Whoever possessed her, possessed the key to control the most primal, ancient power of all time.
She was the fate of the entire world.
The Destroyer sought to have the child for her own so that she would be in control.
Stryker bit back his bitter laughter. She would have Marissa over his own dead body. In the end, it would be he who controlled the Final Fate. Not Apollymi.
"Arod, Tiber, Sirus, Allegra!" he called.
The four Spathi commanders appeared before him. Three men and one woman. Stryker took a minute to scan their perfect, beautiful bodies. All four Daimons appeared physically to be no older than twenty-seven... just like him. And just like him, they had been around since time immemorial. Allegra was the youngest of their group, but even she was a staggering nine thousand years old.
Trained to kill and to take and possess human souls to live, his army had no equal.
It was time mankind met them.
"You called us, akri?" Tiber asked.
Stryker nodded. "Desiderius is in need of a body to do my bidding."
The four Daimons looked at each other nervously.
"Relax," Stryker said. "I'm not asking any of you to volunteer yourselves. Oh, no. Far from it. The four of you are to be his bodyguards."
"But, akri," Allegra said quietly, "he has no body to guard."
Stryker laughed maniacally. "Yes, he does." He splayed his hand out and an image appeared in the center of the room. Dressed all in black, the Dark-Hunter was walking alone on the streets of New Orleans.
"There's your body, Desiderius," he said. "And there's your ticket into the Hunter household. Now you bring me that baby or all of you will die... permanently."
As they started to shimmer out of the room, Stryker stopped them with one last order. "Acheron took from me the only thing I have ever loved. In memory of my son he stole from me, I command you to make the humans Acheron loves pay. I want to see blood flowing in the streets of New Orleans. Do you understand?"
Desiderius smiled wickedly. "Understood, akri. Definitely understood."
Valerius growled at how good Tabitha felt against him. Completely naked in his arms, she kissed him fiercely as her hand gently stroked his hard cock from tip to hilt.
His black shirt hung open. Unlike her, he was still mostly dressed.
"Otto is on his way," he said raggedly as she dipped her head down to suckle his hard nipple.
It was difficult to think straight while her hand massaged him so expertly.
"Then we better get down to business," she said with a laugh as she climbed up on his bed.
Valerius couldn't breathe at the sight of her naked on his black duvet.
He watched as she spread her legs open in invitation.
She hooked her ankles around his hips and pulled him forward.
He hissed as she reached between their bodies and lowered his pants enough so that she could slide herself onto him.
Arching her back, she drew him in deep as she moaned and writhed against him. Valerius leaned forward onto one arm as he stared down at her naked body moving underneath him. With both feet still on the floor, he thrust deep inside her warm, wet body.
"That's it, baby," she panted as she met him equally.
Valerius thrust harder as he let her touch soothe him. He cupped her breast with his hand, delighting in the soft, supple texture of it. His mouth watered for a taste of her.
Tabitha groaned as Valerius dipped his head down and took her breast into his mouth while he continued to thrust against her hips. She loved the way this man felt when he was inside her. The way he looked, primal and savage.