by Larissa Ione
“The danger is the real story.”
“I just said there’s no safe place—” she sucked in a harsh breath. “You’re worried about you. You’re afraid you’re a danger to your son.”
His throat convulsed on a hard swallow. “I just saw a father, out of his mind with rage, kill his own children. I know what I’m like when I’m in one of my death hazes. I don’t know what I’m doing. Everything I touch is poisoned, Regan.” He dragged the collar of his turtleneck down, tearing it to expose the entire scorpion. “This … this is the only tat I have that wasn’t taken from a specific event. I had this one put there to remind me what I am. What I do to those who are close to me. No matter how hard I try to protect people, I kill them. Take a look at my vampires. My method of protecting them eventually choked them. Killed them. I killed them. I can’t risk doing the same to my son. Or you.”
“You wouldn’t. I know that.” Regan laid her palm on the scorpion, and Than was right … no images came from it, but his pain was there, infused into the ink.
“Rowlari knew that, too.”
“We have a way to help you through your violent urges now. I can help you control them—”
“No!” He tore away from her. “Don’t you see, Regan? I’d be using you, just like The Aegis did. Don’t you see that you’re willing to be with me because I need you? Not because I love you?”
Wait… that was what this was about? He thought he’d be using her? And… he loved her? His admission robbed her of her breath. No one had ever loved her, let alone loved her enough to worry about her motivations. She’d lost so much in her life … there was no way she was losing Thanatos and her son too. She was going to fight.
“Thanatos, when you asked me to stay, was it because I can help you ease the killing rages?”
His head hung loosely from slumped shoulders, and for a terrifying moment, she thought he’d say yes. But when he lifted his head, a fierce, stubborn light glowed in his eyes.
“Fuck, no. It was because you gave me back the life I lost when I was cursed. You’re brave. Smart. You’re willing to die to protect those you love. There’s so much more to you than sex, Regan.”
She smiled. “See? You won’t be using me. You don’t need me. You want me. Like I want you. I’ll find a way to convince you I’m right, because dammit, I’m not willing to let you go.”
“You have no choice.” He took her hand, gently but firmly, and peeled it off his skin. “I’ll talk to Kynan and Decker and make sure you and the baby are taken away, by force if necessary.” His voice softened. “But I’ll make sure you want for nothing.”
“We’ll want for nothing but you.” She stepped back, pissed and achy. “All the money and comforts in the world aren’t going to make up for you not being there, you stubborn as hell Horseman. You should have been one of the Mulemen of the damned Apocalypse. So you can—” She broke off as warm wetness spilled between her thighs. “Oh…oh, boy.”
Thanatos scowled. “What is it?”
A massive cramp made her suck air. “My water just broke,” she breathed. “We’re having a baby.”
Reaver materialized inside the Hall of Records, the Akashic library in the Heavenly realm. He moved swiftly between the never ending rows of bookcases and found his quarry hunched over a thick tome with a cover of crystal.
“Gethel.”
The angel jumped, startled, but she recovered quickly and turned to face him. “Reaver. You seek me?”
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He’d always hated the formal crap. At least, he’d hated it for as long as he could remember.
“Yes, I seek you.” So, okay, there was a sarcastic edge to his words, but he’d long since stopped trying to be a good boy. “When were you last in the human realm?”
One dainty eyebrow cocked. “Why?”
Reaver hated when people replied to a question with a question. “Maybe because the Earth is on the verge of Apocalypse?”
“I don’t like your tone.”
“I don’t like the fact that you’re hanging out in a library while humans are dying,” he shot back. It wasn’t fair; no angel could be expected to monitor human activity all the time. But he also wasn’t in the mood to get into a pissing match when time passed slower here than on Earth, and by the time he finished with Gethel, Regan could have given birth. “Do you know that The Aegis has split? And that Harvester may be influencing the majority faction? They kidnapped Regan and tried to kill her child.”
Gethel slammed the book shut. “They what?” Her wings flared. “Pestilence is behind it. He has to be.”
“The Elders claim to have angelic help. I’m going to confront Harvester about it.”
“She wouldn’t. To do so would bring the wrath of the heavens and hell down on her.”
Reaver nodded. “But if the child dies, the Apocalypse starts and there wouldn’t be any punishment. All rules go out the window.”
“I always hated that fallen angel,” she said, as if her earlier torture of Harvester hadn’t been a big clue. She flared her wings again before settling them behind her with a ruffle of feathers. “Has The Aegis settled into their new Scotland headquarters, at least?”
“Yes, but I worry that they’ll inadvertently reveal more than they should to Harvester.”
“And, therefore, to Pestilence.” Gethel let out a mild curse. Well, mild to most humans. Here in the Hall of Records, it made the ground shake. “This is very bad, Reaver,” she said, stating the glaringly obvious. “But you are the Horsemen’s Watcher. What is it you want from me?”
“Nothing regarding the Horsemen. But you have access to the Archangel Council.” And wasn’t that galling? Since Reaver was a low-level angel, a peon in angelic hierarchy within his order, he’d have to spend valuable time petitioning for an audience with the Archangel Council, while Gethel could practically walk in on a meeting. “They need to know about The Aegis’s break. The most powerful demon-fighting organization in history is being torn apart from the inside, and with Armageddon on the horizon, we can’t afford for them to be compromised by evil undercurrents.”
The last thing they needed was for demons to start pulling The Aegis’s strings.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Hurry. Regan is close to labor. Time is short.”
Gethel shot him a tolerant smile. “I’m aware of that, Reaver.” With a wave of her hand, she made the book she’d been reading disappear back into the shelves. “I’ll go now. What course of action are you taking with the Horsemen?”
“I’m going to find Harvester. She’s within her rights to mess with The Aegis, but if she was involved in the plot to kill Regan’s baby, I’ll destroy her.” Maybe even before he got permission to do so.
Gethel sighed. “Sad that she has become what she is, considering what she was before she fell.”
Coyness was more Harvester’s style, but Reaver played along. “She said she was a dealer of justice.” Harvester had said all kinds of crap while she’d held Reaver prisoner.
“Is that what she told you?” Gethel shrugged. “I suppose it’s true enough. But did she tell you the rest?”
“The rest?”
“Before she fell, she was Verrine, an angel of justice, as she said. But she was also Satan’s consort.”
Whoa. Okay, so Reaver hadn’t seen that one coming. “I’m guessing that when he was cast from Heaven, she went with him?”
“Some say she was the whisper in his ear, the voice telling him to start the rebellion in Heaven. And indeed, when he was cast out, she followed soon after.”
“So why aren’t they together in a special little love nest in hell?”
“No one knows. But you are aware that it was she who drew up the contract between Limos and Satan, yes?” Before he could reply, she grinned. “Did you not wonder why there was a loophole in the contract? She wanted Limos to get out of it, but it wasn’t for Limos’s sake. It was for her own. No doubt Harvester is even now plotting her way back into
Satan’s bed.”
“And killing Regan’s baby to start the Apocalypse would have been a surefire way to do it. Since Satan can’t interfere directly with starting or stopping the Apocalypse any more than God himself can, Harvester would have been a hero, and Satan would have been grateful to finally rule both Sheoul and the Earth.”
“Likely, she was even more desperate to curry favor with Satan, given that Pestilence has his sights set on getting Harvester for himself.”
Reaver’s head snapped back at that little surprise. “Well, well. Isn’t Harvester a busy little thing.” He frowned, because something was tickling his spine. It was a buzz similar to what he felt when he was being summoned by a Horseman, but this was more of a tingle of awareness and less of a call.
“The baby.” He wished he could be happy, but so much could turn catastrophic. “It’s time.”
He didn’t wait for Gethel’s response. He flashed out of there, because this was one birth he wouldn’t miss for the world.
Appropriate, given how the birth was going to affect the world. But for the best or the worst was yet to be seen.
Thirty-four
The labor progressed quickly. Too quickly for Thanatos’s comfort. Regan’s water had barely broken, and now she was panting through contractions. He eased her onto the couch and jogged to the front door, where Decker was outside, pacing and muttering.
“I need Kynan here. Now. Tell him to contact UG. Regan is in labor.”
“You got it.” Decker dug the cell phone out of his pocket even as Than scrambled to call Ares and Limos—on his home phone, since he’d destroyed his cell.
“Get over here,” he barked at Limos when she picked up the phone. “Bring Ares and Cara. Arik. Hellhounds. Whoever you can get.”
“You got trouble?” she asked.
“I’m expecting Armageddon,” he said. “Regan is in labor, and if Pestilence shows up …”
Limos inhaled sharply. “We’ll be right there.”
Thanatos shouted to his vampires to prepare his bedroom for the birth—they needed clean towels, blankets, a fire, and the cradle. They snapped to it as he rushed back to the library, where Regan was walking in circles, one hand on her belly, the other on her back.
“You okay?” He gripped her elbow to steady her when she swayed. “Can I get you anything? Water? Food? Shit, what do females in labor need?”
“Pain meds,” she groaned. “We need pain meds.”
“I’d take the pain for you if I could,” he swore. He’d take it and more.
She blinked her gorgeous hazel eyes, and then she reached up and trailed her fingers along his jaw. “I know you would.”
A flush crept into his face at her trust in him, even after he’d told her he wanted her and the baby gone. He’d die inside, would be nothing but a shell of what he could be with them in his life, but at least they’d be safe from his rage. He just had to find a place that would be safe from Pestilence.
“What can I do for you?” He’d do anything right now. Anything at all in the time they had left.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Then, suddenly, the color drained out of her face. She cried out and doubled over, nearly losing her balance. Than caught her just in time.
“Regan? Honey, what is it?”
“Something’s wrong,” she gasped. “I can feel it.”
Helplessness was a raw ache in his chest. Dammit, where was Eidolon? “I’ll take you to the bedroom.” He started to sweep her up, but she shook her head.
“I can walk.” Her voice was thin, laced with pain. “I need to.” She panted through what must have been a horrible contraction. “Our kid deserves a mom who can walk on her own two feet to the delivery room.”
His chest puffed out and his heart swelled. “God, you’re awesome.”
“I know.” She shot him a wobbly smile and started moving toward the doorway.
Than steadied her, and they shuffled into the great room just as the door flew open. A herd of people ran inside, but the ones he focused on were Eidolon and Shade.
The doctor, carrying two large duffels, hurried over, along with Shade, a blond female dressed in scrubs, and Lore, the Seminus demon mated to Idess. Lore came at Thanatos like a tank, his gloved right hand fisted, and Than braced for a blow.
Lore stopped two feet away. “Where’s your brother? Where’s Pestilence?”
“I’ve got a good idea, and as soon as Ares and Limos get here, we’ll cast our net.” Now that Regan was in labor, it was time to bring the bastard in, and as horrific as the scene in Finland had been, it had provided Than with a damned big clue.
Lore’s big body trembled. “He took Idess.”
“I know,” Than said. “We’ll get him.”
Eidolon shot Lore a sympathetic look as he came up to Regan. “How are you doing?”
“She’s in a lot of pain,” Than said. “She went pale and shaky. She said something’s wrong.”
Eidolon gave Regan a reassuring smile, but the covert glance he cut at Than was the very opposite of reassuring. “Okay, let’s get you prepped. Vladlena’s a nurse. She’s going to help you change while Shade and I set up.” He looked at Than again. “You have a room ready?”
“My bedroom. Follow me.” He helped Regan to the bathroom, and then balked when Vladlena told him to go.
“I insist, Horseman. I’ve already been told I can’t touch her, but she needs to change into a hospital gown, and I need to examine her as best as I can, and I can’t do it with you growling and snarling at me.”
He didn’t even realize he was doing that until Regan patted him on the chest. “It’s okay. You need to get Pestilence. And you need to find Idess.”
Dammit. He needed to be here with her. But she was right. Leaning into Regan, he kissed her, telling her without words that he’d be back soon.
She kissed him back, telling him without words that she believed him.
Thirty-five
Than ran out into the great room, and skidded to a halt as people stopped preparing qeres-tipped weapons to rush toward him. Ares, Limos, Reaver, and Kynan reached him first.
Reaver’s sapphire eyes shone with worry. “How is she?”
“I don’t know. And I don’t know how Eidolon is going to help her if he can’t touch her.”
Reaver lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. “If anyone can help, he can.”
“I hope you’re right.” Than’s scalp prickled and Harvester materialized, her black wings as shiny as a raven’s as she tucked them away.
“You.” Kynan got up in Harvester’s face with a snarl. “You helped The Aegis ward against me, and you were going to help them deliver and sacrifice Regan’s baby.”
“You’re delusional, human.” She flipped her black hair over her shoulder in that snooty way of hers. “I did no such thing.”
Reaver’s eyes flashed blue fire. “If you assisted them in trying to kill the child, you’ll be destroyed. You know that.”
“Duh. Of course I know that. Talk about a broken Watcher rule. Which is why I didn’t do it. Why would I take a risk like that?”
“Because if it had worked, and Thanatos’s Seal had broken, the Apocalypse would have started and there would be no more rules. You were gambling that you’d succeed.”
Harvester looked around the room in desperation, as if seeking an ally, but when each gaze she met reflected only hatred, she snarled. “Has it occurred to any of you that maybe, just maybe, I play by the rules?” For some reason, she shot a superior glance in Reaver’s direction.
“Were you playing by the rules when you wrote up Limos’s contract with Satan?”
She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “You’re speaking gibberish. Begone.”
“I know you helped The Aegis,” Kynan said. “No one at headquarters denied it, and I saw the evidence with my own eyes.”
“What evidence?”
“Your skull pendant.”
Her hand flew up to her throat, and Than didn�
��t miss how her fingers trembled. “I—I lost it.” She pivoted to Reaver, an odd breathlessness in her voice. “In that warehouse. Gethel must have taken it.”
Reaver’s expression was utterly flat. “I’m sure she wanted your costume jewelry so badly that she resorted to thievery.”
“So if you’ve been supporting Pestilence, does that mean you were also responsible for trying to kill Arik with the khnives last year?” Limos tested the edge of her sword with one finger, and Than had a feeling that in a moment, the blade was going to be buried in Harvester’s throat. Two blades, because his was joining his sister’s. They couldn’t kill her, but they could visit a world of pain on her. “Because we knew we had a traitor in our midst, and I swore I’d behead anyone who tries to kill my husband.”
“Why would I use those horrid beasts for anything?” Harvester’s gaze flickered to Limos, Ares, and Than. “And if I wanted to help Pestilence, then why did I heal—” She pursed her lips so fiercely that the skin around her mouth turned white.
A sudden suspicion coiled in Than’s belly. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
Limos gaped at Harvester. “Oh my God, you’re the one who healed us in Finland after Pestilence kicked our asses.”
“Don’t be silly.” Harvester folded her arms across her chest and flared her wings. “Your pain amuses me.”
Ares looked up from coating his sword with a thin film of qeres. “Why are you here, Harvester?”
“I came to tell you all good news.”
“Good news?” Reaver snorted. “From you?”
Harvester actually looked hurt, but only for a second. “If you’d checked your heavenly inbox, you’d have the same news, asshole.” She turned to Than. “Word from the powers that be is that if Pestilence is destroyed, your agimortuses will be released.” She frowned. “Agimorti? Anyway, if you stop the Daemonica Apocalypse, you’ll never have to worry about your Seals being broken again. At least, not because of your agimortuses. You’ll still be dealing with the Biblical one eventually, but you and Ares won’t have to worry about Cara or your son being killed, and Limos need not fear anyone drinking from her cup.” She shot Reaver a glare. “See? Good news. Confirm it yourself. And bite me.” With that, she flashed out of there.