The Four Horsemen Series Box Set: Books 1 to 3

by LJ Swallow

  "But I have powers—you don’t need to look after me." A memory from last night flickers across my mind, and I blink it away.

  "But you don’t understand or control them yet."

  "Yet. But it's a balance. I want the opportunity to show that I'm capable of being your equal and I’m not a delicate girl."

  Heath smiles and cups my cheek, placing a soft kiss on my lips. "I'm still going to treat you like one, sorry."

  I grit my teeth against more unwarranted fussing. Until I can prove otherwise, their attitude to me won't change. Following my experience last night, I need to get my hands on a demon and show the guys what I’m capable of. I'll figure out exactly how powerful I am.

  Then God help anybody who tries to harm me again.

  12

  HEATH

  I’m amused when Vee insists she gives her company notice rather than just leave. Xander doesn't comment beyond the fact I'm instructed to go with her as ‘safety in numbers’ for Vee's one-week notice period.

  Two days to go.

  I don't see Vee at work, but her appearance at the end of each day worries me. Despite her not fitting in at the company, even after three years, Vee always smiled and exchanged polite conversation with people. Nowadays, she's distracted as the strain of the last few days caught up. She’s focused on her phone as she walks toward me now. I understand that trick— it stops people talking when you want to stay quiet. I spent the last five minutes doing the same.

  "Are you okay?" I ask as we leave the building. "Is this too much?"

  Vee shrugs her bag onto a shoulder. "I feel weird here, like I don't belong anymore."

  I resist telling her she doesn't, instead taking her hand and squeezing. "I think this will be easier once we move on. We use the house as a base and will be back, but policing the world can't be done from a small town in Oxfordshire."

  She gives a weak smile. "I bet. So we're still headed north?"

  "I think so. Once we clear up the mess round here." I chew my lip. She might not want to hear this. "We might need to head overseas at some point."

  "Overseas?" Her eyes widen. "But I've never been further than Spain when I was a kid..." She trails off. "Or I thought so. Why?"

  "The supernatural threat doesn't limit itself to a small island in Europe. Or even to the Western world, although the biggest control exists amongst the powerful countries. Once the demons take hold of the powerful countries, controlling the rest is simple."

  We reach my car and Vee pauses. "Are we any closer to tracking down the demons who got away from the club the other night?"

  Ewan's obsession with finding and ending the succubi gang is unusual for him. He took down one at the club, Xander two more, but not before being told there's a gang living in the area. Fury followed him home that night when the one he knew was still in the club got away. Why is Vee bothered too?

  Ewan tends to get pissed off with us for wasting time on small fry when we should be focusing on the big guys. I get that but, as Xander also argues, if we let the low-level demons out of control, they'll see the world as ripe for the picking. Ewan insists this time we make examples of them. He's probably right.

  "Joss and Xander headed out today to talk to some local vampires who've indicated they've seen their sex-starved rivals around. To be honest, I think the vamps would deal with the threat themselves if we left the two sides alone."

  We climb into the car and her scent from the bodywash she uses reaches me, along with images of Vee in the shower. My room is next to the bathroom, and not only have I listened to the water trickle and daydreamed, I've also encountered her dressed in just a towel.

  Crap. Even the thought arouses me. I shift uncomfortably.

  "What's wrong?" she asks.

  "Nothing." I start the car. "If they locate the gang, we’re going in tonight to clear them out."

  "Great. I think it would be good practice. Xander's taught me more attack moves. Ewan agrees that my starting with simple enemies would be better than confronting more powerful ones." Vee stares ahead, mouth thinning. "I want to do this. I want them dead."

  Whoa. I study her lined face. "They group from the club aren’t worth wasting more than a knife blade on. They're pathetic. Weak."

  "Some of us don't have the experience you do," she snaps at me. "If I kill them I'll know I can always defend myself."

  Her harsh tone doesn't sound like Vee. Maybe she's spending too much time around Xander, and he's filling her head with ideas that brute force is the way to go. "Wow, okay."

  She turns a smile to me, but her eyes hold something different, adding to the stress surrounding her. "Maybe I can try both. Blind them with light, then stab them."

  I laugh. "Perhaps you can, if your power triggers."

  Vee's quiet much of the journey home until we approach the house, tyres crunching on gravel as I slow to approach the house. "Why do you still work at Alphanet?" she asks. "You could've left once you found me."

  "So could you."

  "I am leaving."

  I tap my fingers on the steering wheel. "I like some normality occasionally. When we're around Grangeton, I almost feel like I have a home. In a weird way, having a job in the real world felt good. I get sick of being on the road."

  Vee chews her lip as she looks at me. "Aren't you happy with being who you are?"

  What do I say? That I struggle some days because I want more? That I see the real human world around me and crave to be part of it? I fight against my human side, remind myself I'm Death and don't belong. I wasn't born into a family, but thrown into a weird brotherhood with no memory of my past.

  "Sometimes I want my reality to be different too," I reply. "As you may've noticed, saving the world is hard work. I like downtime."

  "Working at a boring telecommunications company?"

  "Spending time with a girl who's the centre of my world." I shake my head. Shit. "Literally. You know what I mean."

  "I do." She places a hand on my leg and squeezes. "You want a girl to date. Someone ordinary. A relationship."

  "Not really." You. I want you. So bloody much. "Just a different reality."

  "Do the others know you feel like this?"

  "I think we all do occasionally. Even Xander. He gets pissed off with me because sometimes I get too distracted by what he calls my sulking."

  "Hah. You all spend time at pubs and clubs and hook up with girls. I think you have plenty of human in your life."

  "Yeah, but that's not the same, Vee."

  My words close down the conversation, and when I glance at her, there's a sadness in her downturned mouth. I mentally kick myself. By sharing my struggles, have I reminded her of what she lost?

  13

  VEE

  Heath parks his car on a suburban street as we did when we visited Portia, but this time there are no fancy houses and perfect gardens. This street is at the back of a sprawling council estate, where broken cars sit on the road rather than upmarket models on driveways.

  Nowadays, those living here are a mix of the original council residents and those who've bought the houses. Most are rentals, including the one we're eyeing up now with overgrown front lawn and dirty windows.

  "Don't you think all five of us is a bit of overkill for a few pathetic demons?" asks Joss. "They're not exactly powerful."

  "This will take us a few minutes, and then we can head out for a celebratory pint, don't worry," Heath puts in.

  Despite my shaking nerves and anger I'm about to slaughter those responsible for my assault the other night, his words amuse me. "A quick kill on the way to the pub? You guys never cease to amuse me."

  "Why waste an evening?" says Joss with a grin and opens the door. "Are they definitely home, Ewan? Need me to check?"

  "Yeah. They are. Xander tracked them before."

  I'm sandwiched between Ewan and Heath in the back, something I'm not unhappy about and led to my mind drifting in directions that would've shocked me in the past. I don't have any intention of asking t
hem, but there's something arousing at the thought of both guys um... "tending to my sexual needs" as much as they tend to all my others, if I let them.

  Focus. Do not picture them naked.

  "Two take the front of the house, two the rear," says Xander as he climbs out.

  "Um? What about your Fifth?" I ask.

  "With me," says Ewan before Xander can reply. "The rear."

  I follow Ewan and Joss around to the end of the street, so we can head down the lane and to the back of the houses. We pass a row of graffitied garages and paved areas, some with cars parked on them and others with washing hung on lines.

  "This one," says Joss in a low voice.

  A flaking wooden gate leads into the unevenly paved yard, weeds pushing through the gaps. A light shines in an upstairs room behind a thin curtain, but the room in front of us, to the left of the back door, is dark. Ewan heads to the door and examines it.

  "Dead bolt. We either kick the door down or wait for a demon to run out when the guys break in the front." A knife flashes as he takes it from his pocket. "I'm all for getting straight into this."

  "Boring!" exclaims Joss. "Prime the door."

  "Prime?" I ask.

  "Yeah. True." Ewan glances at my confusion. "I can add something nice and painful. There’s a lot of bacteria for me to use around here."

  Joss straightens as noise begins in the house. A male yell, footsteps running upstairs. “I’m not sure you'll have time."

  The door flings open and a girl, wild-eyed and holding a white shirt against her naked torso, stands on the doorstep. Ewan steps forward and Joss grabs his arm. "No. She's human. Victim probably."

  The girl spots our knife and turns back to the house with a scream, but Joss rushes by and steps in the way. "It's okay. We're not here to hurt you."

  "Those men... they're attacking my friends!" She looks at me, then back to Joss. "Is this about drugs? I can tell you where the drugs are. Please don't hurt me."

  I step forward and address her in a gentle voice. "It's cold out here. Maybe put your shirt on?"

  She frowns down at the shirt in her hand. "Right. I didn't realise. When did I take that off?"

  The anger I'm containing seethes as I spot her unbuttoned jeans too. Has she been assaulted? This situation could’ve been me in the club. "Do you know these people?"

  "Yes. Kind of. We met them last week. Do they owe you money? They're not bad people, they don't deserve to die!"

  Her voice rises into a shriek and Ewan swears under his breath. "Get the girl back inside.”

  "No!" she half screams. "Don't touch me!"

  "Joss!" Ewan jabs a finger at the girl. "Calm her down."

  "It's okay," I say in a low voice as she flinches away from Joss's attempted touch. "We're not going to hurt you. We're here to help."

  "Yeah, police, undercover," says Ewan and half drags her inside.

  I groan. "Seriously?" I mouth at Joss.

  "Don't you dare tell her the truth," he says and nudges me with his elbow, grinning.

  How can he grin right now?

  The door leads into a filthy kitchen, where ashtrays filled with cigarette butts and empty cans and bottles vie for space on the Formica table and kitchen counter. I wrinkle my nose at the mixed scent—mould, rotting food, and an unmistakable sickly drug smell.

  "Sit with her," says Joss and pulls out a metal chair from under the table.

  "No," I say. "I came here to"—I glance at the girl—"Deal with the problem."

  "I think—" he begins.

  "You sit with her," interrupts Ewan. "Vee, come with me."

  "What?" Joss frowns. "Why?"

  He doesn't get a response as Ewan drags me through the next doorway and into a smoke-filled lounge room. Xander stands in the corner, over a girl's lifeless body as Heath chases another who's running upstairs.

  The sight shocks me, but I need to tell myself these aren't people they’re killing. These are demons. A young guy on the sofa—black hair, piercings—blinks at us through a drugged haze as he buttons his jeans. "What the fuck?"

  His voice is weak as he struggles to stand. This isn't only drugs. The succubus on the floor must be responsible for his state because the guy's shirt is open and eyes glazed, face pale.

  "Fun's over. Thank us for saving your life," growls Xander. He jabs a finger toward the staircase. "Ewan. Some ran upstairs. We think there're more in the bedrooms. Heath's up there."

  I shove Ewan to one side and charge up the stairs. My shoes stick to a stained carpet, and I hear a woman scream behind a door to my right. My blood chills. I bloody hope that's Heath and a demon. Light filters beneath another door in front of me. Ewan kicks at the door to my left, face impassive.

  Adrenaline pushes me forward, and I throw open the third door.

  A girl with long red hair lies on the bed. Naked. Unconscious. I want to look away but the horror drives reality home. A man steps away from her, backing up as he hastily puts jeans on and looks at me.

  Not a man. A demon. The other guy from the club.

  Stocky. Vibrant green hair, but this time with a drunk look on his face from feeding on the girl. This is the first demon who touched me that night, by the bathrooms and was involved in my assault. My stomach turns as I look between him and the bed, imagining my face as the girl's. Shit. Is she unconscious or dead?

  Fury grips me and builds with a sudden intensity. Fucking demon bastard.

  My control snaps, and I lunge at the guy with my knife. He sidesteps me. "Back for more?" he sneers. "I heard my friend was rudely interrupted when you were having fun the other night."

  His arrogance is joined by no fear of me as he steps forward and attempts to close his hand around mine holding the knife.

  "You don't fucking touch me!" I shout and hold the point towards his face. "You really don't know who you're messing with."

  He laughs. "Of course I do. We knew. You think you're special? Untouchable? The perfect Fifth? You don't have the guts to do anything—the weak female who can't do anything without the Four around."

  "Wrong!" I snarl and rush him, slamming a hand into his chest. My strength surprises us both as his back hits the wall, head smacking against the plaster. The demon blinks, dazed for a moment, and the overwhelming desire to kill him frightens me.

  "Go on," he hisses. "I'm too human looking. You're scared."

  The naked girl. His mocking. The memories. A pressure begins behind my skull, one I recognise from Portia's house. Only this time I'm alone. No Xander. This strength is all me—and I'm going to bloody use it.

  "I'm not scared of you. Or anybody," I snarl.

  His eyes widen as my skin takes on a luminescence, white light building as my blood becomes lava-hot and courses through my veins.

  His struggling stops, frozen in place, as the light fills the room. This time I keep my eyes open and watch as the light focuses into a snaking beam that coils around the incubus, tightening across his body before it explodes with a force that fills the room and knocks me back from him.

  This situation isn't the same as at Portia’s. This is me and only me. I watch with triumph as the guy's eyes blacken, his form shifting from that of a younger guy into the twisted visage of a demon. His unnaturally pointed features and a cruel turn to his wide mouth with runes cover his red skin reveals his true form.

  "I don't think you look very human," I hiss and bury the knife into his chest, to the place Xander repeatedly showed me in practice over the last few days. The sneer doesn't leave his face as he sinks to the carpet. My hand shakes as I pull at the knife protruding from his chest.

  His closed eyes snap open. "Try harder," he rasps. The demon places a hand on the wall, and I'm momentarily arrested as he pulls himself to his feet, blood spreading into a stain across his chest.

  How was that not enough? I thought these demons were weak?

  The heat in my veins changes, tingle switching to a pain resembling electric shocks spreading down my arm and into my fingertips. I drop the
knife in surprise as the light surrounding my hand crackles into energy.

  The need to end his life overwhelms me again, a strange instinct taking over my fear, and I hold my palms out, approaching him. A visible white lightning-like power shoots from my hands towards his chest, and he jerks before dropping to the floor.

  This time, as I stare down, head and hands hurting, he doesn't move. I poke him with my boot. Dead.

  The girl.

  I grab a blanket scrunched on the bed corner and cover her body before anybody else appears. She's violated enough without anybody else seeing her naked. Despite the heavy make-up, her face is soft, innocent. Tears push their way into my eyes. Will she remember what happened to her? I bend down and touch the girl’s neck, praying for a pulse. Weak.

  "Was it him?" I look up to a more dishevelled than usual Ewan. He points at the body. “Is he the demon from the club who I couldn't find?"

  I nod. "Were there more in the house?”

  "Yeah. Six. In pairs. Mostly attacking and oblivious when we arrived." His face contorts back to anger as he notices the girl on the bed. "I bloody hope she isn't dead."

  "No. Weak."

  "Fucking bastards!" He crosses his arms and eyes the girl. "I don't want to touch and scare her. Will you sit here until she wakes up?"

  Ewan's too fired up to notice, but I'm ready to reach out, to ask him to tell me everything is okay. Whatever power gripped my body frightens me, and I stare at my still tingling fingers. The truth hits me like a sledgehammer.

  I took on the unrelenting fury of War, and I conjured Death. I blinded with Truth and revealed the demon's deceptive appearance. Do I possess Joss's and Ewan's powers too?

  I tuck shaking hands beneath my arms and nod. Ewan makes to leave the room and pauses. He stares at the dead incubus for a few moments, lips thinning as his brow pulls deep, before he turns his eyes to mine. "Wish I'd had the pleasure of killing the bastard, but great job, Vee."

  I sink onto the bed as he strides back out the door. Great job? Bloody hell. Is this a mundane task to perform before an evening out, the way I joked?