by Larissa Ione
“Yes.” The lie slipped easily off Regan’s tongue, because while she might not have dreamed of her death before her pregnancy, she’d suffered nightmares that reflected the reality of her daily life.
As a demon slayer, she’d had some really bad days.
Suzi’s messy mop of blond hair bounced on her shoulders as she brought Regan the water and sank down on the bed next to her.
“Drink,” she said, nudging Regan’s hand up, as if she were a toddler. Everyone treated her as if she were made of glass, as if women hadn’t been getting pregnant for thousands of years and surviving just fine.
But not everyone got pregnant with a child that could save the world.
Maybe.
She had to remember the maybe part, because the thing was, The Aegis had been duped into believing a child born of a Horseman and a Guardian could stop the Apocalypse. Now there was a scramble to discover what role this baby would play in the grand scheme of things, especially because they were pretty sure the child was Thanatos’s agimortus—the key to breaking his Seal.
“Can I get you anything else?” Suzi asked. “Warm milk? A sandwich? Soup?”
This time, Regan’s smile was genuine. Suzi was one of the toughest warriors Regan knew, so it was amusing to see her so attentive and nurturing. Then again, Suzi hadn’t always been a demon slayer. Only five years ago, at the age of sixteen, she’d been an Olympic-level gymnast. That was before she’d been introduced to the paranormal world when she’d stumbled upon her coach eating a man outside the gym where she trained. Turned out that her coach had been a demon with a taste for vagrants.
“Thanks, but I’m going to read for a little while.” She glanced at the bedside table where her stack of ancient tomes from The Aegis’s extensive library sat next to an assortment of snacks. “And I have enough crackers to last me a month if I get hungry.”
“I could fetch you more books,” Suzi offered. “Or run a bath for you? Put a movie in the DVD player?”
Regan held up her hand. “Okay, what’s going on? You’re never this willing to do nurse work. You’re nervous. Why?”
A pink blush crept into Suzi’s cheeks. “It’s nothing—”
“Tell me.”
Suzi looked down at her hands, and when she looked back up, the dim bedside light emphasized dark crescents beneath her hazel eyes. “We just lost contact with two of our Australian cells. The reports from the other two are… grim.”
“Dammit,” she breathed. “Countries are falling like flies.” When Suzi averted her gaze, a dark suspicion rose up in Regan. “What are you not telling me?”
“You know you’re not supposed to be worrying about the news—”
“Dammit, Suzi, I’m not an invalid. That little incident was months ago.”
The little incident hadn’t been so little. While watching a news report about the loss of Iceland to demons, Regan had suffered abdominal pain and bleeding so severe that for days there’d been fear she’d lose the baby. Or her life.
Aegis doctors hadn’t been able to administer any medications, since oral drugs came back up within seconds, and no needles could penetrate her skin. Apparently, the baby wanted no part of modern medicine.
The physicians and her fellow Elders had decided that bed rest and a complete block of upsetting news was the best thing for Regan and the baby, so Regan had been kept in the dark about the goings-on in the world. Oh, she caught snippets here and there, but for the most part, everyone had been careful to not say much.
“Suzi?” Regan prompted. “The baby could be born today and be fine. I was planning to talk to the Elders in the morning so I can get back into the swing of things. So tell me what’s going on.”
Suzi nodded. “It’s not just Australia. You know about Iceland and New Zealand, but over the last couple of months, the world has lost almost all island nations. Greenland still stands—we figure that’s because it’s where Thanatos lives. And Great Britain has been repelling demons with help from Europe. But…” She inhaled a shaky breath, and Regan swore her heart stopped beating. “Taiwan is lost. Madagascar, part of Norway, much of Malaysia. And last week, Japan fell under the control of Pestilence’s forces.”
“Oh, my God,” Regan rasped. “What else?”
“Demons are moving across Africa at an alarming rate, and we’re getting reports of massive attacks in Canada, Alaska, and dozens of regions in Asia.”
Water sloshed onto Regan’s hand, and she had to grip her glass with both hands to keep it from shaking. “What do the Elders say about this?”
“According to their calculations, which have been confirmed by the R-XR… the entire planet will be overrun by demons within a month. They think… they think Pestilence is trying to time his takeover with the baby’s birth.”
The glass in Regan’s hand shattered.
The Aegis had been trying to save the world with this baby, but it was looking like instead, they may have doomed it.
Two Weeks Later…
The only thing worse than being paralyzed and trapped inside your own skull, unable to move or speak, was being kept like that by your own brother and sister.
For eight and a half endless, insanity-inducing months, Thanatos, fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse, had been kept in a bed with nothing but a TV for company. Well, he had a hellhound lying next to him twenty-four seven, but only to bite him if the paralyzing hellhound saliva his brother and sister injected him with wore off. And sure, his sister, Limos, third Horseman, and Ares, second Horseman, hung out with him, but Ares wasn’t all that talkative.
Limos was a chatterbox, but Than didn’t really give a shit about what color nail polish she’d put on that morning or how she and her husband, a human named Arik, were planning a European honeymoon after the threat of Apocalypse was over.
And seriously, a honeymoon? Wasn’t it a little late for that? And it wasn’t as if Limos didn’t live on an island paradise anyway, so every freaking day was a honeymoon for them.
Bitter much, Than-boy?
Yeah, there might be some jealousy there. Because as sick as it sounded, the one thing that had kept Than sane over the thousands of years he’d been alive was the fact that his brothers and sister were as alone as he was. But now Ares and Limos were both married and happy, and he was left paralyzed, miserable, and ripping a massive hatred for the female who’d put him here.
Regan.
Ever since he’d been cursed to be the Horseman who was doomed to become Death when his Seal broke, he’d believed that his Seal was his virginity. He’d guarded his dick like it was the freaking Hope diamond. He might have been an unpinned grenade ready to blow with sexual need, but dammit, he’d kept himself all virginal and shit.
Until Regan came along, with her seductive body, her devious plot, and her drugged wine. She’d managed to get him naked, get him immobilized, and get him off. The why of it still wasn’t clear, since not once, in all of Limos’s and Ares’s ramblings, had they brought up the Aegis Guardian. And the fact that she was a Guardian, one of the human warriors who existed to rid the world of demons, only made her actions more mystifying.
Guardians did not want to start the Apocalypse, so either she hadn’t thought that fucking him would break his Seal, or she had known and was secretly working against The Aegis.
So if she hadn’t known… why had she gone to extremes to get him in bed? As a larger-than-life legend, he might have starfucker appeal, and sure, he knew he was handsome, but resorting to drugs and her supernatural ability just to get him in bed?
Fury slithered through him, as hot as the lust he’d felt when he’d been beneath Regan, her wet heat clenching around his cock. God, it had been good. For so long he’d fantasized about being with a female, had imagined all the ways he’d take her. His favorite fantasy had always been with her on all fours and him mounting her from behind, his chest sealed to her back Ӏ to her by their sweat, his weight holding her steady for his thrusts.
That position had been his earliest me
mory of sex, when he’d been a boy living in a pre-Druidic tribal society. He’d witnessed a fertility ritual, a circle of chanting adults surrounding a couple mating the way the village dogs did it. Oh, he’d heard sex before—their single room dwelling allowed for no privacy for his parents—but he’d not witnessed what went on between a man and a woman.
The image had stuck with him after thousands of years, and it had become the mainstay of his fantasies. For these past months, when his mind had drifted to sex, Regan had been that female on her hands and knees.
His cock jerked in response to the direction of his thoughts, pissing him off. His dick had no business getting hard for her, and on his arm, his stallion, Styx, kicked, sensing his master’s emotions. The horse, currently in a tattoo-like form, had been stuck on his skin, as paralyzed as Than had been—
Wait. His cock was hard, his horse was stirring… which meant the hellhound venom was wearing off.
Thanatos’s heartbeat went double-time as hope shot through him. Maybe his siblings were finally allowing him to be free. Oh, man, if so… he had serious plans. First, he was going to kick Limos’s and Ares’s asses. Then he was going to have sex. Lots and lots of sex.
Before, avoiding sex hadn’t been difficult. Sure, it hadn’t been pleasant, but it had been doable, mainly because he hadn’t known what he was missing. But now he knew, and his body craved it almost as much as it craved revenge.
The door creaked open. Ares’s heavy footsteps were accompanied by Limos’s whisper-light ones and the click of hellhound claws on the floor as the mutt who’d been babysitting him got to his feet to great the newcomers.
“Hey, bro,” Limos chirped, as if Thanatos was just hanging out for fun. His hands began to clench, but quickly, he locked up his muscles, forcing himself to stay still.
Ares changed the channel on the TV they’d mounted above his bed. “Sorry about that,” he grunted. “The mutt must have stepped on the remote and changed the channel. A cubic zirconia-fest on the Home Shopping Network couldn’t have been too exciting.”
Oh, no, really. I was just thinking about how great a gold filigree necklace and teardrop earrings would look on me, and at seventy-five ninety-nine plus shipping, it’s a goddamned steal. But damn, I missed the deal because, oh, that’s right, I’m fucking frozen.
Limos’s hand came down on Than’s biceps, and he struggled to keep from twitching. “Hey… look… we have to tell you something.” Her voice was low and serious, and shit, this couldn’t be good. “I know you can probably feel the disruption in the world, and it’s gotta be making you crazy.”
Crazy? Try ceiling-licking, rabies-frothing, dish-ran-away-with-the-spoon in-fucking-sane. Limos and Ares had been keeping him up on Pestilence’s exploits, but they hardly needed to. Thanks to his curse, Than could feel mass casualties around the globe, was drawn to them like a junkie to heroin. Obviously, bӀ Obviouseing paralyzed had put a stop to his ability to travel to them, but the pull was still there, swirling around his insides like smoke from a crematorium.
“It’s about to get worse,” Ares said. “Pestilence’s plagues have caused war and famine and death all over the globe. It’s why we haven’t been around much. We’ve been spending way too much time at the sites of the worst of it.”
Limos and Ares suffered the same curse as Than; Ares was drawn to scenes of large-scale battles, and Limos was tugged to famines. And yeah, Than had noticed that they hadn’t been around all that much to keep him entertained. At least Cara, Ares’s wife, had been around. She read to Thanatos a lot, and he didn’t think he could ever thank her enough for that.
So why is it about to get worse? He wanted to scream at them, could feel his left hand, which was concealed at his side, begin to curl into a fist.
“The battles and death and famine have poisoned several nations. You knew that before… well, before you were paralyzed.”
You mean, before you paralyzed me and left me here to rot?
“Last week, Pestilence claimed Australia in the name of Sheoul.”
Oh, shit. Demons who were normally bound to Sheoul—what humans called hell—could now occupy Australia. A country that size could host millions of demons and would allow for them to set the stage for a massive global attack.
What about the humans?
Limos, who had always been in sync with his thoughts, answered as though she’d heard him. “Any humans who didn’t evacuate are… lost.”
“We got a few out.” Ares’s voice was grim. “Kynan, Limos, Arik and I got a few.”
“It’s bad,” Limos said. “But the good news is that The Aegis found a way to close the hellmouths. It’s temporary… the magic they’re using is being eaten away by demon countermagic, but it’s slowed mass demon movement.” She patted his arm. “Be patient, Than. Only a couple of weeks left to go, and we’ll release you.”
A couple of weeks? Why then?
He heard the sound of shattering glass, and then Cara’s shout for Ares, and instantly, his brother and sister swept their fingers over the crescent-shaped scars on their throats, activating their armor. Limos’s Samurai armor covered her body as Ares’s boiled-leather armor snapped into place. They tore out of the room, the hellhound, Hal, at their heels.
Thirty seconds later, there was the sound of boots, the creak of the bedroom door… and then, Hades’s ugly mug was in Thanatos’s face.
“Hey, bro. You in the mood for a rescue?”
Rescue? Fuck, yeah. And as soon as the paralysis wore off, he had a certain Aegi to visit.
ALSO BY LARISSA IONE
<րrdiv height="2em">
Pleasure Unbound
Desire Unchained
Passion Unleashed
Ecstasy Unveiled
Sin Undone
Eternal Rider
ACCLAIM FOR LARISSA IONE’S
PREVIOUS NOVELS
Eternal Rider
“Like the Demonica series, this first offering is just as compelling and powerful. Ione has the amazing ability to create intimidating, powerfully sexy, and utterly compelling heroes. And her heroines aren’t too shabby either! Love, hope, sin, redemption, and, of course, end-of-the-world danger fill the pages.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Totally captivating! Larissa Ione instantly pulls you into a demonic underworld with strong characters, hot, steaming sex, and fast-paced, suspenseful action.”
—FreshFiction.com
“A breath of fresh air. Larissa Ione never disappoints and she will have you hooked… [Ares is] not only sweet but sigh-worthy… I can’t wait for [IMMORTAL RIDER]… You won’t be able to put down this tasty treat!”
—GoodReads.com
Sin Undone
“4½ stars! Tense, sexy, and touching.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Some of the hottest [sex scenes] I’ve read in a paranormal romance. You can practically taste the desire…Sin Undone doesn’t disappoint and makes way for yet a new set of characters and books, in her soon-to-be released Lords of Deliverance series.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Ione’s Demonica series is one of my favorites…Sin Undone is a hot, sexy read… As much as I regret the end of the Demonica series, I am looking forward to the upcoming Lords of Deliverance series.”
—ParanormalBites.com
Ecstasy Unveiled
“4½ Stars! Ione is a master worldbuilder, and one can’t help but fall headlong into this imaginative and compelling story.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Compulsively readable… intensely interesting… this book was awesome.”
—LikesBooks.com
“Great… fast-paced… a strong tale that has the audience believing that demons and angels walk the earth.”
—Midwest Book Review
Passion Unleashed
“4½ Stars! The third book in Ione’s supercharged Demonica series ignites on the first page and never looks back… Adventure, action, and danger leap off every page. The best of the
series to date!”
—RT Book Reviews
“Fast-paced from the onset and never slows down until the exhilarating climax… Readers will be enthralled by the action and the charmed lead couple.”
—Midwest Book Reviews
“Larissa Ione pulls no punches… The love scenes are scorching hot and grab at your heart with their emotional intensity. Dark moments are written with just the right touch of hope that leaves the reader begging for a happy ending. I couldn’t have loved Passion Unleashed more and hated for it to end. Raw, gritty, and tremendously passionate… It was awesome!”
—RomanceJunkies.com
Desire Unchained
“4 Stars! Rising star Ione is back in this latest Demonica novel… Ione has a true gift for imbuing her characters with dark-edged passion… thrilling action and treacherous vengeance… a top-notch read.”
—RT Book Reviews
“A fabulous tale… The story line is fast-paced from the opening sequence… fans will relish a visit to the Ione realm.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Warning! Read at your own risk. Highly addictive.”
—FreshFiction.com
Pleasure Unbound
“Sizzling sensuality, dark wit, and wicked hot demons.”
—Lara Adrian, New York Times bestselling author
“What a ride! Dark, sexy, and very intriguing, the book gripped me from start to finish—totally recommended.”
—Nalini Singh, New York Times bestsellinm>
