Apocalypse: The Lords of Deliverance Compendium (10 page)

“First, I’m going to kill those demons and that fallen angel behind you.” The scorpion tattoo on his throat began to sting his neck, its tail moving like a pulse, reminding Than that death was what he was meant for. Never one to argue with fate, he swung the scythe in a powerful arc, lobbing off one of the demons’ two heads. He glanced back at Hades, who was looking like he might want popcorn to go with the action. “Then I’m going to do the same to the woman who betrayed me.”

R
egan sat on the floor, staring at the vampire who had saved her from one threat and was planning to deliver her into the hands of another.

“You can’t take me to Thanatos. He’s incapacitated—”

“Stupid female,” he barked. “I’m taking you to his keep until he returns. Several of us have come up with a plan to get him back.” His voice softened. “And there are things you need to know, warnings I can’t tell you here—” Blood spurted from his mouth, and he jerked forward, catching himself on the podium.

A crossbow bolt pierced his sternum.

“Get away from her!” Lance, one of Regan’s fellow Elders, rushed toward them, crossbow in one hand, wooden stake in the other. More Guardians followed on his heels, including Suzi, who had moved into headquarters to assist Regan in her final months of pregnancy. From the side entrance, Elders Kynan and Decker burst through the doors.

“Don’t kill him!” Regan shouted, but Lance ignored her, driving the stake through the vampire’s heart.

“Dammit, Lance!” Kynan rounded on Lance as the vampire smoldered. “That’s not how we do things.”

“That’s not how
you
do things,” Lance said. “Not everyone in The Aegis agrees with your squeaky clean new way of treating the enemy.”

Suzi crouched next to Regan. “Are you okay? Should I call your doctor? Oh man, I should have been with you—”

“I’m fine,” Regan assured her, but Suzi wrung her hands, worry bleeding from her pores. “But you know, I could use a cup of your awesome honey chamomile tea.” Suzi grinned, clearly relieved to be able to help. As she took off, Regan remained on the floor, gathering both her thoughts and her breath. “Why were Thanatos’s vampires here? How did they get in?”

Juan, another Elder, kicked at the remains. “We captured them a couple of weeks ago. We needed to see the daywalkers ourselves. Somehow they escaped their cells.”

“You morons,” Regan snapped. “Don’t you think we’ve done enough to Thanatos?”

“
We
didn’t do it to the Horseman,” Lance said, his expression so smug she wanted to slap him. “It was
your
report that brought his vamps to our attention. We needed to study them.”

Oh, damn. Once again, she’d managed to screw Thanatos, just in a different way. Her guilt manifested into bitter anger, which she aimed at Lance.

“The Apocalypse is on our doorstep,” she growled, “and you wasted time with vampires? Nice.”

Lance scowled. “You’re the one who volunteered to take over as vampire expert when Jarrod died last year. You should have known that when you discover a new breed, we’re going to want to dissect it.” He cast her a nasty glance. “You aren’t going to cry about it or some shit, are you?”

God, she hated when he did that. He and a couple of the other Elders seemed to think that as a woman, she’d break down into tears about every little thing. They’d been the negative voices when Regan’s promotion into the Sigil was on the table, and now she never passed up an opportunity to show them she was just as capable as they were. She didn’t have a chance to rip into him though, because Kynan intercepted and steered them back on topic.

“Dissect it.” Kynan shoved his stang blade into its slot on his hip belt. “We have standard operating procedures for new species, and those include informing other Elders about plans to capture. They don’t include dissection.”

“You’ve been busy with your happy little demon family,” Juan said. “We didn’t see the need to make a big production out of capturing a couple of bloodsuckers.”

Regan fought the urge to scream in frustration. “What if the Horsemen see this as yet another betrayal? Did you think of that?” The Aegis’s relationship with Limos and Ares was already strained, thanks to what had gone down between Regan and Thanatos, and this could only make things worse.

“I’m more concerned about the impending Apocalypse than what the Horsemen think, but the fact that the vampires escaped is definitely troubling.” Lance nodded at Juan. “Let’s check the cells to make sure no other nasties are loose.”

As they took off, Decker glared after them. “I hope they get eaten,” he muttered.

“How are you feeling?” Kynan offered her a hand, but Regan refused it and pulled herself to her feet on her own. She’d had enough of being touched tonight.

“I’m feeling surprisingly good.” She winced as a tiny foot caught her in the ribs. “When I’m not being kicked.”

Kynan unzipped his leather bomber, revealing a weapons harness loaded to kill an entire legion of demons. “Gem said the same thing when she was pregnant.” Ky’s daughter, Dawn, was almost a year old now, and the cutest little dark-haired thing ever. Regan wondered what color hair her child—a boy, she’d learned a couple of months ago—would have, given that Thanatos’s hair was blond and hers was dark brown. “I know we talked about this before, but if you need someone to talk to about pregnancy stuff, Gem is there for you.”

Ugh. This had been an uncomfortable subject ever since Juan had brought up the fact that Regan didn’t have a mother to share the experience with or to ask for advice. No, Regan’s mother had committed suicide-by-demon after giving birth to Regan. As Lance had once put it, “
You should feel lucky she didn’t off herself the second she found out her demon-possessed lover knocked her up
.”

He was such a dick.

Regan offered a polite smile. “Thanks, Ky, but I’ll be fine.”

He nodded. “Offer still stands. When’s your next doctor appointment?”

“Tomorrow. Dr. Rodanski is concerned about the baby’s size, so he’s going to do another ultrasound and decide if we’re going to do a C-section instead of a natural delivery.”

“You really should see—”

“No.” She cut Kynan off before he could suggest allowing a demon doctor from Underworld General to take care of her. It was one thing to be working with demons to prevent the Apocalypse, but allowing one to touch her intimately? Not unless things got dire.
Way
dire.

“Regan,” Ky said. “Your body reacts badly to medication. You can’t have a C-section without meds and pain management.”

“Rodanski said he’d figure it out.” She hoped so, because what Ky, a former Army medic and physician at Underworld General, mentioned was a huge concern. The baby’s delivery could be potentially dangerous. Still, she wasn’t ready to deal with demon doctors and their alternative therapies.

Her stomach growled loud enough for Decker to hear. “Want me to get you something to eat?”

“I don’t suppose you have a chocolate milkshake in your back pocket.” She’d always been a bit of a health nut, but pregnancy had given her a major craving for all things ice cream.

He wrinkled his nose. “That crap will kill you.”

An image of Thanatos popped into her head, and no, it wouldn’t be the milkshakes that killed her.

“So,” she said. “Tell me why you’re here at this hour of the morning.” The boys exchanged glances, and her gut twisted. “What is it?”

Beepers went off, three at once. Decker grabbed his phone first. “It’s Lance. Fuck. Demons loose in the building.”

Instantly, Ky and Decker drew weapons and closed rank around Regan. “What the hell is going on? If we hadn’t come to discuss rousing Thanatos, Regan could be dead.”

Regan gripped the podium so hard her nails dug into the wood. “You were thinking about rousing him? Now?”

“Long story, but yeah. We came across new information. We need to consider waking him right away.”

“You’re a little late for that, Aegi.” The deep, rumbling voice from the doorway drained every drop of blood from Regan’s face. She broke out in a cold, clammy sweat as she looked up to see Thanatos at the auditorium entrance, his big body radiating danger even his armor couldn’t contain.

And she knew, without a doubt, that her nightmare was about to become reality.

Pleasure Unbound

Desire Unchained

Passion Unleashed

Ecstasy Unveiled

Sin Undone

Eternal Rider

Immortal Rider

Lethal Rider

“Provides a thrilling ride for readers… Ione balances all the angst with plenty of action, sexual tension, and dark humor.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Ione plunges readers back into her creative, dark, sensual, and violent world without missing a step… a fast-paced multilayered story with all the ingredients that fans of Ione’s wicked, sexy, dark paranormal romances have come to expect… Larissa Ione’s acerbic wit, imaginative, vivid world and larger-than-life überalpha heroes make for a thrilling, fun, paranormal romp. I’ve read a number of awesome books this year, but I have to say
Immortal Rider
is my favorite of 2011.”

—
USAToday.com

“Gritty… Twisted family dynamics and treachery play out on a global scale in this hard-edged yet sexy adventure. Ione’s worlds are always complex and darkly tinged. Intense to the max!”

—
RT Book Reviews

“5 stars! Larissa’s world building skills are off the charts with this series… engaging… sizzling… highly entertaining… a wonderful blend of romance, action, and drama.”

—
SeducedByaBook.com

“This is one of the best books Larissa has written to date. I’m shocked by the sheer wonder of it all… If you’re dying to get your hands on a great paranormal romance that has a few zingers and pushes the envelope, which Larissa has done, you need to read this book.”

—
GoodReads.com

“Like the Demonica series, this first offering is just as compelling and powerful. Ione has the amazing ability to create intimidating, powerfully sexy, and utterly compelling heroes. And her heroines aren’t too shabby either! Love, hope, sin, redemption, and, of course, end-of-the-world danger fill the pages.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“Totally captivating! Larissa Ione instantly pulls you into a demonic underworld with strong characters, hot, steaming sex, and fast-paced, suspenseful action.”

—
FreshFiction.com

“A breath of fresh air. Larissa Ione never disappoints and she will have you hooked…[Ares is] not only sweet but sigh-worthy… I can’t wait for [
Immortal Rider
]… You won’t be able to put down this tasty treat!”

—
GoodReads.com

“4½ stars! Tense, sexy, and touching.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“Some of the hottest [sex scenes] I’ve read in a paranormal romance. You can practically taste the desire…
Sin Undone
doesn’t disappoint and makes way for yet a new set of characters and books, in her soon-to-be-released Lords of Deliverance series.”

—
FreshFiction.com

“Ione’s Demonica series is one of my favorites…
Sin Undone
is a hot, sexy read… As much as I regret the end of the Demonica series, I am looking forward to the upcoming Lords of Deliverance series.”

—
ParanormalBites.com

“4½ stars! Ione is a master world-builder, and one can’t help but fall headlong into this imaginative and compelling story.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“Compulsively readable… intensely interesting… this book was awesome.”

—
LikesBooks.com

“Great… fast-paced… a strong tale that has the audience believing that demons and angels walk the earth.”

—
Midwest Book Review

“4½ stars! The third book in Ione’s supercharged Demonica series ignites on the first page and never looks back… Adventure, action, and danger leap off every page. The best of the series to date!”

—
RT Book Reviews

“Fast-paced from the onset and never slows down until the exhilarating climax… Readers will be enthralled by the action and the charmed lead couple.”

—
Midwest Book Reviews