Rogue Rider

Thirty-nine

Alarm rang through Reseph like a bell had rung in his head. “A trap? Set by who?”

A sudden rumbling shook the ground like a magnitude-nine earthquake, felling trees at the edge of Jillian’s property. A malevolent undercurrent swirling in the air raised the hairs on the back of Reseph’s neck. He whirled in the direction of the source of the vibe, his lungs seizing at the sight of Lucifer standing a hundred yards away. Behind the fallen angel, rising up out of the soil, was an army of demons.

“Oh, that’s got to be bad,” Arik breathed.

“Aren’t you the king of understatements.” Reseph shouted to Than and Limos, who were still keeping the surviving Guardians corralled. “Release them! We might need the extra muscle.” Not that he expected them to be a huge help against Lucifer, but Reseph had a feeling they would need all the help they could get.

The Guardians scattered, taking defensive positions near the trucks, barn, and in the surrounding forest.

“Reseph?” Jillian tugged at his arm. Her hair was tangled and full of snow, blood streaked her skin and clothes, and although she had every reason to be afraid, she was alert and calm, a warrior even if she didn’t know it. “What’s going on?”

“Let’s get inside.” He ushered everyone into Jillian’s house, ignoring the amplified sound of Lucifer’s laughter.

Tracker was on Jillian’s heels, almost as close as Reseph was, and had this been any other situation and any other male, Reseph would have gutted the guy. But the warg was clearly invested in protecting her, and that would only be a good thing.

“Who is this guy?” Ky cast a wary glance at Tracker.

“Jillian’s slave.” As Ares and Than righted the furniture that had been tumbled by demons, Reseph parked himself next to one of the front windows so he could keep an eye on Lucifer. “Harvester transferred the bond to her.”

Thanatos cocked a pale eyebrow at Tracker, who backed himself into a corner near Jillian, head bowed. “Interesting.”

“Come out of there, Horsemen.” Lucifer’s cajoling voice boomed as if from a loudspeaker, “Come see what the lives of hundreds of your pet hellhounds have given me.”

The growl that came out of Than rattled his bone plate armor.

Jillian rubbed her arms through her coat. “Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?”

Limos, her black hair tied in a high knot on her head, peeked out of one of the windows. “Reseph has been busy killing everyone in the underworld who helped Pestilence, and he’s kind of pissed off Lucifer.”

“You did your fair share of pissing off Lucifer when you killed his pet angel,” Ares pointed out, and Limos blushed.

“Wait. Lucifer?” Jillian’s voice vibrated with shock. And terror, which made Reseph want to gate her anywhere but here. Except no place was safe from the fallen angel. “The Lucifer? That’s who’s outside?”

“Yes,” Thanatos said, “but he’s not Satan, if that’s what you’re thinking. Lucifer is Satan’s second in command, though, so we’re talking about a demon who ranks in the top ten on the ‘Who’s Who of Most Powerful Beings in the Universe’ list.”

“Oh, God.” Jillian hugged herself, and Reseph fought the urge to take her in his arms. He’d brought this down on her, and he doubted she’d welcome anything from him right now. “What does he want?”

“To destroy us,” Limos said. “And if anyone has the power to do it, it’s him.”

“And he won’t stop with us,” Ares said, his leather armor creaking as he paced. “He’ll take out our families, too.”

Reseph closed his eyes, guilt pouring out of him in massive waves. “I’m sorry,” he croaked. “This is all my fault.”

A tense silence fell, and then he felt Jillian’s hand twining with his. God, he didn’t deserve to be comforted.

“Reseph.” Ares’s voice cracked loud enough to jolt Reseph’s eyes open. “None of this is your fault. What Pestilence did is on his shoulders. You’ve been trying to make things right. You’ve taken out a fuckton of evil in the last few days, and the truth is that Lucifer was going to come after us eventually anyway.”

Thanatos nodded. “A showdown has been coming for a while now.”

Limos fingered her sword. “We’ve just got to figure out how to beat him.”

A blast of annoyance came off Arik as he strode across the room to her. “You aren’t fighting, Li.”

“Of course I am.”

Arik cursed. “I fight, you stay in here.”

“Hey, man.” Ares clapped Arik on the shoulder. “I know you’ve got a protective streak a mile wide, but you’re going overboard with the me-man-you-woman shit.”

“See?” Limos said, batting her eyelashes at her husband. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“You want to tell them or should I?” Arik’s voice was sharp.

Reseph went taut. “Tell us what?”

“Dammit, Arik,” Limos snapped. “This isn’t necessary—”

“She’s pregnant,” Arik broke in. “No way is she fighting.”

It took a second for the news to sink in, and when it did, happiness collided with worry for her and the baby, because sure as shit, this wasn’t the ideal place for either one of them.

“Okay, yeah,” Than agreed. “Limos doesn’t fight.”

Limos huffed. “Guys, hellooooo. I’m immortal. I’ll be fine.”

“You might be immortal, but you aren’t immune to injury,” Ares reminded her. “And remember what Reaver said about unborn children of immortals when Regan was pregnant? That their mortal status can’t be judged until they’re born? They’re still vulnerable in the womb.”

Reseph nodded. “No fighting, Li. And no arguing.”

Outside the ground rumbled again. Reseph turned back to the window and abruptly wished he hadn’t. “Jesus. There’s got to be thousands of demons out there now. And they’re closing in.”

A hundred curses fell from Ares’s lips in as many languages. “We can’t stand up to that. Shit. Where the fuck is Reaver? I summoned him an hour ago.”

“I’m done waiting, Horsemen.” Lucifer’s voice rattled what was left of Jillian’s windows. “I think I’ll send for your mates and children. And then I’ll tear their limbs off one by one until you show your cowardly faces. Come out now and spare their lives.”

“Bastard.” Thanatos raced for the door, Ares on his heels, but Reseph leaped in front of them. They checked up, but barely, their big bodies trembling with the desire to fight for their families.

For the first time, Reseph understood that.

“I’ll surrender myself,” Reseph said to them. “It’s me he wants.”

“Reseph, no,” Jillian gasped. “You can’t.”

“Excuse me.” Tracker crept forward tentatively, haltingly, as if he expected to be struck for speaking. He pulled a small, clear case from his pocket, and deep inside Reseph, Pestilence stirred. “I have something for Reseph.” He held it out, but a booming voice froze them all.

“Reseph!” Reaver materialized at Tracker’s side. “Do not take that.”

“Why not?”

“It’s concentrated evil,” Reaver said in a commanding tone that shook the entire house. “Merely touching it could set Pestilence free.”