Keep reading for a sneak peek into the next book in the Godhunter Series:
Let Sleeping Demons Lie
Chapter One
It had been a few months since Time had been screwed with by the Greek God, Aion. Chronos had put everything back to rights, but the memories of those altered timelines had been coming back to haunt me. One, in particular, was causing me a bit of anxiety; me and Odin.
“I think we should try to get pregnant,” Odin said.
I appreciated the whole partner-solidarity thing where men claim the pregnancy along with their women, but it didn't sit right with me. Yes; I understood that Odin was trying to take responsibility for the baby along with me, but he wasn't the one who'd be carrying that child in his body... and pushing it out of a tiny hole.
“You mean; you should try to get me pregnant,” I corrected.
Odin grimaced. “Vervain, we lost a child to that timeline. Don't you want to get our baby back?”
“I do, and we will,” I said gently. “When the time is right. That wasn't the time for our child to be born, and neither is this.”
“How can you be sure?” Odin asked. “It was our present.”
“I'm sure because I'm married to more than you in our true present,” I said. “And Trevor would throw a werewolf fit if I had a child with you before I did with him.”
“Because you and Kirill skipped ahead with Lesya,” Odin huffed.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “I'm sorry, but with multiple husbands, I have to make an effort to be fair, and having your baby right now just wouldn't be fair. We already have a son, Odin. Please, just be patient.”
“All right,” he gave in. “I understand, and I was fine with waiting; it's just these memories.” He rubbed at his forehead. “They hurt my heart, Vervain.”
“Let's just enjoy each child as they arrive in their proper time,” I said softly. “There will be lots of love in this house.”
“You're right,” Odin conceded with a smile. “We're very lucky.”
“Vervain! Where's Azrael? I thought he was here,” Lucifer Morningstar said as he burst into the dining hall where Odin and I were sitting before the fire.
“And then the Devil walked in,” Odin murmured.
“He's upstairs,” I said as I stood. “Why? What's wrong?”
“Someone is killing my demons!” Luke cried.
“What?!” I ran over to him. “How?”
“I don't know!” Satan wailed.
“Dad?” Azrael came rushing into the room. “I could feel your anxiety as soon as you arrived; what's happened?”
“Alan and Mark are dead,” Luke said as he hugged his son.
“No,” Azrael whispered. “How?”
“I don't know,” Luke said again. “I don't understand. They were possessing a human, and I was looking after their bodies as usual, but then I felt a strange tremor. When I went to check on them, Alan was convulsing.”
“Convulsing?” Odin asked as he joined us.
“As if he were having a seizure.” Luke nodded. “And then his demon form disappeared and he shifted back to his human one.”
“Did this happen to both of them or only Alan?” Azrael asked.
“First Alan went and while I was trying to figure out what happened to him, Mark began to convulse,” Luke said. “I summoned the others home at once, but you know that I can't just stop the possessions.”
Demonic possessions served several functions. First, they were expected. Second, they kept the Devil myth alive; while other gods faded into history, Luke stayed right at the forefront of human religion. Third; they gave the demons energy without any humans dying—forget what you've seen in movies, possessions don't end in death. Finally; if demons didn't possess humans, the strong belief of certain humans would simply pull demon souls into their bodies and force a possession. I know that sounds crazy, but religious zealots can become so obsessive that they compel possession subconsciously. Forced possession meant that demon souls could be pulled from their bodies at any given time.
Which is what would start happening if Luke kept the demons from possessing people for long.
“But how did they die?” I asked. “You said they shifted into human form; then what?”
“Then”—Luke swallowed roughly—“they shriveled up and turned to dust.”
Luke pulled out his phone and brought up a few pictures to show us. There were shots of a man's dehydrated corpse; sunken eyes and tight skin like a mummy. Then there were pictures of piles of dust in the shape of a body.
“This isn't possible,” Azrael whispered.
“I know!” Luke shouted. “It simply can't happen!”
“Dad, calm down,” Azrael laid his hand on his father's shoulder. “We'll figure this out.”
Luke hung his head and cried. Azrael gave me a horrified look before he pulled his father into a hug.
“They were my friends,” Luke sobbed. “I've known them since before the Fall of Atlantis. For them to be taken in such a way—without even the chance to fight back—is just reprehensible.”
“Could this be an exorcism gone bad?” Odin asked.
“No,” Luke said as he sniffed and eased out of Azrael's arms. “Exorcism breaks the human's bond and releases the demon soul, and the soul goes straight back to its body. Possession is merely astral projection; it's human will that keeps the demon inside its host. An exorcist basically convinces the human that he or she has been saved, and then they release their hold on the demon.”
“Let's think about this another way,” I suggested. “Forget the fact that they were astral projecting at the time; what could do that to a demon? What could do that to any of us?”
“Make us look like a mummy and then dust us like a vampire?” Luke asked. “I have no fucking idea.”
“Dad!” Azrael gaped at his father.
The Devil never cursed.
“I'm sorry,” Luke said and sighed. “I'm so distraught, but that's
