Lethal Rider

Seventeen

Kynan arrived at Than’s place within fifteen minutes of Regan’s call. He met her in the library, not bothering to say hi or sit down, although he did pause at the sight of her hellhound babysitter until she told the thing Ky was a friend. The beast still reached out with a claw and clipped Ky’s jeans as he walked by.

“I was planning on coming today before you called,” he said, shooting an annoyed glance at the hellhound. “Eidolon said you were poisoned. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. And, as you can see, I have a permanent guard.”

“Thanatos texted. Said I could bring some Guardians for you. He specifically asked for a female so you’d have someone to talk to.”

Regan’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, and it’s about time. We’ll arrange to have some brought here by tomorrow.” He handed her a plastic grocery bag. “Sorry this is hit and run, but I have to go. We’ll make sure you get some Guardians.” He nodded at the bag in her hand. “Three hundred years ago, nearly forty Guardians died to get that book, so I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do. And thank you again.”

Ky took off, and Regan climbed back up the stepladder to reach for the book she’d been after before Ky arrived.

“Regan! What in the nine rings of hell are you doing?” Thanatos’s roar didn’t surprise Regan, but the hellhound lying near the library door let out a startled bark.

Calmly, Regan shifted her weight on the top rung of the stepladder. “There really are nine rings of hell? I thought that was fiction.”

“It is.” Than strode into the room and got as close as he possibly could without touching her, although his hands came up to bracket her hips. “Get down. You’re going to fall and hurt yourself or the baby.”

Clutching her prize, Regan stepped down, wobbling just enough that Thanatos caught her around the hips to steady her. For a long second, they stood like that, as if they were both confused to find themselves in an almost-embrace, and weren’t sure what to do about it.

Regan cleared her throat. “Happy now?”

“No.” Thanatos’s hands lingered on her waist, and the pleasant, warm sensation that filtered through her whenever he touched her returned.

“Why does that happen?” she asked. “The warmth. It’s got something to do with the baby, doesn’t it?”

Thanatos stepped back, his cheeks pink with a hint of a blush. “Ares experiences certain effects when he’s close to his agimortus—Cara. The baby is affecting me, too.”

“The same way?”

His gaze dropped to her belly. “Similar. My armor doesn’t soften, but when I’m close, the sensation of death around the world is muted.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Very.” His blond brows dipped together in a contemplative frown. “I hadn’t realized it, but I haven’t felt that kind of quiet since I was a boy.”

It was hard to imagine Thanatos as a child, doing normal things like playing. And laughing. But she was glad she could give him a measure of peace. “Did you have a good childhood?”

“The best.” A wistful smile curved the corners of his mouth, one that cracked his hardened, immortal warrior exterior and exposed a man with normal memories and emotions. Without thinking, she reached up and brushed the backs of her fingers across his cheek, wanting to feel the man and not the warrior.

Thanatos’s gaze caught hers, holding it with an intensity that sizzled across the surface of her skin. Desire pulsed in her veins, so easily kindled whenever he looked at her. Even when he was angry, the power emanating from him worked like an aphrodisiac on her, and she wondered if maybe the intense sexual effect was inherited from his succubus mother.

Or maybe Regan was just weird.

“When’s the last time you were happy like that?” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, but Than flinched as if she’d yelled.

“Too long,” he said gruffly, and her heart broke for him. Somehow, she had to find a way to bring some happiness into his life.

Dropping her hand from his face, she clutched the book against her chest and pulled another book from the bag Ky had brought. Maybe this would be a start.

“I had Ky bring you this from our library.”

Than took the tome, and the moment he had it in his hands, he inhaled on a curse. “Regan. Do you … do you know what this is?”

“Well, yes. That’s why I asked for it. It’s the book you’ve been looking for. The third one in those succubus diaries.”

His gaze snapped up to hers. “This is priceless.”

“Probably more to you than to us,” she said softly. Yes, The Aegis was desperate for everything they could get when it came to historical and demonic documents, but for Thanatos, it was personal. The Aegis needed it, but Than needed it.

“I’m… I’m not sure what to say.”

“That makes two of us. Ky said you approved having some Guardians brought here.”

As if he were embarrassed to be caught doing something nice, he looked back down at the book and muttered, “Can’t hurt to have more guards.”

She didn’t bring up the fact that he’d specifically requested a female Guardian, and that wasn’t about having a guard. That was about being a decent, caring guy, and the more evidence she saw of the man behind the armor, the more she wanted to see that side of him. The more she wanted to be around it. Very little in her life had been given to her—she’d had to work for even the smallest treasures. But Thanatos wanted to give her things, like her favorite foods and an Aegis friend, and damn it, she wanted to give him a big, mushy hug.

She settled for a raspy, “Well, thank you.”

He inclined his head in a nod and then gestured to the book in her hand. “What is it?”

“A Spectator’s History of Vampires.” She ran her fingertip over the cracked leather cover. “I remembered where I’d heard the term ‘Bludrexe,’ and I wanted to confirm some things. Unfortunately, since I don’t have access to The Aegis’s library, I can’t find what I’m looking for. But I’m hoping I can find something similar in your library.”

Shadows blanketed Than’s expression. “The term isn’t in that book.”

“That’s okay. It’ll still be interesting reading, I’m sure.”

Than smiled, which made her instantly suspicious. “I can find better reading material for you.” He plucked from a shelf the Horsemen erotica book she’d read the last time she was here. “I know how much you liked this one.”

Since there was no way he was flirting with her, he was either trying to distract her from the vampire book or he was trying to embarrass her. Maybe both.

Probably both. He had a strange sense of humor. Unfortunately, she found it oddly appealing.

She returned the smile, just as sugary sweet as his was smoldering. “Thanks, but I have pregnancy hormones to keep me hot and horny at night.”

His eyes clung to her, holding her immobile. “They make you horny?” The way he said “horny,” his tone dark, deep, and slightly breathless, made said hormones dance. She wanted him. She had since the moment she laid eyes on him, but she’d mucked that all up, hadn’t she?

“And irritable,” she added quickly. “Don’t forget irritable.”

“I don’t think you’ve been that irritable, especially given everything that’s happened and the situation you’re in.” He folded his arms over his chest and leaned his hip against the desk, his booted feet crossing at the ankles. “Speaking of which, someone killed Dariq to keep him from talking. Until I find out what’s going on, I’m confining all vampires to their quarters or to the outbuildings. They’re going to sweat out their own fear, I promise you that. And they won’t get inside the keep.”

Damn, she’d been hoping Dariq had been working alone. The idea that more vampires might be coming after her both freaked her out and pissed her off. No one was going to hurt her baby.

“Okay, you concentrate on finding your bad vamps, and I’ll work on the Bludrexe thing.” She placed the book on the desk and flipped it open, but before she could even attempt to read, Than slapped his hand down on it with a low growl.

“This book was in my private library that I keep under lock and key,” he said. “I have no idea what it’s doing out here, but it isn’t for Aegi eyes.”

Well, wasn’t that interesting. “Thanatos, listen to me. I think that whoever wrote this might also have written the text I remember seeing Bludrexe in. The vibe from both is the same. Your father was mentioned, and it indicated that one could find the rest of the story within hidden scrolls in a forbidden mosque in Iraq that even The Aegis hasn’t been able to gain access to. Maybe I can learn more in here, and then we could go to the mosque—”

“Let it go, Regan.”

“But they talked about the Apocalypse,” she blurted. “At the time I read the texts, I didn’t focus on the Apocalypse because it was a vague reference. But now that all of this is happening with your vamps, it might have some importance. The texts were written by someone who claimed to be the first vampire. As he lay dying, an angel appeared and apologized to the dying man. Then a female angel joined the first, and they argued about the end of days.”

“I don’t care.”

She stared in utter disbelief. When she finally found her voice, it dripped with anger. “You stubborn Horseman. The Apocalypse has been in a countdown for the last five thousand years. That’s what The Aegis has been trying to prevent. That’s what this—” she drummed her fingers on her belly “—has been about. We’re on the precipice of hell, and this damned book might hold the very clue we need!”

“You think I don’t know what that was about?” he barked, his finger jabbing at her belly. “Yeah, I get it, okay, Regan? I get that you fucked me for the sake of the world. You did it in hopes that you’d save billions of lives. But you know what? I don’t care. I’m probably the only male on the planet who didn’t want to get used for sex. Who didn’t want to be treated like a piece of meat. Maybe that makes me a big damned pussy, but I don’t give a shit. I thought you wanted me like I wanted you.” He slammed his fist down on the book so hard the desk leaped off the floor and the hellhound sprang to his feet, teeth bared.

“I did,” she whispered. “I did want you.”

“You wanted what I could give you. You didn’t want me.”

She drew a startled breath. He’d … wanted her to want him? “I swear, Thanatos. I wanted you. I cared about you.” I still care about you.

So much so that she was starting to suspect that even if she survived the months of revenge Than planned, she wouldn’t survive his rejection afterward.

“If you cared, you wouldn’t throw away our son.”

Pain lanced her, but she threw it back at him. “If you cared, you’d let me research this in hopes of finding something that will save his life!”

There was a long, tense pause as Thanatos stared at her, his eyes glowing and steam practically whistling out of his nose like a cartoon bull. The hellhound had inched closer to her, although she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

Finally, Thanatos ground out, “Where in Iraq?”

“The El-Sheoulate mosque.”

He snorted. “There is no such thing.”

Had this been just nine months ago, Regan would have gloated that The Aegis knew something a five thousand-year-old supernatural being didn’t. But right now she needed to stay on his good side. Or at least, stay on his not-homicidal side.

“It’s a demon stronghold beneath an existing mosque. It’s why we haven’t been able to get in.”

“They have Aegi in Iraq, so why didn’t they clean out the demons?”

“Because the real mosque sits in a city where most of the local government are ter’taceo, and so is a large number of the civilian population. The Aegis can’t get anywhere close.”

“Tell me where it is. My siblings and I will handle the demons.”

“I’ll show you.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ll tell me.”

“Are we really going to argue about this?”

“You aren’t in any condition to go. I’ll get the scrolls and bring them back.”

“Thanatos, they can’t be removed from the mosque or they’ll turn to dust. Everything inside the mosque is bound to it. You know how common it is for demons to attach objects to their holy places. So unless you or your siblings are empaths who can read parchment the way I can, you need me. You can get me in and out in a flash.” She casually trailed her fingertip over the writing in the book Thanatos was still pinning to the desk and opened herself to her empathic gift. The author had been angry when he wrote it. So angry at the Bludrexe. “Besides, I’m feeling a little claustrophobic. I need to get out of here for a little while. And may I just remind you that no demon can touch me, and I seriously doubt we’ll find liquid nitrogen-breathing frost demons in Iraq.”

“Fine,” he growled. “But you stay plastered to me, and at the first sign of danger, you’re out of there.”

“I’m starting to feel like you guys only grab me when you need something.” Wraith punched Thanatos in the shoulder hard enough to hurt, even through the armor. “Next time you call, how about it’s for a kegger?”

“I thought you liked to fight, demon.”

“It’s my second favorite thing to do.” Wraith, his shoulder-length blond hair pulled back with a leather thong, tested one of the points on his throwing star. “But you could at least ply me with burgers and beer first.”

Than didn’t need to ask what his favorite thing was. Dude was a sex demon, brother to Shade and Eidolon. “No time for burgers and beer.”

“Story of my life,” Wraith muttered.

Limos, standing at the entrance to the secret underground mosque Regan had led them to, finished tying her hair up in a knot at the crown of her head. “We could have done this without the annoying demon, you know.”

Ares cut through them and moved down the dark passage. “Remember how Wraith found your agimortus? He finds shit, and the faster he finds Regan’s texts, the better.”

Texts that weren’t going to be read by anyone except Thanatos. He wasn’t sure what they said, but if they even hinted at his secret, he couldn’t risk anyone knowing. He couldn’t be responsible for the destruction of an entire race of people, and he just hoped like hell that Regan’s scrolls would only provide information about their father.

He gripped Regan’s hand tight, holding her near, just as he had since finding Dariq dead in his dungeon. And since her admission of wanting him. And since she’d given him a priceless book. And since he’d realized how much of an asshole he was to isolate her from her Aegis comrades.

The more he got to know her, the more he realized that The Aegis was all she knew and all she had. He wanted to give her more, but he didn’t know how. Didn’t know if she’d accept anything from him. So he’d caved in and told Ky to assign some Guardians to her.

She, on the other hand, had given him a treasure, a book that had eluded him for centuries. He had no doubt that The Aegis considered it a treasure as well—no, he knew how valuable it was to The Aegis. Just before Than had gated them all here, Ky had called.

“Regan has very little to call her own, and she traded her most prized possession, a prayer written by an angel’s hand, to get that book for you.”

That Regan had done that left him shaken and unsure how to respond. In five thousand years, he’d been given a lot of gifts, mostly by his siblings, but this book, which started off with, My sister, Lilith, was determined to bed the angel Yenrieth, but not if I could get to him first, meant the most.

Any new information he could find about Yenrieth was more precious than gold.

Regan had given him that.

She was also going to give him a son, which would be far more precious than every book in his library combined.

He kept her next to him—probably closer than necessary—as they moved away from the spot just inside the underground tunnel’s opening where he’d gated them. As with most demon-claimed land, the stone and packed-dirt passages were dimly lit by an otherworldly glow. Thanatos could see as well as if it were daylight, but Regan, without her Aegis-enchanted jewelry, had to squint, which was another reason to keep her close, especially given that the passage’s floor was rocky and uneven. Thanks to the baby’s protection, she might be immune to injury from demons, but a fall could harm her or the baby.

Wraith and Ares took the lead, and Limos came in behind Than and Regan. “How far do we have to go?” Limos asked, and Regan shook her head.

“No idea. The sketched map I saw in the vampire’s writings wasn’t exactly precise.”

“Great.” Wraith tossed his throwing star into the air and caught in between two fingers. “We could spend days wandering—”

“Shit!” Ares wheeled to the side, narrowly avoiding a massive axe blade. The sharp wedge cut the air with a whistle, followed by the snarl of its wielder.

The tunnel came alive with movement as dozens of species of demons swarmed around them, crawling on the walls, the ceiling, and flying through the air over their heads. In an instant, a bloody battle broke out, but Than wasn’t going to play games. He had thousands of souls at his disposal, and they wanted freedom.

He released a hundred, their eager shrieks joining the snarls and grunts of the demons taking damage from his siblings. Wraith went through the demons like a fang through flesh, his charmed status keeping him safe—as long as no fallen angels showed up. Next to him, Regan threw out her hand to touch any demons that made it close enough to her, sending them flying backward in shock.

Than allowed himself a small smile. His kid was badass.

So was Regan. She didn’t even flinch at the rush of demons, keeping one hand protectively over her belly and the other at the ready, fingers clutching her dagger. And when a demon with thirty-foot, whiplike tentacles snapped one at Than, nicking his cheek, Regan snarled and struck out with her blade, severing the demon’s limb and sending it screeching into the dark.

Man, her fierceness juiced him up. She might be almost nine months pregnant, but she was still in her element down here mixing it up in a cavern full of demons. It was strange how right now he wanted to both cocoon her in bubble wrap to protect her and get her naked to get going on those months of pleasure. Except this time, he didn’t want to climax alone.

The battle was over in under two minutes, but Than had a feeling this was just the beginning. Turned out he was right. They repeated the scenario four more times before they reached a crude stone staircase that led down into a pit lined with colorful tiles that had been arranged into crude mosaic images.

“What is this?” Limos stepped into the center of a design portraying a hell stallion tearing apart a demon.

Thanatos threaded Regan’s fingers with his as he led her carefully around other patterns, most depicting violence, others arranged into sex scenes, some reflecting both.

“Don’t step on them,” Than said quietly. “This is a place of worship.”

“The demons in the pictures are deities.” Ares nimbly skirted an image of a dozen-eyed horned demon that was rumored to eat three elephants at a single sitting. “They could come alive.”

Regan tugged on Than’s hand. “Um… so if I step on that one? You come alive?”

He followed her gaze… and drew a harsh breath. Oh, shit.

Wraith went down on his heels and stared at Thanatos’s likeness set into the floor with hundreds of brilliant tiles. “Dude. Why are you sucking on some guy’s neck? And why are there vampires kneeling at your feet?”

A cold sweat broke out over his skin. “Dunno.”

Limos jammed her sword into its scabbard so hard it threw her off balance. But just for a second. “Wrong answer, Than. I spent thousands of years lying. I’m pretty good at sniffing out bullshit. And brother, you stink.”

Thanatos exhaled on a curse. “Do you remember your wedding night, Limos? When you begged us to leave your secrets alone?”

His sister’s cheeks flamed crimson, and as she averted her gaze, shame shrunk his skin. At the time, he hadn’t understood why she’d kept so much from him and Ares, but now that his own past was bearing down on him, he got it. Except that he wasn’t protecting himself. He was protecting thousands of lives.

“Thanatos,” Ares said, stepping next to Limos, “whatever it is, we can help.”

No, they couldn’t, but before he could even start to explain, Wraith was up and punching his fist through a stone panel in front of the altar.

“There,” he said. “Scrolls.” How the hell did the demon find crap so easily?

Regan moved to the scrolls, an eager, curious light in her eyes. She loved this kind of thing, didn’t she? Finding new things, solving mysteries … admirable traits, but dangerous when you were the one keeping the secret she was sniffing out.

Very carefully, she withdrew the scrolls and laid them on top of the altar. “They’re so delicate,” she said, as she smoothed her fingers over their smooth surfaces. “This one…” Her finger stopped on the middle of five scrolls. “The author is so angry. Wait. Thanatos?”

Than moved to her, an ominous sensation dancing up his spine. “What?”

“He’s angry at you. But why—”

A screech rang out, and from a hundred crevices in the walls and ceiling, demons emerged, as inky black and elusive as shadows.

“Fuck.” Than palmed his scythe. “Nulls.” The rarest demon species of all, creatures void of life and souls, shot through the cavern, immune to Than’s souls and every known weapon. Their mouths gaped wide with jagged teeth that took chunks out of flesh with every pass they made. Only Wraith and Regan were impervious, which pissed off the Nulls even more, and every bite into Than’s unprotected head became more vicious.

“I can’t open a gate,” Ares shouted.

Limos swiped at her head, dislodging one of the Nulls. “We have to get out of here!”

Than started to drag Regan toward the entrance, but pulled back when demons poured out of it—some clearly demons, others in human skins.

Regan screamed, and suddenly, his hand was empty. He wheeled around in time to see her being snatched by a vampire.

One of his vampires.

“Markus!” Than lunged, but Markus spun, using Regan as a shield, and Than had to check up at the last second to avoid slicing into her with his scythe.

Regan shouted obscenities, reaching behind her to claw at Markus’s neck. A blur of Seminus demon slipped behind the vampire, and Markus flipped backward, hamstrung by Wraith’s dagger. Than caught Regan before she hit the ground, but with a shocking amount of agility, she wrenched around and slammed her fist into the vampire’s throat.

Yeah, he’d let her have the satisfaction of making Markus choke on his own blood. But Than got to make the kill.

Crunching his foot down on the vampire’s chest so hard bones cracked, he bared his teeth at the asshole. “Who killed Dariq, Markus? Who all is involved in the plot against me?”

“Go to hell,” Markus wheezed, and then he grinned, his fangs flashing wetly. “Your whore and bastard are going to die.”

“Wrong,” Thanatos snarled. “You die.” He swept his scythe in an arc like a golf club, shearing off the top half of the vampire’s skull. Blood and brains splattered on the wall, and suddenly, the demons all melted away.

He turned to Regan to assure himself that she was okay, but the bewildered expression on her face said that everything was not okay.

“The vampire’s tattoo,” Regan whispered, as she stared first at her hand and then at Thanatos. Oh, shit, she’d touched Markus’s tattoo…“The scroll. Oh, my God.”

Don’t say it, Regan. Do not say it.

“You.” Regan looked at Than as if he’d grown a new head. “Bludrexe. Sheoulic for Blood King. Oh, my God, it’s you.” She stumbled backward, catching herself on a blackened pillar. “That’s why the author of those scrolls is so angry at you. A fallen angel didn’t father the vampire race. You did.”