by Larissa Ione
With one hand still holding the weapon, she pushed the motor ignition button, and the small diesel engine roared to life.
In a matter of minutes, she was far enough away from the Aegis ship to finally take a deep breath. To relax. Except then she looked ahead to the land and the pier there jutting out into the water, where she saw a figure take form as she got closer.
A large, armored man stood like a statue, his hair blowing in the wind, lashing his face. Thanatos. Breathing became a chore. Oh, God, she could feel his cold rage from here. She didn’t believe he’d hurt her, even accidentally, but what if he blew the way he had the day he took out most of the island’s population?
Her mouth went dry and her throat closed up as she guided the boat up to the rickety dock. His boots struck the wood with menacing thuds as she tried to come to her feet. She couldn’t tell if her legs were unsteady or the boat was rocking, but either way, she could barely stay upright until his hand snared hers and lifted her effortlessly to the dock.
Finally, she met his gaze. And wished she hadn’t.
All that icy anger had glazed his eyes with a glassy sheen of murder. His gaze raked her from head to toe, gauging, she assumed, her health. When he finished, he cast a Harrowgate and wordlessly led her through it. When they stepped out into the aftermath of the bloodbath in front of his keep, the day’s events hit her like a sledgehammer to the ribs.
The blackened remains of dead vampires mixed with the blood and body parts of dead Guardians. Guardians who had, most likely, not known exactly what the Elders had planned. They’d been considered acceptable losses for the greater good, hadn’t they? All around them, hellhounds were … doing what they did to their victims. Regan’s stomach churned at the sight and stench of death.
There were no words. Just horror and despair and the need to get her baby to safety.
Thanatos, still clutching her hand tightly, strode into the keep, never once looking at her. Inside, he dropped her hand and made a beeline for the library. She followed, closing the door behind her, as if that would shut out the death, the betrayal, the whole world.
Thanatos, his back to her, stared at the cradle in the corner. “Were you involved in this, Regan? Did you know The Aegis was going to take you and attack my people?”
“Did I—?” She sucked in a harsh breath. He’d thought she’d betrayed him. Again. “No. God, no. I had no idea what they had planned.”
“Even so, did you go willingly?”
She looked down at her belly, unsure how to answer.
“Regan?” he prompted.
“I got into the helicopter willingly. I know you don’t trust them, but I had no reason not to. But when the engine started and you ran out…”
“What?” He turned to her, and she hated the guarded look in his eyes. They’d made so much progress, and this could have destroyed it all. “What did you do?”
“I tried to get out. And then we were in the air and there was nothing I could do. It wasn’t until we got to the ship and I found out why they took me that I had a chance to get away.”
“Why they took you?” The guarded look turned perplexed. “Weren’t they trying to get you away from me?”
Her pulse leaped as her heart began to pound in a new panic. If Thanatos knew what they’d intended, he could go into a massive rage. But he needed to know. So much had been kept from him out of fear of what he would do. It was time to finally treat him like he was more than a death bomb waiting to go off and give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Getting me away from you was only part of it,” she said quietly. “They wanted to deliver the baby.”
“Why? Do they have Pestilence?”
“No.” Her voice was now a guttural croak. “They wanted…they planned to deliver our son…and kill him.” A sudden blast of fury exploded from Thanatos, and all around him, his souls shot from his armor. Hundreds of them. Thousands. Oh, shit. Quickly, she took his hand and placed his fingers in her palm. “Tap, Than. You can do this. Count it out.”
“I’m beyond counting!” he bellowed. He looked down, his teeth clenched, and she knew that despite what he’d said, he was trying to hold it together. He was trying … for her.
“Thanatos? I need to talk to Kynan.”
His head jerked up. “After what The Aegis has done, you want another Guardian here?”
“I need to understand this.” Tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision, and she hated herself for that weakness. “The Elders who took me… they were possessed, or ensorcelled. That’s the only explanation. Please, I need to understand.”
“I do too.” Thanatos smiled, but there was nothing humorous about it. “I need to know who to kill.”
Twenty-eight
Death and madness vibrated inside Thanatos, shaking him like he was the epicenter of an earthquake. All around him, his vamps were dead, Guardians were dead; and on top of that, the deep-seated fury at Regan’s kidnapping was a stinging poison that made the vibration intensify.
He was about to come out of his skin.
The Aegis had tried to kill his son.
He heard a buzzing in his ears … Regan’s voice. “Thanatos. Thanatos, listen to me. Thanatos!”
He was going to kill every fucking Aegi on the planet. They were going to pay for what they’d done. On his arm, Styx was bucking, fighting to get out and start a battle.
“Thanatos, stop.”
Kill.
“Thanatos!”
Kill.
His blood burned like lit kerosene in his veins and his breath came in harsh rasps as he fought to hold himself together. But those bastards had taken his female, planned to cut into her, and then murder his son. The images flipped through his head, tearing him, and his control, to shreds.
Through his body, his muscles quivered, and a fever dampened his skin. Pinpricks of sensation that bordered on erotic broke out on his hip, fracturing his focus on death. Blood rushed to his groin, hardening his cock.
Regan.
Blinking, he looked down at her. She met his gaze as she stroked her thumb over Styx’s flank, easing him and getting Than’s attention. At some point, she must have swiped her finger over his armor scar, because he was in his jeans and turtleneck, but all he wanted right now was to get out of them.
His voice scraped gravel. “Do you know what you’re doing?”
“Yes.”
He wasn’t so far gone with rage and lust that he didn’t know she was putting aside her own hurt and anger at what her colleagues had done in order to keep him calm. “It isn’t fair to you.” He hissed as she cupped him and squeezed with just the right amount of sensual pressure.
Her eyes were liquid, her long lashes glistening with tear droplets. “I need this too,” she whispered. “I need it so badly.”
Clamping down on an uncivilized urge to take her straight to the floor, he kissed her. Her tongue tangled with his, turning it hot before it had a chance to even smolder. Her hands came up to fist his shirt and hold him against her, but there was no need for that. He wasn’t going anywhere.
He also wasn’t going to take this slow. The savage desire to reclaim what the group of Aegis males had taken from him was an instinct he wasn’t going to fight.
He broke off the kiss to nip and suck her throat, leaving tiny marks no one would miss. Her softly whispered “Yes” told him she liked it, and when he inhaled, the sharp scent of her arousal confirmed it.
Her skin tasted of the salty ocean breeze, and of battle, and he growled at the reminder of what she’d gone through.
“It’s okay,” she murmured. “Just stay with me.”
He opened his mouth over the hollow of her throat, tasting more of the ocean, but it wasn’t enough. He needed to taste her everywhere. Places he hadn’t yet been. Places no one else would ever be. She was his, and he was going to claim her.
In a fevered rush, he dropped to his knees and found himself at eye level with her beautiful belly. He smiled as he lifted the maternity blouse an
d kissed her there, on the taut skin beneath her navel.
“Um…Thanatos…”
“Shh.” He hooked his thumbs under the elastic waistband of her pants and underwear and pulled them down. “Brace yourself on the desk.”
“But—”
“I need to see you. Taste you.” And because of how low she was carrying their son, he needed her at a slight angle to have better access to what he wanted.
“I’ve never done this…”
“I haven’t either.” The admission might have embarrassed him a few days ago, but now… now it made him proud.
After a second of hesitation, she leaned back, bracing her hands behind her on the desk. Yes. He kissed his way down, worshipping every inch he touched, and when he reached her inner thigh, she groaned and widened her stance.
He nearly came at the sight of her female flesh, glistening and ready for him. Anticipation sang through him as he leaned in and licked the crease at her thigh. She stopped breathing, and when he dragged his tongue along the crease on the other leg, she sucked air.
“Are you ready?” he murmured against her creamy skin. Her answer was to thrust one hand into his hair and pull him closer.
He didn’t waste another second. For the first time in his life, he put his mouth to a female’s center.
For the first time in his life, he was glad he’d had to wait.
Gently, he used his thumbs to part her sweet flesh, and then he settled his mouth over her core. He started tentatively, exploring, using his tongue to probe and test what made her squirm and gasp the most. As his need ramped up, he grew more confident, his licks more urgent and desperate.
She tasted like the sun and the ocean combined, and he decided he wanted to do this as often as she’d let him. And from the way she was arching against his mouth he thought she’d let him have his way as much as he’d like.
And he liked.
“Than,” she gasped. “I’m going to…ah…yes.”
Encouraged, he penetrated her with his tongue, fucking her with it until she was whimpering with need, pleading with him to finish her off. His cock was throbbing, straining inside his jeans, begging for release. Unable to wait another minute, he dragged his tongue up through the center of her sex and latched onto the swollen bud at the top. Sucking gently, he eased a finger inside her and pumped it in and out of her slick channel.
She came with a cry, bucking hard. His cock kicked, and yes, he’d take care of that in a second.
When she collapsed against the desk, he snared the coat draped over the back of one of the chairs, wrapped her in it, and hauled her to the bedroom. As soon as he set her on the floor, she grabbed the wooden rail at the foot of the bed and bent over, her perky ass in the air.
He didn’t bother undressing. He ripped open his jeans and sheathed himself inside her molten heat. They both groaned as he started to move with long, slow strokes, but too soon his control was gone, and he was grinding against her, alternating deep, circular action with shallow, fast thrusts.
Needing even more contact, he bent over her, pressing his chest to her back, and placed his hands next to hers on the rail. His fangs shot out, and he used them to graze the back of her neck as he pumped into her.
“Beautiful,” he murmured. “You’re…amazing.” His balls tightened, ready to burst. “Come, Regan.”
“Yes,” she moaned. “Now.”
Her core spasmed around him, squeezing and caressing, and he was lost. He went over the edge with a shout, his hot seed pouring into her, the sweet agony of orgasm making him see stars. He came harder than he ever had, and even as his first climax waned, another bore down on him.
Erotic lightning gathered inside him, building to a fever pitch, and when it struck, it made the last orgasm look tame. Throwing his head back, Thanatos roared in pure ecstasy. This was what he’d waited his entire life for, and it wasn’t even about the sex.
It was about a mate. A family.
A family… oh, fuck. Panic set in almost as quickly as the orgasm had. “We can’t do this again,” he rasped. “Not until the baby is born.”
Regan’s voice was muffled, one cheek resting on the mattress. “Why?”
“Shade said something about sex inducing labor.” As eager as he was to finally hold his squirming son in his arms, there was another consideration. “We can’t risk our baby coming until we have my brother.”
“That sucks,” she muttered, and he agreed. They seemed to agree on a lot of things like that.
His arms were trembling as he pushed off her, not wanting her to bear any of his weight. She didn’t seem to want to move, so he stood her up, kissed her as he stripped her of her top and tucked her into bed.
“I’m not tired.” she said. And then she yawned.
He climbed in with her and gathered her against him. “Me either.”
She was asleep in under thirty seconds.
Thanatos eased out of bed, leaving Regan to some much-needed sleep. With his rage dialed back from a full boil to a quiet simmer, his brain function returned, and shit, he had a messy tangle of Apocalypse threads to unravel. The Aegis had gone ghastbat-insane, Pestilence had been too quiet for comfort, and he still hadn’t heard from Ares on whether he’d had any luck with Idess and Azagoth.
He was a firm believer in never saying that things could get worse, because they always could, but right now he was having a hard time seeing how.
He stepped out into the hall, where a hellhound stood guard, and Than glared. “Where were you when The Aegis stole her, you mangy beast?”
The hound glared back, but offered no explanation. Not that Than expected one, even if he could communicate with it. The hound hadn’t seen trouble in The Aegis’s arrival any more than Than had. And since Regan went with them willingly, the beast wouldn’t have acted until it was too late.
“Ah, don’t worry. I’ll nail those bastards. With railroad spikes.” Than reached out and patted the mutt on the head. “I’ll save you an arm or leg.”
He left the hellhound and stalked down the hall, texting Ares as he did. Aegis kidnapped Regan. Tried to kill the baby. They’re safe now, but where the fuck are you? Need to know Azagoth’s status.
Than jammed the Send button and shoved the phone into his pocket as he headed outside, where he was immediately hit by the stench of blood, bowels, and death. His heart became heavy at the sight of the charred remains of four daywalkers, including Viktor, that lay among the corpses of several Guardians. Hard to tell the exact number of Aegi, since there wasn’t much left of them. The hellhounds had made fast work of the humans.
Hard to believe that Than had once hated the beasts. Now he wanted a kennel full of them. As long as you didn’t try to suppress their basic instincts, and you agreed to let them have full dominion over the creatures they battled—allowed them the spoils of war, as it were—they were awesome allies. Plus, they hated Pestilence, and an enemy of an enemy, and all that.
There was movement to his left, and he whirled, scythe in hand, to find Artur standing there, his head bowed. Blood and ash streaked Artur’s pale skin, and in his hand, he held a stake.
“I failed you,” he rasped. “So many of us… failed you.”
Than went taut. “If you’re talking about Regan being taken, it wasn’t your fault—”
“No.” Artur swallowed. “There were traitors amongst us.” He waved his hand at the vampire dust. “Those who died were loyal to you. But the others… they ran.”
“Who, Artur? Where are they?”
Artur held up the stake. “I caught them. I’m sorry they betrayed you, Bludrexe.” Artur had helped most of the daywalkers through their transitions, so he had to be taking the betrayals as hard as Thanatos. Hell, for centuries, Artur had helped seek out Than’s…indiscretions…and bring them back here.
“Don’t be.” Than kicked himself for not acknowledging Artur’s pain sooner. He’d make it up to the vampire. Somehow. “You didn’t know.”
A bitter smile twisted Ar
tur’s mouth. “But I did. At least, I suspected. I was one of those who held a grudge against you. I loved you like a father, Thanatos. I’ve always loved you. But your tight hold chafed. We’re destroying ourselves to be free of it. Forgive me.”
“For what?” A sinking sensation made Than’s gut tank. “Oh, God, Artur. What did you do?”
Artur’s eyes grew liquid, and the stake in his hand trembled. “I found the wildings and convinced them to rebel. But I swear, I didn’t want your son dead. I didn’t think they’d take it so far.”
“You?” Thanatos’s throat felt raw, as if he’d been screaming. “And Dariq? Who killed him?”
“I did,” Artur said. “Just as I killed all of them, Bludrexe,” Artur said. “Your keep is safe.”
“You killed everyone who was plotting against me?”
“Save one,” Artur whispered. He reached up and ripped his shirt from the collar to the hem. And there, fresh and swollen over his heart, was a tattoo—a tattoo of Thanatos, with Artur putting a noose around Than’s neck. “This is why the others ran. You’d soon know the truth. I’m so sorry, Thanatos.” He brought the stake to his chest, the point piercing the center of the tattoo. Blood trickled down his torso.
Than’s breath lodged in his throat. “Don’t. Artur, listen to me—”
“I failed you.”
Thanatos lunged, but Artur was faster. He jammed the stake into his own heart, and Thanatos watched helplessly as his oldest, most trusted creation became nothing more than a blackened pile of charcoal on the ground.
Twenty-nine
Regan woke up with stomach pains. They were worse than the Braxton Hicks she’d experienced before, but they weren’t regular. Damn…what if sex had triggered labor? With her due date less than a week away, the baby could come any time, and while in any other circumstance she’d be happy to help it along, right now would be a very bad time if they couldn’t nail Pestilence.
A sense of urgency drove her out of bed and into a pair of maternity pants and a sweatshirt. Even though a glance at the clock told her she’d slept less than an hour, she couldn’t believe she’d fallen asleep, not when there was so much to do and so much going on. It was as if the baby had taken away her soul-sucking ability and given her narcolepsy.
