Lethal Rider

by Larissa Ione

  “So you got in trouble for killing the humans?” she asked, wondering what kind of punishment could be doled out to Horsemen. “Even the humans who were impaling innocent people?”

  “Yes. Though some of the soldiers were ter’taceo. And Vlad himself was half demon. Ares and I eventually killed him on the battlefield.”

  “You killed him?”

  Than shrugged. “We didn’t hunt him down… our Watchers won’t let us interfere in human affairs or politics unless we’re drawn to a specific scene. And even then, people who are important to the human timeline are protected by angels called Memitim, and we can’t kill them until they’re no longer under protection. Do you remember Idess, from Limos and Arik’s wedding? She used to be Memitim.” He threw on a black T-shirt, covering his magnificent chest. Shame, that. “Anyway, we caught Tepes at the right time. No longer protected.”

  “So what was your punishment?”

  “Lightning.”

  She sat up, frowning. “You were struck by lightning?”

  “Over a hundred times.” A darkly grim smile curved the corners of his mouth. “Angels are not the most merciful creatures. Not that I deserved mercy.”

  God, she could only imagine how horrific that must have been for him. Regan had never been the cuddly type, but she felt like hugging him close, as if doing so could erase the pain.

  She wanted to ask more questions, but her eyes felt like they’d been sandblasted, and she couldn’t smother a yawn. Thanatos smiled, a stunner that would have had her inviting him back into bed if she hadn’t been on the verge of coma.

  “Get some sleep. I’ll send in the hound, but I won’t be far.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I have some more staff members to interrogate.” He winked. “I’ll try to keep their screams at a minimum.”

  Yeah, he really did have a quirky sense of humor. Especially because she had no doubt he was actually serious.

  Twenty-four

  Thanatos strode out of the bedroom, and despite the fact that the world was going to hell in a handbasket, he actually felt… good. He and Regan had healed some wounds, and maybe, just maybe, had laid the foundation for some sort of relationship once the baby was born.

  They just had to make the world safe for the baby first.

  He touched his finger to his lips as he moved down the hall, still feeling the tingle of her kiss. She was so damned beautiful. He’d been attracted to her before, when she’d been sleek and hard-bodied, her toned, muscular frame marked by battle scars that she wore like badges of honor. But pregnancy had added another dimension to her beauty, and when before all he’d wanted was to get her out of the house, now he wanted to keep her all to himself.

  “Is everything okay?” Ares’s voice came from the end of the hallway. “Limos is nursing one hell of a headache, and Arik wants to shove an M-80 up your ass.”

  “Kinky,” Than said, “but I’m new to the sex thing. I’m not ready for hardcore yet.”

  Ares rolled his eyes. “Where’s Regan?”

  “Sleeping.” He held up his hand. “And yes, she’s fine.”

  “What happened after Limos left? She said you were crazed. She was worried about Regan and the baby.”

  He wouldn’t have hurt them. He wouldn’t have. A niggling voice pointed out how out of his mind he was, and that he’d killed his own father and best friend during death rages. But this was different. He seemed to gain a measure of control in Regan’s presence. Well, maybe not control… but the urge to kill shifted into an urge to get inside her.

  And what if she’s gone? What then? What would happen to your son when you’re in a death spiral?

  Fuck. He glared at Ares. “Nothing happened.”

  “Dammit, Than,” Ares said, clearly exasperated. “I’m not some stranger off the street. I’m your brother. Talk to me.”

  At this point, Than had two options: tell Ares to fuck off, or confide in him. They’d always been close, but Reseph had more often been the one Than opened up to. Reseph’s laid-back, fun-loving manner had made it easy to talk, where Ares had always been more intense, and he had a tendency to lay out a battle plan to solve whatever it was you brought up to him.

  Than settled for a simple, “We worked some things out.”

  “And?”

  “And what?” Thanatos started down the hall, hoping Ares would take the hint that Than really didn’t want to talk about this, but nope. Ares fell into step with him.

  “What is it you want from Regan? Are you planning to kick her out after the baby is born? Do you want her to stay? Do you want to take her as a mate? Or do you just want sex?” Ares lowered his voice to a deep, dark, drawl. “Or are you planning revenge? Maybe to kill her?”

  “What?” Thanatos tripped over his own guilt and missed a step. “No.”

  Clearly, Ares didn’t believe him, grabbed him by the shoulder, his fingers scoring his skin through the T-shirt. “I’m not judging, bro. I lived with so much hatred in my heart after my wife and sons died. But if you hurt or kill her, someday you’ll have to explain to your son why you did it.”

  “I’m not planning to hurt her.” Than peeled his brother’s fingers off his shoulders. “I just want her to give me my son without a damned fight.”

  “And Regan? What of her? Do you want her?”

  Yes. Ares’s question hung in the air like an acid fog, eating away at Than, because it wasn’t that simple. It took a long time, an eternity, to finally say, “I don’t know if she wants me.”

  “And what if she does?”

  “Right now, none of this will matter if we can’t stop Pestilence.”

  Ares nodded in agreement. “We’ve made some progress on that front. A few months ago, Limos and I contacted everyone who owes us a favor. Which means we’ve had hundreds of assholes in Sheoul doing spy work, and I just got some solid leads on his regular hangouts.”

  “It’s about time we caught a break,” Than muttered. “Concentrate on hangouts that double as shrines or meeting places.”

  “You got a specific plan in mind?”

  Thanatos nodded. “Pestilence is a drama whore. He’s not going to want to kill my son just anywhere. He’ll be preparing something big.”

  “Makes sense,” Ares agreed. “What about the vampires? Anything new here? I killed that Medras fuck for you. And a few others before they got away. The Aegis even got a few.”

  “My vamps are next on my to-do list.” Than took Ares into the library and propped his ass on the desk, facing his brother. “Regan had an idea … it’s shitty, last-ditch. It’s like poisoning your own water supply to kill the enemy, but we’re down to the wire, and it might be our last resort.”

  Ares shot Than a dark look. “I don’t like the sound of this.”

  “Me either. It’s time we confronted Azagoth about being our father. No more sitting around and wondering. There’s a good chance he’s our sperm donor, and if the whole Lamb thing we learned about in Iraq is accurate and he can break our Seals… we may need him to do exactly that.”

  “Fuuuuck,” Ares breathed. “Fucking hell.” He shoved his hands through his hair and paced. “This is fucked up, Than. Fucked up plan.” Ares threw in two more fucks for an even six-pack before he finally pivoted back to Than. “How are we going to access his realm? We don’t even know where it is.”

  “Idess can get us in. I got the idea a few minutes ago when I was with Regan.”

  Ares nodded. “Good thinking. But shit… I can’t believe it’s come to this.”

  Neither could Than. If they failed to stop Pestilence at the baby’s first cry, the Earth would be all but lost anyway. Than’s son would be hunted twenty-four-seven. He’d never know a moment of peace, and he’d grow up in a world shattered by a demonic war.

  So yes, it had come down to this. Stop Pestilence and his Daemonica Apocalypse at the baby’s first cry… or usher in the Book of Revelation with their dear old dad.

  “We need her back, Morgan.”

  Kynan stared at
Lance as he dropped the crate of weapons he’d hauled from the compromised headquarters in Germany to their new headquarters in Scotland. “Send these, and two more crates to Edinburgh. The south cell just got hit by demons, and they need every weapon they can get. And Regan stays where she is.”

  “You seriously trust Thanatos?” Lance gestured to a female Guardian Ky didn’t recognize.

  “Not as far as I can throw him. And he looks heavy as shit.” Ky helped the Guardian lift the crate, and watched as she disappeared out front. “But I know he wants to keep Regan and the baby safe.”

  “And he’s done a stellar job of that,” Lance said.

  “Just tell me you’ve got more Guardians ready to go to Greenland.” Ky had been sick about losing the last group they’d assigned to go to Regan—the entire cell that had been hit hard by Pestilence’s forces.

  The asshole had been picking off cells all over the world, and the only positive Ky could think of was that at least he was battling people who could fight back, and not the civilian population. Ky had, before stopping in Germany, joined a battle at a cell in Quebec, and they’d nailed the damned demons to the wall.

  Literally.

  The battle had been bloody, vicious, and it had been one of the few victories The Aegis had seen lately. There had been far too few.

  Juan looked up from typing something on the computer. “We got the Guardian sitch covered. They’re on their way.”

  “What?” Ky folded his arms over his chest, ignoring the pinch of his weapons harness digging into his bicep. “You weren’t supposed to put them on a plane until I got the Regent to Greenland through a Harrowgate.” Ky couldn’t transfer an entire cell that way, not when he had to knock them out to do it, but he’d wanted to deliver the qeres and get their leader set up at Than’s keep before the bulk of the cell arrived.

  “We don’t have time to report our every move to you,” Lance said. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a crisis. Armageddon, the end of the world … any of that sound familiar to you? Or are you and your demon pals so far up each others’ asses that you’ve failed to notice.”

  In a heartbeat, Ky was in Lance’s face. “Me and my demon pals are the only reason we have a world to defend in the first place, or did you forget what happened in Israel? Or in the battle with Pestilence last year? So be very careful about what you say next. This is my family you’re talking about.”

  “You’re so arrogant, Morgan. Ever since you bullied your way into the Sigil with your special charm and your angel buddy you think everyone should follow your lead. There’s no room for discussion. It’s Kynan’s way or the highway.” Lance spat on the floor, as if talking to Kynan left a bad taste in his mouth. “Has it occurred to you that you might not always be right? That you might be wrong about Thanatos? About his prophecy? About the baby?”

  “If you had concerns, you should have brought them up before now,” Ky shot back.

  “We tried.” Lance leaned in, so close Ky could smell the burger he’d had for lunch. “You wouldn’t listen. You and your bleeding-heart demon-loving ideals are dragging The Aegis into the dirt.”

  Kynan’s voice had long ago been destroyed by a demon who had nearly ripped out his throat, and now it degraded even more, like gravel mixed with shards of glass. “Next you’re going to tell me I’m responsible for the attack on our headquarters.”

  Their noses were now touching. “I didn’t say it. You did.”

  Before Kynan could stop himself, he fisted Lance’s collar, ready to lay the bastard out. Juan leaped in, jamming his arm between Ky and Lance to pry them apart.

  “Guys. Now’s not the time for this. We need to stay on track.”

  “Yeah,” Ky grunted. “Fine. Where’s the qeres? I’ll take it to the Horsemen.”

  Lance smiled snottily. “It’s on its way. We put it on the ship with the Guardians.”

  “Ship? How many damned Guardians did you send?”

  “Just a handful,” Juan said. “We needed extra room for equipment. It’ll anchor just off the Greenland coast in a few hours. Lance, Omar, Takumi, and I are catching a helicopter transport in an hour to take us to the ship. We’ll transfer Guardians from there to the Horseman’s keep with the helo.”

  Kynan did not like this. Did not like that all of it had been done without his knowledge or his input. And he had serious reservations about so much equipment that a ship was required to send Guardians to Greenland. But maybe Lance had a point about Kynan taking too much control. The Aegis had survived for thousands of years because the Sigil operated under the premise that every Elder was equal. Not that he’d ever admit that Lance might be right.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve given the Horsemen a heads-up?”

  “I sent a message to Arik.” Lance glanced at his watch. “Quit worrying. It’s all good.”

  Cursing, Ky stalked out of the chamber, an uneasy feeling churning in his gut. He’d always trusted his instincts, and right now they were going off like storm sirens in Tornado Alley. Something wasn’t right. No, something was wrong. Very wrong.

  As he hit the narrow staircase leading down to the castle’s great room, his cell went off, and the storm siren in his head rang louder. He checked the screen and took the stairs at a dead run, Gem’s message flashing in his brain like a bloody scrawl at a murder scene.

  Pestilence hit UG. So many dead. Ky, he took Idess…

  Twenty-five

  Thanatos left Ares in the keep to act as an extra set of eyes on Regan. Now, it was time for Than to spring himself on the vampires he’d let stew while he handled other Apocalyptic shit.

  If there was one thing daywalkers hated, it was to be kept in the dark.

  Literally and figuratively.

  Than allowed himself a grim smile as he strode through the side courtyard, where the daywalkers watched him from between the shutter slats in the outbuildings he used for storage, working shops, and vampire quarters. A hellhound guarded the entrance to the keep, preventing the bloodsuckers from entering or, at Than’s request, from leaving their quarters.

  He let the daywalkers stew a little longer and entered the building that housed the night crew. This thick-walled, windowless structure kept the sunlight to a minimum, but once inside, there was another measure of protection. The upper section was set up as a gathering space with furniture, appliances, half a dozen video gaming systems, and a pool table. But a staircase led to sleeping quarters deep in the earth, where a tunnel also provided an escape route if needed.

  Thanatos had sealed it after Dariq poisoned Regan. He was taking no chances.

  He descended into the shadowy depths, and by the time he hit the bottom of the stairs, all twelve nightwalkers were standing around their giant table, some blinking after being awakened by his arrival, and others bright-eyed and watching warily.

  “I’ll get right to it,” he said. “What do you know about the plot against me?”

  They all exchanged glances, and finally Peter shook his head. “We don’t know anything, sire. The daywalkers despise us. They don’t exactly share their murder plots.”

  Thanatos suspected as much. In truth, he didn’t expect to find any nightwalker collaborating with the daywalkers, and it wasn’t just because they hated each other. It was because no nightdwelling vampire would want to see the daywalkers come to power in Pestilence’s post-apocalyptic world.

  “Sire,” Roland said, stepping forward. “We’re here because we want to be. Even if you hadn’t confined us to quarters, we’d have done it ourselves until this is over. We don’t want you to have any reason to suspect us if anything else happens.”

  Peter nodded. “But we’d be honored to guard Regan.” In one coordinated movement, the vampires went down on one knee, their fists over their hearts. “We’re yours to do what you will.”

  All the pain the rogue daywalkers had caused became muted in the humbling loyalty on display before him. “Thank you. I’m honored.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll open the e
scape tunnel, but I still can’t allow you in the keep. I don’t believe any of you are involved in trying to kill my son, but Regan can’t always tell the difference between you and the daywalkers. Hell, Limos and Ares can’t even tell you apart most days. I can’t risk someone slipping into the keep under the guise of being a night-walker.”

  “We can wait.” Roland looked up at Than through his messy mop of red hair that always hung in his eyes. “But if you need us, we’re here.”

  Thanatos got out of there before he gathered them in a lame-ass group hug or something, and braced himself for the real confrontation. He stopped in the middle of the courtyard in a patch of sunlight, and called out to the daywalkers. They came from their buildings, blinking in the morning light.

  “I had a really interesting meeting with your brethren in France,” Than said, stopping all of them in their tracks. “Who knows what I’m talking about? No one? That’s what I thought. So here’s the deal. I don’t have time to torture you all. But what I do have time for is to get you all a new tattoo. Awesome, right? Who doesn’t love new ink?”

  “Bludrexe?” Owain, a stocky blond vampire with a pronounced limp, came forward, tugging down the collar of his shirt to reveal his silencing tat. “We have them.”

  “Right. But this will be different. You remember Orelia, the Silas demon who gave you the first one. Well, she’s going to give each of you one that’ll be taken directly from your thoughts.” Thanatos grinned, letting his fangs punch down. “So if you haven’t betrayed me, you have nothing to fear. If you have… let’s just say you might want to start pissing your pants now.”

  He jerked his thumb at Viktor. “C’mon, buddy. You first.” As Viktor approached, Thanatos lost a little of his cocky mood, because the truth was that he loved his vamps, and it was going to hurt him to kill the traitors almost as much as it was going to hurt them.

  Almost.

  Regan woke up alone. Well, alone except for the yak-sized hellhound lying by the door.