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Synopsis
They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.
Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.
Release date: April 1, 2011
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Print pages: 432
* BingeBooks earns revenue from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate as well as from other retail partners.
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Eternal Rider
Larissa Ione
“Sizzling sensuality, dark wit, and wicked hot demons.”
—Lara Adrian, New York Times bestselling author
“Larissa’s storytelling is compelling and raw. She is truly gifted and you will fall madly in love with the characters in
this series.”
—Jaci Burton, national bestselling author of Hunting the Demon
“Ione knows how to make your heart race.”
—Cheyenne McCray, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Betrayal
“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
“Bravo—a must read! Hard to put down, and ends with a bang… Paranormal romance fans will relish this new book from a master
in this genre.”
—BookPleasures.com
“As usual, Larissa Ione spins together a complex world that you feel a part of, with complicated characters, great dialogue,
and of course, hot sex.”
—LovetoReadforFun.com
“5 Stars! By far one of the best books of the series (though I really love them all). Ms. Ione’s writing is as dark and sexy
as the black leather pants her heroine wears.”
—DarklyReading.blogspot.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 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.”
—LikesBooks.com
“Great… fast-paced… a strong tale that has the audience believing that demons and angels walk the earth.”
—Midwest Book Review
“An astonishing addition to Larissa Ione’s Demonica series… fast-paced and totally captivating… The most action-packed and
suspense-driven Demonica novel to date, readers will be hard pressed to put Ecstasy Unveiled down.”
—RomanceJunkies.com
“Paranormal romance at its finest… a fast-paced thrill ride of epic proportions that will have you on the edge of your seat,
cheering for the good guys… This series holds no punches and is becoming a serious must have… it will definitely not disappoint.”
—Examiner.com
“Ione’s best yet… a fast-paced read that kept me flipping the pages as fast as I could. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened
next!… Each Demonica book just keeps getting better and better. The momentum of the story and pacing keeps you drawn in until
way past your bedtime.”
—FictionVixen.com
“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!”
—RomanceJunkies.com
“5 Stars! Larissa has outdone herself with the story of Wraith. I was pulled into this story from the first page. The action
is intense and nonstop. I was engrossed and enthralled… and highly recommend adding this series to your library.”
—BittenByBooks.com
“Plenty of steamy love scenes… nicely balanced with a high-octane plot… Larissa Ione is fast becoming a master at telling
dark, edgy, and highly complex paranormal tales.”
—BookLoons.com
“Absolutely fabulous! Wraith is the ultimate bad boy who is just begging for salvation and Serena is his perfect complement.
Ms. Ione will have paranormal fans begging for more.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“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… Rising star Larissa Ione takes her already well-crafted and unique demon
world to new heights. The sex is darker, hotter, wickeder, and wonderfully erotic; the vengeful enemy is diabolical, and the
story line is unparalleled. Ione is a master at creating tortured, sexy bad boys who are full of flaws and make you melt…
Desire Unchained may only be book two in her Demonica series, but I’m completely head-over-heels in love. I have never been so enthralled
with a series before. With the end of each book, I’m left desperately wanting more.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Imaginatively riveting… Emotional intensity is the driving force behind every Larissa Ione book. Scenes may be packed with
suspenseful peril or steamy passions or even quick humor and clever banter, yet it is the emotions behind the reactions of
the characters that really grab the reader.”
—SingleTitles.com
“Five Stars! Larissa Ione has become one of my favorite authors, and I crave more of her books. The first book in her Demonica
series was fantastic, and this one is even better… I wish I could go back and read Desire Unchained again for the first time. It was just that good.”
—FallenAngelReviews.com
“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.”
—SingleTitles.com
“Fast-paced… never slows down… Romantic fantasy fans will appreciate the first Demonica tale.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Intense, engrossing, and titillating, Pleasure Unbound is a story not to be missed. I can’t wait for the next story.”
—RRTErotic.com
“4½ Stars! Wow, wow, wow! This is one hot demon love story! The pages are riddled with action, sex, and danger. The intensity
is palpable. I was moved by this love story and will think about it for some time.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“Sexy, dark, and emotion-filled… Took me on a rip-roaring ride through every emotion I have… Go out and buy a copy today.”
—JoyfullyReviewed.com
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 prophesies 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 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 and hellmouths.
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.
Her name was Lilith, and she was an evil succubus. His name was Yenrieth, and he was a good angel.
After hundreds of years of seducing humans, Lilith got bored. So she set her sights on Yenrieth, the ultimate challenge. He
resisted. She pursued. He resisted some more. This went on for decades, until the inevitable happened. She was, after all,
beautiful, and he liked his wine a little too much.
No one knows what happened to Yenrieth after their night of passion, but nine months later, Lilith gave birth to four children,
three boys and a girl. She named them Reseph, Ares, Limos, and Thanatos. Lilith kept the girl, Limos, with her in Sheoul,
and she planted the males in the human world, exchanging them for the infants of wealthy, powerful families.
The boys grew into men, never suspecting the truth about their origins. At least, not until demons rose up, spreading terror and seeking to use Lilith’s sons against the humans. Limos escaped from Sheoul, found her brothers, and revealed
the truth about their parentage.
By this time, the brothers had seen their lands and families destroyed by demons and, blinded by hatred and the need for revenge,
Lilith’s children encouraged (manipulatively and forcibly, sometimes) humans to help them fight violent, never-ending battles
against the underworld abominations.
This didn’t go over well in the heavenly realm.
Zachariel, an angel of the Apocalypse, led a legion of angels to Earth, where they met in battle with demon hordes. When the
earth and waters ran red with blood, and humans could no longer survive on the poisoned land, Zachariel struck a deal with
the devil.
Lilith’s children were to be punished for slinging mankind to the brink of doom in their selfish bid for revenge. Because
they had nearly brought about the end of days, they were charged as the keepers of Armageddon. Defenders or instigators; the
choice would fall on their shoulders.
Each of them was given a Seal, and with each Seal came two prophecies. Should they protect their Seals from breaking until
the prophecy laid out by the Bible came to pass, they would save their souls—and mankind.
But should they allow the Seals to be broken prematurely, as written in the Daemonica, the demon bible, they would turn evil,
and would forever be known by the names Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.
And thus were born the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Six Months Ago…
“Mmm… I love the story about how you came into existence. Doesn’t it give you shivers when you hear it?”
Ares, seated at the bar in an underworld pub, tried to ignore the female behind him, but the rub of her breasts against his
back and the slide of her dainty hands from his waist to his inner thighs weren’t easy to tune out. Her heat burned right
through his hard leather armor.
“Yeah. Shivers.” Some idiot read the legend aloud from the plaque that hung on the wall every time he was in here… which was
often. The tavern, kept in business mainly by Ares and his siblings, was his second home, was even known as the Four Horsemen,
and for the most part, male demons melted into the background or scurried out the back door when Ares arrived. Wise. Ares
despised demons, and that, combined with his love of a good fight, led to… bad things… for hell’s minions.
But the opposite sex was a little braver—or maybe hornier. Female demons, shifters, weres, and vamps hung out twenty-four-seven
in hopes of getting their hands, paws, or hooves on Ares and his brothers. Hell, Ares couldn’t swing his dick without hitting
one. Usually he was a little more receptive to drinking, gambling, and general mischief, but something wasn’t sitting right
today. He was on edge. Twitchy.
He was never like that.
He was even in danger of losing the chess game he was playing with the pudgy pink Oni bartender, and Ares hadn’t lost any
game of strategy in… well, ever.
“Oh, War.” The female Sora demon, Cetya, ran her tongue along the top of his ear. “You’ve got to know it makes us hot.”
“My name,” he gritted out, “is Ares. You don’t want to be around on the day I become War.” He moved his rook, tossed back
half his ale, and was about to signal for another, when the female’s hand dropped between his legs.
“I still like War better.” Her voice was a seductive trill, her fingers nimble as they sought the opening at his groin. “And
Pestilence… such a sexy name.”
Only a demon would think “Pestilence” was a turn-on. Ares peeled her red hand away. She was one of Reseph’s regular bedmates,
one of hundreds of Horsemen groupies who called themselves Megiddo Mount-me’s. They even subclassed themselves according to
who their favorite Horseman was; Ares’s groupies liked to be called Mongers. War Mongers.
The bartender made a foolish move with his knight, and Ares hid a smile in his mug.
The female, who looked like a cartoon devil, traced a long, black nail over the stallion tattoo on Ares’s forearm. “I love
this.”
The horse was as much a part of him as his organs, whether Battle was on his skin or under his seat, and Ares stiffened at
the sensation of both his arm and scalp being stroked. Any contact with the glyph sent a shock of sensation to the corresponding
parts of Ares’s body, which could be a real pain in the ass. Or it could be inappropriately pleasant…
Ares spun his mug down the length of the bar top and slid his queen into striking position. Triumph sang through him, filling
that space in his soul that was always hungry for victory. “Checkmate.”
The bartender cursed, the Sora laughed, and Ares came to his feet. At nearly seven feet tall, he dwarfed the demon, but that didn’t faze her, and she plastered the entire
length of her tank-topped, miniskirted body to his. Her tail swished on the hay-strewn floor, her black horns swiveled like
pointy satellite dishes, and if her gaze grew any hotter his breeches were going to get real uncomfortable.
He despised his body’s reaction to demons, had never truly warmed up to females who didn’t at least appear to be human.
Some grudges lasted a lifetime.
“I’m outta here.” Despite the chess coup, his unease was becoming an itch under his skin, the way it did when a global war
escalated. He needed to get back to the hunt for an ex-bedmate of his, a demon named Sin who had started a werewolf—or, warg, as they liked to be called—plague. Ares and his siblings had only recently determined that she was the key to a prophecy
that, if it came to pass, would break Reseph’s Seal and turn him into the very thing Cetya wanted: Pestilence.
Sin had to die before a werewolf civil war broke out.
Unable to remain still any longer, he flung a gold Sheoulin mark at the three-eyed bartender. “A round for the house.”
With a firm grip, he dislodged the Velcro-demon and strode out of the tavern and into perpetual twilight. Muggy, hot air that
reeked of sulfur filled his lungs, and his boots sank into the spongy terrain that defined the Six-River region of Sheoul,
the demon realm in the Earth’s core.
Battle writhed on his skin, impatient to run.
“Out,” Ares commanded, and a heartbeat later, the tattoo on his arm turned to mist, expanding and solidifying into a giant blood bay stallion. Battle nudged him with his nose in greeting—or, more likely, for sugar cubes.
“You forgot this.”
Always ready to live up to his name, Battle bared his teeth at the Sora, who stood in the tavern doorway, her tail wrapped
around the hilt of a dagger, which she dangled playfully. The blatant invitation in her sultry smile told him she’d plucked
the weapon from Ares herself, but he knew that. He didn’t leave weapons behind.
Of course, he never got weapons lifted, either. The female was good. Real good. And even though he wasn’t normally into demons,
he had to admire her talent. No wonder Reseph liked this one so much. Maybe Ares would make an exception to his no-demons-that-look-like-demons rule…
Grinning, he started toward her… and stopped dead.
The hairs on the back of his neck prickled in warning. With a furious scream, Battle reared up, and from out of the forest
of shadowed trees a buffalo-sized hellhound leaped through the air. Ares zeroed in on the beast’s left side, seeking—and not
finding—the jagged scar that would have identified the vile creature as the one Ares had been hunting for thousands of years.
Disappointment rocked him even as he shoved the Sora out of the way, a stupid move that nearly landed him between snapping
jaws.
Ares and his sibs were immortal, but hellhound bites were poison to the Horsemen, causing paralysis, and then the suffering
really began.
He dove to the ground as Battle struck out with a powerful hoof, hooking the other animal in the ribs and sending it tumbling
into the tavern door. The hound recovered so quickly that Battle’s blow might as well have been a fleabite, and it targeted the Sora, who scrambled backward on her hands and knees. Her terror was palpable, like little whips
on Ares’s skin, and he had a feeling this was her first experience with a hellhound.
Hell of a way to pop that cherry.
“Hey!” Distract. Rolling to his feet, Ares drew his sword. Provoke. “I’m over here, you piece-of-shit mongrel.” Terminate.
Anticipation gleamed in the hellhound’s crimson eyes as it swung around, melting into an inky blur of evil. Ares met it head-on,
with three hundred pounds of armored weight behind his blow. The satisfying crunch of steel meeting bone rent the air. An
impact tremor shot up Ares’s arms, and a massive jet of blood spewed from the hound’s chest.
A bloodcurdling snarl ripped from the hound’s throat as it launched a surprisingly effective counterattack, slamming one huge
paw into Ares’s chest. Claws raked his breastplate, and he flew backward, plowing into a stone summoning column. Pain lanced
his upper body, and then the hellhound was on him, its jaws snapping a millimeter from Ares’s jugular.
Foul breath burned Ares’s eyes, and frothy, stinging saliva dripped on his skin. The beast’s claws tore at his armor, and
it took every ounce of Ares’s strength to keep the hound from ripping out his throat. Even with Battle striking at the canine’s
body, the creature did its damnedest to get a mouthful of flesh.
As hard as he could, Ares jammed his sword into the animal’s belly and yanked the blade upward. As the beast screamed in pain,
Ares rolled, twisted, and brought the sword around in an awkward arc.
Awkward or not, the stroke cleaved the hound’s head from its shoulders. The thing fell to the ground, twitching, steam hissing from its gaping neck. The spongy ground drank the
blood before it could pool, and hundreds of blackened teeth sprouted from the dirt, clamped onto the hound’s body, and began
to chew.
Battle whinnied with amusement. The horse’s sense of humor had always been perched on the gallows with the crows.
Before the earth could claim the beast, Ares wiped his blade clean on its fur, giving repeated thanks to whoever was listening
that the hound hadn’t bitten him. The horror of a bite was never-ending—the paralyzation didn’t stop the pain… or the ability
to scream. Ares knew that firsthand.
He frowned as a thought spun up. The vile canines were predators, killers, but they generally hunted in packs, so why was
this one solo?
What was going on?
Ares glanced over at the tavern door. The Sora had disappeared, was probably pounding shots of demonfire in the bar, and hey,
wasn’t it great that no one had bothered to come out and help. Then again, no demon in his right mind willingly tangled with
a hellhound no matter how much love he had for the slaughter—and most demons loved to slaughter.
Light flashed, and twenty yards away in a copse of black, twisted trees, a summoned Harrowgate shimmered into existence. Normal
Harrowgates were permanent portals through which underworld creatures could travel, but the Horsemen had the ability to summon
them at will, which made for easy surprise attacks and quick escapes.
Ares sheathed his sword as Thanatos emerged, throwing menacing shadows where there should be none. Both he and his pale dun mount, Styx, dripped with gore, and the stallion’s nostrils bubbled with blood.
It wasn’t an unusual sight, but the timing was too coincidental, and Ares cursed as he swung up onto Battle. “What happened?”
Thanatos’s expression darkened as he took in the dead animal. “Same thing that happened to you, apparently.”
“Have you heard from Reseph or Limos?”
Thanatos’s yellow eyes flashed. “I was hoping they were here.”
Ares threw out his hand, casting a Harrowgate. “I’ll go to Reseph. You check on Limos.” He didn’t wait for his brother’s reply.
He spurred Battle through the gate, and the warhorse leaped, his big hooves coming down on a rocky shelf that had been scoured
smooth by centuries of harsh wind and ice storms.
This was Reseph’s Himalayan hideaway, a giant maze of caverns carved deep into the mountains and invisible to human eyes.
Ares dismounted in one smooth motion, his boots striking the stone with twin cracks that echoed endlessly in the thin air.
“To me.”
Instantly, the warhorse dissolved into a cloud of smoke, which twisted and narrowed into a tendril that wrapped around Ares’s
hand and set into his forearm in the brown-gray shape of a horse tattoo.
Ares barged through the cave entrance, and he hadn’t gone a dozen steps when an electric current of ten-thousand-volt alarm
shot up his spine.
Time to dance.
He was already in a dead run when he drew his sword, the metallic sound of the blade clearing its scabbard like a lover’s whisper during foreplay. It didn’t matter that he’d just engaged an enemy; he loved a good battle, craved the release
of tension that hit him with the force of a full-body orgasm, and he’d long ago decided he’d rather fight than fuck.
Though he had to admit that after a good brawl, winding down with a lush, sultry female couldn’t be beat. Maybe he’d head
back to the tavern after this and find a War Monger after all.
Adrenaline pumping hotly through his veins, Ares took a sharp corner so fast he had to skid into a change of direction, and
then he burst through the doorway to Reseph’s main living area.
His brother, hand wrapped around a bloodied ax, stood in the middle of the room, which was painted in a fresh, dripping coat
of blood. Reseph was panting, his shoulders slumped, head bent, white-blond hair concealing his face. He was motionless, his
muscles locked up hard. Behind him, a hellhound lay dead, and in the corner, a very much alive hound let out a gravelly snarl,
its gaping maw lined with razor-sharp teeth.
“Reseph.”
Ares’s brother didn’t move a muscle.
Fuck. He’d been bitten.
The beast swung its shaggy head toward Ares. Red eyes glowed with bloodlust as it gathered its hind legs under it. Ares calculated
the distance to the target in a millisecond, and in one quick motion launched a dagger that impaled the hellhound in the eye.
Ares pressed his advantage, heaving his sword in a horizontal side swing that caught the creature in the mouth, slicing its
jaw clean off. The hound howled in agony and fury, but Reseph had already injured it and, weakened, it stumbled and fell,
allowing Ares an opportunity to run his blade straight through its black heart.
“Reseph!” Leaving the sword impaled in the animal, Ares ran to his brother, whose blue eyes were wild, glazed with pain. “How
did they get in?”
“Someone,” Reseph groaned, “had to have… sent them.”
That much was becoming clear. But very few beings could handle or control a hellhound. So if someone had sent the beasts,
he was serious about putting Ares and his brothers—and maybe Limos too—out of commission.
“You should feel special,” Ares said, with a lightness he didn’t feel. “You got two hellhounds, and I only got one. Who’d
you piss off?” Gently, Ares wrapped his arms around Reseph’s chest and lowered him to the ground.
Reseph sucked in a gurgling breath. “Last night… my… Seal.”
Ares went cold to the core, and with trembling hands, he tore away Reseph’s T-shirt to expose the chain around his neck. The
Seal hanging from it was whole, but when he palmed the gold coin, a vibration, dense with malevolence, shot up his arm.
“The warg plague…” Reseph spoke between gritted teeth and rattling breaths. “Worse. This is… not… good.”
Not good was an understatement. As Ares held the medallion, a hairline fracture split it down the middle. All around them, the cave
began to shake. Reseph screamed as his Seal cracked into two pieces.
The countdown to Armageddon had begun.
“The first Horseman of the Apocalypse has been loosed.”
Sergeant First Class Arik Wagner, one of two representatives for the U.S. Army’s paranormal unit, the R-XR, missed a step as he paced the length of the conference room
inside The Aegis’s Berlin headquarters. The two agencies had worked independently for decades, but had recently joined forces
to combat the ever-increasing underworld threat. Arik never took intel fr
—Lara Adrian, New York Times bestselling author
“Larissa’s storytelling is compelling and raw. She is truly gifted and you will fall madly in love with the characters in
this series.”
—Jaci Burton, national bestselling author of Hunting the Demon
“Ione knows how to make your heart race.”
—Cheyenne McCray, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Betrayal
“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
“Bravo—a must read! Hard to put down, and ends with a bang… Paranormal romance fans will relish this new book from a master
in this genre.”
—BookPleasures.com
“As usual, Larissa Ione spins together a complex world that you feel a part of, with complicated characters, great dialogue,
and of course, hot sex.”
—LovetoReadforFun.com
“5 Stars! By far one of the best books of the series (though I really love them all). Ms. Ione’s writing is as dark and sexy
as the black leather pants her heroine wears.”
—DarklyReading.blogspot.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 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.”
—LikesBooks.com
“Great… fast-paced… a strong tale that has the audience believing that demons and angels walk the earth.”
—Midwest Book Review
“An astonishing addition to Larissa Ione’s Demonica series… fast-paced and totally captivating… The most action-packed and
suspense-driven Demonica novel to date, readers will be hard pressed to put Ecstasy Unveiled down.”
—RomanceJunkies.com
“Paranormal romance at its finest… a fast-paced thrill ride of epic proportions that will have you on the edge of your seat,
cheering for the good guys… This series holds no punches and is becoming a serious must have… it will definitely not disappoint.”
—Examiner.com
“Ione’s best yet… a fast-paced read that kept me flipping the pages as fast as I could. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened
next!… Each Demonica book just keeps getting better and better. The momentum of the story and pacing keeps you drawn in until
way past your bedtime.”
—FictionVixen.com
“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!”
—RomanceJunkies.com
“5 Stars! Larissa has outdone herself with the story of Wraith. I was pulled into this story from the first page. The action
is intense and nonstop. I was engrossed and enthralled… and highly recommend adding this series to your library.”
—BittenByBooks.com
“Plenty of steamy love scenes… nicely balanced with a high-octane plot… Larissa Ione is fast becoming a master at telling
dark, edgy, and highly complex paranormal tales.”
—BookLoons.com
“Absolutely fabulous! Wraith is the ultimate bad boy who is just begging for salvation and Serena is his perfect complement.
Ms. Ione will have paranormal fans begging for more.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“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… Rising star Larissa Ione takes her already well-crafted and unique demon
world to new heights. The sex is darker, hotter, wickeder, and wonderfully erotic; the vengeful enemy is diabolical, and the
story line is unparalleled. Ione is a master at creating tortured, sexy bad boys who are full of flaws and make you melt…
Desire Unchained may only be book two in her Demonica series, but I’m completely head-over-heels in love. I have never been so enthralled
with a series before. With the end of each book, I’m left desperately wanting more.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Imaginatively riveting… Emotional intensity is the driving force behind every Larissa Ione book. Scenes may be packed with
suspenseful peril or steamy passions or even quick humor and clever banter, yet it is the emotions behind the reactions of
the characters that really grab the reader.”
—SingleTitles.com
“Five Stars! Larissa Ione has become one of my favorite authors, and I crave more of her books. The first book in her Demonica
series was fantastic, and this one is even better… I wish I could go back and read Desire Unchained again for the first time. It was just that good.”
—FallenAngelReviews.com
“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.”
—SingleTitles.com
“Fast-paced… never slows down… Romantic fantasy fans will appreciate the first Demonica tale.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Intense, engrossing, and titillating, Pleasure Unbound is a story not to be missed. I can’t wait for the next story.”
—RRTErotic.com
“4½ Stars! Wow, wow, wow! This is one hot demon love story! The pages are riddled with action, sex, and danger. The intensity
is palpable. I was moved by this love story and will think about it for some time.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“Sexy, dark, and emotion-filled… Took me on a rip-roaring ride through every emotion I have… Go out and buy a copy today.”
—JoyfullyReviewed.com
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 prophesies 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 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 and hellmouths.
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.
Her name was Lilith, and she was an evil succubus. His name was Yenrieth, and he was a good angel.
After hundreds of years of seducing humans, Lilith got bored. So she set her sights on Yenrieth, the ultimate challenge. He
resisted. She pursued. He resisted some more. This went on for decades, until the inevitable happened. She was, after all,
beautiful, and he liked his wine a little too much.
No one knows what happened to Yenrieth after their night of passion, but nine months later, Lilith gave birth to four children,
three boys and a girl. She named them Reseph, Ares, Limos, and Thanatos. Lilith kept the girl, Limos, with her in Sheoul,
and she planted the males in the human world, exchanging them for the infants of wealthy, powerful families.
The boys grew into men, never suspecting the truth about their origins. At least, not until demons rose up, spreading terror and seeking to use Lilith’s sons against the humans. Limos escaped from Sheoul, found her brothers, and revealed
the truth about their parentage.
By this time, the brothers had seen their lands and families destroyed by demons and, blinded by hatred and the need for revenge,
Lilith’s children encouraged (manipulatively and forcibly, sometimes) humans to help them fight violent, never-ending battles
against the underworld abominations.
This didn’t go over well in the heavenly realm.
Zachariel, an angel of the Apocalypse, led a legion of angels to Earth, where they met in battle with demon hordes. When the
earth and waters ran red with blood, and humans could no longer survive on the poisoned land, Zachariel struck a deal with
the devil.
Lilith’s children were to be punished for slinging mankind to the brink of doom in their selfish bid for revenge. Because
they had nearly brought about the end of days, they were charged as the keepers of Armageddon. Defenders or instigators; the
choice would fall on their shoulders.
Each of them was given a Seal, and with each Seal came two prophecies. Should they protect their Seals from breaking until
the prophecy laid out by the Bible came to pass, they would save their souls—and mankind.
But should they allow the Seals to be broken prematurely, as written in the Daemonica, the demon bible, they would turn evil,
and would forever be known by the names Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.
And thus were born the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Six Months Ago…
“Mmm… I love the story about how you came into existence. Doesn’t it give you shivers when you hear it?”
Ares, seated at the bar in an underworld pub, tried to ignore the female behind him, but the rub of her breasts against his
back and the slide of her dainty hands from his waist to his inner thighs weren’t easy to tune out. Her heat burned right
through his hard leather armor.
“Yeah. Shivers.” Some idiot read the legend aloud from the plaque that hung on the wall every time he was in here… which was
often. The tavern, kept in business mainly by Ares and his siblings, was his second home, was even known as the Four Horsemen,
and for the most part, male demons melted into the background or scurried out the back door when Ares arrived. Wise. Ares
despised demons, and that, combined with his love of a good fight, led to… bad things… for hell’s minions.
But the opposite sex was a little braver—or maybe hornier. Female demons, shifters, weres, and vamps hung out twenty-four-seven
in hopes of getting their hands, paws, or hooves on Ares and his brothers. Hell, Ares couldn’t swing his dick without hitting
one. Usually he was a little more receptive to drinking, gambling, and general mischief, but something wasn’t sitting right
today. He was on edge. Twitchy.
He was never like that.
He was even in danger of losing the chess game he was playing with the pudgy pink Oni bartender, and Ares hadn’t lost any
game of strategy in… well, ever.
“Oh, War.” The female Sora demon, Cetya, ran her tongue along the top of his ear. “You’ve got to know it makes us hot.”
“My name,” he gritted out, “is Ares. You don’t want to be around on the day I become War.” He moved his rook, tossed back
half his ale, and was about to signal for another, when the female’s hand dropped between his legs.
“I still like War better.” Her voice was a seductive trill, her fingers nimble as they sought the opening at his groin. “And
Pestilence… such a sexy name.”
Only a demon would think “Pestilence” was a turn-on. Ares peeled her red hand away. She was one of Reseph’s regular bedmates,
one of hundreds of Horsemen groupies who called themselves Megiddo Mount-me’s. They even subclassed themselves according to
who their favorite Horseman was; Ares’s groupies liked to be called Mongers. War Mongers.
The bartender made a foolish move with his knight, and Ares hid a smile in his mug.
The female, who looked like a cartoon devil, traced a long, black nail over the stallion tattoo on Ares’s forearm. “I love
this.”
The horse was as much a part of him as his organs, whether Battle was on his skin or under his seat, and Ares stiffened at
the sensation of both his arm and scalp being stroked. Any contact with the glyph sent a shock of sensation to the corresponding
parts of Ares’s body, which could be a real pain in the ass. Or it could be inappropriately pleasant…
Ares spun his mug down the length of the bar top and slid his queen into striking position. Triumph sang through him, filling
that space in his soul that was always hungry for victory. “Checkmate.”
The bartender cursed, the Sora laughed, and Ares came to his feet. At nearly seven feet tall, he dwarfed the demon, but that didn’t faze her, and she plastered the entire
length of her tank-topped, miniskirted body to his. Her tail swished on the hay-strewn floor, her black horns swiveled like
pointy satellite dishes, and if her gaze grew any hotter his breeches were going to get real uncomfortable.
He despised his body’s reaction to demons, had never truly warmed up to females who didn’t at least appear to be human.
Some grudges lasted a lifetime.
“I’m outta here.” Despite the chess coup, his unease was becoming an itch under his skin, the way it did when a global war
escalated. He needed to get back to the hunt for an ex-bedmate of his, a demon named Sin who had started a werewolf—or, warg, as they liked to be called—plague. Ares and his siblings had only recently determined that she was the key to a prophecy
that, if it came to pass, would break Reseph’s Seal and turn him into the very thing Cetya wanted: Pestilence.
Sin had to die before a werewolf civil war broke out.
Unable to remain still any longer, he flung a gold Sheoulin mark at the three-eyed bartender. “A round for the house.”
With a firm grip, he dislodged the Velcro-demon and strode out of the tavern and into perpetual twilight. Muggy, hot air that
reeked of sulfur filled his lungs, and his boots sank into the spongy terrain that defined the Six-River region of Sheoul,
the demon realm in the Earth’s core.
Battle writhed on his skin, impatient to run.
“Out,” Ares commanded, and a heartbeat later, the tattoo on his arm turned to mist, expanding and solidifying into a giant blood bay stallion. Battle nudged him with his nose in greeting—or, more likely, for sugar cubes.
“You forgot this.”
Always ready to live up to his name, Battle bared his teeth at the Sora, who stood in the tavern doorway, her tail wrapped
around the hilt of a dagger, which she dangled playfully. The blatant invitation in her sultry smile told him she’d plucked
the weapon from Ares herself, but he knew that. He didn’t leave weapons behind.
Of course, he never got weapons lifted, either. The female was good. Real good. And even though he wasn’t normally into demons,
he had to admire her talent. No wonder Reseph liked this one so much. Maybe Ares would make an exception to his no-demons-that-look-like-demons rule…
Grinning, he started toward her… and stopped dead.
The hairs on the back of his neck prickled in warning. With a furious scream, Battle reared up, and from out of the forest
of shadowed trees a buffalo-sized hellhound leaped through the air. Ares zeroed in on the beast’s left side, seeking—and not
finding—the jagged scar that would have identified the vile creature as the one Ares had been hunting for thousands of years.
Disappointment rocked him even as he shoved the Sora out of the way, a stupid move that nearly landed him between snapping
jaws.
Ares and his sibs were immortal, but hellhound bites were poison to the Horsemen, causing paralysis, and then the suffering
really began.
He dove to the ground as Battle struck out with a powerful hoof, hooking the other animal in the ribs and sending it tumbling
into the tavern door. The hound recovered so quickly that Battle’s blow might as well have been a fleabite, and it targeted the Sora, who scrambled backward on her hands and knees. Her terror was palpable, like little whips
on Ares’s skin, and he had a feeling this was her first experience with a hellhound.
Hell of a way to pop that cherry.
“Hey!” Distract. Rolling to his feet, Ares drew his sword. Provoke. “I’m over here, you piece-of-shit mongrel.” Terminate.
Anticipation gleamed in the hellhound’s crimson eyes as it swung around, melting into an inky blur of evil. Ares met it head-on,
with three hundred pounds of armored weight behind his blow. The satisfying crunch of steel meeting bone rent the air. An
impact tremor shot up Ares’s arms, and a massive jet of blood spewed from the hound’s chest.
A bloodcurdling snarl ripped from the hound’s throat as it launched a surprisingly effective counterattack, slamming one huge
paw into Ares’s chest. Claws raked his breastplate, and he flew backward, plowing into a stone summoning column. Pain lanced
his upper body, and then the hellhound was on him, its jaws snapping a millimeter from Ares’s jugular.
Foul breath burned Ares’s eyes, and frothy, stinging saliva dripped on his skin. The beast’s claws tore at his armor, and
it took every ounce of Ares’s strength to keep the hound from ripping out his throat. Even with Battle striking at the canine’s
body, the creature did its damnedest to get a mouthful of flesh.
As hard as he could, Ares jammed his sword into the animal’s belly and yanked the blade upward. As the beast screamed in pain,
Ares rolled, twisted, and brought the sword around in an awkward arc.
Awkward or not, the stroke cleaved the hound’s head from its shoulders. The thing fell to the ground, twitching, steam hissing from its gaping neck. The spongy ground drank the
blood before it could pool, and hundreds of blackened teeth sprouted from the dirt, clamped onto the hound’s body, and began
to chew.
Battle whinnied with amusement. The horse’s sense of humor had always been perched on the gallows with the crows.
Before the earth could claim the beast, Ares wiped his blade clean on its fur, giving repeated thanks to whoever was listening
that the hound hadn’t bitten him. The horror of a bite was never-ending—the paralyzation didn’t stop the pain… or the ability
to scream. Ares knew that firsthand.
He frowned as a thought spun up. The vile canines were predators, killers, but they generally hunted in packs, so why was
this one solo?
What was going on?
Ares glanced over at the tavern door. The Sora had disappeared, was probably pounding shots of demonfire in the bar, and hey,
wasn’t it great that no one had bothered to come out and help. Then again, no demon in his right mind willingly tangled with
a hellhound no matter how much love he had for the slaughter—and most demons loved to slaughter.
Light flashed, and twenty yards away in a copse of black, twisted trees, a summoned Harrowgate shimmered into existence. Normal
Harrowgates were permanent portals through which underworld creatures could travel, but the Horsemen had the ability to summon
them at will, which made for easy surprise attacks and quick escapes.
Ares sheathed his sword as Thanatos emerged, throwing menacing shadows where there should be none. Both he and his pale dun mount, Styx, dripped with gore, and the stallion’s nostrils bubbled with blood.
It wasn’t an unusual sight, but the timing was too coincidental, and Ares cursed as he swung up onto Battle. “What happened?”
Thanatos’s expression darkened as he took in the dead animal. “Same thing that happened to you, apparently.”
“Have you heard from Reseph or Limos?”
Thanatos’s yellow eyes flashed. “I was hoping they were here.”
Ares threw out his hand, casting a Harrowgate. “I’ll go to Reseph. You check on Limos.” He didn’t wait for his brother’s reply.
He spurred Battle through the gate, and the warhorse leaped, his big hooves coming down on a rocky shelf that had been scoured
smooth by centuries of harsh wind and ice storms.
This was Reseph’s Himalayan hideaway, a giant maze of caverns carved deep into the mountains and invisible to human eyes.
Ares dismounted in one smooth motion, his boots striking the stone with twin cracks that echoed endlessly in the thin air.
“To me.”
Instantly, the warhorse dissolved into a cloud of smoke, which twisted and narrowed into a tendril that wrapped around Ares’s
hand and set into his forearm in the brown-gray shape of a horse tattoo.
Ares barged through the cave entrance, and he hadn’t gone a dozen steps when an electric current of ten-thousand-volt alarm
shot up his spine.
Time to dance.
He was already in a dead run when he drew his sword, the metallic sound of the blade clearing its scabbard like a lover’s whisper during foreplay. It didn’t matter that he’d just engaged an enemy; he loved a good battle, craved the release
of tension that hit him with the force of a full-body orgasm, and he’d long ago decided he’d rather fight than fuck.
Though he had to admit that after a good brawl, winding down with a lush, sultry female couldn’t be beat. Maybe he’d head
back to the tavern after this and find a War Monger after all.
Adrenaline pumping hotly through his veins, Ares took a sharp corner so fast he had to skid into a change of direction, and
then he burst through the doorway to Reseph’s main living area.
His brother, hand wrapped around a bloodied ax, stood in the middle of the room, which was painted in a fresh, dripping coat
of blood. Reseph was panting, his shoulders slumped, head bent, white-blond hair concealing his face. He was motionless, his
muscles locked up hard. Behind him, a hellhound lay dead, and in the corner, a very much alive hound let out a gravelly snarl,
its gaping maw lined with razor-sharp teeth.
“Reseph.”
Ares’s brother didn’t move a muscle.
Fuck. He’d been bitten.
The beast swung its shaggy head toward Ares. Red eyes glowed with bloodlust as it gathered its hind legs under it. Ares calculated
the distance to the target in a millisecond, and in one quick motion launched a dagger that impaled the hellhound in the eye.
Ares pressed his advantage, heaving his sword in a horizontal side swing that caught the creature in the mouth, slicing its
jaw clean off. The hound howled in agony and fury, but Reseph had already injured it and, weakened, it stumbled and fell,
allowing Ares an opportunity to run his blade straight through its black heart.
“Reseph!” Leaving the sword impaled in the animal, Ares ran to his brother, whose blue eyes were wild, glazed with pain. “How
did they get in?”
“Someone,” Reseph groaned, “had to have… sent them.”
That much was becoming clear. But very few beings could handle or control a hellhound. So if someone had sent the beasts,
he was serious about putting Ares and his brothers—and maybe Limos too—out of commission.
“You should feel special,” Ares said, with a lightness he didn’t feel. “You got two hellhounds, and I only got one. Who’d
you piss off?” Gently, Ares wrapped his arms around Reseph’s chest and lowered him to the ground.
Reseph sucked in a gurgling breath. “Last night… my… Seal.”
Ares went cold to the core, and with trembling hands, he tore away Reseph’s T-shirt to expose the chain around his neck. The
Seal hanging from it was whole, but when he palmed the gold coin, a vibration, dense with malevolence, shot up his arm.
“The warg plague…” Reseph spoke between gritted teeth and rattling breaths. “Worse. This is… not… good.”
Not good was an understatement. As Ares held the medallion, a hairline fracture split it down the middle. All around them, the cave
began to shake. Reseph screamed as his Seal cracked into two pieces.
The countdown to Armageddon had begun.
“The first Horseman of the Apocalypse has been loosed.”
Sergeant First Class Arik Wagner, one of two representatives for the U.S. Army’s paranormal unit, the R-XR, missed a step as he paced the length of the conference room
inside The Aegis’s Berlin headquarters. The two agencies had worked independently for decades, but had recently joined forces
to combat the ever-increasing underworld threat. Arik never took intel fr
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