Apocalypse: The Lords of Deliverance Compendium by Larissa Ione Page A

completely charged. The hunger was gone, but the other, odd tingle of impending danger still vibrated at the base of his skull. It was like a homing beacon, screaming at him to go.
    “Thanks, man.” Shoving to his feet, Than flexed his muscles, testing them after so many months of disuse. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of movement in the burned-out forest, and knew he’d get a good workout in a minute.
    They had company.
    “No problem. I owed you one.”
    Keeping one eye on the creatures slinking from out of the shadows, Than casually flicked his finger over the crescent-shaped scar on his neck, and instantly, his bone armor snapped into place. Next, he summoned his scythe. “More than one. I’ve sent you a lot of souls, asshole.” He was about to send Hades more.
    “Yeah, fuck you.”
    He started to flip out his standard response of, “Can’t have sex,” but he remembered that yeah, he could. Thanks to Regan and her betrayal, he knew he could. But Hades was a dude, and Than wasn’t that desperate.
    But the urge was there, so powerful he suspected that it was similar to what Ares felt, a coil of tension that, if not released, resulted in death and destruction.
    Good thing then, that Thanatos was in the mood for a little D&D, and not the role-playing game.
    “So, what are you going to do now that you’re not frozen solid?”
    “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.”

Three

    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