Rogue Rider

“But do they know about my attack?”

“Well, I certainly didn’t tell them. They came in last night, and we briefed them on the situation, and then they were headed to the scenes. They haven’t been back.”

“Did you tell them about Reseph?”

“No. Why? Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine.” She heard the truck outside start up. “Look, I gotta go. I’ll call later.”

“Jill—”

Jillian hung up as Reseph came out of the bedroom, dressed as usual in jeans and nothing else. His gaze focused like a laser on the window.

“Who are they?” As he watched, his entire demeanor changed, going from carefree and loose to… well, she could only describe it as deadly. And yet, he still appeared to be relaxed. But there was a new intensity in his expression and a subtle tightening of his muscles.

“They’re the demon investigators.”

His voice went low. “Did they follow us here?”

“I don’t think so. They just wanted to know if I’ve seen anything strange.” Confusion flitted across his expression. “Reseph? Are you okay? Do you recognize them?”

As the truck drove away, the lethal vibe radiating from him scaled back, but his jaw was still tight, his hands still clenched. “No. But there was something… shit, I don’t know. It’s like I felt I should know them, but if I did, they’d want to kill me.”

“Kill you?” She put down the phone, hoping he didn’t notice that her hand was shaking. “I think that’s a little extreme. They deal with demons. Not humans.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He smiled, but it didn’t match the worry she saw in his eyes. “I’m sure you’re right.”

Thirteen

Reaver’s first stop after trying to convince his Heavenly brethren of Gethel’s betrayal was Ares’s manor. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised to find all of the Horsemen—save Reseph—on the beach. Ares and Thanatos were manning a barbecue grill while Cara and Regan played with Rath, Cara and Ares’s adopted Ramreel demon toddler. Limos was holding a baby, who Reaver instantly knew was Logan, Than and Regan’s son. Circling at her feet was a pitch-black hellhound puppy the size of a Labrador retriever that kept looking up at the infant. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the pup had bonded to the baby and would forever be a faithful bodyguard.

Reaver kicked off his shoes and walked on bare feet toward the group.

Limos saw him first, but then, she usually did. Her grin was blinding, and he knew that if she hadn’t been holding Logan, she’d have thrown herself into his arms, again, as she usually did.

The rest of the gang was more measured with their greetings, and Reaver braced himself. Thanatos, his bare upper body encased in layers of tattoos, crossed to Limos and took the baby, and with Regan at his side, they waited for Reaver to walk up to them.

“He’s beautiful,” Reaver said, his voice shakier than he’d expected. He liked babies, but this one was special, and it wasn’t just because his birth had saved the world. This was the first Horseman offspring, and Reaver felt like a proud uncle.

“Yes,” Than said coolly, “he is. You missed his birth.”

And… it started. “I was fighting Gethel.”

“For three months?”

“I’m sorry, Thanatos.” He nodded to Regan. “If I could have come sooner, I would have.”

Ares approached, reddish-brown hair glinting in the sunlight, but Cara remained back with Rath. The little demon darted to the surf to play in the waves, his hooved feet kicking up ivory foam. “What happened? Where’s Gethel?”

“So you haven’t seen her, then?” Damn. Reaver was hoping she’d shown her traitorous face… not because Reaver wanted her messing with his Horsemen, but because anything she said might reveal her hand.

The blond braids at Thanatos’s temples slapped his cheeks as he shook his head. “Last we saw her was with you.”

He looked past Reaver, and a tingle on the back of Reaver’s neck said that Harvester had arrived. Excellent, because Reaver really needed another complication.

She eased up next to him, and he nearly groaned when he saw what she was wearing. Or, more accurately, what she wasn’t wearing.

Her long black hair hung over one shoulder, cascading over br**sts barely covered by a skimpy knit swimsuit top. He suspected that her matching yellow bikini bottom was a thong, but she’d at least tied a sheer black cover-up around her waist. Not that the cover-up did anything to hide a body made for sin. Literally. And Reaver, who had always appreciated a female who dressed provocatively, had to tear his gaze away before his body started reacting to Harvester the way it had when they’d kissed in Sheoul-gra.

“How are my lovely Horsemen today?” she chirped, all sunshine and rainbows. Something was up. She was never happy-happy.

“We’re waiting for Reaver to tell us what happened with Gethel,” Than said.

This time when Reaver held back a groan, it was because he was expecting Harvester to spill the beans, and Reaver wasn’t ready to tell them what he’d done with Reseph. If he could destroy Gethel before she found Reseph, Reaver might be able to salvage some of his plan to keep the Horseman safe in the human realm while his mind healed. Of course, if Gethel had told anyone at all that Reseph was free, the plan might be all shot to hell.

“Gethel and I fought, but the chamber filled with demons, and she escaped.”

“And where have you been since?” Than’s question wasn’t a challenge. There was too much hurt in his tone.

“I was trapped in Sheoul,” Reaver said. It wasn’t a lie, but wasn’t the complete truth.

“How?” Limos’s violet eyes flashed.

Shit, now Reaver either had to lie or exercise his authority and tell them he was under no obligation to answer, according to Watcher law. But yeah, that would go over like a lead balloon.

“It was my fault,” Harvester blurted, stunning the shit out of Reaver. “I was pissed that my team got their asses kicked, so I locked him in Pestilence’s chamber for a while.” She shrugged. “Broke another Watcher rule. Whatever. It was worth it.”

Limos growled. “You’re such a bitch.”

“Hey,” Reaver said in an attempt to divert the conversation from unexplained fibs and undeserved insults. Harvester might be a bitch, but in this case, it wasn’t true. “Is this a party? Because no one has offered me a hot dog yet.” He eyed the little blond squirming bundle. “And no one has introduced me to that adorable kid yet, either.”

Harvester’s “deed” forgotten, Limos flounced away to the ice chest while Ares headed back to the grill. Than and Regan, grinning like the proud parents they were, held the baby out. “Reaver, this is Logan Thanatos.”

Very gently, Reaver smoothed a finger over the baby’s velvety cheek. “Nice to meet you, Logan.”

“You can hold him,” Than said, but Reaver stepped back. He’d held a lot of infants, had even delivered a few when he worked at Underworld General, but for some reason, the idea of taking this particular child in his arms sent anxiety tripping through him.

“I shouldn’t—”

“Of course you should.” Regan took the baby from Than and placed him carefully against Reaver’s chest, leaving him no choice but to cradle Logan in his arms.

The moment the baby locked eyes with him, Reaver melted, and warmth danced in his heart. Abruptly, he knew where the reluctance to hold Logan had come from. The baby was a reminder that Reaver was missing a huge chunk of his life… a chunk that might contain children. Did he have any? Had their memories been wiped the way his had? He’d never been granted an audience with the Archangels to ask, but maybe it was about time that he stopped requesting and started demanding.

“I can sense the angel in him,” he said softly. “It’s powerful, almost as intense as if he was half angel instead of just a quarter.”

“The Force is strong with this one,” Thanatos said in a damned impressive Darth Vader voice, and Reaver had to catch himself before his jaw dropped. Thanatos had never been easygoing or playful, and this new side of him was good to see.

“Yes, it is.” Logan’s tiny fingers wrapped around Reaver’s thumb. “He exhibited battle angel powers while he was still in the womb, which is rare for any infant who isn’t fully angel, but now his powers feel even stronger.” Reaver glanced down at the hellhound pup, who was drooling on his toes. “What’s his name?”

“Cujo,” Regan said.

Reaver arched an eyebrow. “You named your son’s pet after a rabid monster dog?”

“No,” Thanatos growled. “Wraith did. Bastard taught the pup to respond to Cujo, and we couldn’t get him to respond to anything else after that.”

Reaver laughed. Sounded exactly like something the Seminus demon would do.

Harvester eased closer, the merest hint of a smile curving her lips as she gazed at Logan. “Can I hold him?”

“Not a chance,” Thanatos said.

“But Reaver, who didn’t even want to take the baby, gets to hold him?” The devastation in Harvester’s expression kicked Reaver right in the gut.

“Than,” he said softly, “I don’t think it would hurt to let her take him for just a minute.”

Thanatos’s pale yellow eyes glittered with anger. “She was playing for the team that wanted my son dead. I don’t want her anywhere near him.”

“I swear I didn’t want Logan to die.” Harvester’s voice was as close to a plea as Reaver had ever heard from her. “Never. There were other ways for Pestilence to get what he wanted.”

“I said no.” Thanatos carefully took Logan from Reaver, as if he were worried that Harvester might snatch the child. “Reaver, I’m glad you’re back. Stay as long as you want.” ns class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">