indeed cared about her.

The two 1920s flashback scenes portray their relationship in a way that is rather contradictory. In the first one, Adam gets angry at Priya several times for unintentionally disrespecting Kamilah and Gaius, even nudging her with his elbow "hard". In the second one, however, he gets angry when Priya is mildly criticized by Lester, looks out for her during the fight and risks his own life by protecting her - all things he possibly would not have done a scene prior.

Kamilah Sayeed
Out of the very few interactions the two of them had, it is shown that Adam was rather respectful of Kamilah, maybe out of the interest to get on her good side, saying it is "always a pleasure" to see her. His feelings of respect towards her were proven to be fake, however, as he was willing to kill her alongside Adrian.

The Baron
Adam and Cecil have never been seen interacting directly, however it can be assumed that they got along rather well, since Baron helped Vega in his plan by placing a tracker inside of Adrian's arm, and promising his vote to him.

Lester Castellanos
Lester and Adam have barely interacted, and while Vega has treated Lester rather neutrally, the latter found him to be "a sneaky little bastard" as well as "the worst".

Gaius Augustine
Gaius is the man who Turned Adam into a vampire. He was his "newest progeny" in the 1500s. In this context, Gaius said about himself to be "a man delighted by beauty", indicating he found Adam physically attractive which may or may not have been a reason for his Turning.

In the 1920s, Adam and Gaius seemed to have been on a respectful basis. He apologizes to Gaius, albeit angrily, when his "companion" Priya accidentally disrespects him. Even though he has no love for humans, he disagrees with Gaius' plan to release a virus on the human population for practical reasons. He feels the plan is unnecessary and even grotesque. When Gaius attacks Priya, however, Vega attacks him back, demanding him to "[g]et away from her".

Serafine Dupont
"Will you do me the great honor of a dance, my lady? I am sure to keel over of jealousy if I so much as see another man look your way."

- Adam to Serafine

Adam was introduced to Serafine by Gaius at a gala in the 1500s. Her immediate reaction was to refer to him as a "pretty creature". He went on asking her to dance, to which she responded in a flirtatious way, "batting her eyelashes at him". The two were then dancing and having fun in a "carefree" way until the gala got attacked. It is unknown how their relationship developed.

Banner Westbrook
Banner and Adam knew each other in the 1500s. Shown was only a single interaction between them; as Banner was dancing with Marcel, Vega smirked and extended one foot, tripping him as a result and laughing as he fell. This proves that Adam, at this time, had no respect for Banner.

Your Character (Bloodbound)
When Adam first meets your character in Chapter 6, he is polite in order to leave a good impression. When he sees her and Lily at Marcel's Ball in Chapter 9, they have a short conversation; Adam "makes a big show of stopping to kiss [them] both on the cheek". He comments on "how wonderful" it is to see them here, and compliments their "incredible" looks. When your character replies by thanking him for his vote for Lily, he says he was "happy to be able to do that" and advertises his upcoming presidential campaign.

Their relationship remains positive until Adam frames Adrian for the massacre he staged. It can be observed that Adam starts to view your character as a bother the more she gets in his way of success, like when she challenges him at the tribunal. At this point, he no longer bothers to impress her. When it comes to the showdown, your character either helps Adrian kill Vega or, in the version where she chooses to fire the crossbow at him, dies by him forcing her to the ground and ripping her throat out - his "dinnertime", as he calls it. Before this, after having caught the crossbow, he calls her a "little girl", expressing his feelings of superiority over her.

Lily Spencer
Lily's and Adam's relationship is similar to the one he has with your character. She refers to him as "America's hottest Senator" before having met him. When he sees her at the Ball, telling her to "remember [that he helped her], and tell all [her] friends at election time", she turns to your character and jokes: "Does that guy ever stop campaining?". The only time Adam and Lily interact again after this is when he uses her well-meant statements at the tribunal against Adrian's sense of responsibility.

Griff Sanderson
Griff and Adam haven't directly interacted. However, when helping the others to fight him in Chapter 15, his attitude is made clear by demanding: "Where's Vega? Let me at him!", which suggests he disliked him a lot and wanted to hurt him rather than hide.

Nerdy guy
Your character is able to meet the nerdy guy inside the train to Marcel's Ball. He is very proud to be Vega's Senate page and "feedbag." From their conversation, it becomes apparent that Adam has "promoted" him to become his "snack on legs." The encounter with the nery guy is important insofar that it reveals Adam's treatment of humans and/or his staff as clearly inferior and lesser than him. Another thing that it accentuates is Adam's charm; the nerdy guy is very fond of him, saying that "[h]e's... well, he's something else."

Powers and Abilities

 * Immortality: In Book 1, Chapter 2, Adrian confirms that he does not age. Thus we can assume the same can be said for Adam.
 * Super-Strength: In Book 1, Chapter 2, Adrian confirms that he is strong enough to lift a car. Thus we can assume the same can be said for Adam.
 * Healing Factor: Accelerated healing is an ability that vampires possess that allows them to heal from physical injuries at supernatural speeds. If a vampire uses their blood such as when Adrian was done feeding on Nicole, they can heal the bite mark as well. Thus we can assume the same can be said for Adam.
 * Heightened Senses: In Book 1, Chapter 6, Lily mentions how she can feel the slightest air currents, how she can even see the tiniest pores in Your Character's skin and can hear the water running through the pipes three stories up. Thus we can assume the same came be said for Adam.
 * Master Tactician and Strategist: Adam is a very skilled strategist and tactician as a politician. He is able to use the feral panic to cause more votes and disguise his disgust to the Clanless by placing the blame on the Clanless behind the feral attacks when it was him. According to Adrian, he is able to put a positive outlook and smile to fool all the Council members and place the blame on Adrian instead.
 * World-Class Actor: Adam has proven himself to be very skilled at acting and lying. He pretended to be angry at crimes he himself was responsible for, proposing his scapegoat, the Clanless, to be "cast into the sun" as a result, earning support from other council members. He also successfully managed to use fake evidence to accuse Adrian of serious crimes such as unauthorized Turnings, the staging of a massacre as well as the wish to eradicate all vampires.

Weaknesses

 * Sunlight: Sunlight is one of vampires' weaknesses. As Adrian stated, sunlight does hurt him and can prove fatal after more than thirty minutes of exposure. It's akin to hypersensitivity; overexposure causes, as Adrian describes it, an accelerated heat stroke. This same weakness can be assumed for Adam. Out of The Council, it is him who has to face the sunlight the most often due to his job as a Senator.
 * Decapitation: Dismembering or manually removing the head of a vampire will result in instant and permanent death.
 * Heart Extraction: Removing and subsequently destroying the heart of a vampire will also result in permanent death.
 * Unquenched Bloodlust: When Adrian first became a vampire, he felt the powerful thirst for blood which no amount of water can relieve. In the brief period where he resisted the urge, Adrian experienced severe discomfort whereby he eventually gave in to his instincts. It is unknown yet how long a vampire can remain thirsty or what the extent of pain is when this need is unmet. When Vampires don't consume blood for extended periods of time, they tend to give in to their instincts and attack the nearest human nearby in order to suppress their thirst. Newly Turned Vampires like Lily are the ones mostly affected by this problem.
 * A Feral's Bite: A bite from a feral vampire is infectious to regular vampires because it can turn them feral too.

Fate
In Book 1, Chapter 15, Adrian and Adam have a fight to the death, with Adrian vowing to kill him with his own hands instead of a weapon because of his betrayal. After dealing with Nicole Anderson, Your Character shows up to help Adrian in the fight.

Vega endures a painful and agonizing final battle before his gruesome end. In the battle Adrian ends up crushing some of Vega’s ribs, and elbowing in the back of the head. Your character then assists by shining an Ultra UV (concentrated sun rays) flashlight at Vega, causing his skin to instantly start painfully burning and blistering. Adrian, who still has his serum in his system actually absorbs to the UV light and harness it— he uses this ability to cause Vega’s blood to start boiling inside his body. Adrian then finishes him off by exploding his skull which causes instant fatality and Vega’s body being reduced to nothing more than ash in the wind.

Trivia

 * In Book 1, Chapter 2, Adrian mentions that garlic gives him a minor distaste, rather than kill him. This, in turn, means that it is not a real weakness for vampires as a whole and we can assume Adam has a similar distaste for it.
 * His crimes against the Council would include unauthorized turnings and conspiracy against a Council member.
 * In Chapter 16 of Veil of Secrets, the epilogue reveals that, should Your Character decide to stay in Birchport with Grant, Grant will eventually run for public office to take Senator Vega's vacant seat in the U.S. Senate.
 * He shares the same forename as Handsome Stranger's default name from the America's Most Eligible series.
 * The name Adam is of Hebrew and Arabic origin, which means: "man", "the ground", "earth", "red" (Hebrew); "made from the mud", "clay" (Arabic). It is the 238th most common forename in the world. The Spanish version is Adán.
 * The surname Vega is of Basque origin and means "dweller in the meadow" or "one who lives on the plain" (Spanish). It is the 460th most common surname in the world, and goes back over 1000 years. It is tied to a prestigious house of nobility around the Castile region in the northwestern area of Spain.
 * Vega meets all the signs of primary psychopathy: glibness/superficial charm, grandiose self-worth, pathological lying, conning/manipulative, lack of remorse or guilt, shallow affect, callous/lack of empathy, failure to accept responsibility for actions.
 * He is included in the "nobility" category due to his past (Human life) affiliation.