Larissa Ione - Rogue Rider

The succubus was pregnant.

Verrine collapsed onto the ground, closing her eyes to the horrible reality. No one could learn about this. Yenrieth’s punishment would be severe, and Verrine loved him too much to let that happen.

She also loved him too much to tell him about the succubus’s pregnancy. Not now, while he was still a novice. She knew him well enough to know he’d scour Sheoul to find the female, and as a novice, he wouldn’t survive down there for an hour.

No, this was something she’d keep to herself. He might wonder what, exactly, the demon had stolen from him—succubi stole lives, souls, energy, and seed, often a combination of any of those—but with any luck, he’d believe energy alone had been her goal. After all, he was still alive, and he’d have changed if she’d stolen his soul. The seed… well, Verrine would just have to pray he was so drained from the sex that he’d believe the succubus had been after nothing more than the power she’d gain from his angelic life force.

Oh, Verrine would tell him the truth, but not yet. When, she didn’t know. What she did know was that she would move Heaven and Earth herself to find his children. She would make sure they were safe.

“Yenrieth,” she whispered. “I swear upon my heart that I will protect your children if I have to go to hell to do it.”

Somewhere nearby, thunder rolled, as if the heavens had heard her oath.

Inside, her stomach rolled, because somehow she understood that both she and Yenrieth had just been set on a course that would change their lives forever.

Air Force veteran Larissa Ione traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge… just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

You can learn more about Larissa and her books by visiting her website at www.LarissaIone.com.

You can also find Larissa on various social media sites:

www.Facebook.com/OfficialLarissaIone

www.Twitter.com/LarissaIone

www.Pinterest.com/LarissaIone (Here you can check out Larissa’s Novel Inspiration/Research board, which contains pictures of various demons, sketches of items found in her Demonica world, and photos of settings used in her books, including the crystal cave described in Immortal Rider!)

THE DEMONICA SERIES

Pleasure Unbound

Desire Unchained

Passion Unleashed

Ecstasy Unveiled

Sin Undone

THE LORDS OF DELIVERANCE SERIES

Eternal Rider

Immortal Rider

Lethal Rider

The Aegis —Society of human warriors dedicated to protecting the world from evil. See: Guardians, Regent, Sigil.

Agimortus —A trigger for the breaking of a Horseman’s Seal. An agimortus can be identified as a symbol engraved or branded upon the host person or object. Three kinds of agimorti have been identified and may take the form of a person, an object, or an event.

Camborian —The human offspring of a parent under the possession of a demon at the time of conception. Camborians may or may not possess supernatural powers that vary in type and strength, depending on the species of demon inhabiting the body of the parent at the time of conception.

Daemonica —The demon bible and basis for dozens of demon religions. Its prophesies regarding the Apocalypse, should they come to pass, will ensure that the Four Horsemen fight on the side of evil.

Fallen Angel —Believed to be evil by most humans, fallen angels can be grouped into two categories: True Fallen and Unfallen. Unfallen angels have been cast from Heaven and are earthbound, living a life in which they are neither truly good nor truly evil. In this state, they can, rarely, earn their way back into Heaven. Or they can choose to enter Sheoul, the demon realm, in order to complete their fall and become True Fallens, taking their places as demons at Satan’s side.

Guardians —Warriors for The Aegis, trained in combat techniques, weapons, and magic. Upon induction into The Aegis, all Guardians are presented with an enchanted piece of jewelry bearing the Aegis shield, which, among other things, allows for night vision and the ability to see through demon invisibility enchantments.

Harrowgate —Vertical portals, invisible to humans, which demons use to travel between locations on Earth and Sheoul. A very few beings can summon their own personal Harrowgates.

Khote —An invisibility spell that allows the caster to move among humans without being seen or, usually, heard.

Marked Sentinel —A human charmed by angels and tasked with protecting a vital artifact. Sentinels are immortal and immune to harm. Only angels (fallen included) can injure or kill a Sentinel. Their existence is a closely guarded secret.

Quantamun —A state of superaccelerated existence on a plane that allows some supernatural beings to travel among humans. Humans, unaware of what moves within their world, appear frozen in time to those inside the quantamun. This differs from the khote in that the khote operates in real time and is a spell rather than a plane of existence.

Regent —Head(s) of local Aegis cells.

Sheoul —Demon realm. Located deep in the bowels of the Earth, accessible only by Harrowgates and hellmouths.

Sheoul-gra —A holding tank for demon souls. The place where demon souls go until they can be reborn or kept in torturous limbo.

Sheoulic —Universal demon language spoken by all, although many species also speak their own language.

Sigil —Board of twelve humans known as Elders, who serve as the supreme leaders of The Aegis. Based in Berlin, they oversee all Aegis cells worldwide.

Ter’taceo —Demons who can pass as human, either because their species is naturally human in appearance or because they can shape-shift into human form.

Watchers —Individuals assigned to keep an eye on the Four Horsemen. As part of the agreement forged during the original negotiations between angels and demons that led to Ares, Reseph, Limos, and Thanatos being cursed to spearhead the Apocalypse, one Watcher is an angel, the other is a fallen angel. Neither Watcher may directly assist any Horseman’s efforts to either start or stop Armageddon, but they can lend a hand behind the scenes. Doing so, however, may have them walking a fine line that, to cross, could prove worse than fatal.