Immortal Rider (LD2) (50 page)
Read Immortal Rider (LD2) Online
Authors: Larissa Ione
Tags: #Romance, #General, #Fiction, #Adult, #Paranormal, #Fantasy, #Vampires
The door creaked open. Ares’s heavy footsteps were accompanied by Limos’s whisper-light ones and the click of hellhound claws on the floor as the mutt who’d been babysitting him got to his feet to great the newcomers.
“Hey, bro,” Limos chirped, as if Thanatos was just hanging out for fun. His hands began to clench, but quickly, he locked up his muscles, forcing himself to stay still.
Ares changed the channel on the TV they’d mounted above his bed. “Sorry about that,” he grunted. “The mutt must have stepped on the remote and changed the channel. A cubic zirconia-fest on the Home Shopping Network couldn’t have been too exciting.”
Oh, no, really. I was just thinking about how great a gold filigree necklace and teardrop earrings would look on me, and at seventy-five ninety-nine plus shipping, it’s a goddamned steal. But damn, I missed the deal because, oh, that’s right, I’m fucking
frozen.
Limos’s hand came down on Than’s biceps, and he struggled to keep from twitching. “Hey… look… we have to tell you something.” Her voice was low and serious, and shit, this couldn’t be good. “I know you can probably feel the disruption in the world, and it’s gotta be making you crazy.”
Crazy? Try ceiling-licking, rabies-frothing, dish-ran-away-with-the-spoon in-fucking-sane
. Limos and Ares had been keeping him up on Pestilence’s exploits, but they hardly needed to. Thanks to his curse, Than could feel mass casualties around the globe, was drawn to them like a junkie to heroin. Obviously, being paralyzed had put a stop to his ability to travel to them, but the pull was still there, swirling around his insides like smoke from a crematorium.
“It’s about to get worse,” Ares said. “Pestilence’s plagues have caused war and famine and death all over the globe. It’s why we haven’t been around much. We’ve been spending way too much time at the sites of the worst of it.”
Limos and Ares suffered the same curse as Than; Ares was drawn to scenes of large-scale battles, and Limos was tugged to famines. And yeah, Than had noticed that they hadn’t been around all that much to keep him entertained. At least Cara, Ares’s wife, had been around. She read to Thanatos a lot, and he didn’t think he could ever thank her enough for that.
So why is it about to get worse?
He wanted to scream at them, could feel his left hand, which was concealed at his side, begin to curl into a fist.
“The battles and death and famine have poisoned several nations. You knew that before… well, before you were paralyzed.”
You mean, before you paralyzed me and left me here to rot?
“Last week, Pestilence claimed Australia in the name of Sheoul.”
Oh, shit. Demons who were normally bound to
Sheoul—what humans called hell—could now occupy Australia. A country that size could host millions of demons and would allow for them to set the stage for a massive global attack.
What about the humans?
Limos, who had always been in sync with his thoughts, answered as though she’d heard him. “Any humans who didn’t evacuate are… lost.”
“We got a few out.” Ares’s voice was grim. “Kynan, Limos, Arik and I got a few.”
“It’s bad,” Limos said. “But the good news is that The Aegis found a way to close the hellmouths. It’s temporary… the magic they’re using is being eaten away by demon countermagic, but it’s slowed mass demon movement.” She patted his arm. “Be patient, Than. Only a couple of weeks left to go, and we’ll release you.”
A couple of weeks? Why then?
He heard the sound of shattering glass, and then Cara’s shout for Ares, and instantly, his brother and sister swept their fingers over the crescent-shaped scars on their throats, activating their armor. Limos’s Samurai armor covered her body as Ares’s boiled-leather armor snapped into place. They tore out of the room, the hellhound, Hal, at their heels.
Thirty seconds later, there was the sound of boots, the creak of the bedroom door… and then, Hades’s ugly mug was in Thanatos’s face.
“Hey, bro. You in the mood for a rescue?”
Rescue? Fuck, yeah. And as soon as the paralysis wore off, he had a certain Aegi to visit.
Pleasure Unbound
Desire Unchained
Passion Unleashed
Ecstasy Unveiled
Sin Undone
Eternal Rider
ACCLAIM FOR
LARISSA IONE’S
PREVIOUS NOVELS
Eternal Rider
“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.”
“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!”
Sin Undone
“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.”
“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.”
Ecstasy Unveiled
“4½ Stars! Ione is a master worldbuilder, 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.”
“Great… fast-paced… a strong tale that has the audience believing that demons and angels walk the earth.”
—Midwest Book Review
Passion Unleashed
“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
“Larissa Ione pulls no punches… The love scenes are scorching hot and grab at your heart with their emotional intensity. Dark moments are written with just the right touch of hope that leaves the reader begging for a happy ending. I couldn’t have loved
Passion Unleashed
more and hated for it to end. Raw, gritty, and tremendously passionate… It was awesome!”
Desire Unchained
“4 Stars! Rising star Ione is back in this latest Demonica novel… Ione has a true gift for imbuing her characters with dark-edged passion… thrilling action and treacherous vengeance… a top-notch read.”
—RT Book Reviews
“A fabulous tale… The story line is fast-paced from the opening sequence… fans will relish a visit to the Ione realm.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Warning! Read at your own risk. Highly addictive.”
Pleasure Unbound
“Sizzling sensuality, dark wit, and wicked hot demons.”
—Lara Adrian,
New York Times
bestselling author
“What a ride! Dark, sexy, and very intriguing, the book gripped me from start to finish—totally recommended.”
—Nalini Singh,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Mine to Possess
“4 Stars! [Ione’s] hard-edged style infuses the story with darkness while taking it to sizzling heights.”
—RT Book Reviews
“5 Stars! Fascinatingly innovative… full of fervent encounters and shocking disclosures… compelling scenes and dynamic characters.”
“Fast-paced… never slows down… Romantic fantasy fans will appreciate the first Demonica tale.”
—Midwest Book Review
The Aegis—
Society of human warriors dedicated to protecting the world from evil. See: Guardians, Regent, Sigil.
Agimortus—
A trigger for the breaking of the Horsemen’s Seals. An agimortus can be identified as a symbol engraved or branded upon the host person or object. Three kinds of agimorti have been identified, and may take the form of a person, an object, or an event.
Daemonica—
The demon bible and basis for dozens of demon religions. Its prophecies regarding the Apocalypse, should they come to pass, will ensure that the Four Horsemen fight on the side of evil.
Fallen Angel—
Believed to be evil by most humans, fallen angels can be grouped into two categories: True Fallen and Unfallen. Unfallen angels have been cast from Heaven and are earthbound, living a life in which they are neither truly good nor truly evil. In this state, they can, rarely, earn their way back into Heaven. Or they can choose to enter Sheoul, the demon realm, in order to
complete their fall and become True Fallens, taking their places as demons at Satan’s side.
Guardians—
Warriors for The Aegis, trained in combat techniques, weapons, and magic. Upon induction into The Aegis, all Guardians are presented with an enchanted piece of jewelry bearing the Aegis shield, which, among other things, allows for night vision and the ability to see through demon invisibility enchantments.
Harrowgate—
Vertical portals, invisible to humans, which demons use to travel between locations on Earth and Sheoul. A very few beings can summon their own personal Harrowgates.
Khote—
An invisibility spell that allows the caster to move among humans without being seen or, usually, heard.
Marked Sentinel—
A human charmed by angels and tasked with protecting a vital artifact. Sentinels are immortal and immune to harm. Only angels (fallen included) can injure or kill a Sentinel. Their existence is a closely guarded secret.
Quantamun—
A state of superaccelerated existence on a plane that allows some supernatural beings to travel among humans. Humans, unaware of what moves within their world, appear frozen in time to those inside the quantamun. This differs from the
khote
in that the
khote
operates in real time and is a spell rather than a plane of existence.
Regent—
Head(s) of local Aegis cells.
Sheoul—
Demon realm. Located deep in the bowels of the earth, accessible only by Harrowgates.
Sheoul-gra—
A holding tank for demon souls. The place where demon souls go until they can be reborn or kept in torturous limbo.
Sheoulic—
Universal demon language spoken by all, though many species speak their own language.
Sigil—
Board of twelve humans known as Elders, who serve as the supreme leaders of The Aegis. Based in Berlin, they oversee all Aegis cells worldwide.
Ter’taceo—
Demons who can pass as human, either because their species is naturally human in appearance, or because they can shapeshift into human form.
Watchers—
Individuals assigned to keep an eye on the Four Horsemen. As part of the agreement forged during the original negotiations between angels and demons that led to Ares, Reseph, Limos, and Thanatos being cursed to spearhead the Apocalypse, one Watcher is an angel, the other is a fallen angel. Neither Watcher may directly assist any Horseman’s efforts to either start or stop Armageddon, but they can lend a hand behind the scenes. Doing so, however, may have them walking a fine line, that, to cross, could prove worse than fatal.
Contents
