Revenant(96)

“Because,” Blas said, “I’m the one who told him. And… I’m kind of sleeping with him.”

Her mother, the rock-solid pillar of strength, lost all the color in her face… and passed out.





Twenty-Eight





After swiping a vial from one of Underworld General’s supply cabinets, Revenant materialized outside of Thanatos’s keep, figuring that if he was going to be asking for a huge favor, he might as well get off to a good start and not pop in out of the blue. Steeling himself for the confrontation, he knocked on the door. A minute later, Thanatos was standing there, his expression shuttered, but the 3-D scorpion tattoo on his throat was writhing.

“What do you want?” Thanatos scowled. “And since when do you knock?”

“Would you rather I didn’t?”

“No. Never mind.” Than stepped outside and closed the door behind him. “Well?”

This wasn’t going to be easy. Dealing with the Horsemen never was. “I need a favor.”

Thanatos crossed his arms over his chest. “Do tell.”

Yeah… not easy. But he had to protect Blaspheme. If she could disguise herself as another species of demon, Satan would never be able to find her, and Revenant would do anything to keep that from happening.

Even if this went against Watcher rules.

“I need some blood.”

One tawny eyebrow shot up. “Ever heard of a blood bank?”

“I need your blood.”

The other eyebrow joined the first. “I’m going to say no, but for shits and grins, tell me why.”

Revenant clenched his teeth to keep from lashing out. He was here to be nice, after all. “It’s for someone else. She’ll die without it.”

“Huh.” Thanatos turned to the door. “Too bad. Bye, Uncle Rev.”

Revenant grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him back around. He was prepared to beg, but he’d fight if he had to.

So against the rules.

“You said I don’t know what family is,” Revenant said, “and you were right. I’ve never really known until now. This female is family.”

Thanatos’s pale yellow eyes narrowed as he considered what Revenant said. But when his mouth flattened into a grim line, Revenant knew he’d lost him.

“Please, Thanatos.” Fuck, it hurt to beg. He hadn’t done it since his mother was alive, when he’d begged the demons not to hurt her. The day Satan had granted him authority, he’d slaughtered every demon who’d hurt her. Every demon but Lucifer, who had been far more powerful than Revenant.

“She’s all I have,” he added, because damn the Horseman, he wasn’t budging.

Except that he wouldn’t have her for long. Once she was disguised, he could never see her again. There was no way he’d risk leading the king of demons to her doorstep. The reality settled over him like a death shroud, cold and claustrophobic, and he struggled to keep from breaking down right here in front of the one Horseman of the Apocalypse who would enjoy it the most.

“Bring Gethel to me,” Thanatos said, his voice softer than it was before, “and we’ll talk.”

“I can’t do that.” He would have, if it meant Blaspheme would be safe, but now that Gethel had been tethered in place, Revenant couldn’t do a damned thing.

Thanatos shrugged. “Then I can’t give you my blood.”

Panic pierced the bubble of Revenant’s control. The Horseman wasn’t going to play nice, and Revenant needed this as much as he needed air.

“Dammit, Thanatos!” Revenant’s shout brought Cujo from out of nowhere. The beast slammed into Revenant from behind, knocking him into Thanatos, and suddenly, the courtyard became a blur of steel, teeth, and claws.

Pain lashed at him from every side as the hound ripped into him and Thanatos sliced and hacked with a scythe meant to separate limbs from even the most powerful beings. Rev healed almost instantly, but that didn’t mean that every bite, gouge, and slice didn’t hurt like fuck and piss him off.

He threw a bolt of lightning at the damned mutt, reining in the intensity at the last moment to keep from killing the beast. As bad as his relationship with Than and his family was now, if he slaughtered Logan’s pet and guardian, there would be no coming back from that. Ever.

Cujo yelped and tumbled several yards before landing in a heap near a stone wall. Cursing, Thanatos swung his scythe in an arc that would have severed the top of Revenant’s skull from his head if he hadn’t ducked at the last second. As Thanatos recovered from the swing, Revenant slammed his fist into the Horseman’s face. Than’s nose exploded in a pink mist of blood, and that was all Rev needed.