Exclusive Excerpt from Brenda Huber's
Chronicles of the Fallen
“Please, please, do not tell me I just missed her!”
The balding little man behind the counter jumped at Sebastian’s tone. Sweat beaded the clerk’s brow as he fidgeted with a stack of travel brochures. “Well, I’m sorry, but you have.” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder toward the window behind him. “In fact, there she goes now.”
The edge of the countertop cracked beneath Sebastian’s fingertips as he watched the twin engine Cessna taxi down the runway. He’d chased that double damned woman all over this Godforsaken town. Port August, Michigan had become his own personal version of limbo from which it seemed he could not escape. A never ending loop of always being one step behind the cursed woman and never lucky enough to quite catch up. The storm brewing inside him boiled closer to the surface as the front wheels of the plane left the tarmac.
Breathe, Sebastian reminded himself.
And there she went, slipping through his fingers. Again. A red haze winked over his vision for a moment. The little gnome took a cautious step back, sweat streaming down the sides of his smooth forehead now, his eyes wide as saucers behind thick rimmed spectacles.
Just breathe.
Sebastian let out a really, really long breath. His palms sizzled. The little man behind the counter took another step back. The colorful pamphlets in his shaking hands spilled across the counter and fluttered to the floor.
Going demonic and decimating the small airport wouldn’t bring the wayward professor back. Nor would it make him feel any better…at least it wouldn’t once he’d retaken his human form and his conscience caught up to him.
In demonic form, he’d definitely enjoy himself.
Probably a little too much.
Seething, Sebastian turned, stalked from the building, and climbed inside the car he’d “borrowed”. Keeping his temper in check took far more control than he was comfortable admitting. Halfway across the parking lot, his phone began ringing. His temper clicked up another notch. He was in no mood to deal with anyone else’s problems today. And that would be the only reason any of the others would call him. Either the proverbial shit had hit the fan, or it was about to. He jerked the device from his pocket and checked the display.
Xander? He closed his eyes, tipped his head back and groaned aloud. Damn it. If the Slayer is calling, it’s gotta be bad. Really freakin’ bad.
Sebastian gritted his teeth, teetering on the edge of saying fuck it and smashing his phone rather than taking the call. Somehow, his default role in their merry little band of misfits had become mediator, voice of reason, and general all around shitstorm-cleaner-upper. As a rule, it didn’t bother him. At least, not usually. After all, he had far more patience than anyone else in their crew. Legendary patience he’d used once upon a time to dole out his particular brand of justice. He was, or had been, the demonic version of karma. Didn’t matter how long it took, who you were, or how well you hid, sooner or later, Vengeance always, always caught up with you.
Now whenever something went wrong, his brothers-in-arms called him without giving it a second thought. Why? Because they knew he had a long, long, long fuse.
Only they had a tendency to forget about the epic bang at the end. Forget about it until it was too late. By then things had already begun to explode and burn, and could the only thing to do was get the hell out of his way until the storm blew over.
Well, the end of that long fuse was getting closer and closer. Every minute, every second, that ticked by and he didn’t have his hands on that damned professor—the Guardian of the missing Sword of Kathnesh—poured fuel on the flames.
His conscience—or whatever meager shreds of decency he had left—got the better of him. Something end-of-the-world-bad had to have happened if Mr. I’d-Rather-Be-Tortured-Than-Talk-On-These-Damned-Things was heating up the airwaves. Sebastian so didn’t have the time or the patience to deal with anymore shit today.
He hesitated just long enough that the phone went silent. But he didn’t bother breathing a sigh of relief. He knew what was coming.
And three, two, one…
The phone screeched to life once again.
Yeah, thing about Xander? He didn’t do voicemail. He’d just keep hitting redial until he drove you insane.
“Yo,” Sebastian barked into the phone. “Listen, man. Right now isn’t a good time to—”
“Stolas has Mikhail.”
Sebastian’s entire body went stiff. He scowled at the steering wheel, unseeing, as all the air in his lungs deserted him. His hand fell to his lap, leaving the keys dangling from the ignition as he tried to wrap his mind around this unexpected news.
No. No way I heard that right.
“Come again?”
“He wants to trade Mikhail for Maggie.”
“Maggie? Wait, the Halfling Maggie that Gideon was supposed to retrieve?” Sebastian shoved his splayed fingers through his hair. “How the hell did Stolas get his hands onMikhail?”
The Demon of War was the strongest, meanest, most lethal bastard Sebastian knew. Mikhail carried the chip on his shoulder—and its corresponding temper—around like it was his due, and he had the skills and the experience to back it up. If Stolas or one of his minions—or, considering this was Mikhail they were talking about, probably an entire legion of Hell’s finest—could perform a bag and tag on Mikhail, then the Fallen were collectively screwed. And not in a way that might encourage one to bask in a pleasant, post-coital afterglow.
“I haven’t been off grid that damned long. What did I miss here?”
“Nutshell. Best guess, they took Mikhail via portal. The Halfling mated Gideon.
She’s pregnant, probably with The Chosen One. Ashïek is involved,” summed up Mr. Twenty-Five-Words-Or-Less. “Clear?”
Ashïek? Son of a bitch! Just like that, Sebastian’s blood turned to molten lava. The steering wheel crumbled like aluminum foil in his unforgiving grip.
Even as angels, Ashïek and Sebastian had maintained a not-so-healthy rivalry. And that rivalry had only grown more conflicted after the Great Fall, more often than not turning downright bloody…with a lot of collateral damage. One of Lucifer’s most favored forms of entertainment had been pitting the two against each other at every opportunity. He’d fueled the flames of hatred by rewarding the one who fought the dirtiest, regardless of who the victor had been.
While Sebastian’s rank had risen quite high in Lucifer’s army, Ashïek was every bit as formidable. The things Ashïek could and would do—the abilities he possessed, abilities like opening aforementioned portals—gave Sebastian a case of the cold sweats. It had taken every last ounce of ruthless, brutal determination on Sebastian’s part to best Ashïek. But best him he had. Many, many times.
Demon of Vengeance: Chronicles of the Fallen, Book 4 by Brenda Huber
Date of Publication: June 28, 2016
Blurb
"A legendary sword isn't the only thing this merciless demon desires..."
"Chronicles of the Fallen," Book 4
Possessed of immeasurable patience and an unrelenting drive for justice, Sebastian, the Demon of Vengeance, has finally met his match.
His mission is to keep the new Guardian safe until the Sword of Kathnesh is retrieved, but the aggravating woman insists on throwing herself into harm's way at every opportunity.
Finding the sacred relic is Phoebe Mackenzie's task, and protecting it is her family's legacy. But when Sebastian resorts to magic to save her life, he unwittingly exposes a secret sealed deep within her-and paints a target on her back no demon can resist.
As Phoebe fights to hold on to her identity, Sebastian's oldest nemesis vows to use any and all means to force Sebastian into a fight to the death-including targeting his mate. Sebastian will do whatever it takes to preserve the barriers between Earth and Hell. But in unleashing the raging storm inside him, he risks losing the woman he loves.
"Warning: Contains a cunning demon notorious for his methodical patience and unquenchable thirst for revenge, and the one woman capable of pushing him past the breaking point. And so continues the journey of six fallen demons and the women who have captured their hearts."
"Chronicles of the Fallen," Book 4
Possessed of immeasurable patience and an unrelenting drive for justice, Sebastian, the Demon of Vengeance, has finally met his match.
His mission is to keep the new Guardian safe until the Sword of Kathnesh is retrieved, but the aggravating woman insists on throwing herself into harm's way at every opportunity.
Finding the sacred relic is Phoebe Mackenzie's task, and protecting it is her family's legacy. But when Sebastian resorts to magic to save her life, he unwittingly exposes a secret sealed deep within her-and paints a target on her back no demon can resist.
As Phoebe fights to hold on to her identity, Sebastian's oldest nemesis vows to use any and all means to force Sebastian into a fight to the death-including targeting his mate. Sebastian will do whatever it takes to preserve the barriers between Earth and Hell. But in unleashing the raging storm inside him, he risks losing the woman he loves.
"Warning: Contains a cunning demon notorious for his methodical patience and unquenchable thirst for revenge, and the one woman capable of pushing him past the breaking point. And so continues the journey of six fallen demons and the women who have captured their hearts."
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About Brenda Huber
For as long as she can remember, Brenda Huber has been a voracious reader...and with that love of reading came a great desire to write. Crafting worlds where passion and danger lurk around every corner became a calling for Brenda. After all, what better place to set your imagination free than inside the pages of a good book? Brenda lives in Iowa with her husband, two children, and one very spoiled dog.
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