After Rasputin had left, Chris tossed back another fiery shot or two of liquid courage. A good thing because Evangeline, Isobel’s wicked sister, walked in and began staring at him.

Gawked long enough that Chris snapped and said, “What?”

“I am trying to see if I can spot who your mother is.”

“How about a deadbeat cow just like my father?” She’d abandoned him intentionally. At least Lucifer had the excuse that he didn’t know about his son. She, on the other hand, chose to give him away.

“One has to wonder why she did it. Knowing who she is would greatly help in that understanding.”

“Well, I can’t help you there. I never even knew Clarice wasn’t my birth mother until recently.”

“I hear she sent War to fetch you.”

“As you can see, he failed.”

Evangeline cocked her head. “Surprising, I have to admit. Is that the first time you’ve met one of the horsemen?”

“Until now, I didn’t even know they existed for real.” But he’d heard the stories. His adopted mother used to read him the Tales of the Apocalypse as a child—a compilation of the Bible’s quotes on the end of the world. His favorite passage came from Revelation Six, the King James version: “And said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

I shall stand, for I am the one who sits on that throne.

Today, he finally got a glimpse of that power. When War and his legion yielded to him and left empty-handed, victory filled him with intense elation. He’d stood and won against his first foe.

But there would be others.

He eyed Evangeline, a wily witch with attitude, and smarts. “What do you know of the horsemen?”

“Many things.” Her finely drawn brows arched. “Am I to assume you wish me to tell you what I know?”

“Listen, you and I both want the same thing.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“I want to marry Isobel, not you, but for that to work, a couple of things have to happen. One, I need to figure out how to fix your dad.”

Her lips pursed. “Figures she’d make that part of the bargain. You do know he’s dead?”

“No shit. And while I’m trying to do the almost impossible, I might have to deal with some more of those horsemen dudes because I don’t think any of us believe my so-called mother is going to give up so easily.”

“One would hope not. The thought of pitting myself against one of her power is quite titillating. I wonder if she’s got a spellbook I can steal.”

“How about I give you anything I find if you help me out. Who are War and his buddies?”

“The horsemen are the harbingers of the end times. They are supposed to be contained in a prison. It seems they’ve escaped.”

“And no one noticed?”

“The horsemen have been lost for eons. While the scriptures mention them, no one has ever actually recorded seeing them.”

“Your grandfather spoke as if he knew War.”

“Perhaps he does. But that doesn’t mean they met in person.”

“If they’ve been lost forever, then where do the stories about them come from?”

Evangeline shrugged. “Where does any legend start? Word of mouth handed down through generations. Religion doesn’t need fact for people to believe and embellish. However, it is my belief from the thesis I did in college that, once upon a time, those horsemen did indeed roam the earth, wreaking havoc until someone put them away.”

“Who?”

Again, her shoulders lifted and fell. “That is not known. Nor is the how. Although, if we go back to Bible verse, then there is mention of the breaking of seals to release them.”

“I know that part. Something about the seals being broken by the lamb.” Chris wrinkled his nose. “That’s what they said in the scripture, but I don’t see how a lamb could break any kind of seal, especially not a strong, magical one.”

“The lamb is probably a euphemism. Meaning someone with innocent intent. Who the lamb is isn’t important. The fact is that the horsemen roam. You might get the destiny you’re always blathering about after all.”

Great. Now if only he could muster more enthusiasm. Hard to be excited when he knew so little. “What can they do? War can apparently summon ghosts to fight for him.”

“War can do much more than that. However, I would say his strength isn’t quite at full capacity yet. From the images our security cameras captured, his armor appeared rather dull, his horse emaciated and nothing close to the crimson shine the legends state.”

“You mean he was weak?” That didn’t bode well. Chris’s satisfaction at beating the horseman dimmed.

“As War gains in strength, feeding off the strife he encounters, he will be able to do much more. It is said that he can call together the armies of man and beast, both dead and alive.”

“And he obeys my mother.”

Her lips pursed. “For now. But one has to wonder if allegiance can perhaps be swayed. You are, after all, the son. The Prince That Shall Come.” For once, she didn’t say it with her usual mockery.

“What of the other horsemen? What do you know about them?”

“The others are named in modern times as Pestilence, who is a she, not a he, for who else but a woman has the finesse to sicken the minds of loved ones to turn against each other? With a simple frown, she can sour milk, shrivel blossoms. In her wake, things are poisoned.” Evangeline sighed and smiled. “I had her poster on my wall for years. I wanted to grow up to be just like her.”

“That’s sick.”

“I know.”

“From what you’re saying, she is not just a disease carrier.”

“She is the bringer of all the ills you can imagine. It is believed she brought about the Black Plague.”

“I thought she was supposed to be in prison.”

“Something people escape. In her case, she did and went on a rampage.”

“But someone caught her and put her back.”

“So we assume since that was the last major outbreak. But perhaps she’s just been biding her time.”

“Let’s move on to the next one, Famine. Girl, too?”

“No, quite male, and he starves mankind not just of food but all the things they need to survive. A person starved of affection will become despondent. A person who has lost all hope becomes weak. And that is when the fourth sweeps in. Death. He is the one who reaps the souls after his brethren have passed by.”

“Hold on, I thought Death worked for Lucifer and God. How can he have been locked away?”

“The lords of Heaven and Hell have angels and demons working in that role. But they are not the original death dealer.”

So much he didn’t know, and it was fascinating to discover. But there was one question he doubted Evangeline could answer.

“Why would the horsemen choose to obey my mother? Shouldn’t they be following me?” he asked. “I’m the one mentioned in the prophecy.”

“Are you?” Again, she cocked her head and bore a small tight smile.

“I am the Antichrist.”

“And? Yes, perhaps you are Lucifer’s son, but are you truly the Son of Perdition? Prophecy doesn’t say if more than one will rise, just like we can’t be sure it will be a son. It could be a daughter.”

“You just called me Son of Perdition.”

“Yes, but keep in mind, we are talking about scripture written by men in a time of man. Sexism was very much alive and well in those days. It is not too hard to believe that perhaps some well-meaning fellow changed it.”

That angered Chris. “I’m the Antichrist.”

“Yes, but are you the one that will bring about the destruction of the world? Do you want to see life as we know it on this planet end?”

At that query, Chris didn’t reply because, for the first time since people began whispering to him of his destiny, he wondered: what would that mean? Did his becoming king mean everyone had to die? Would he truly destroy this world? Flatten all buildings and burn every single city just to rule?

A tingle of awareness had him looking up as Isobel entered the room, beautiful as always, arousing a desire unlike any he’d ever experienced.

Igniting a deep need.

Would he set the world on fire if it meant having the power to keep her?

The world probably wouldn’t like his reply.