The Four Horsemen_Reckoning

by LJ Swallow

  Her tiny pyjamas lie at our feet with my clothes beside. Thrown aside with my resolve to hold back. Hell? Haven’t we practically said this is necessary? I smile to myself, at my lame excuses in my blood-starved brain.

  “Worship you or fuck you?” I slide a hand between Vee’s legs, and she lets out a small moan as I slide a finger along her. She’s so fucking wet for me.

  “Both.”

  “You might regret that answer.”

  I spin Vee around and back her to the bed, and she lands on the sheets, hair fanning around her head. Naked. Beautiful. Pink flushes Vee’s skin from her cheeks to her neck as she looks back to me. I draw in a ragged breath and close my eyes. Here is everything I want, and everything I should’ve avoided.

  VEE

  Joss stands looking down at me with a hunger in his eyes I’ve not seen since the day in the study. Only this time, there’s a darker need pulsing from him. One that meets my own. Joss should never have held back that day. I rake a gaze over his naked body, the perfect physique from his defined muscular chest to the ‘v’ shape pointing to his hard length as he stands over me. The aching between my legs intensifies the longer he watches me in such a predatory way.

  Joss moves onto me and grabs my wrists, pinning my hands above my head. I can’t move even if I wanted to. I knew Joss has a strength in him to match the others, I’ve felt hints of it, but his matching lust unleashes more than I expected

  “Sure thing. I’ll worship you and then fuck you senseless.”

  The one growled sentence from a Joss I’ve never met before sends my body into overdrive. Please.

  He releases my hands and slides his tongue along my neck, across my breasts and down to my belly, inch by tormenting inch. My body buzzes in anticipation. Joss switches to kissing along my leg to where his hand grips my thigh. Hot breath caresses me before he swipes his tongue along my wet centre, once. I moan, and he leisurely draws his tongue across me until he reaches my clit. Lightning arcs from the place he touches, through my limbs, and I close my eyes. Yes.

  He stops, and I grit my teeth.

  Joss lifts his darkened eyes. “Suitable worship?”

  Before I can reply, Joss’s mouth covers me, running the tip of his tongue the length of my sex, teasing until he elicits a moan, and stops. Repeatedly. Each time my stomach draws tight in frustrated pleasure, aching for his mouth again, anticipating.

  “Are you all right?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” Joss slides a finger into me, darting his tongue against my clit as he matches the movement with his fingers and I spiral to the edge, blood pulsing in my ears, the need for release shaking through my body. And he stops. Again.

  “Joss.” I wriggle against him.

  Now he bloody stops altogether. I push my head back into the bed in frustration as he kisses back along my belly, swirling his tongue around my hard nipple before resting on me.

  “I told you a few days ago. I need to keep control.”

  “I thought you meant of yourself,” I complain.

  Joss’s heart beats as rapidly as mine, our skin burning where we touch. The heat of Joss’s hard length pushes against my sensitive flesh. Self-control exists along with the hunger in his eyes, but barely.

  I grip the sheets as he moves back down again. Joss presses his mouth back on my sensitive flesh and thrusts his fingers inside me. His tongue skillfully strokes and teases, as he sucks on my clit until I’m heading upwards again. A girl could get used to this kind of worship. I move further and further into craving one thing. More. Him. Everything. Joss drags me to the blinding edge and noises I’m suppressing escape. Joss has all the clues he needs, and he stops again.

  This time I don’t say his name but look back with a frown.

  He kneels back and pushes the tip of himself against me, sliding himself teasingly across, and I’m too lost in what’s happening to protest anymore. I want him to stop teasing and just bloody let go. He bends his head and kisses my breasts before he takes my nipple into his mouth and tugs. I cry out and arch towards him. He tips my hips towards him and pushes ever so slightly into me. I look back to gritted teeth and perspiration slicking his chest. Finally having hands free enough, I grab a fist full of his hair and yank his head back.

  “Stop doing that and fuck me, Joss.”

  Joss’s eyes darken further. He moves away, takes hold of me and roughly turns me over on the bed. He pulls my hips so I’m kneeling in front of him and I wait for him to push inside me. I flinch as he slaps my backside, the crack surprising me. I didn’t expect the smarting sensation to turn me on further. I groan and shuffle back against him.

  He shifts and his fingers explore my slick heat, and my knees tremble. I pant as he gently teases me with his thumb.

  “How hard?” Joss’s chest meets my back as he leans over to whisper. The harsh, husky voice sounds different to the Joss I know. “How hard do you want fucking, Vee?”

  When I don’t respond, I’m rewarded with another slap.

  Whoa.

  The stinging on both cheeks intensifies as with every few seconds I don’t reply, Joss’s palm meets my skin again.

  “Hard.” The word is barely out of my mouth before Joss slams himself into me

  I cry out, and Joss lets go of his control. He winds my hair into his hand and pulls my head back. The tugging hurts but feels so damn good at the same time, and I push back against Joss, matching his movements. The sex becomes harsher, more frenzied as he thrusts into me again and again. Each movement pushes me further to the edge of my favourite place to lose myself in with him. When the orgasm hits, the power of it takes me by surprise, my heart and body splintering.

  I drop forward onto the bed and bite the sheets, not wanting to cry out. Joss doesn’t stop, slamming into me again and again as he thumbs my clit. A new shockwave seizes my body, and I fall forward onto the bed unable to keep myself up on my knees anymore.

  Joss swears as he comes, holding himself deep inside as my muscles clench around him. For a few moments, I listen to my panting breaths as Joss massages my backside. He drops onto my back and buries his face into my neck. His kisses come with hot breath against my skin.

  “I guess you let go of that self-control,” I murmur.

  He nips my earlobe. “Really? That was nothing.” Joss rolls, so he’s on his side, hugging me to him. He kisses my shoulder. “You should have higher expectations of me.”

  I shift to face him and move in for a kiss. As I lie in his arms, a knotting fear joins the peace. I don’t want to say anything, but I don’t feel any different inside. The theory about my ability to pass Order back through sex isn’t true. I move to bury my face into Joss’s hard chest.

  But for now, I don’t think about this. For now, I enjoy what I have.

  24

  VEE

  Ripley contacts us, demanding we update him on the situation. Xander’s resistant, but we need to figure out if he knows anything about those who came through the portals. This leads to a touchy decision: tell Ripley the full story or be selective. We choose selective—Ripley doesn’t need to know about the angels yet.

  After we meet him this afternoon, we’ll push Ripley out of the picture. Despite his mistrust towards the angels, pulling away from Ripley to work with them makes more sense. Especially as the angels made it clear the guys have to.

  Ripley currently resides in a penthouse suite in one of several hotels he owns in the centre of LA. His and the Order’s footprint are stamped all over American cities via hotel and restaurant chains, not to mention his financial and legal firms. No wonder the Horsemen struggle to keep up with his activities. We’d relied on his network to help fins Seth’s whereabouts, but now we have the information we need.

  Two days.

  Syv is due to arrive today and refuses to wait anywhere for us apart from close by. She’s agreed on a trip from the airport to the hotel, where I bet she’ll wait for us in the bar. Syv tried to hide how she felt when we spoke, but I
don’t need my empath abilities to detect her emotions. Syv is scared to be on her own right now.

  The art deco hotel is bright and clean, filled with tourists and shiny happy staff greeting and fussing over the guests. A row of elevators takes a constant stream of guests to their rooms and back.

  “Ripley has a few men around today,” says Heath as we wait for Xander to pick up a keycard from the reception desk.

  Men attempting to be inconspicuous hang in quiet corners—men I instantly know are demons. The people passing to and fro don’t notice nor pay them any attention. Any could be a guest.

  “I’m willing to bet the hotel is crawling with them.” Ewan nods in their direction. He briefly makes eye contact with one and the demon looks away.

  “Let’s go before Vee decides she wants to kill them.” Joss smirks at me and I pull a face. I can’t help my new instincts, but I can control them.

  Xander appears with a card which allows access to the top floors where Ripley resides. Burlier demons stand guard outside the elevator when we reach the top floor. They line the hallway toward Ripley’s door. Their expressions are a mix of curiosity and suspicion, and as the guys pass, Joss can’t help himself and throws a cheery greeting.

  Ripley answers the door shirtless, loose trackpants sitting on his hips. For the second time, I wonder whose body he possessed. This flawless physique comes from a guy who must have spent hours in the gym with little time to spend doing much else. Time wasted, since a powerful demon stole his body.

  The hastily dressing girl behind him matches his status, with her sleek black hair and model looks. Ripley leans on the open door, muscles flexing in his shoulders as he does. He meets my eyes, and I look away when his mouth tips into a smile.

  “Pass me a shirt, uh…” He looks over at the girl.

  “Ashleigh.”

  “Yeah, Ashleigh. I have some important visitors, you need to leave.”

  “You told me,” she purrs and takes a good eyeful of my guys. “Thanks for fitting me into your busy schedule.”

  Ashleigh approaches, holding Ripley’s expensive, woven black shirt in one hand and her handbag in another. She tiptoes to kiss him and he turns his face so her lips land on his cheek instead. I cringe for the poor girl as she walks away with a promise to catch him later. Ripley doesn’t confirm this, eyes fixated on her ass as she leaves.

  He ushers us inside and I get a clearer picture of Ripley’s home.

  The hotel lobby is filled with opulence, but the expense in here eclipses that. My shoes sink into plush carpets and every inch of the penthouse is covered in quality furniture, furnishings, paintings, and more. A bar stretches across one wall, bottles of spirits lining brightly lit shelves. Towards the rear of the room, steps lead upwards to a mezzanine. Presumably the bedroom he just spent time in.

  Ripley brushes down his mussed hair and grins. “Drink?”

  “No. This is a short visit,” says Heath as Xander paces toward the panoramic window and looks out over the LA skyline. Ripley watches as he pours himself a whiskey.

  “It’s not like you to refuse.”

  Xander ignores him.

  With a sigh, Ripley sinks into one of his sumptuous black leather sofas and drapes an arm across the back, legs outstretched. He sips. “I hear you’ve had some issues since we last spoke.”

  “Yeah. Seth let a few new friends through a portal the other day, and we’re pretty sure they’re not the first who’ve walked through one.” Ewan runs his tongue along his teeth. “Portals you told us you were guarding.”

  Ripley’s face sours. “Don’t blame me! We’re helping out. You should be happy we’re still guarding your fucking portals after Seth wiped out the fae.”

  “The one near here? That’s the one we fought him at,” retorts Ewan. “I didn’t see anyone on guard.”

  I sit on the edge of a nearby sofa and refuse the drink Ripley offers. “Not my fault. The guys… disappeared.”

  “Really? Convenient. Like Breanna?” Xander turns from his view and regards his uneasy ally.

  “That was not my doing. We had this conversation. Maybe the arsehole god vaporised them all or some shit. How do I know?” Ripley replies.

  “Or maybe your men conveniently looked the other way.”

  Ripley sits forward and in a slow calculated movement places his glass on the table beside him. “Are you suggesting I’m helping Chaos?”

  I squeeze my eyes closed when I see Ewan’s eyes reflect Xander’s doubts about this man. Please don’t say how you feel.

  “No,” interrupts Joss. “But we’re worried some of your associates may be.”

  “I’ve told you before, I neutralised anybody I suspected was involved in his shit before we joined forces. You know that’s what I do. I protect myself. Always.”

  The bodyguard close by shifts and clears his throat. Joss laughs. “More came through, Ripley. We don’t know how many knew creatures are in the world now. He’s disrupted other portals in the past few months.”

  “How? Weren’t you doing your fucking job?”

  “Um. Excuse me? Primordial god? Possibly able to disguise everything he’s doing?” snaps Xander.

  “If Chaos can do what the fuck he wants and hide it, the Order won’t know either. Including me.”

  The last words choke him—the idea he could be out of control in his usual ordered society. Just like Xander.

  Without another invite, Xander crosses to the bar. He pours himself a generous drink before resting against the silver panels. “You haven’t heard from Seth?”

  “Doesn’t he call you for friendly chats? I don’t think I’m his best buddy like you are.” Ripley mock pouts. “Next time you speak to Seth, ask what he did to Breanna.”

  “Hasn’t she reappeared?” Heath’s eyes narrow. “That’s interesting.”

  “Again, not much to do with me. I only know her from my short time at Nova Pharm. Honestly, I had two board meetings and most of that I barely listened to.”

  “You must know something about her disappearance.”

  “Again, Xander? No. I don’t.” He spreads his fingers out, palms up. “I am everywhere. You know that. I can’t possibly monitor everything that happens. I have associates who do this for me. Ones who know betrayal is a permanent end for them.”

  “Who may be siding with Chaos.”

  He huffs. “Maybe. But what the fuck do you expect me to do? I helped smoke him out when you guys had him living with you. ‘Thanks’ would be nice. You’re an ungrateful bastard.”

  Ewan steps forward. “Ungrateful? For the years you’ve spent trying to kill us while corrupting human society?”

  “Stop.” I stand. “This doesn’t help. We need to plan what to do.”

  Ripley laughs at me. “If you think I’m going to look for and approach Chaos, the answer is no. I value my life, thanks.”

  Xander drains his glass and pours more. He spoke to me the other day about how conflicted he is leaving Ripley alive when we have the perfect chance to take him out. Ewan struggles to keep up surveillance against Ripley’s network that watch and keep his growing empire safe. But the others are right. We have other battles to fight. But without him, the fae—or who’s left on our side from their race—aren’t enough. Logan and Portia are now embroiled in a power struggle we don’t have time for and dropped any support for us after the fae were killed.

  Which leaves us with the angels as allies.

  “You keep doing your thing, I’ll do mine.” Ripley buttons his shirt. “Or my people will. I’m a little busy.”

  Joss stares at him. “Drinking and screwing when we’re facing an apocalypse?”

  He inclines his head at Xander before indicating me with his head. “I’m sure the five of you are entertaining yourselves in a similar way.” Xander opens his mouth to reply but Ripley interrupts. “Stress relief. Down time. Just kill what you come across, and I’ll dig further. I can deal with any of my guys I think are under Chaos’s influence. Between us, we’ll win.�
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  The look exchanged between the guys says one thing—and then what happens to their ceasefire?

  “Have you found anything else that can help save her?” he asks.

  I grit my teeth. Her.

  “Yes.” Ewan’s voice is terse.

  “And?”

  Nobody responds.

  “Is this a trust thing again, guys? Because really, not helpful.”

  “We’re not explaining the finer details to you.” Heath says. “But our connection to Vee will help.”

  “And your new friends? Someone told me you met with people I’m unaware of.” He cocks a brow. “Who are they?”

  “We’re not sure,” says Joss quickly. Too quickly. “They knew more about the text. That’s all.”

  “Ooh a secret hidden society?” he chuckles. “Strange that I have no idea who they are.”

  “How do you know about them?” he asks.

  “I see everything.”

  “They’re new to the world,” puts in Heath.

  Ripley runs his tongue along his teeth. “From the portals? I don’t think they are or you’d kill them. I will find out who, so you may as well tell me.”

  “They’re private people. We can’t tell you. If they want you to know, they’ll approach you. But I don’t think they’re demon fans.”

  He chews a nail and studies us, looking from guy to guy before resting his eyes on me. “You hide things and still want my help? Anything else you haven’t told me?”

  I tense and look at Xander. We’ve agreed not to mention the guy who walked through the portal we’re sure is important—and still missing.

  “Actually, I came here to say we’ll deal with things on our own from now on.”

  Ripley chokes on his drink and points at Ewan, eyes watering. “Seth took down Pestilence in seconds. I can’t rely on you to keep this under control.”

  “And what are you doing? Sitting up here, hidden behind your bodyguards,” Ewan retorts.

  “And? I have people to do the work for me. I just oversee everything.”

  Ewan chuckles. “You’re a coward. You always were.”