Lethal Rider

fatigues carrying weapons, and others more casually dressed, but without a doubt, these were Aegi. But where was Kynan?

Regan nudged him. “You can put away the sword. I know these people.”

Than looked down at the blade in his hand. He didn’t even remember drawing it. Cursing, he shoved the sword into its scabbard.

“Could you get rid of the armor, too? It’s not necessary, and it’s going to put them on the defensive.”

“Good. They should be.”

“Thanatos.” She tapped her foot in annoyance. “We’re not your enemies. Please do this. For me.”

Damn her. She knew exactly how to get what she wanted from him. That could never be a good thing.

Swiping his fingers over the crescent scar on his throat, he stepped out into the daylight as the armor melted away. “Halt.” The four guys in the lead froze, and the others followed suit. “Identify yourselves and your purpose.”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Regan huffed. “Do you automatically revert to medieval speak in front of Guardians? That’s Lance, Juan, Takumi, and Omar. They’re Elders. The others I don’t recognize, but they’re definitely Guardians.”

Great. Good. But why the hell were they all here? He’d been expecting Kynan, and maybe Decker. Although it would be wise of Decker to not show up again. Ever.

“Where’s Kynan?” he asked the guys.

The one named Lance stepped forward. “He’s busy. You deal with us now.”

How the fuck did these people know where his keep was? How could they see it? He had magic in place that kept his home invisible to most human and demon eyes. Once someone had been escorted through the magical field, they could see the keep after that, but new people … not so much.

He supposed Kynan had given them the coordinates, but that didn’t explain how they would have been able to actually see the buildings.

“The Elders can come in,” he said. “The rest of you … stay.”

The four males came forward, and Regan greeted all but Lance with hugs. Jealousy and protectiveness nearly drove him mad, but ultimately, he was pretty damned proud of the way he didn’t rip their heads off and feed them to the two hellhounds slinking up behind them.

Regan shot Than a withering glare. “Could you tell the hounds not to eat my friends?”

“Sorry, boys,” he shouted to the mutts. “No snacks today. Go patrol for Pestilence.” The hounds snarled with ill-tempered tantrums, but they took off, howling their displeasure. The Guardians, meanwhile, looked like they might need a change of underwear. Funny.

He turned to the humans, who were standing in a semicircle in the center of the great room. “Explain. How can you see my keep?”

Lance smiled, and Than instantly hated him. There was something… sneaky about that one. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we brought Guardians and the qeres. We’ll leave the grunts and the rest of us will be out of your pissing range after we discuss some things with Regan.”

Arrogant sons of bitches. Tension winged through the air, and as much as Than wanted to pulverize these guys, he remembered that they were here to protect Regan. No matter what he might think of the bastards, she held them in high regard. She…needed them.

The protector in him, the male that would lay down his life for his mate and child, let out an injured growl at the idea that Regan needed these other males for anything, but the more civilized side of him understood. Sort of.

So he’d let them live for now.

“Are you okay, Regan?” Juan shuffled his feet, and Than caught a whiff of nerves. At least that one was smart. “Has he hurt you?”

People kept asking that. It was getting old.

“No.” Regan stepped between them, and Than resisted the urge to pull her back. “Trust me, Thanatos isn’t a threat.”

“Not to you.” Thanatos met each of the four Elders’ eyes. “But I’ll kill anyone who fucks with what’s mine.”

“Dickhead,” Lance muttered.

Regan made a little growly noise that probably shouldn’t be sexy, but that cranked his engine again and had him wanting to drag her to the bedroom, caveman style, to finish what they’d started in the library.

After he strangled Lance with his own intestines.

He must have voiced his thoughts out loud, because Regan rounded on him, planted her palm on his chest, and got in his face. So. Fucking. Sexy.

“Manners, Horseman. It’s what separates us from … well, people like Lance.” She shot a glare at the Elder before turning back to Thanatos. “Could you give us a minute?”

He knew she needed to discuss Aegis business, and he understood that there were things he shouldn’t know—if his Seal broke, he could use the knowledge against them. So yeah, he got it.

But that didn’t mean he liked it. “You have five minutes,” he gritted out. He needed to check in with Ares and Limos anyway. He lowered his voice and put his lips to her ear, his blood still stirring so viciously that his fangs scraped her lobe. “After that, I need—”

Her hands slammed into his chest, the force not violent, but sensual. “I know what you need, Horseman.”

She did, didn’t she? What a remarkable woman. A rumbling purr rattled his chest even as he scowled at the Guardian intruders. Yup, he’d worked himself into a frenzy that Regan somehow understood.

Blood or seed … something was going to spill.

* * *

Once Thanatos and his storm cloud of energy was out of sight, Regan rounded on her fellow Elders. “What were you thinking, showing up here without Kynan? He should be the one dealing with the Horsemen.”

“And hasn’t that been the problem,” Lance said, and what was that supposed to mean?

Juan opened the front door and gestured outside. “Come on. We need a little more privacy than this.”

Shit. Whatever they needed so much privacy for couldn’t be good. “What’s going on?”

“Just trust us.” Juan walked out, and Regan followed, dying of curiosity.

The Guardians who had accompanied the Elders had spread out, all armed to the teeth and holding either crossbows or swords, their weapons’ belts packed with wooden stakes.

Lance cocked his head at the helicopter, where the side cargo door was wide open to reveal rows of seats. “Hop in.”

Pregnant women didn’t hop anywhere, and Regan stopped dead in her tracks. “Why?”

“The inside is rigged with a sound-dampening spell,” Juan said. “Whatever we say inside can’t be heard outside.” He glanced back at Omar, who had gone down on one knee just outside the keep’s door to tie his boot. “I know it seems like an extreme measure, but what we have to tell you is critically sensitive.”

A ramp had been placed at the base of the helo, and she awkwardly climbed into the huge chopper that appeared to be a modified military troop transport. Juan, Lance, and Takumi followed her inside, and when Juan slammed the door closed … and locked it, her gut dropped. In the next instant, the pilot started the rotor blades, and her heart joined her plummeting stomach.

“What are you doing?”

Lance’s pacifying smile didn’t boost her confidence. “The rotors help block sound.”

She didn’t like this at all, and neither did Thanatos. Through the front windshield, she saw him burst out of the keep and run toward the helo. Behind him, Omar, who had still been kneeling, leaped to his feet, a pistol in his grip.

“Thanatos!” Regan shouted, as if he could hear.

Gunfire rang out, and Thanatos hit the ground, a crimson-tipped dart sticking out of the back of his neck. Vampires swarmed from the side courtyard, but the Guardians were ready, and as they picked off Than’s staff, Regan screamed. She tried to get to the door, but Lance, Juan, and Takumi blocked her.

“This is a goddamned rescue, Regan!” Lance snapped.