The Cruelest Undead (Paranormal Antiquities Hunter Mysteries #4)

Prologue

Where We’ve Left Off…

The Lair

Hours Later

Paris, France

To Refresh Your Memory…

They’d spent some time with their children, but when their girls needed to rest after their bellies were filled with demon blood, they had some time to spare. Whenever that happened, it meant sex, or just relaxing on the couch.

They did both.

Now, it was couch time.

Flynn poured them some wine, Death was with them, and it was a good night to be had by all.

Cerise was in her new room, newly formed by Rinnon in the monstrous mountain, and Kiera and Alex were off having some sexy grotto fun as they planned their wedding.

Vanth and Lucian had called it a night, doing things Rinnon did NOT want to think about.

Ever.

Even Tommy and Cami were laying low.

For now, their home was quiet.

As they lounged, Jolie was giddy with wine and blood, enjoying both. Thankfully, she could drink alcohol, and her tiny baby would be fine. Her baby wouldn’t get any of the liquor, but instead, all of the blood.

“This is nice,” she admitted.

Only something was off.

Flynn was quiet.

It was something that they both noticed.

“Handsome?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

From deep in their minds, they heard their fourth partner in all of this.

He sulks, Rinnon said.

They could see that, but they didn’t know why. It was rare for Flynn not to be jovial.

The man was the epitome of happiness.

“Yes?” Flynn finally asked, glancing over at his partners.

“What’s wrong?” Jolie asked, taking his hand in hers so she could give him some comfort for whatever bothered him.

His energy was off.

Because he needed them to help carry that weight that oppressively was crushing him, he shared.

It wasn’t easy being the one responsible for a family.

Tell me about it, Jolie whispered into his mind.

Flynn was honest.

“I was thinking about Cerise, and how she lost her family. I know how she feels. I guess I’m just feeling her sadness because I’ve been there.”

This wasn’t a human, vampyre, or demon issue. It crossed all species, and this…

Yeah, they both understood.

The only parent still around was Mordechai, and that was because he haunted the place when Fate had damned him to this existence.

“It hits hard sometimes,” Jacques admitted.

It did.

“There are times I really miss my Mom and Dad,” Flynn admitted, sipping his wine. “I wonder what they’d think about me, and if they’d be crazy about my child, and my wife.”

Jolie heard the sadness.

Now, she was thinking about them. While she’d only seen pictures, she knew a lot about Flynn’s mom and dad.

“They’d definitely be proud of you.”

He gave her a kiss on the forehead, appreciating her words.

“I know, Baby. Thank you.”

Jolie cupped his cheek in tenderness.

“I wish they were here, too, so they could be part of our children’s lives,” she said, giving him a kiss.

The second her lips touched his, there was a jolt of energy.

All of a sudden, Jolie felt warm, and she heard some whispers in her mind that didn’t come from any of her men.

It was…weird.

Even Death looked around, but he wasn’t sure what it was that he, too, heard.

Maybe Mordechai had found a friend.

Finally.

To ease Flynn’s pain, he offered up what he could.

“You can have my parents if you’d like, Mon Amour. Mordechai is around somewhere, and I have pieces of Morganna in the dungeon. I’ll gift wrap them.”

Flynn stared at him.

“How you said that with a straight face…?”

Jacques was amused, and he laughed.

“What can I say? Death has some quirks.”

Yeah, he certainly did.

“Well, there’s no point wishing for something that can never happen. How about more wine?” Flynn asked, getting up from the couch after shifting Jolie’s legs onto the cushions.

“I’m not saying no,” Jolie said. “Wine makes me want to have sex.”

Well, now, his day was looking that much better.

Flynn laughed.

“Baby, blood makes you want to have sex too. Thus, why when we fed you, you molested us. I’m beginning to think you’re a nympho. Just promise me that you won’t change.”

She laughed and winked.

“You should get me drunk and have more fun. That’s what I’d do in your position.”

Yeah, he was good with that.

Why not have a little fun?

Taking his cue, he winked at her.

“On it, wife. One drunken vampyre-demon nympho coming up.”

As Flynn headed for their kitchen, he really wanted to take a moment to be alone.

He needed to escape.

Deep down, he was holding his emotions back, and it wouldn’t be long before Rinnon ratted him out. He could keep his feelings locked away for a while.

Now, his heart hurt that his parents missed out on so much of his life.

They never saw him become a detective.

They never saw his wife.

His children.

A part of him wondered what life would be like if they had lived. His mother had been raged by cancer, and his father…he’d died of a broken heart—of sorts.

This last case had sucked because now, he was thinking about family.

His origins.

As he rounded the corner, walking into the kitchen that took up a good deal of the space, he saw something that chilled him to the bone.

In fact, it was so startling, Flynn stopped dead in his tracks and dropped his wine glass.

It crashed to the floor shattering into a million pieces at his feet.

“Jolie! DEATH!” he called as Rinnon roared from inside him at the strangers he found in his lair.

The cave shook, and the mountain came alive with Rinnon’s rage and protectiveness.

Only, from where he stood, Flynn couldn’t believe his eyes.

“What?” Jolie asked as they came running into the room and sliding to a stop.

Jacques could smell it.

Immediately, he knew that Rinnon had made one hell of a mistake. He’d not only used an ancient spell to block them from Fate, but he’d borrowed another one.

One that made Death…Death.

“Uh, oh,” he said, seeing what had Flynn shocked. This was going to bite them in the ass at some point.

Jolie was confused.

“Who the hell are they?” she asked, pointing at a man and woman standing in the kitchen and looking around just as confused as they were.

They looked familiar, but she didn’t know from where.

Flynn found his words.

Somehow.

“Uh, I don’t know what’s going on, but those are my parents, and they are no longer dead.”

In that moment, they all knew they had a problem.

Someone had just unknowingly raised the dead.

Flynn’s dead.

And there was going to be hell to pay. Someone had picked up some of Jacques’ gifts and become a necromancer.

Thanks to Rinnon and some kinky sex.

Oh, Hell’s Bells.

This was bad.

* * * T u e u r A n t i q u i t i e s * * *

Paris, France

Same Time

Meeting

Oh, she was going to make sure that Rinnon and his ‘family’ paid the ultimate price for daring to make her existence hellish.

How dare they?

Without a doubt, screwing with them was going to be her greatest joy, and Fate knew this would be a killing blow to Daddy detestable.

Call it a hunch.

A huge one.

Now, it was about manipulating this pathetic creature that belonged to Death, so that she could set up the final showdown where Rinnon and his people lost their battle.

Finally.

They needed to go so she could rise to the top and control the world.

What it came down to was that there was collateral damage.

For Fate, Vampyres were of no use to her.

They were damaged, broken creatures that had no soul, and didn’t matter.

In fact, she could care less if they went back into the box or not.

Honestly, if she was going to be blunt, they were a little too human-like for her taste. There was one creature she hated the most, and they were the pathetic humans that were a byproduct of strong monsters.

They were fallible.

They were gross.

They were…beyond flawed.

So, the only thing she could do was start chipping away at the monsters that Rinnon cared about, until he was forced to put them back in the box.

Then, she’d finally have some peace in her garden.

This was about causing the maximum damage, and in order to destroy Rinnon, she had to chip away at his support system.

With the destruction of the vampyres…

Jolie would hate him when he put all the vampyres away for the rest of eternity. She had been a vampyre, and she favored them.

That would break their bond.

Wouldn’t she be shocked when the ‘love of her existence’ threw them away like yesterday’s trash?

Then, she’d stop loving and protecting the monster.

Rinnon would be on his own.

Oh, Fate couldn’t wait for that moment to happen so she could destroy him.

Now, it was time to manipulate one of those damaged creatures.

Cloaking her real self, she waited in the abandoned building for the pawn in this to arrive.

Oh, and she was giddy with the prospect of this going down.

The second he approached, she could feel him, and he wasn’t well.

Honestly, he felt like madness and destruction.

PERFECT.

“Mathew,” she called, using that calming voice to lure him into what was a trap.

Oh, it was definitely one for him too.

He was a vampyre, expendable, and before long, he’d be that tool used for domination of her enemies.

They were going to rue the day they started their shit with her.

Wouldn’t they be surprised?

“I’m in here,” she offered, luring him to her so she could begin the game.

This one vampyre mattered to Jolie, and that meant he would be that strike to her heart.

Perfect.

When he walked into the room to meet her, he had blood on his shirt, and he looked like a wild, feral animal.

He smelled like death and bad deeds.

God.

Vampyres were foul.

Granted, it wasn’t all his fault either.

No.

That was the problem when you necromanced someone back from the dead. They didn’t come back the way they should. They were just slightly unhinged.

He.

Was.

Off.

Sometimes, they would return all there, and sometimes, they were facsimiles of what they had once been. It was one of those things that you didn’t mess with because you couldn’t be sure.

Honestly, it was one hell of a crapshoot, but it was one she was willing to take.

For her, the bottom line was this.

This man died a horrible mess, so he came back one. There was no fixing that. Fate knew she could use that to her advantage.

Besides, it wasn’t her job to fix him. She wasn’t a miracle worker, now was she?

As he approached, she could smell the madness. Someone was missing a few screws.

Well, she’d work with what she had.

“Mistress,” he said, bowing his head as he stood before her.

FINALLY.

Someone who knew how to address her with the respect she deserved.

Yeah, this pleased Fate.

At least he understood his place. So few of the creatures rolling around this big, blue marble got that.

Because his madness didn’t scare her, she moved closer, so as to begin her master plan to destroy Rinnon and his family.

“Are you ready to be my weapon against Jolie Harcourte?” she asked, trying to keep that giddiness from her voice.

Oh, and it wasn’t easy.

Not.

At.

All.

He hissed low at the mention of her name.

That pleased her too.

Fate kept twisting the knife to rile up the monster before her.

“She and her husbands must pay, and that baby must never be born. Are we on the same page, pet?”

From where he stood, Mathew nodded, a low feral growl coming from deep within his belly at the mention of her husbands.

Oh, he hated them.

That was crystal clear.

That told her all she needed to know. Fate had picked a winner here. This hapless, broken-down, and twisted creature would create the most havoc.

Perfect.

The world needed more havoc—in her opinion.

“Yesssssss,” he hissed, lifting his head to stare into her eyes.

What she saw was exactly what she needed.

CHAOS.

In his eyes, there was nothing but madness, and to beat Rinnon, that was exactly what they needed.

Oh, Rinnon was fucked seven ways to Sunday on this one. Let him shove that in his ass and think about it.

Daddy Detestable was about to have his hands full, and not in a way he was going to enjoy.

This was the weapon she needed to use, and he was going to be successful.

She could tell.

Now, before he went into the fray, Fate needed to make her weapon even stronger, ensuring that there would be no way that they would lose the war.

She’d give him a little extra under the hood—so to speak.

“I am going to gift you something special to help you out,” she admitted, hoping that the pathetic creature stayed bound in the madness.

She needed him to not think, but instead, to just do. She needed a thoughtless slave to do her bidding.

From where he stood, Mathew listened.

“My mother, Lilith, may her form rot wherever the hell she is,” she began, “was Rinnon’s necromancer. She had the gift, and the spells passed on to her children—myself and Death. I’m going to give you that gift so that you can use it to kill the people who did you dirty.”

At her words, Mathew smiled, his fangs sticking out from behind his lips.

“YESSSSS!”

She warned him.

“It’s only temporary. The magick will only last a week, so you’ll have to find the antiquity that will allow you to keep it—if you want it,” she said, setting him up so he believed he was in control of his own destiny.

Spoiler alert.

He wasn’t.

“Oh, I want it,” Mathew hissed. “I want to destroy them for what was done to me.”

That made her smile.

Oh, some creatures were so predictable.

Fate had nailed this one.

She continued.

“Then, you must find The Necromancer’s Sword. That is the only way to allow you to retain this particular gift. After how horribly they treated you, Mathew, I wish I could do more.”

That was the mother of all lies.

She couldn’t give a shit about this pathetic monster.

Fate put on the sympathy act.

“Only, I can only give you it for a couple of days. It’s outside of my gifts. My brother can wield it for his job, so he doesn’t need the sword. I hope you understand.”

Mathew rolled his neck, and there was horrific popping of the bones. That sickening sound was deafening in the silence of the room.

“I want it,” Mathew muttered. “I want it so that I can kill them all! I want their blood, and I want her dead for betraying me! I WAS FAMILY!” he raged.

As he stormed around the room, the madness wrapped around him, she couldn’t help but want to dance around and celebrate.

This was a good day in her world.

Destroy her precious garden?

Oh, well, this was payback.

This unhinged vampyre was absolutely going to make their lives miserable, and she loved that for them.

Oh.

So.

Much.

“And I want it for you. With the sword, you can bring an army against Rinnon. For now, you can only bring so many to life but as you find the relic, you will have so much power, Mathew.”

That was exactly what he wanted.

Craved.

Desired.

Mathew understood what she was saying, and he was grateful to be back. His time dead wasn’t fun.

Not at all.

“I want to make her pay,” he said. “I want Jolie to feel my rage as I rip that baby from her and eat it in front of her,” he hissed.

Well, someone was angsty.

That was for damn sure.

Fate knew in that moment that this might just work. This crazed monster might just have a chance. After all, he knew Jolie.

He’d been part of her family.

That baby couldn’t be born.

Fate absolutely wanted to watch Rinnon’s unborn child dismembered in front of him. He was turning a little too human for her liking.

That had to be stopped.

It looked as if Fate had picked the perfect nut to throw at Daddy detestable.

Let it begin.

Oh, and destroying his family would slow him down so she could find a way to shove his convoluted ass back into the box herself.

That would be part two of this game.

The conclusion.

When Mathew moved closer, he had to know one thing.

“Where is the sword?” he asked, his voice garbled with the insanity that had him in its clutches.

Yeah, well, about that.

She wished she knew.

Who did?

Death.

Well, that might not be one hundred percent factual. She suspected he could find it. He was a pain in her ass, and she knew he wouldn’t be looking for it.

YET.

She’d had to be careful since he was always trying to stop her from ending Rinnon.

This little plot was written in Fate’s tapestry, way into the future, she knew it was off his radar.

For now.

“I only know a general location, but I do know it’s a place you’re very familiar with, so you should have no problem finding it. You lived there before you were ostracized by Jolie to come to Paris.”

At the mention of her name, he reacted.

His whole body did this weird jittery dance and his nails lengthened.

It was creepy as fuck.

And that was saying a lot.

You didn’t freak Fate out easily, but here she was, wanting to get away from him.

Yeah, he was off alright, and she needed to utilize him before what was left of his brain was annihilated into a puddle of mush.

This was the beginning stages of a zombie, and he could go bad at any moment.

Oh, well.

She pitied Jolie and her family.

Nahhhh, she really didn’t.

Let.

Them.

Rot.

“How do you feel about New Orleans?” she asked, egging him on as she pointed this madness at a place that was near and dear to Jolie.

His sick laughter told the tale.

In fact, it said everything that she needed to know about what was about to go down.

Pandemonium.

That would keep Death busy.

Slowly, she could feel fate changing, and this time, in her favor. The clock was now ticking, and they had to get moving before Death figured this all out.

Yeah, her father was in some serious shit.

If only she could find them, she’d make them pay by throwing everything at them at once, but they found a spell to keep them safe from her.

Damn them.

Oh, well, going for New Orleans and Jolie’s vampyres would bring them there.

Bet.

On.

It.

Oh, and she would keep aiming her rage at the vampyres there to get Rinnon to show up for his wife. When he did…

Daddy was a dead demon God.

“I will try to find the sword for you, but until I do, make her life a living hell. Do you understand, Mathew?” she asked, her voice soft and purring.

He simply nodded.

Yeah, she was using some compulsion to keep this train on the tracks.

Sue her.

His mind was fractured enough that she had very little choice. He stunk like zombies and bad choices.

Rinnon’s.

Only, Fate wasn’t done.

“If you do as I ask, there is a reward for your loyalty, my pet.”

He howled like a wounded animal, and then focused on her.

“I want only one thing!” he hissed, right before putting his fist through a wall.

There was the breaking of bones, and the popping of joints before they healed.

“What do you want?” she asked, giddy with the prospect that she was the puppet master for a change.

“I want Flynn! I want him dead too! He came for me! He and Jacques ended me! They couldn’t leave me alone, so I want him to pay dearly!”

Oh, she was aware.

And little did this monster know, that was the plan. The vessel for Rinnon was tough to destroy, but they’d find a way.

Destruction, the sword, might come out and play.

As for Mathew’s demise…

She was the one who put him on the list to reap so that he would appear on Death’s radar. Then, Death wouldn’t be able to help himself, but tell his mate.

It worked out perfectly.

She was playing the long con, and they’d fallen for it. Nothing happened in life without her consent.

NOTHING.

And that they’d not noticed?

After all, the vampyre had been raising hell in Paris, and she knew they’d want that stopped.

They didn’t see this coming?

Tsk.

Tsk.

Now, she needed to use the killer in front of her as bait.

Oh, he’d do some damage, but he’d also be handled at one point by Death. That made cleanup on this one, not her problem.

Yeah, with this madness…he’d do the job.

Fate watched out for damaged beings like him so that she could play with them when needed, and now, he was definitely going to work out perfectly.

Death would regret destroying her garden twice in one day. He would regret so many things, and she couldn’t wait for him to suffer.

When Rinnon went, so did Flynn, his vessel, and when two of the three mates were gone, Jolie would crumble.

She’d be destroyed.

That would leave Death all alone, and hers.

He was the weaker sibling, simply because while he had Death one-point-oh’s memories, he didn’t have her full gifts.

He was a baby Death.

She was the original Fate.

That wasn’t a match he could win.

“Well, then, go find him. Kill, destroy, and bring back an army. I’ll find you again, and when I do, Mathew, you will be rewarded.”

She walked toward him, and he reeked of madness and evil—and that was the kind of perversion she liked in her minions.

Yeah, it was a good smell on him.

Touching his forehead, she muttered the ancient spell that was hers to pass to him for a limited time so that he could play necromancer.

She hoped he used it well in the hunt for The Necromancer’s Sword.

As she cast the spell, his body vibrated, and then, he screamed in pain as the gift was passed to him.

It.

Was.

Done.

Fate didn’t share often, but when it was necessary, she would do just that.

There was no doubt in her mind that the vampyre would cause countless havoc in New Orleans as he made Jolie’s life hell.

God.

It was good to be her.

This was about stopping her father and the rebirth of her mother.

Let’s just say that she and Lilith didn’t part on good terms. She was the kind of powerful no one needed roaming around.

NO.

ONE.

Not on her watch.

When he stopped screaming as the spell was completed, he lifted his head and looked at her. Immediately, she saw it in his eyes.

Those soulless black orbs told the tale.

Yikes.

He was lost in madness.

Fate saw his intent, and she knew he was about to attack. Waving her arm, she sent him with his madness to New Orleans to do his worst.

Ahhhh, this would be fun.

Now that he was there, she unleashed a nightmare for her nemesis. This would keep them very busy for the next few days.

Oh, this was priceless.

Jolie Harcourte was about to have a flashback to her past, and with this one…

There would be death.

Hopefully, hers and Lilith’s.

But honestly, anyone in her family would do. It was time to do some damage.

At.

Last.