Eternal Rider - Larissa Ione [126]
That was the first bit of good news he’d had in weeks. “Any chatter from The Aegis?”
“Deliverance has been found.”
Sucking in a harsh breath, Pestilence swung around. “Are you certain?”
“I overheard my father talking about it.”
“It’s true,” Harvester said. “And it has been modified by The Aegis. If Ares uses it to kill Cara, all hope for breaking his Seal is gone.”
A trickle of sweat dripped down Pestilence’s temple. “How long have you known about this modification?”
“Centuries. But it was forbidden to tell you until it was found.”
Of course. Fucking Watcher rules. And now, if Ares killed Cara with the damned thing, it could be months, even years before he was able to break Limos’s or Than’s Seals, since he hadn’t found Limos’s yet, and Than seemed determined to hold on to his.
Pestilence needed that dagger.
Still rolling the vial in his palm, he carefully considered his options, and a plan began to form in his mind. “David, when I found you, you were pathetic. Hoping The Aegis would forgive you, that your father would love you again. You know that won’t happen. You know you belong here with me, and that with me, you will receive rewards you never dreamed possible.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Pestilence wasn’t sure how much agreement was the real David and how much came from the fact that Pestilence had borrowed his soul and left the human nothing more than a refillable vessel.
He’d brought a lot of humans to his side that way, and it was a great tradeoff for both of them. He sucked out their souls to give him more power, and evil filled the hole where their souls used to be, which gave them more strength and stamina than they’d had before. They could also use Harrowgates, which meant they could travel anywhere, any time.
Yes, most handy.
“Then, David, I have a mission for you.” He threw his arm around the human’s shoulders and walked him toward the Harrowgate, leaving Harvester to watch the hellhound fight. “There will probably be some pain involved, but afterward, you will be greatly rewarded.” Assuming David didn’t die, of course. He really hoped not. He hadn’t been able to turn any other Aegi so far, and he’d found David to be quite useful.
“Just tell me what I need to do.”
Pestilence smiled. “Let’s plan.”
Ares didn’t allow Cara’s feet to touch the floor. He carried her from the cubicle at the weird demon hospital all the way to his bedroom at his house. Limos and Thanatos had tried to follow, but Ares had snapped something harsh in a language she didn’t know, and his brother and sister had backed off. And though things had been tense while they’d argued about Pestilence, she’d seen pain and sadness in Ares’s siblings’ eyes as Ares carried her through the Harrowgate.
There was a lot of love there, and she knew Limos and Thanatos would be at the house soon. Maybe they wouldn’t come inside, but they’d be waiting outside for Ares.
They’d be there for him after Cara died.
Cara wrapped her arms around his neck, reveling in the security of being in his strong arms. But she couldn’t resist a token protest. “I can walk, you know.” Whatever the second demon with the glowy arm had done had given her a boost of energy that was just freakish.
“But if you walked, I’d miss out on holding you.”
Both warmth and sadness washed over her, and she held tighter as he crossed the threshold into his bedroom.
“My lord…” The hesitant voice came from behind them, and Ares looked over his shoulder.
“What is it, Vulgrim?”
“Can I bring you anything?”
“No,” he said softly. “But I want you to make it very clear that I’m not to be disturbed. For anything. Not even the end of the world.”
The demon bowed. “Yes, sir.”
“And Vulgrim? Never bow to me again. You’re family, not staff.”
The demon shot Ares and Cara a look of surprise, and then one corner of his mouth tipped up. “Yes, sir.” He strode away, and Cara swore there was a little extra spring in his hooved step.
“Torrent looked