Immortal Rider

Twenty-six

Regan hated weddings. Seriously hated them. Not only did she despise sitting through the boring-ass ceremony, she didn’t understand the point of spending a ton of money, mostly on other people, when the money could be better spent on a down payment for a house or for the honeymoon. Why start off a marriage in debt?

Especially when most marriages ended in divorce anyway. At least if you spent the money on the honeymoon, you’d have several days in a place you probably loved, even if it was with the asshole you ended up divorcing.

People said she was cynical. A pessimist. She wasn’t. She was a realist.

But in this case, not a lot of planning had gone into the event, and the Horsemen seemed to have money to burn, and Regan hadn’t been required to dress up. Even better, this wasn’t your usual wedding ceremony. This was more like a big party, with supernatural beings as guests.

The great hall had been turned into a fantasy, lit with a thousand candles, fir trees draped in lights and tinsel, and confetti splashed on tables and shelves. In the kitchen, Than’s vampires and Ares and Limos’s servants were preparing hors d’oeuvres for the reception, which really was going to be a liquor-and-food fest.

That was assuming that the ceremony went off without a hitch.

Though the pre-wedding mood had been mostly uplifting, there had been an 0em" widthundercurrent of worry—enough that Sin and Lore had used their contacts to hire an entire den of assassins to act as security, and Cara had enlisted the help of several hellhounds to patrol the grounds. Only one was inside—a floppy-eared drooly pup named Hal that was clumsier than a drunken, three-legged moose. And actually, he might be drunk; Regan had caught him twice with his nose in the champagne fountain.

Then there was Thanatos, who definitely wasn’t drunk. The man was a study in grace and control as he stood near the stage where Limos and Arik were facing each other and saying their vows, his silky blond hair framing his angular face, the braids at the temple only adding to his savage handsomeness. His black tux stretched over thick shoulders and hugged his muscular butt and thighs in a fit so perfect it was clear the clothes had been tailored for him.

And with that gorgeous suit… he wore combat boots. Had he been anyone else, she’d have suspected he forgot to change his shoes, but no, not Thanatos. He was too detail-oriented and too careful. This was the man who, for hours prior to the ceremony, had prowled the keep like a tiger patrolling his territory, checking every nook and cranny twice, testing the guards’ weapons, and seeming to make a point of ignoring Regan. How the hell was she supposed to seduce a guy who had avoided her since their encounter in the gym, as if she’d given him a disease?

Oh, she’d caught him staring at her, the banked heat in his gaze searing her skin, but a moment later, the cold indifference would return, and he’d turn away with an air of arrogant dismissal.

The man was a puzzle. A dangerous, sexy puzzle. Over the last few days, she’d come upon him reading next to the fire, his fingers caressing a book as if it were a lover. The next time she saw him, he might be armored and bloody, and the very air around him would crackle like a brewing storm. He wouldn’t speak, never offered information freely, and his sense of humor was… odd.

Yes, Regan suffered from mild obsessive-compulsive issues, and she had a tendency to make sure all of the notes she took in his library were neatly arranged in stacks of twelve. But Than seemed to delight in moving a single page off one stack to another, just to drive her nuts. And she knew it was him, because the vampires denied touching her work, but the Horseman… he didn’t deny it. He’d simply watch her rail, one corner of his made-to-make-women-wet mouth twitching in a half-smile.

Peeling her gaze away from him, she returned her eye to their surroundings, because despite the massive security, Regan didn’t feel safe. Not when security was made up of demons, vampires, shapeshifters, and hellhounds. That was like, the opposite of safe for a Guardian. Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned to find one of Thanatos’s vampires, Atrius, standing there with a bottle of what looked like wine.

“This is very rare mead,” he said. “Made by ex-monks who used their mead-making knowledge and blended it with supernatural magic.”

“And you’re telling me this… why?”

“It’s Thanatos’s favorite.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “And?”

“It’s a gift,” th a It’s Thae vampire said. “A thank you for improving Thanatos’s mood.”

She was pretty sure her eyes bugged out. “He’s been in a better mood since I arrived?” Jesus, what was he like when she wasn’t around?

“His mood swings have been greater,” the vampire admitted wryly, “but he’s smiled more lately than he has since he lost Reseph.”

“Huh. Okay, I guess.”

The guy grinned like she’d opened a vein for him. “I’ll put the wine in your bedroom. I would suggest, however, that you take no more than a couple of sips. It’s too strong for humans.”

“Thanks for the tip.” She wasn’t planning to drink any. He’d said the stuff was mixed with magic, and that could only be bad. But hey, if Thanatos liked it, he was welcome to it.

The vampire strode away, leaving her alone once again. Alone was something she was used to. Alone she liked.

Across the room, Thanatos turned, and his gaze drilled into her. All around them, people were laughing, hugging, holding hands. But not Thanatos. And not Regan.

In a room full of people, they were alone.

Good thing, she supposed, that she liked it.

The wedding was everything Limos had dreamed of. The funny thing was, as she stood before Arik in a room full of people and food and beautiful decorations, she didn’t notice any of it. Arik was her entire focus, her entire world. She’d repeated the words Idess had prompted her to say, and so had Arik, but the words that filled her with gooey warmth were the ones Arik tacked on to Idess’s mandatory, “I shall keep you as my wife, my mate, my desire.”

Arik had lowered his voice at the end and added, “My only desire.”

Idess reached for the athame and chalice on the altar next to her. With the ceremonial dagger, she sliced her thumb and caught the blood in the chalice.

“Hold out your hands.” Gently, she repeated the ritual with Arik and Limos, then swiped each of their cuts with some sort of herbal leaf. She held up the chalice. “Your blood will bind you, and by the blood of an angel no more, you will be married. Wet your lips, and then speak true.”

“Speak true?” Arik asked.

Idess inclined her head. “You must enter this union on a platform of truth. You will each reveal a secret of importance while your mate’s blood is on your lips. The bigger the secret, the stronger the marriage bond. A lie will burn, but a truth will… you’ll see. You may ask each other to divulge a specific truth, or you may choose to let the other decide for themselves what they want to reveal.”

Oh… God. Anxiety shot through Limos, tendrils of stinging panic that disoriented her and nearly had her armoring up and drawing a sword to comb swt they wanat whatever invisible enemy was attacking her body like this. How could this be part of a wedding ceremony?

Arik took the cup and, without hesitation, put it to his lips, his eyes intense, smoky, like a burning forest. When he brought the chalice away from his mouth, his lips glistened crimson.

“A truth,” he mused. “Is there anything you want to know?”

“The women,” she blurted. “You haven’t told me about them.”

“That’s because there are more than I’m proud of. And some… I don’t even remember.” An ache throbbed through her at Arik’s words, adding another layer of misery to her anxiety. She shouldn’t have asked. “Twenty, for sure, probably more. But I swear to you, there will never be another, and not one of those women could compare to you.” His voice went husky with emotion. “So that answers your question, but there’s something I want to tell you. I would let you take all those women from my memory if you wanted to. And that’s the most honest thing I’ve ever said.”

She nearly stopped breathing. That he would allow her to mess with his memories again, given how important not invading his mind was, was a huge admission of trust and commitment. Not that she would do it even if she could reach back that far and snip those threads. She would never touch his mind again. Her eyes stung, and emotion clogged her throat. How had she gotten so lucky with this man?

And dear God, how could she possibly ever deserve him?

He handed her the chalice, and her hands shook as she held it. He watched her expectantly. Everyone did. When the trembling grew so severe that she nearly dropped the chalice, Arik took her hands in his and gently guided the rim to her mouth.

“You can do this,” he whispered.

Warm wetness touched her lips and tongue, and on her shoulder, both sides of her scales dipped wildly. “Arik,” she rasped. “I… I…”

She should lie. Make something up. The compulsion to tell a whopper had her clenching her teeth. She wanted to lay the foundations for a strong bond, but so many people were around, and it was for them that she needed to spin a tale. She’d once stood before a crowd and fired them up with fantastic stories that had led to rebellion against their lord, every word making her drunk with pleasure. Even now, her breaths came faster, her blood flowed like a raging river, and lies swirled through her mind, fighting to be chosen—

“Hey.” Arik’s deep, soothing voice penetrated her panic, and she realized she’d been looking at everyone but him. “My eyes,” he said. “Look at me. I’m right here.”

As if she’d grabbed onto a lifeline, she clung to his gaze, letting everyone else fall away. I can do this. For him, I can do anything.

Still, nothing came. There were too many secrets to choose from, and all were so horrible and hurtful.

Arik knew… bless him, he knew, and he came to the rescue.

“Since this is our wedding, maybe you can stick it to your ex?” He waggled his brows, dragging a small smile from her. “Do you have a secret about you and him?”

Fear soured her mouth, because yeah, she had a secret she’d never wanted to reveal, but if she was ever going to do it, now was the time, and this was the perfect place.

“I went willingly to my betrothal.” She cleared her throat. Her brothers’ shocked stares burned holes in her, but she ignored them, keeping her focus on Arik and praying he wouldn’t hate her for this admission. “I wanted to be Satan’s bride, and if he’d have had me at the time, I’d have done it.”

There. She’d said it. Her stomach was churning and her antiperspirant failing, but she’d done it. The silence in the room built as Arik stood there, stoic, his expression neutral.

“If you accept each others’ truths,” Idess said, “you may kiss.”

The wait… oh, dear Lord, the wait. Limos thought her heart might explode, and then, unbelievably, Arik stepped into her and slowly, so slowly, touched his lips to hers. Their blood mingled, their tongues met, and a powerful, intense pleasure washed over them both. She knew he felt it too, because in that moment, it was as if they were one being, merged together in an almost orgasmic ecstasy.

Tingles spread through her feather-light body, and what was that saying… the truth shall set you free? Yes. She felt freer than she ever had, and as Arik’s arms came around her, she felt safer too. Safe and wanted and free.

“Congratulations,” Idess murmured. “You are married.”

Arik never in a million years thought he’d be married. Or, more accurately, mated. Which, in the supernatural world, was a stronger bond than marriage, because generally, it was physical. The Sem brothers, for instance, couldn’t get out of their bonds unless their mates died.

According to Idess, the same deal applied here, too. Hopefully, Limos wouldn’t want a divorce anytime soon.

His body was on fire with pleasure as they stepped down from the stage, and he wondered how long the sensation would last. The blood and truth ritual had been powerful on so many levels—uncomfortable, frightening and, in the end, freeing. He hadn’t even known how much he trusted Limos until he’d voiced his truth, and when she’d come clean about her willing role in her betrothal, he’d experienced only pride that she’d trusted him with something that must have been a shameful stain on her soul.

People surrounded them, offering congratulations, hugs, and pats on the back. It seemed like everyone from Underworld General had come, and the marked absence of Arik’s R-XR and Aegis colleagues gave him a moment of surreal clarity; his world truly had changed.

He did wish Ky and Decker had been able to make it, but they were dealing with yet another attack on an Aegis cell as well as a sudden outbreak of demon attacks on human hospitals. Pestilence was clearly trying to cripple humans’ ability to repair the damage he was causing. The bastard.

Eventually, everyone moved off to dive into the food and drink, giving Thanatos and Ares a chance to accost them. Sudden tension rolled off Limos.

“Hey.” She squeezed Arik’s hand so hard he thought he heard his joints crack. “What I said during the ceremony—”

“It wasn’t easy to hear,” Than interrupted. “But we all have things in our pasts we aren’t proud of. We can’t hold something you did thousands of years ago against you.”

Ares nodded. “You aren’t the person you were in Sheoul. We love you no matter what, Limos.”

Ares’s words should have comforted Limos, but as her brothers enveloped her in hugs, Arik caught a glimpse of worry in her expression, a falter in her smile. But maybe he imagined it, because by the time they sauntered off, she was back to her playful self, going up on her toes and putting her lips to Arik’s ear.

“We could slip away to one of Than’s empty rooms.”

He groaned, and his cock twitched, and he was so on board with that suggestion. Too bad everyone was watching them. “As much as I’d love to, I think people would notice.”

“So?”

“So… I happen to know how protective brothers are—” he snared two flutes of champagne from a passing vamp with a tray “—and I don’t want yours to kill me for making your first time nothing more than a boff in a closet.”

“Boff?” Her laughter rang out, the beautiful sound suiting her.

He handed her one of the glasses. “Yes, boff. And if this doesn’t work, I don’t want everyone in the damned building to hear me yell when my fingers are chopped off.” The idea settled his errant cock down, right quick.

“It’s going to work,” she said. “It better. I’m horny.”

Arik choked on his champagne, then choked again when Ares clapped him on the back a few times.

“You okay, man? No dying before you can get Limos out of her chastity belt.”

More choking. When had Ares developed a sense of humor anyway?

“Agreed,” Limos chirped. “I’ve been looking forward to losing this hymen for five thousand years.”

This time Arik didn’t choke. He just stopped breathing.

Ares gripped his shoulder. “Maybe you two should get going.”

Jesus. Ares was practically undressing Arik and shoving them toward a bedroom. “I, ah…”

“Until you two consummate your marriage, Limos is still under contract,” Ares reminded them gravely.

As much as it was a relief wamate yto know Ares wasn’t just anxious for his sister to get laid, the reality of the situation sucked. “We’ll sneak away in a little while,” Arik said. “This is Limos’s party, and I want her to enjoy it.”

Ares threw his arm around Limos and gave her a brotherly squeeze. “I think you did good with this human.”

Limos grinned. “Duh.”

Ares strode away, parting the crowd to get to Cara, who was scolding Hal for something. The hell mutt was looking at her with big, sad eyes, his ears drooping, but his tail was thumping on the floor. Arik hoped Cara knew she was being suckered.

“I’ll be right back,” Limos said, giving him a peck on the cheek. “I need to thank Idess and Runa for everything.”

He watched her glide away, his fingers itching to let down the hair piled loosely on top of her head. The style was stunning on her, revealing her slim, shapely neck, but he wanted her hair down and her dress off, and soon. Really, seeing her naked would be worth a severed digit.

“Congrats.” Regan sidled up next to him with a bottle of water in her hand. For some reason, she grimaced at his champagne. Maybe she didn’t drink.

Maybe she was pregnant.

Oh, damn. Bile bubbled up in his throat. He’d just married Thanatos’s sister, and he was sitting on a fucking huge-ass pile of information about him. He got why The Aegis felt they needed to do this, and he might have agreed with their save-the-world thinking not long ago. But what used to be black and white for him was now blended in sickly shades of gray, and his sense of fair play was screaming.

Thanatos deserved more than to be used as a breeding stud. He should have a choice about bringing a child into the world.

He lowered his voice. “Are you pregnant?”

She snorted. “That would require sex.”

Thank God. “Don’t do this, Regan. Go home, and forget The Aegis’s plan for you.”

“What’s it matter to you?”

“I just married into this family. I can’t keep something like this from my wife.”

Regan pegged him with a hard stare. “See, this is why I’m never getting married. It takes away your independence and your ability to think for your own damned self.”

He wasn’t going to argue this, but he was going to make it very clear where he stood. “Leave here tonight, or I go to the Horsemen.” Tomorrow he’d pay a visit to The Aegis and convince them that Thanatos needed to be included in this decision.

Regan’s eyes blazed. “Fine. But you can explain to the Elders why I failed. And then you can explain to the entire world that the Apocalypse could have been prevented.” She glanced at his glass and gave him an evil smile. “Enjoy your champagne.” She stalked off, leaving him eyeing his drink and wondering why he felt like the jokt lmpagne was on him.

Whatever. The prickly Guardian wasn’t going to fuck up his wedding day. He found Limos, who drained her champagne, tossed the glass into the fire, shattering it, and then let out a loud whoop. All around, the room erupted in cheers and dancing. Limos grabbed his hand and dragged him into a semiprivate alcove.

“You little minx,” he said, when he realized what she’d done. “You distracted all of them.”

“Yup.” She cupped the back of his head and drew him down for a kiss. Her tongue was hot, her mouth wet, and in two heartbeats he was so into it that he had her pushed up against the wall. She purred her approval and wound her arms around his neck. He let his hands drift down her sides to her hips as he licked and nibbled at her lips.

God, she felt good, and when she arched, pressing her breasts into his chest, he was lost to sensation.

Lost to her.

“I love you,” he whispered, and his heart nearly stopped when she froze.

“What did you say?”

Shit. He’d just ruined everything, hadn’t he? Well, there was no backtracking now. “I love you. I’m not sure when it happened, but it did, and I’m not sorry.”

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they glowed with a liquid purple light. “I never thought I’d hear anyone say that.” Her fingers threaded through his hair, clutching tightly. “I love you too, Arik. Also,” she said, “I want kids.”

“Now?”

“Yes.” She shook her head. “I mean… my biological clock has been ticking for five thousand years. Human women think they have it bad. But it wouldn’t be smart. Not until the threat from Pestilence is over. The worst thing I can imagine is to be pregnant and have my Seal break. But yes, I do want them, so we should practice. Lots.”

He swallowed over and over, until he felt like he could speak without sounding like a big sissy. “I think,” he breathed, “it’s time to go home.”

With a wicked grin, she dropped her hand to his crotch to stroke his straining erection through his pants. “Do you think you can make it?”

“Not if you keep that up.”

Her hands came back up his shoulders. “I can’t wait to make love to you,” she murmured. “I’ve waited so long, and now I’m glad I did. I’m so glad it’ll be you, Arik.”

She couldn’t have said anything better. Taking her hand, he led her out of the cove. They slipped through the crowd and out the front door unseen, but as they exited through the tent, Ares’s voice rang out.

“You thought you could sneak away, huh?”

“That was the plan,” Arik muttered, and then they were engulfed in Horsemen arms. Thanatos and Ares grabbed them both in thht="0ema bear hug.

“Come by in the morning,” Ares said. “I have a feeling the underworld’s going to be buzzing.”

“No doubt,” Than added. “Stay out of trouble.”

“Our sister has never been good at that,” a voice called out.

Arik and Limos whirled as Pestilence stepped out of the darkness.