Chapter 1
Bloody, dismembered bodies never got easier to look at. No matter how many millennia you roamed the earth. Ty stood from the cluster of torn limbs and viscera, disgust coating his stomach. Glass, splintered wood, and torn, blood-soaked paper littered the hardwood floor, every inch of the taupe walls in the small upscale apartment spattered with gore.
“It happened maybe an hour ago. Two at most.” Athena stood from where she knelt, her long, jet-black hair cascading across her black leather jacket like a shiny curtain. “The scorch mark is still fresh.”
Ty stared at the large circular burn mark on the floor and gnashed his teeth. He’d seen enough inter-dimensional landing pads to last him a lifetime—a thousand lifetimes. It was always the same: some hopped up demon, drunk on his own power, would decide he was the exception to the rule and cross over into the mortal realm, usually through a crack between dimensions.
Ty glanced over his shoulder toward the pile of female parts littering the sofa and floor. The underworld visitor had hit pay dirt, landing in the middle of what looked like some sort of book club gathering. Red wine mixed with blood seeped into the oriental throw rug; some type of uptight, crudités appetizer peppered the carpet along with a few well-manicured fingers.
“Great Zeus above…” Ty shook his head. It had been a bloodbath. The poor women never stood a chance.
Demons weren’t permitted out of Tartarus, and for good reason. Hungry for both flesh and innocent souls, they treated the human population like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
This, of course, was where he came in. Leader of The Order of Seven, and a favorite of Athena despite his outward hatred of her, he’d been summoned to the grisly scene just moments before.
Plucked from the bowels of Hades by the goddess herself, Ty and each of his six warrior brothers had been saddled not only with the lovely gift of immortality, but with an inner beast, a fierce mythological creature that would lie dormant within until it came time to battle. Ty’s beast, a Nemean lion, was especially vicious. Three times the size of a normal lion, it sported an enormous jaw that could pulverize steel and claws that could cut through the thickest armor. Even more astonishing was its fur. A deep burnished gold, smooth and thick, it was impervious to mortal weapons, making it virtually indestructible. Unearthly handsome in his mortal form, and blessed with the strength of a thousand men, he was the perfect warrior—cunning, lethal.
Goddess of wisdom, warfare and justice, Athena relied on her elite army of seven to stamp out rogue demons and keep the peace on the mortal plane. All business, all the time, the boss lady had teleported him here straight out of his bed. So much for a peaceful night’s sleep. Thank fuck he had the sense to sleep with his clothes on or things could have been really awkward.
“I’m on it.” Jaw clenched, Ty shook his head and rounded the couch, taking care to avoid the mess. He wasn’t particularly fond of cleaning gore off his boots, though in his line of duty it happened more often than he cared to admit.
“Not so fast, Tydeus.”
Fuck! What now? Ty skidded to a halt, just inches from the front door. Twisting his upper body, he glanced over his shoulder. “Boss?”
Covered in buttery, black leather from head to foot, the goddess looked regal, beautiful, and above all, lethal. Piercing blue eyes captivated his attention, drowning out the monstrous scene surrounding them. Power and might rippled off her lithe body in waves. “This is no ordinary demon we’re dealing with.” Disgust hardened her already fierce expression. She stepped forward, her thigh-high stiletto boots clicking on the pale wood flooring. “We’ve got ourselves a Hirudo—a leech.”
Ty closed his eyes and sighed. Shit. Hirudos were parasitic body snatchers who took over human bodies, drained their life force from the inside out, then
Bloody, dismembered bodies never got easier to look at. No matter how many millennia you roamed the earth. Ty stood from the cluster of torn limbs and viscera, disgust coating his stomach. Glass, splintered wood, and torn, blood-soaked paper littered the hardwood floor, every inch of the taupe walls in the small upscale apartment spattered with gore.
“It happened maybe an hour ago. Two at most.” Athena stood from where she knelt, her long, jet-black hair cascading across her black leather jacket like a shiny curtain. “The scorch mark is still fresh.”
Ty stared at the large circular burn mark on the floor and gnashed his teeth. He’d seen enough inter-dimensional landing pads to last him a lifetime—a thousand lifetimes. It was always the same: some hopped up demon, drunk on his own power, would decide he was the exception to the rule and cross over into the mortal realm, usually through a crack between dimensions.
Ty glanced over his shoulder toward the pile of female parts littering the sofa and floor. The underworld visitor had hit pay dirt, landing in the middle of what looked like some sort of book club gathering. Red wine mixed with blood seeped into the oriental throw rug; some type of uptight, crudités appetizer peppered the carpet along with a few well-manicured fingers.
“Great Zeus above…” Ty shook his head. It had been a bloodbath. The poor women never stood a chance.
Demons weren’t permitted out of Tartarus, and for good reason. Hungry for both flesh and innocent souls, they treated the human population like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
This, of course, was where he came in. Leader of The Order of Seven, and a favorite of Athena despite his outward hatred of her, he’d been summoned to the grisly scene just moments before.
Plucked from the bowels of Hades by the goddess herself, Ty and each of his six warrior brothers had been saddled not only with the lovely gift of immortality, but with an inner beast, a fierce mythological creature that would lie dormant within until it came time to battle. Ty’s beast, a Nemean lion, was especially vicious. Three times the size of a normal lion, it sported an enormous jaw that could pulverize steel and claws that could cut through the thickest armor. Even more astonishing was its fur. A deep burnished gold, smooth and thick, it was impervious to mortal weapons, making it virtually indestructible. Unearthly handsome in his mortal form, and blessed with the strength of a thousand men, he was the perfect warrior—cunning, lethal.
Goddess of wisdom, warfare and justice, Athena relied on her elite army of seven to stamp out rogue demons and keep the peace on the mortal plane. All business, all the time, the boss lady had teleported him here straight out of his bed. So much for a peaceful night’s sleep. Thank fuck he had the sense to sleep with his clothes on or things could have been really awkward.
“I’m on it.” Jaw clenched, Ty shook his head and rounded the couch, taking care to avoid the mess. He wasn’t particularly fond of cleaning gore off his boots, though in his line of duty it happened more often than he cared to admit.
“Not so fast, Tydeus.”
Fuck! What now? Ty skidded to a halt, just inches from the front door. Twisting his upper body, he glanced over his shoulder. “Boss?”
Covered in buttery, black leather from head to foot, the goddess looked regal, beautiful, and above all, lethal. Piercing blue eyes captivated his attention, drowning out the monstrous scene surrounding them. Power and might rippled off her lithe body in waves. “This is no ordinary demon we’re dealing with.” Disgust hardened her already fierce expression. She stepped forward, her thigh-high stiletto boots clicking on the pale wood flooring. “We’ve got ourselves a Hirudo—a leech.”
Ty closed his eyes and sighed. Shit. Hirudos were parasitic body snatchers who took over human bodies, drained their life force from the inside out, then
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