by Larissa Ione
Revenant had always thought that the Horsemen had been given some really cool gifts.
When the Horseman was fully outfitted, he opened a personal Harrowgate, and one by one, he, Reaver, and Revenant stepped through, coming out on the small island of Steara in Sheoul. The little piece of land was an oasis of greens, reds, and purples, a rare gem in the typical dark ugliness of hell.
Near the beach, in a protected alcove, was a small grave, its hand-carved marble headstone eclipsing the tiny mound that lay in its shadow.
“What’s this about, Uncle?” Reseph’s voice was rough, edged with more suspicion.
Rev stepped up next to his nephew. “Your baby sister was human. Her soul has been trapped here for thousands of years.”
“Thanks for the recap.”
Closing his eyes, Revenant opened his mind to his wishes, and a moment later, a blond child, her hair and eyes so similar to Reseph’s, was standing before her brother, as tangible as the headstone.
“Say good-bye, Reseph,” Revenant said softly. “I’ve released her soul from Sheoul. In a moment, she’ll be carried away to Heaven.”
The Horseman fell to his knees in front of her, and both Revenant and Reaver turned away.
“You surprise me, brother.” The emotional hitch in Reaver’s voice resonated deep inside Revenant. To care so much for someone else was a curse. And a gift.
“Surprised that I’m capable of being nice?”
“No.” Reaver’s blue eyes sparked. “Surprised that you’re aware of Reseph’s pain.”
“A few weeks ago, I’d have used his pain against him,” Rev admitted gruffly. “But since getting my memory back, I know how it feels to know a loved one is suffering.” He smirked. “Some people deserve all the suffering they get, and I’m happy to dish it out. But it seems that I’ve inherited some sort of protective gene from our parents, and I won’t let anyone in our family get hurt.” His smirk deepened. “Unless I’m the one doing it.”
Reaver snorted. “Asshole.”
Rev was about to throw down with some of the sibling rivalry they’d missed out on over the eons when Reseph approached, his eyes bloodshot, his expression shadowed with sorrow. And yet an aura of peace surrounded him, as if a shroud had lifted.
“How,” Reseph croaked. “How did you do that?”
Rev shrugged. “I’m King Shit down here now.”
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
The old Revenant would have demanded some sort of impossible payment. The new Rev… fuck it, he’d do the same thing. “You can, you know, not be a dick every time you see me.”
Reseph winced. “Don’t suppose you can come up with something else? I’m a dick to everyone.”
That was pretty much what Rev had expected the Horseman to say.
“Yes, you are.” He flashed them all to Reseph’s place, where all of the Horsemen, their families, and several Underworld General staff members had gathered for the barbecue Reseph had been avoiding. “Let’s just leave it at you owe me?”
“Cool.” Reseph clapped his hand on Revenant’s shoulder. “Thank you. I’m glad you aren’t a big tool anymore.” Grinning, Reseph headed for his mate, Jillian.
“Your son is a cocky son of a bitch, isn’t he?” Rev looked over at his brother, amazed that they were actually standing next to each other at a family gathering. And no blood had been shed.
Reaver barked out a laugh. “Which son?” His gaze lit on each of his offspring before taking in every person milling around the tables of food. “Think our parents would be proud?”
“I think they’d be passed out with relief that all the cards fell into place and that we actually fulfilled some crazy prophecies. The odds of that happening must be astronomically out of whack.”
“One in nine hundred trillion, according to Metatron.”
Revenant spotted Blaspheme fetching a couple of ice-cold beers from the cooler and offering one to Eidolon’s sister-in-law, Idess, but the female grinned broadly and refused, gesturing to her flat belly. Pregnant? Must be.
“Speaking of Metatron, how are things in Heaven?”
Reaver materialized himself a margarita, and one popped into Rev’s hand as well. How considerate. “Everyone’s still in shock that Raphael is gone, but funny, no one misses him.” He smiled as he took a drink. “And Harvester is back to normal. Getting rid of Gethel and Lucifer did the trick. How’s Sheoul treating you?”
“I’m King Shit, so, you know.” He shrugged. “There are a handful of jackasses trying to sabotage me, but for the most part, life hasn’t changed down there.” He took a drink of his margarita, dropping bits of salt all over his boots. Didn’t even bother him that his perfect brother hadn’t displaced a single grain from the rim of his glass. Personal growth was a cool thing. “But I have a thousand years to prepare for the Apocalypse. Lots of time to make sure that when Satan returns, a lot of demons will defect, and those who are left to fight for Team Evil will be unprepared and ineffective. And I’m authorizing Azagoth to reincarnate only neutral and nonevil demon souls.”
“Sounds like you’ve been busy.”
Revenant shrugged. “It’s a pretty good gig.”
For a moment, Reaver was silent, and then he turned to Revenant, his brows drawn in a serious line. “You know you’re welcome in Heaven. You and Blaspheme both. We can repair most of the damage you cause —”
Revenant held up his hand, cutting his brother off. “When Blaspheme chooses to make the trip over to Heaven, I’ll be here to welcome her back. But I don’t belong there.”
“Rev —”
“No,” Rev said, cutting Reaver off again. “We both know it. It’s okay. I’m fucking ruling hell, and it’s what I was meant to do. It’s all cool.” He held up his glass and clinked it against Reaver’s. “To us. Dysfunctional family and all.”
Reaver laughed, and in that moment, Revenant marveled at just how well everything turned out. Everyone at this get-together, plus countless others, had played roles in getting Reaver and Revenant where they were today. Revenant owed these people a huge thank-you. Not that he was going to get all mushy on them. But maybe he’d refrain from threatening to kill anyone for a day or so.
Blaspheme waved from where she was standing next to Limos’s mate, Arik, as he flipped burgers and hot dogs on the grill.
“Looks like we’d better join the party,” Reaver said.
Party. The word hit Revenant like a sucker punch. He’d attended several parties, but he’d never been invited to one, let alone been welcome at one. But here he was at a shindig thrown by his niece and nephews, and they had actually asked him to be here.
“You ready, Brother?” Reaver asked.
Reseph must have turned on the music, because suddenly Rodney Atkins was singing about going through hell and getting out before the devil knew you were there. Revenant looked over at the porch, where Reseph gave a crisp salute and cocky smile.
“Yeah,” Rev said, “I’m ready.” Ready, for the first time in his life, to be part of a family.
Thirty-Four
Three months later…
Blaspheme stood on the balcony of the home she and Revenant shared on the Italian coastline, her face to the warm morning breeze. She still couldn’t believe she lived here with him, and that all her worries were gone.
And it definitely hadn’t sunk in that she was an angel. A true, Heavenly angel.
She hadn’t entered Heaven yet; to do so would activate all her angelic powers and instincts, but it would also render her unable to enter Underworld General. There was no way she could let that happen.
The False Angel enchantment had worn off, leaving her with a limited range of angelic powers and gorgeous violet-tipped white wings that were actually functional. Revenant had taught her to fly… and to make love while riding the thermals.
So for now, she was content with the way things were, and hey, since Revenant wasn’t exactly a traditional angel, either, they made a good pair.
S
he felt him approach, smiled when his chest pressed against her back as he slipped his arms beneath hers and wrapped them around her midsection.
“I missed you when I woke up.” He pressed a kiss into her hair. “I was planning to wake you. With my tongue.”
Her knees went weak. “Now that is an alarm clock I’d pay good money for.”
He rested his chin on her head, tugging her even closer as they both looked out over the sparkling water. “There’s always tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” She placed her hands over his and relaxed against him. “I was thinking… shower? Ten minutes?” She felt the growing swell of his arousal press into her rear, and she casually rubbed against it.
“One minute.” His husky morning voice deepened further, and she grew hot between her thighs.
“You’re very impatient,” she mused.
“And you’re a tease.”
She shrugged. “I guess some False Angel habits are hard to break.”
“That’s one I don’t mind you keeping.” He dropped a hand between them, and she felt a cool breeze hit her rump as he lifted the hem of her robe and positioned his erection at her core.
“I think you like my new habits better,” she said as she opened herself to her newfound Heavenly powers and generated a low, pulsing vibration that buzzed through every cell. As Revenant entered her, he felt it, too, and he gasped.
“Fuck,” he moaned, slamming home with an impatient thrust. “I like. Too much, I think.”
Ditto, she thought, because she sure as hell couldn’t speak. Already she was climbing the peak of ecstasy, and oh, yes, she loved exploring these new talents with Revenant. Last night she’d discovered that she could stimulate him without even touching him. She’d made him come in his leathers the moment he’d flashed into the house from work. He hadn’t even gotten a hello out before he was shouting in pleasure.
He’d punished her for that by taking her to the floor and licking her until she begged him to let her climax. Then he’d dragged it out for another five torturous minutes and had used his own power to pummel her with sex, as if she were being caressed by a hundred tongues and being made love to by two thick shafts. A dozen climaxes later, she’d lain in a boneless puddle of bliss until Revenant carried her to the bedroom and held her, petting her and whispering beautiful things she’d never believed a stone-cold warrior would say.
The salt air caressed her face as her climax blasted through her, taking Revenant with her to the highest plane of existence. Their souls merged, tangling together in the way of angels so that their orgasms became one. It churned between them, suspending them in endless pleasure that lingered for an hour, until she realized she was on the verge of being late for work.
Again.
“We… have to stop… doing that,” she said through panting breaths. Her arms trembled as she gripped the balcony railing, and it was a miracle they hadn’t broken the thing with the intensity of their lovemaking.
“Never.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “But I really can’t keep being late for work.”
“We’re newlyweds. Eidolon will understand.”
No doubt he would. “I do have rules to follow.”
“Rules.” He snorted. “Sometimes there are workarounds.”
She loved that Revenant had loosened up about rules, even though he remained a stickler about most of them. Still, he was making progress, and she got a secret thrill every time he found a legitimate work-around to a stupid rule.
Smiling, she turned around and lifted her mouth to his. “I love you,” she murmured against his lips.
“And I you.” He kissed her so thoroughly she was dizzy when he pulled back. “There’s not a rule I wouldn’t break for you.” He dipped his head and nipped her lip as he pushed her back against the railing, his hands burrowing under her robe again, and so much for work.
“I can’t be too late today,” she reminded him. “My mom is coming by the clinic for her second round of stem cell treatment. I really think she’ll recover fully.”
“Good.” He pulled back, just a little, but his hands kept roaming. “Reaver and Harvester invited us to dinner tonight. Wanna go?”
Of course she did. It had taken months for Reaver and Revenant’s fragile relationship to blossom, but now they were truly the brothers they should have been from the beginning. They’d even gone to a couple of football games together. Oh, Rev and Harvester still disliked each other, but for the most part, they kept the bloodshed to a minimum. The most shocking thing that had happened over the last three months was that Revenant and Thanatos had grown close. Hell, Revenant now got along with all of the Horsemen.
He did not, however, get along with the hellhounds. Some things never changed.
“Let’s do dinner with them,” she said, arching into his hand as it slipped between her legs. “And then you’re all mine. We have a thousand years to enjoy each other. Let’s not waste a minute of it.”
A thousand years. Ten centuries of peace between the realms. And then after the Final Battle, when Satan was truly dead and gone, Metatron promised that with Satan’s death, Rev’s blood would be cleansed of all taint, and all of the heavens would become their sanctuary.
Basically, it would be one big celebration. And Metatron had promised something else.
There were butterflies in Heaven.
Glossary
Agimortus
A trigger for the breaking of a Horseman’s Seal. An agimortus can be identified as a symbol engraved or branded upon the host person or object. Three kinds of agimorti have been identified and may take the form of a person, an object, or an event.
Council
All demon species and breeds are governed by a Council that makes laws and metes out punishment for their individual members of their kind.
Daemonica
The demon bible and basis for dozens of demon religions. It was once believed that its prophecies regarding the Apocalypse, should they come to pass, would ensure that the Horsemen fight on the side of evil. However, recent events in the three realms of Heaven, Sheoul, and Earth have rendered the Daemonica’s doomsday prophecies moot.
Dermoire
Located on every Seminus demon’s right arm from his hand to his throat, a dermoire consists of glyphs that reveal the bearer’s paternal history. Each individual’s personal glyph is located at the top of the dermoire, on the throat.
Emim
The wingless offspring of two fallen angels. Emim possess a variety of fallen angel powers, although the powers are generally weaker and more limited in scope.
Fallen Angel
Believed to be evil by most humans, fallen angels can be grouped into two categories: True Fallen and Unfallen. Unfallen angels have been cast from Heaven and are earthbound, living a life in which they are neither truly good nor truly evil. In this state, they can, rarely, earn their way back into Heaven. Or they can choose to enter Sheoul, the demon realm, in order to complete their fall and become True Fallens, taking their places as demons at Satan’s side.
Harrowgate
Vertical portals, invisible to humans, which demons use to travel between locations on Earth and Sheoul. A very few beings can summon their own personal Harrowgates.
Radiant
The most powerful class of Heavenly angel in existence, save Metatron. Unlike other angels, Radiants can wield unlimited power in all realms and can travel freely through Sheoul, with very few exceptions. The designation is awarded to only one angel at a time. Two can never exist simultaneously, and they cannot be destroyed except by God or Satan. The fallen angel equivalent is called a Shadow Angel. See Shadow Angel.
Shadow Angel
The most powerful class of fallen angel in existence, save Satan and Lucifer. Unlike other fallen angels, Shadow Angels can wield unlimited power in all realms, and they possess the ability to gain entrance into Heaven. The designation is awarded to only one angel at a time, and they can never exist without their equivalent, a Radiant. Shad
ow Angels cannot be destroyed except by God or Satan. The Heavenly angel equivalent is called a Radiant. See Radiant.
Sheoul
Demon realm. Located on its own plane deep in the bowels of the Earth, accessible to most only by Harrowgates and hellmouths.
Sheoul-gra
A holding tank for demon souls. A realm that exists independently of Sheoul, it is overseen by Azagoth, also known as the Grim Reaper. Within Sheoul-gra is the Inner Sanctum, where demon souls go to be kept in torturous limbo until they can be reborn.
Sheoulic
Universal demon language spoken by all, although many species also speak their own language.
Ter’taceo
Demons who can pass as human, either because their species is naturally human in appearance, or because they can shapeshift into human form.
Ufelskala
A scoring system for demons, based on their degree of evil. All supernatural creatures and evil humans can be categorized into the five Tiers, with the Fifth Tier comprising the worst of the wicked.
Vyrm
The winged offspring of an angel and a fallen angel. More powerful than emim, vyrm also possess an ability that makes their very existence a threat to angels and fallen angels alike. With a mere second of eye contact, a vyrm can wipe out a fallen angel or angel’s entire immediate family. Considered extremely dangerous, vyrm are hunted ruthlessly, and so are their parents.
Watchers
Individuals assigned to keep an eye on the Four Horsemen. As part of the agreement forged during the original negotiations between angels and demons that led to Ares, Reseph, Limos, and Thanatos being cursed to spearhead the Apocalypse, one Watcher is an angel, the other is a fallen angel. Neither Watcher may directly assist any Horseman’s efforts to either start or stop Armageddon, but they can lend a hand behind the scenes. Doing so, however, may have them walking a fine line that, to cross, could prove worse than fatal.