Legacy of Chaos
(A Demonica Birthright Novel)
by Larissa Ione
The legacy continues…
It’s a gritty new world.
Three decades after the events of REAPER, the world is a different place. The secret is out. The existence of demons, vampires, shapeshifters, and angels has been revealed, and humans are struggling to adapt. Out of the chaos, The Aegis has risen to global power on the promise of containing or exterminating all underworlders, even if that means ushering in the End of Days.
Standing in their way is the next generation of warriors, the children of demons and angels and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
See how they become legends in their own right.
Legacy of Chaos
Stryke, son of Shade and Runa, grew up a happy, well-adjusted incubus alongside his four brothers. A supergenius, he took an interest in science and technology at an early age, with a dream of joining NASA…until a moment of carelessness resulted in the death of his little brother. Unable to forgive himself and desperate to prevent a similar tragedy from happening to others, he started up his own anti-demon tech company and sequestered himself behind its walls. Now he’s a household name and one of the wealthiest people on the planet.
Cyan, a technomancer who works as a cybersecurity expert for DART, lost her best friend to a weapon designed by Stryke’s company. She’s hurt, angry, and wants revenge. So when an opportunity to work with Stryke on a project arises, she jumps at the chance to help DART and make Stryke’s life miserable.
At first, Cyan and Stryke butt heads about everything. But she soon finds that deep down, he’s desperately wounded and willing to sacrifice everything, including his family, to achieve his goals. Can she help him heal before he destroys himself—and everyone around him?
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An Exclusive Interview with Larissa Ione
Hi everyone!
In preparation for the release of Legacy of Chaos, I thought I’d have a sit down with Stryke, our reluctant hero. I say “reluctant,” because although he’s aggressive, bold, and not one to back down from a challenge, he’s also a hermit who doesn’t discuss his personal life.
That’s about to change.
I take a seat across from him in his high-rise office in Sydney, Australia. (Note: Australia has been ceded to demons, and Stryke’s company headquarters sits like a crown jewel that gives the entire country legitimacy on the world stage.) I can see Sydney Harbor in the distance, but my focus is on the lust demon sitting across from me. He’s dressed in a tailored black suit that’s as dark as his eyes.
He’s not happy to be here.
Larissa: Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview—
Stryke: I changed my mind.
Larissa: Wait. What? You agreed—
Stryke: I agreed to an interview. But I will be interviewing you. Not the other way around.
Larissa: That’s a little unconventional. I’m not really prepared…
Stryke (smiles wryly): I’m sure you’ll manage.
He leans back in his plush desk chair and eyes me. Assesses me. It’s kind of unsettling.
Stryke: So, what inspired you to tell my story right now? I have three other brothers and a lot of cousins. Why not focus on them?
That’s actually a good question.
Larissa: Honestly, I didn’t intend to write your story until later in the series. But you and Cyan kept trying to take over while I was writing Logan’s story, and neither of you would get out of my head.
Stryke (nodding): Cyan does that. Fills your head and stays there.
Larissa: You don’t seem to mind.
Stryke’s eyes narrow, and I can tell he doesn’t want to linger on the topic.
Stryke: Was there anything that surprised you about our story?
Larissa: Hmm. I guess I was kind of taken aback by how long it took you to let Cyan in.
Stryke: Really? That surprised you? What about how long it took her to let me in?
Larissa: That didn’t shock me at all. You’re kind of a jerk.
Stryke (laughs): Kind of?
He shifts his gaze to the artwork on the walls before looking back at me.
Stryke: Good thing she doesn’t care that I’m a jerk.
Larissa: Oh, she cares. She just isn’t afraid to call you on it.
Stryke (smiling fondly): True.
I lean forward in my chair, preparing to pounce while he’s got Cyan on the brain.
Larissa: Now, let me ask you a question. Since, you know, that’s why I’m here in the first place.
Stryke: Fair enough, I suppose.
Larissa: Do you think things between you and Blade will ever get better?
The temperature in the room plummets. This has never been a safe topic, but safe topics are boring. For a long moment, Stryke just sits there, a muscle in his jaw flexing as he grinds his molars. But I’m not withdrawing the question. Of all the questions I prepared for him, this is the one I wanted an answer to the most. Finally, he stands. Stalks over to the window and looks out so his back is to me.
It’s a fine back, I must say.
Stryke: My relationship with Blade is complicated. Neither of us have handled things well. But I’ve done what I can. Maybe you should work on his book and kick his ass a little.
Larissa: I’m working on it as we speak. He’s being difficult.
Stryke (laughs bitterly): Sounds about right.
Stryke pivots around, his hands clasped behind his back.
Stryke: I think our time is done. You can show yourself out.
Larissa (glancing at my watch): We still have fifteen minutes—
Stryke: We’re done. You should get back to work. Blade needs you.
Larissa: Do you really care about what Blade needs?
Stryke: Of course I do.
Larissa: You should know that he cares about you.
Stryke (snorts skeptically): I’m sure.
Larissa: Seriously. I saw it firsthand. He just doesn’t know how to come back from so many years of space between you two. And he’s going through his own stuff, you know?
Stryke: What kind of stuff?
Larissa (shrugging): Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.
Stryke: I guess so.
I stand and start to leave, but in a flash, Stryke grabs my wrist and stops me.
Stryke: Take care of him. Take care of my whole family. They’ve all been through too much.
Convinced, now more than ever, that Stryke is, deep down, a good guy, I promise him that I will. The Demonica and Horsemen families are my family too, and I love them. The road to Happily Ever After might take a few detours to hell and back, but in the end, it’ll all be worth it.
Biography:
Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.
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