First Published by Ink Monster, LLC in 2015
Ink Monster, LLC
34 Chandler Place Newton, MA 02464
www.inkmonster.net
ISBN 9780996086455
Copyright © 2015 by Ink Monster LLC
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Also by Christina Bauer
The Angelbound Series
Angelbound
Scala
Armageddon
Maxon
Portia (Coming Fall 2015)
The Shadow Ravens Series
Maker (Coming Fall 2016)
For Sharyn Paris
Who said “I believe”
Contents
Maxon
Lianna
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Lianna
Maxon
Maxon
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Maxon
Lianna
Lianna
Maxon
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Maxon
Take our picture, and we look like three guys hanging and banging on a beach. We’ve got lawn chairs, sunglasses, beer bongs, you name it. And the picture’d be right, too, except for one thing.
We’re all in black body armor.
Truth is, we’re thrax. Demon killers. And we’re not partying on the beach. We’re staking out an empty stretch of Arizona desert, a magical place called Charybdis. I pop open another beer and ask the big question.
“How much longer, guys?” No need to add ‘until the next demon shows up.’
“Two minutes,” answers Nizam. Zee’s two hundred and fifty pounds of pure warrior with a bald head and mad skills for predicting demon strikes. “You never know with Charybdis, though.”
“True enough,” I say.
Charybdis is unpredictable as hell, even for Zee. It’s the exit point for an underground vortex of supernatural evil that sucks in demons, holds them underground, and then chucks them back out again, right here at this spot. Best demon hunting in the after-realms.
Zee’s face lights up with mischief. “You ready for the next fight, Maxon?”
I shake my head. No question where Zee’s going with this one. This question always gets Tyberius cranked.
“Don’t be a douchebag, Zee,” I warn.
“False acc.” Zee raises his hands in mock surrender. “I’m just doing the traditional thrax safety check.” He speaks his next words super slowly. “So, are you ready, Maxon?”
I look to Ty. “You really up for this?”
Tyberius shrugs. “It’s only a safety check.”
Clueless, that’s my man Ty.
“Fine. I’ll play along.” I gesture across my torso, showing how I look the same as I always do: Short dark hair, broad shoulders, and a body built for killing demons in hand-to-hand combat. “This is as ready as I get.”
“Now, how about you, Ty?” asks Zee. “Wouldn’t want to miss anything important, now would you?”
Sure enough, Tyberius starts speed-fidgeting in his chair. He pats down the pockets of his body armor. Here we go again. Before every damned fight, Ty always thinks he loses the same thing, thanks to Zee and his crafty safety checks.
“Where are my fireball charms?” asks Ty, his voice rising with alarm. “Where’d they go?”
“Chill,” I say. “You’ll find them. You always do.”
“I don’t knoooo-ow,” says Zee in a sing-song voice. He has a shit-eating grin on his ebony face. “There’s only one more minute left.”
What a player.
“Damn, damn, damn,” chants Ty. He starts tearing through his pockets, the lawn chair, the cooler, and even the sand. I watch him freak out and realize a key fact. Ty could be the poster child for wizards from the House of Striga. He’s got olive skin, a pointy face, blondish dreads down to his waist, and a major hard-on for frying enemies with fireballs. Classic.
“Wait a second,” Ty pats one of his pockets and exhales. “Got ‘em.” He bounces from foot to foot, totally pumped for the upcoming battle.
I take a long pull from my beer and watch him fidget some more.
Ty’s clearly cranked up. Me? Not so much.
Sadly, my ass feels glued to this lawn chair. At least, my tail’s in the game. It’s arced into battle stance behind my shoulder. All thrax are part human and part angel, but I’ve got some Furor demon blood in me, too. That means I’ve powers across two deadly sins—lust and wrath, the best ones in the bunch—as well as a long black tail with an arrowhead-shaped end. It’s great in a fight.
“Thirty seconds,” says Zee.
Ty starts the traditional thrax roll call. “Tyberius of Striga, ready to fight!”
Zee rises to stand beside him. “Nizam of Horus, ready to fight!”
With a huge effort, I somehow manage to peel my butt off the chair. The guys look at me like I should say something. Which, let’s face it, I should. I am their High Prince after all, and there’s a traditional speech that I’m supposed to give before a battle. I cut to the chase instead.
“Let’s do this.”
“That’s it?” asks Ty.
“Yup.”
Zee squares his shoulders. “In that case, I’ll do the honors.”
Damn it. It’s worse when one of the guys gives the speech. If Zee does it, he’ll launch into how I’m the High Prince Maxon. Fighter of demons. Slayer of hearts. The warrior who killed none other than Armageddon, the King of Hell, when I was just three years old. And now, I’m a grown Prince who’s about to lead them all into another epic adventure.
Truth is, I’m not that Prince anymore. Maybe I never was.
I stop Zee before he gets started. “No speeches this time around, man.”
“Sure,” says Zee, his mismatched eyes wide with shock. “If you say so.”
“I do.”
Zee still looks confused, and that’s fine with me. The guys can’t know this, but about a year ago, it’s like my life went from color to black and white. Fighting demons isn’t a kick anymore. My nightmares are getting worse. And half the time I see a hot piece of ass, my inner lust demon doesn’t even wake up, let alone get my body in gear. I’m seriously screwed, and not in a good way.
Time to think about something else.
“How much longer until the next demon?” I ask.
“Ten seconds,” answers Zee. He tries to act all calm and cool while his voice breaks with excitement. “And that’s five, four, three, two, one.”
A circle of sand blackens before us. The air fills with a sickly-sweet smell. Bit by bit, the darkened ground moves in a clockwise motion.
Charybdis is coming to life.
With a low roll of thunder, more dark clouds appear in the sky. Meanwhile, the black sand picks up speed. A twitch of excitement crawls through my nervous system as some battle buzz kicks in. Finally.
All of a sudden, the ground stops moving. A small shape appears in the center of the darkened sand. Tiny demons always move fast, so my tail whips out before me, ready to block any quick strikes. Trouble is, the sky’s now so dark, it’s hard to see what’s going on. The creature’s nothing but a little white bl
ob. I issue a new order.
“Sun spell, Ty.”
Tyberius snaps his fingers and a small bright orb appears in mid-air. At first, this mini-sun blinds me. Seconds pass before I can see anything clearly. Once I catch what’s going on, none of it makes any sense.
“Is that what I think it is?” I ask.
“Can’t be,” replies Zee.
“Oh yes, it can,” says Ty.
Sure enough, a small pale creature sits in the middle of the black sands. It might be an albino demon adder, a white maggot monster, or any other breed of small and deadly enemy.
Only, it’s not.
I crack a smile. “That’s a fucking bunny rabbit, man.”
“Hey, who’s gonna fight the big bad demon?” asks Ty, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The rabbit hops around, its tiny pink nose twitching up a storm. “You calling the bunny, Zee? You get first dibs since you predicted it.”
“Shut your pie hole,” snaps Zee. “It could be like, a vicious killer bunny.”
“It’s a regular rabbit.” I give Zee a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Every so often, Charybdis pulls in extra baggage with a huge haul. “The real demon will show itself in a few minutes.” I gesture to Ty. “While we’re waiting, how about you send the little guy somewhere safe?”
“Sure thing, boss.” Ty waves his arm and the rabbit disappears in a puff of purple smoke. Once it’s gone, the desert and sky return to their regular state. I focus on Zee.
“When’s the next demon due?”
Zee glances between the sand and sky, his mouth making silent calculations. “You were right, M,” he says. “It’ll be here in two minutes.”
Ty’s mouth thins to a worried line. “In that case, it’ll be a doozy. Everyone got their best gear on?”
“I’m all set.” Zee pats his massive breastplate. “What about you, M?”
“Don’t worry your pretty bald head about me. I’m covered.”
Raising my hand, I summon a small lightning bolt on my palm. The shape twists across my skin, the form all crackling and bright. My chest warms with confidence. I’ve conjured lightning since I was a little kid. That’s how I downed the King of Hell, Armageddon, at the ripe old age of three. My skills have only gotten better over the years.
Ty frowns. “Maybe you should bring something else, too. How about a battle hammer?”
I shoot Tyberius a dry look. No question what he’s hinting at. I’ve supernatural powers over regular lightning, but everyone—Ty included—sees that as child’s play, partly because I’ve been wielding the stuff since I was a kid. Everyone’s waiting for me to graduate from lightning to igni, which are tiny bolts of power that send mortal souls to Heaven or Hell. There’s a catch, though. For igni to replace my lightning, I need to fall in love. It’s called getting Angelbound.
Whatever. That garbage isn’t happening any time soon.
“Lightning works fine for me,” I keep my voice low and firm. “Change the subject, guys.”
“Happy to.” Ty bobs his eyebrows up and down. “How about a quick recap of last night?”
I shake my head. Aw, hell. I walked straight into that one.
“Good idea.” Zee smiles, his teeth looking all white and predatory in his ebony face. “As I recall, we were all having a good time partying on Earth. Then Maxon left the club early. And what left with him again?” He taps his chin, acting all dramatic-like. “Was it two leggy blondes, perhaps?”
“You know it was,” I say.
“So, how were they?” asks Ty. He doesn’t need to add ‘in bed.’
Both guys stare at me, fixated. When it comes to my love life, they’re worse than the paparazzi. I’d like to say that I screwed the girls senseless, but I didn’t. They were human nurses who work with vets from Iraq. We started taking about PTSD—why, I don’t know—and it was a total mood killer. I took them out for ice cream and drove them home. They said I was a really nice guy. So, I got friend zoned, which was bad enough. Even worse? It didn’t bother me.
The High Prince Maxon, a really nice guy.
Shoot me now.
There’s no way I’m talking about that disaster, so I dodge the question. “Don’t you pack of dicks have anything better to do than talk about who I nail?”
“No,” they say in unison.
Thankfully, I don’t have to continue with this depressing conversation because the desert sands start to darken once again. Black clouds reappear in the skyline. A low chittering noise fills the air. The ground gently shivers beneath my feet.
Ty lets out a low whistle. “Whatever’s coming up, it’s a big one.”
Zee sets his fists on his hips. “In that case, I’m calling it.”
I shoot Zee a thumb’s up. “The next kill’s yours. You going in solo?”
“I’ll give it a try.” Zee scans the horizon. “It’s not like my battle twin’s here.” When you have a battle twin, you always fight better as a pair.
In Zee’s case, his battle twin is Raj from Kamal, a thrax house that specializes in hunting demons with hawks and tigers. They’re also one of the big five houses, along with Striga, Horus, Acca, and Rixa, where I’m from. We do everything together, which makes me wonder.
“Where the hell is Raj, anyway?”
Nizam shrugs. “It’s his turn to babysit Uther.”
I nod. There’s nothing you can say to that. Uth’s been working on his new ‘phase bomb’ for months now. You practically have to kidnap the guy to get him out of his lab. The man’s a nut job, but a brilliant one.
Beneath my feet, the ground rumbles and heaves. I suck in an excited breath. Any second now, something demonic’s gonna appear.
Only, it doesn’t.
For a long time, nothing happens. The desert stays unnaturally quiet. Some small part of me warns that I should be more pumped and battle ready, unless I want to get myself killed. Another part thinks that may be an improvement.
With an ear-piercing shriek, hundreds of little creatures pour out of the sand. These tiny monsters have rodent features, glowing yellow eyes, and blood-red scales. My muscles tense with anticipation. With a great battle cry, Zee launches into the fray, slicing through the tiny demons with his long scabbard. My tail itches to help him.
Let Zee give it a try, Maxon. Don’t jump in too early.
While I watch Zee swing away, my mind automatically classifies the kill. These are Rodentia, a cross between rat and lizard demons. By themselves, Rodentia aren’t too tough. It’s when they move together that things get tricky.
“That’s the Scarlet Horde,” says Ty. The way he’s gripping the fireball charms in his pocket, I know he’s anxious to jump in, too. “Class B demons.” We rank demons by letter. The higher the letter, the tougher the kill. But Ty’s wrong on this one.
“Class A, actually,” I say.
“Even better.” Ty’s mouth twitches with excitement. “Since Raj is a no-show, maybe I should step in and help out Zee anyway. What do you think, M?”
I’m about to answer when a new voice calls out from behind us. “Who says I’m a no-show?” We turn around to see Raj and Uther high-tailing it toward us.
Ty grins. “So you finally got Uth out of his hidey hole.”
“Tell me about it,” says Raj. “Fucking miracle.” Like everyone from the House of Kamal, Raj has cocoa skin, brown hair, and a hunting animal. In Raj’s case, it’s a black hawk named Jetal.
Uther rakes his hand through his short blonde hair. He has a wrestler’s build and no interest in anything other than blowing shit up. “It’s not a hidey hole, guys. It’s my lab.”
I chuck him on the upper arm. “We know that, Uth.”
Raj cups his hand by his mouth. “Yo, Zee!” He calls. “Want company?”
Zee mows down a short wall of Rodentia. “Always, my friend.”
Acting in sync, Zee and Raj align back-to-back and go to town. Meanwhile, Jetal circles the skies, picking off the odd demon rat, shaking it dead, and dropping it back into the horde. The battl
e twins move in unison, skewering the mini-monsters with lightning speed. It sure looks pretty to see them fight. Beyond that, I don’t get the appeal of having a twin. I’ve tried it, and other warriors are never fast enough. I end up spending more time trying not to kill my partner than downing demons.
In short order, the horde is wiped out. Little rat-demon carcasses lie scattered across the desert floor. Raj and Zee let out whoops of joy while Jetal hops around the carnage. I’m about to give the ‘all clear’ when the ground starts rumbling again. Fresh chittering sounds fill the air, but this time, the noise is deafening.
More are coming.
Suddenly, a huge and writhing mass of Rodentia pours out of the desert floor. This time, they’re packed in so tight, the tiny bodies make a kind of fountain as they stream onto the sands.
“They’re everywhere!” cries Zee.
“We need backup!” calls Raj.
I slowly rise to my feet. Time was, a battle like this would really get my blood pumping. Now, I can’t seem to focus. For some reason, I only want another beer. I do have enough sense to grab my baculum, which are a pair of silver rods that can be ordered into the shape of almost any weapon, assuming you want that weapon to be made out of angel-fire. For this battle, I order my baculum into the shape of a long-sword.
What the hell is wrong with me anyway?
After following Uther and Ty into the fray, I start slicing down Rodentia with my baculum and dragon-scale tail. Ty casts fireballs to burn more into little crisps. Uther sits down in the middle of everything and starts fiddling with something in his lap. I battle over to his side.
“Uth, you do realize the rest of us are fighting?”
“Yeah, yeah. My new bomb’s almost ready.” He holds up a block of gears and wires. “Phase bomb. Will open up a hole into anywhere. We can go straight through the desert floor, even.”
My tail takes down a half-dozen Rodentia at once. “Why would we want to do that, Uth?” I keep mowing down mini-demons as Uth gets all gushy about his plan.
“Charybdis sucks in all the best demons and then stores them underground.” He lovingly presses the bomb against his chest. “Now, we can go right into the heart of it. No more waiting for the demons to come to us, get it?”
I summon a lightning bolt to fry a small cluster of Rodentia into ash. Smells gross, but it’s effective. While I battle on, Uther keeps staring at me like a happy puppy who’s done an especially neat trick and now wants his bone. Ah, Uther. The guy’s not what you call a traditional thrax warrior. Never has been, either. His bombs sure work wonders, though… When he can get them to work.
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