The Rhyn Trilogy

by Lizzy Ford

  “Where are you getting these fucking things?” Rhyn gasped.

  “Well … maybe you should get Hannah and Ully out before Jared eats them. I can tell you that stuff later.”

  “Where’s Katie?”

  “I brought her back!” Toby said, beaming. “She’s at the Sanctuary.”

  “I want to see her.”

  “No. Go get Hannah. If Death let you go, then Darkyn’s pissed. If Darkyn’s pissed then –“

  “Hannah and Ully are in trouble,” Rhyn finished and rose. He looked at the wound in his chest. It might be tough taking on the demons of Hell, but he had a promise to fulfill. “Take Kiki back to the Sanctuary’s healer.”

  “Me?”

  “You see anyone else here?”

  Toby looked at the unconscious Immortal twice his size and back up at Rhyn. Rhyn pointed. The angel sighed and crossed to Kiki. Rhyn opened a new portal, took a deep breath and crossed through to Hell.

  He emerged outside the jailer’s door and readied himself for a confrontation. The sounds of activity were thick in the hallways behind him, and he listened, trying to determine if he could hear any sounds that the demons were victorious in the underworld. His instincts warned him to hurry, that he had a reason to grab Hannah and go instead of sticking around to see what was causing the activity.

  Rhyn opened the door, surprised to find the jailer’s room empty. He’d expected Jared at least. He closed the door quietly behind him. He snatched the talisman hanging near the door, the one that freed inmates from their cells. He ignored the quickening of his pulse as he entered the familiar cell block.

  He heard Hannah crying and smelled the unmistakable scent of human blood before he took a step onto the block. He strode down the block and paused in front of Hannah’s cell. She was curled up on the bed, sobbing. When he looked at the cell across from her, he saw why. Jared stood in the cell, covered in blood. The cell looked as if a human had exploded, and Rhyn saw a pile of bones Jared had gnawed clean then stacked neatly.

  “Ully didn’t make it,” Jared said.

  “I see that.”

  “I didn’t touch the cupcake.”

  “Good for you,” Rhyn said. He placed the talisman on the door frame of Hannah’s cell. The door opened.

  “Are we still good? You taking me with you?” Jared asked.

  “I’ll do you a favor,” Rhyn said. He grimaced at the pain in his chest as he hefted Hannah into his arms. “I’ll leave you right there instead of tearing you limb-from-limb.”

  “Fuck you, Rhyn.”

  Rhyn ignored the demon and left the cell block, returning to the hallway before opening a portal. He crossed through the shadow world to the beach of the Caribbean Sanctuary. Toby was dragging Kiki up the beach by one leg.

  “What the fuck, Toby? Go get help if you can’t lift him!” he shouted at the young angel.

  Toby dropped Kiki’s leg and took off for the Sanctuary. Rhyn strode through the loose sand of the beach and paused beside Kiki. He set Hannah down.

  “Hannah, walk,” he ordered. “I can’t carry you both.” He hefted Kiki once again. Hannah sniffled and crawled to her feet. Rhyn hurried towards the Sanctuary, concerned for Kiki but even more anxious about making sure Katie was alive and well.

  The convent members who managed the Sanctuary had replaced the wall Rhyn knocked down with a row of brown tents that matched their dresses. Rhyn eased between two of them, aware of Kiki’s fading pulse. He set his brother down on the ground and looked around wildly, hoping they hadn’t sent Katie’s Ancient Healer, Lankha, home to the underworld.

  “You!” he yelled at a member of the Sanctuary entering the courtyard. “Where’s Lankha?”

  “Sleeping. You’re not – “

  “Go get him.”

  The woman pursed her lips and crossed her arms, eyeing him.

  “I’ll get him,” Toby shouted from across the courtyard.

  Rhyn paced under the watchful gaze of the convent member, itching to leave Kiki to find Katie. Instead, he forced himself to wait. He’d lost one brother this night. He wanted to make sure Kiki was okay before leaving him.

  Toby reappeared after a few minutes, tugging a reluctant Lakhna with him. The otherworldly creature ducked and covered his head from the moon and crowded Toby as they crossed the courtyard. Rhyn pointed to Kiki, and Lakhna cringed. Rhyn was about to demand to know where Katie was when he heard her agitated voice.

  “You had to leave Hannah on the beach?”

  Rhyn stopped in place. He’d never thought he’d hear her voice again, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard anything that stopped his world in place. He turned to see Katie supporting Hannah as they entered the Sanctuary courtyard. Katie wore simple jeans and a t-shirt. Her dark curls cascaded down her shoulders, and her face glowed. Her bright eyes locked on his. She stopped too far away for his comfort, struggling to support her sister.

  “Toby. Get Hannah,” Rhyn barked.

  “Rhyn, I’m too little!” Toby whined.

  “You’ve got to the count of five to have you both out of my sight.”

  Toby hesitated.

  “One.”

  The angel darted forward and clumsily took Hannah’s arms. Katie helped him stabilize Hannah then watched them walk away. Rhyn stared at his mate, heart beating fast. Of all the words in his head, none of them made it to his tongue.

  “I see you made it back,” Katie said awkwardly.

  “You look better than I expected.”

  “Gee, thanks, Rhyn.”

  “I mean, you look beautiful for a dead woman.”

  She crossed her arms.

  “I told you I’d get you back,” he said and took a step towards her.

  “Toby brought me back,” she pointed out. “He said if you listened to him, you could’ve found me faster.”

  “That little shit.”

  Katie fought back a smile at the irritated look on Rhyn’s face. He was in raw form: bloodied, drenched with underworld rain, disheveled, in need of a good shave. His thick frame was still on edge, as if he expected one of the Sanctuary’s nuns to turn into a demon and fly at them. He looked every bit the muscular, powerful, glowering half-demon the nuns wanted to throw out of the Sanctuary.

  She stepped closer to him as she had in their dream, gazing up into his molten silver eyes. He’d gone to Hell for Hannah and confronted Death for her. He’d killed demons to protect her and defied his family to find – and keep – her. Katie fought to keep the emotions tumbling within her from leaking out, instead reveling in the sight of her mate. While in the underworld, she’d lost all hope of ever standing next to him again. Part of her was convinced this was another dream, and Rhyn would disappear all too soon.

  “It’s not a dream,” he said. “Not this time.”

  “Doesn’t quite seem real yet, though.”

  He hesitated and then held out a hand. She took it. His warm hands were rough and large. He squeezed hers. He led her away from the courtyard and lights into the dark night. They walked hand in hand for a few moments, alone under the full moon. She’d walked with him before, but this night, it was different. She felt the shift between them.

  “The hatchling really is a girl?” he asked.

  “She’s not a hatchling, Rhyn.”

  “I hope she comes out better behaved than Toby.”

  Katie laughed loudly, unable to help herself. Rhyn pulled her into his arms, swallowing her in his warmth and scent. Katie wrapped her arms around him.

  “It’s really over, isn’t it?” she whispered.

  “It’s just us tonight. I’ve gotta go kill some demons in the morning.”

  “But you’ll come right back.”

  “Every day. I swear it. We won’t be apart anymore. We’ll stay here until I can get the castle cleaned out and beat the shit out of my brothers. They’ll be moving in, even if they don’t know it yet. And that’s where Hazel will hatch and live.”

  Katie’s eyes watered, and she squeez
ed him harder. The nightmares of the past few weeks seemed to fade away while she was in his arms. She’d been too afraid to think about what kind of life they might possibly have, but she found herself wondering how it would feel to wake up and go to sleep with Rhyn beside her.

  “Our life together starts right now. Unless you want to send me away,” he added.

  “Depends on how you behave,” she said, smiling up at him through happy tears.

  Rhyn grimaced. “I’m not promising any miracles. We got a lot to do to prepare the world for Hazel.”

  “I have faith in us.”

  “Right now, I owe my mate a rowdy night on the beach under the moonlight,” he said. He swung her up into his arms and strode towards the water.

  Katie laughed, happiness and hope bubbling within her. She took in Rhyn’s strong profile. If anyone could save the world, it was him.

  In Hell, Darkyn stood before the hourglass perched on a window sill in his study. The black sand had run out. He’d missed his window. Rather, he missed this window. He looked over at the demon standing before him. At least one of his super-demons had survived. This one still wore half a face, that of Death’s favorite assassin, Gabriel.

  “Chances are, the demons will be defeated this round,” Darkyn said. “And Death … you’re certain she walked away?”

  “Yes, my lord. She quit and appointed Gabriel in her stead.”

  “Interesting. A Death with a history as a mortal. Not any mortal, but one you say she was in love with. I’d heard rumor but never thought a deity capable of such a thing.”

  “Rhyn’s mortal was convinced of this. She said Gabriel had been the lover of Death for thousands of years.”

  “And now she’s gone,” Darkyn said.

  “As far as we know. I didn’t see her enter the portal, but one of our spies was in her fortress when she entered the chamber you indicated.”

  “Where would a deity in love with a mortal go?”

  “To the mortal world,” the super-demon guessed. “She’s no threat to you, master.”

  “True,” Darkyn said. “But the new Death is her lover. That makes her someone of interest to me.”

  “The immunity blood worked. We can have the Immortal scientist make us more. We could slide right into the – “

  “Ully is dead-dead, as you will be by the time the day is over,” Darkyn said. “I cannot have anyone else find out about the power of the immunity blood.”

  The demon before him looked down but didn’t object, understanding his place. Unlike Immortals, demons obeyed their leaders. But maybe, next time, lack of discipline in his enemies would work for Darkyn. He’d failed to takeover Death’s domain or to kill her. It would take Gabriel a very long time to learn how to rule over the dead, and Rhyn was a loose cannon as a leader for the Immortals. In the meantime, all of Rhyn’s Immortals and Death’s assassins would be a disorganized mess.

  All Darkyn had to do was wait and watch for his opportunity. While he did so, he had a new plan: To pursue a certain deity who’d left her position to her lover. In all his dealings with Immortals and mortals, Darkyn long ago learned the weakness Immortals and mortals had for a beautiful woman. Gabriel would be no different.

  “Leave me. Report to the executioner.”

  The super-demon bowed his head and left. Darkyn watched him go then looked again at the hourglass. He hadn’t expected Death to quit, but she was about to give him a new window of opportunity, one that might be more powerful. He might soon take over the underworld and its army of souls.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Two weeks later

  “Watsup, Gabe?” Rhyn’s familiar voice interrupted Gabe’s concentration.

  “You’re forbidden from entering, Rhyn.”

  “Sure, Gabe.”

  Gabriel looked up from his stance peering into the murky Lake of Souls. The half-demon appeared unconcerned about sliding through the barrier Gabe had been working hard to patch up. Rhyn looked happy and healthy, the opposite of how Gabe felt.

  “You clean up good,” he said. “You know I can claim your – “

  “But you won’t. I came to see how my only friend is doing,” Rhyn said. “You need help killing demons?”

  “I recalled all the assassins and put a hold on all soul collections for a week or so,” Gabe answered. “The queue to get in here is longer than you’d guess.”

  “We’re almost done exterminating the castle. I can send some help your way.”

  “I imagine you have your hands full dealing with the Immortals.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle. I have Kiki, Tamer, and Erik on lockdown. A week without food, and they’re happy to help. Kiki is running most things, until I figure them out.”

  “Sounds like it’s going well,” Gabe said, truly pleased to see his friend, despite the poor timing. “How’s Katie?”

  A small smile crossed Rhyn’s face, answering Gabe’s question without words.

  “Then everything is going well. Good for you, Rhyn.” He couldn’t help but feel envious of his friend, who wasn’t trapped in a world where he didn’t belong, fighting demons.

  “Katie sent these back with me,” Rhyn said and held out a familiar necklace. “We’re still working with Hannah. She’s in denial about everything. I almost pity the girl.”

  Gabe took the necklace, looking at the two emeralds on the black leather-like cord. He’d missed his necklace after eons wearing it. He’d missed his mother and baby brother. He squeezed them in his hand in the only hug he could give his dead family.

  “We’re twins, now, though I think you liked your family,” Rhyn said and pulled free an emerald on a chain around his neck.

  “You’re all the family I got now. I got a long way to go to figure out how to be a proper Death,” Gabe said, looking again at the lake.

  “You hear from her?”

  “No. I don’t expect to. I should’ve sent someone after her, but … “ Gabe met Rhyn’s gaze and managed a smile. The half-demon’s sharp silver gaze missed nothing, even how unhappy Gabe really was.

  “You never stopped loving her,” Rhyn said.

  “I tried.”

  “Yeah, you’re fucked. Gods know I tried not to fall for Katie.”

  “Appreciate the pep talk,” Gabe said drily. “I did tell you I can legally claim your soul if you come here, didn’t I?”

  “Why don’t you come up for air sometime?” Rhyn asked, ignoring him. “Katie and Toby will be glad to see you, and you can scare the shit out of Tamer. It’ll be fun.”

  “I’d like that. I have to fix this first,” Gabe said and motioned to the Lake.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Gabe stepped closer to the Lake. Even through the black water, he could see the green souls at the bottom. They glimmered faintly, like lights shrouded by fog.

  “They’re moving,” he said. “They shouldn’t be. I heard a story once about the Army of Souls. I’m wondering if they are what Darkyn was after, not killing Death.”

  “Never heard of the Army of Souls.”

  “It led to the last apocalyptic age that predated my predecessor here. It was not a good time, Rhyn. I’m hoping I can calm the waters down.”

  “If anyone can, you can, Gabe.” Rhyn studied him a moment longer.

  “I’m fine, Rhyn,” Gabe said. “Really.”

  “Come by when you need someone to kick your ass.”

  “I will. Rhyn, thank you.”

  The half-demon shook his head, turned and strode away, disappearing into a portal. Gabriel watched him, envious and proud of his friend. He’d always had faith in Rhyn. Gabe’s faith had cost him everything, but it was worth it. If only he could find peace as well.

  He moved away from the Lake. He had a long journey ahead of him, one he didn’t relish taking. But, if he was to be the honorable Death that mortals and Immortals alike deserved, he had to do it.

  Gabe’s thoughts went to his predecessor once again. He couldn’t help wondering what happened to her. He’d
expected her abandonment of the underworld would grant him some sort of peace or reprieve. However, after thousands of years with the vexing deity, he found himself lonely instead.

  He replaced the necklace around his neck and strode back to the fortress, his new home for eternity.

  Rhyn Trilogy: Origins

  The demons came with the night, sweeping across the hills with fiery swords that tore through darkness and the bodies of the villagers they left in their wake. Gabriel gripped and released the hilt of his broad sword as he watched the flames of Hell envelope hill after hill, each one closer than the last. At seventeen, he was bigger than any other man in his village, and still he feared the fanged creatures.

  “Is this all there is?” his father, the village elder, hissed as three more men joined their small army overlooking the valley.

  “Aye, ‘tis everyone.”

  Gabriel turned to see the restless shadows that were his family and friends. There were only forty men from their village in any shape to fight, and several more who had not lifted a sword in years. The rest of their village fled for the caves in the cliff, where they hoped the demons would not follow.

  “We only need to stay alive long enough for our women to make it to the cliffs,” his father said. Several men murmured in agreement. Gabriel’s gaze returned to the demons. Fear chilled his insides and adrenaline made him fidget.

  “We’ll ambush ‘em in the valley, then run for the cliffs,” his father went on. ”Son, you’ll stay here.”

  “No, Papa,” Gabriel said. “I’m the biggest man in the village. I’ll fight.”

  “You’re no warrior, boy. You’ll stay here. Hide yourselves, men!”

  The villagers—only a few armed with swords and the rest armed with iron tools or wood—hurried past him to take up their positions hidden in the tall grasses of the valley’s sloping walls. He started forward, determined to fight the beasts that threatened his mother and younger brother.

  “No, boy,” his father said and pulled him back. “Listen to me.”

  “Papa, I—”

  “I swore to your mother you’d come home, even if I didn’t. Listen to me, boy.”