Larissa Ione - Rogue Rider

What inspired you to write about alpha demons and give them the noble, loving personalities and sex appeal that we all drool over? Most writers make them a bunch of nasty beasties. Why did you choose a different route?

I went a different route for exactly the reason you just mentioned: because most writers make them a bunch of nasty beasties. Yep, I wanted to do something different. Of course, I was a little behind the curve, because by the time Pleasure Unbound came out, there were these other amazing authors, like Gena Showalter and Kresley Cole, writing these loving, cuddly demons. Okay, “cuddly” is probably more accurately stated as “hot as hell,” but you know what I mean!

How do you come up with the types of demons from your series? Their names and the way they look? Are they from your imagination?

I’d say that 40 percent come from mythology—demons from various cultural and religious backgrounds. The rest are from my imagination. My scary, scary imagination…

How do you go about picking, or making up names for your characters and is there a meaning, or purpose behind the names you choose for them?

The names I choose for the main characters usually have some sort of meaning or purpose. When the names aren’t made up, there’s generally something behind them that makes them special. For example, Eidolon, Shade, and Wraith are all linked by the fact that their names are real terms that identify some sort of ghost or spirit. I tend to do a ton of research when it comes to names, demon species, and terms like Maleconcieo , which is an organization representing every demon species… basically, the U.N. of the demon world. The word combines malus (Old French mal based on Latin for “bad”) with concieo (Latin for “incite, assemble”). I’m very picky when inventing a term or name, and although they may be made up, they must still have a basis in something , be it a language like Latin, a place, or a historical event.

Are you ever going to make the Demonica series into a movie or TV show?

I would love that! Unfortunately, I don’t have the resources. It takes a Hollywood-type person to express interest in order to get something like that going.

How can I find out about appearances and book signings?

You can check my website. I list all upcoming events in the right sidebar of my blog at LarissaIone.com/Blog/Blog-Home.

Will Sin and Con finally bond the way male Seminus demons do, and will they have kids?

Sin isn’t even sure she can bond the same way male Sems do, but she and Con might try someday. Right now, after being enslaved by and bonded to others for so long, she and Con are both content to take things slow, which includes having kids. When and if these things happen, I’ll be sure to write scenes for inclusion in Demonica: Overkill, which is where I update readers on the lives of the Demonica cast and crew: LarissaIone.com/Blog/Books/Demonica-Overkill

Will the Sem brothers come through for Lore and Idess as sperm donors, and how will that be possible?

Yes! And I even know whose little sperm is going to be the winner! As for how it would be possible, given that Seminus demons not only must have a partner to climax, but once mated, they can only be with that partner, well, let’s just say that our boys and their mates will have to be a little… creative in collecting the samples. And if all else fails, there are always medical methods.

Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere! Sometimes things just pop into my head. Other times they’ll come from the news or from a movie or book or TV documentary. For example, the Demonica series came to me when I was watching an episode of Angel , and Angel got hurt. He needed a hospital, but as a vampire, he couldn’t just head to the nearest emergency room. Clearly, there was a need for an underworld hospital, and UGH was born!

What’s next after the last Lords of Deliverance book?

After Reseph’s book, we’re heading back to the Demonica world. Rogue Rider will kick off a book for Reaver, which I’m super excited about. For updates about what’s coming next, please feel free to sign up for my newsletter at LarissaIone.com/Blog/News.

So this is what the legend, immortalized through thousands of years of storytelling, says about the origins of the Four Horsemen:

Her name was Lilith, and she was an evil succubus. His name was Yenrieth, and he was a good angel.

After hundreds of years of seducing humans, Lilith got bored. So she set her sights on Yenrieth, the ultimate challenge. He resisted. She pursued. He resisted some more. This went on for decades, until the inevitable happened. She was, after all, beautiful, and he liked his wine a little too much.

No one knows what happened to Yenrieth after their night of passion, but nine months later, Lilith gave birth to four children, three boys and a girl. She named them Reseph, Ares, Limos, and Thanatos. Lilith kept the girl, Limos, with her in Sheoul, and she planted the males in the human world, switching them out with the infants of wealthy, powerful families.

The boys grew into men, never suspecting the truth about their origins. At least, not until demons rose up, spreading terror and seeking to use Lilith’s sons against the humans. Limos escaped from Sheoul, found her brothers, and revealed the truth about their parentage.

By this time, the brothers had seen their lands and families destroyed by demons and, blinded by hatred and the need for revenge, Lilith’s children encouraged (manipulatively and forcibly, sometimes) humans to help them fight violent, never-ending battles against the underworld abominations.

This didn’t go over well in the heavenly realm.

Zachariel, an Angel of the Apocalypse, led a legion of angels to Earth, where they met in battle with demon hordes. When the earth and waters ran red with blood, and humans could no longer survive on the poisoned land, Zachariel struck a deal with the devil.

Lilith’s children were to be punished for slinging mankind to the brink of doom in their selfish bid for revenge. Because they had nearly brought about the end of days, they were charged as the keepers of Armageddon. Defenders or instigators; the choice would fall on their shoulders.

Each of them was given a Seal, and with each Seal came two prophecies. Should they protect their Seals from breaking until the prophecy laid out by the Bible came to pass, they would save their souls—and mankind.

But should they allow the Seals to be broken prematurely, as written in the Daemonica, the demon bible, they would turn evil, and would forever be known by the names Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.

And thus were born the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Awesome, right? Lilith was bored… humans are so vanilla… and Yenrieth resisted for centuries until she caught him one night all shitfaced on some crappy wine. Well, not so fast. Read on, dear reader, because here’s what really happened…

Lilith was horny.

As a succubus, horny was her default state, but there had been something different about her level of need lately. She’d been edgy, achy, and oddly picky about her partners. She’d shunned females, ugly males, and any male with fur. Or scales.

Well, scales had always been a deal-breaker anyway.

Now she found herself seeking specific qualities in a male. She wanted beauty. Ruthlessness. And wings. Definitely wings.

She shivered in lustful anticipation. She loved wings. Leather ones, feathery ones, even the ones that were nothing but skeletal frames. A good, strong set of wings on a male stirred her like nothing else, except maybe a huge cock.