Christopher Bethany

Christopher Bethany is a wraith. He is the de facto leader of the wraiths, being one of the most powerful wraiths appearing in the series. He is later revealed to be the husband of Mrs Bethany and was a member of Black Cross when he was alive. Christopher dies permanently at the end of Afterlife, sacrificing himself to save Maxy and Bianca Olivier from his wife.

Background
Christopher was born in the Regency era. Christopher was raised in Black Cross and emigrated to America shortly after the Revolution, joining with the first Boston cell. He met a fellow hunter named Charlotte there, with the two falling in love and marrying. Unfortunately, Christopher was robbed and murdered by a group of men he believed to be his friends. Due to the brutality of his death and his on-going love and devotion to his wife, Christopher was unable to move onto the afterlife and became a wraith. Christopher was devastated by Charlotte's reaction to his death and her obsession with seeking revenge for him. He tried many times to interact with her and dissuade her destructive path, but found that Mrs Bethany could not hear or see him. Eventually, Christopher realised it was too late for his wife, though he never stopped loving her. He instead dedicated his time to learning all he could about wraiths, becoming exceptionally powerful over the years.

Christopher eventually became the de facto 'leader' of the wraiths and made it his mission to help the wraiths come to terms with their usually untimely demises and find peace after death. It is possible that Christopher was one of the wraiths that Adrian and Celia Olivier sought out in their quest to have a child, and helped them to conceive, knowing that such a child could become one of the most powerful wraiths in existence, capable of finding and helping hundreds - if not millions - of wraiths find their way. That child was Bianca. When Christopher learned that Bianca's parents intended for her to become a vampire instead, he began plotting to attack Evernight Academy in an attempt to either kill Bianca or make her see the truth, and thus persuade her to join them. Christopher strongly believed that Bianca's destiny was to be a wraith, and that in doing so, she could be a source of hope and guidance for the world's numerous ghosts, where as if she became a vampire, she would merely be one of many.

Stargazer
TBA

Hourglass
TBA

Afterlife
At Maxie's urging, Bianca agrees to go to the 'between place' to meet with Christopher. She is angry at him at first when she recognizes him as the wraith who had attempted to kill her, but Christopher is courteous to her and tries to justify his actions to her. Christopher gains Bianca's trust and begins teaching her about the wraiths and how she can use her new powers. When Bianca asks Christopher about his past, he is angry at first, but then realises Bianca needs to know the truth so that she can understand. He reveals he is the husband of Mrs Bethany and then takes Bianca 'into' the past to see how he died and how Mrs Bethany became a vampire.

Later, after Maxie takes Bianca's place in a wraith trap, putting her at risk of being destroyed by Mrs Bethany, Bianca goes to Christopher and begs him to help save her, saying that although she knows he still loves his wife, what Charlotte is doing is wrong and she must be stopped. christopher sadly agrees, knowing he will probably not survive his attempt to stop Charlotte, and willingly goes with Bianca to Ever Academy to save Maxie. Christopher frees Maxie from the trap at the last moment by taking her place. Mrs Bethany recognises him and tries to free him, whilst Christopher is happy to be reunited with his wife at long last. Sadly, they are both trapped in the burning carriage house and die (permanently) together, although Evernight is saved by Christopher's sacrifice.

Physical Appearance
Christopher wears nineteenth century clothes. He has long, thick and wavy brown hair, dark, "piercing" eyes and a "solid, firm-jawed" face. He is broad shouldered, but with a slender waist and is described as being "not quite middle-aged yet". Bianca compares him to the subjects of old fashioned paintings of soldiers or admirals.

Quotes

 * "When you have been dead as long as I, your perspective is altered. But no less true." 
 * "I was not born to the wraiths. I have not your natural power. My talents are meaner, and self-taught over time."

Appearances

 * Stargazer
 * Hourglass
 * Afterlife