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“That was the plan,” Arik muttered, and then they were engulfed in Horsemen arms. Thanatos and Ares grabbed them both in thht="0ema bear hug.

“Come by in the morning,” Ares said. “I have a feeling the underworld’s going to be buzzing.”

“No doubt,” Than added. “Stay out of trouble.”

“Our sister has never been good at that,” a voice called out.

Arik and Limos whirled as Pestilence stepped out of the darkness.

Twenty-seven

Leave it to Pestilence to ruin Limos’s wedding night, and as he came closer, gripping a sword in one hand and a hellhound head in another, her stomach dropped to her toes. Arik tugged her close, putting one leg in front of hers in a subtle, protective blocking stance.

Pestilence plopped the severed head into the snow, the blood creating a grotesque slush around it. “Don’t worry, your guards aren’t all dead. Just drawn off by my minions.”

“What are you doing here?” Than growled. He’d armored up, and so had Ares.

“I was hurt that I wasn’t invited to the wedding.” Pestilence sheathed his sword, the clang of his armor ringing out in the frosty night air. “But I brought a gift anyway.”

Limos gripped Arik’s hand tight. “We don’t want anything from you.”

“It’s not for you, dear sister.” Pestilence’s toothy grin was the very definition of evil. “It’s for Arik. Keeping in the theme of the wedding, I brought you the gift of truth.”

Limos’s vision blurred with alarm as she pulled on Arik and prepared to throw a gate. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Pestilence kicked the hellhound head, and it slammed into Limos’s gown, splattering blood all over the beautiful, satiny fabric.

“You bastard.” Arik lunged, and Limos, reeling with shock, couldn’t stop him.

Thankfully, Thanatos caught Arik around the waist. “Dial it back, bro. He’s not worth it.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to kill Arik until he hears what I came here for.” Pestilence’s fangs glinted like icicles in the darkness. “Limos, tell your new mate and our brothers the truth about your escape from Sheoul.”

“Reseph, no.” Limos swallowed the lump of oh-shit in her throat. “Please, don’t do this.”

She could have sworn she saw something familiar, something regretful, in Pestilence’s icy blues, but then it didn’t matter, because while Ares didn’t lower his blade, he did glance at Limos. “What’s he talking about?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Suddenly chilled, she rubbed her arms and looked bet plane Ares didween her brothers. “Let this go. Don’t listen to him.”

“Trust me,” Pestilence said. “You want to hear this.”

Anxiety spiked, and she put her hands together in desperation. “I’m begging you, brothers. Go back inside and pretend Pestilence was never here.” She moved forward, her high heels punching through ice softened by hellhound blood. “You said you love me no matter what, so this isn’t important. Please. Go inside.”

Silence stretched. Ares and Than exchanged glances, and then Thanatos released Arik, who was still staring daggers at Pestilence, and Ares sheathed his sword.

“Get the hell out of here, Pestilence.” Thanatos strode up to their brother and got so close their armor clanked and their noses almost touched. A breeze whipped their hair until it obscured their faces and mingled strands, pale, warm blond tangling with cold platinum. “Limos is our sister, but you are no longer our brother, and you’ve fucked with us one too many times.”

Another flash of pain sparked in Pestilence’s eyes, and he hissed. “I haven’t even begun to fuck with you.” He grabbed the back of Thanatos’s head and smashed their foreheads together so hard that the crack of skulls echoed deep into the night air.

Than snarled in outrage, and they went down into the snow and ice, fists flying. Ares and Arik went after Pestilence, but the bastard slashed out with a blade, catching Than in the cheek as he rolled to his feet.

“You know who has fucked with you?” Pestilence snapped. “Your sweet, virginal sister. She didn’t escape Sheoul. She sent the demons who attacked us in the first place, and then she found us, lied about escaping,