The Fallen (A Sons of Wrath Prequel)

The Fallen

By Keri Lake

THE FALLEN
A Sons of Wrath Prequel

Keri Lake

Copyright © 2014

All Rights Reserved.

AUTHOR’S NOTE This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Cover Art © Ryan Whalen

Editing by
Julie Belfield

Layout provided by
Colin F. Barnes

Praise for Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1)

“Keri Lake’s “Soul Avenged” is an action-packed, fast-paced, emotional roller-coaster that will have you begging for more.” -
Book Lovin’ Mamas

“It’s truly a treat to grab up an indie author’s work only to find out that you’ve come across an amazing writing talent, and that’s exactly what happened when I read this first installment of Keri Lake’s Sons of Wrath series.” -
The Autumn Review

“
It was a beautiful romance but there was so much more. The Lycans, the Alexi, Ayden’s past and her vengeance... all is related and it is so good! The fight scenes with the Lycans were giant!” –
The Darkest Reader

“Soul Avenged is an impeccable start to the Sons of Wrath series. Ms. Lake’s world of evil Lycans, sexy demons, twisted villain and a kick ass heroine had me turn the pages nonstop.” -
Under the Covers Book Blog

“Paranormal romance is my absolute favorite genre and this is a prime example of why I read it. This book has it all: very hot vengeance dealing demon brothers, a very hot sexy Lycan and a death dealing kick butt heroine.” -
The Jeep Diva

“A fierce heroine, a forbidden romance and non-stop action…a must read for urban fantasy lovers!” -
Romancing the Dark Side

“
This was one of the BEST paranormal fantasy reads I have read in a long time!  … The book hits the ground running, full sprint. There is no lead up, Keri Lake just drops you into the middle of the action and makes you say to yourself, “Yeeeesss!” –
A TiffyFit’s Reading Corner

Praise for Soul Resurrected (Sons of Wrath, #2)

“What I am really loving about these books is that
Keri Lake 
has managed to successfully combine Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.  We get the dark, gritty, fast-paced action and intricate plot of UF and combined it with a heart-wrenching, yet smoldering romance.  HOTNESS!!” -
Book Soulmates

“The ratings don’t lie, Soul Avenged and Soul Resurrected are delectable chunks of PNR/UF goodness you’ll be crazy not get your hands on.” -
Talk Supe Blog

“
Soul Resurrected
is dark, raw and, at times downright gruesome while somehow also succeeding at being smokin’ hot; an unlikely combination that works for Keri Lake … The world-building and dark tone continues to be the shining stars of this series; their uniqueness and brilliance are what keeps me coming back for more.” -
Rabid Reads

“The world building is really well done and this book adds a lot from the demon perspective, although I am still hungry for more.” -
Lola’s Reviews

“I definitely recommend Lake’s
Sons of Wrath
books if you want to read a great paranormal book, a story that has its twist and turns, and with a load of action and hotness!!” –
Hook Me Up Book Blog

“I have been waiting for
Soul Resurrected
since I read
Soul Avenged
nine months ago.  Keri Lake’s
Sons of Wrath
series is definitely on my auto-buy list, and for fans of PNR and UF, it should be on yours, too!” -
That’s What I’m Talking About

By That Sin Fell The Angels
– William Shakespeare

For Sammy C.
Thank you for asking what made the angel fall …

To my readers

This book is a prequel to
Soul Avenged
(book one) of the Sons of Wrath series. At the request of a reader, I decided Xander’s story had to be told. Though characters do make appearances, it is not part of the overarching story that spans the series and can be read as a standalone.

I’ll caution, this book contains very dark themes, violence, nonconsensual sex and acts of suicide. It was never meant to be a love story, as Xander was never created to be a hero in the series.

This is a work of fiction and, as such, does not reflect my views as the author. Any similarities, living or deceased, are coincidental.

Thank you for your continued interest in my writing.

~ Keri Lake

THE FALLEN PLAYLIST:

Music plays an enormous role in my writing. Huge thanks to these amazing artists who inspired this story and gave me a swift kick in the ass when I needed it—particularly Volbeat who roused Lolita’s character from obscurity with the song,
Lola Montez.

Find all my playlists at
http://www.kerilake.com/playlists

Lola Montez – Volbeat

Pussy Liquor – Rob Zombie

Wicked Games – The Weeknd

Closer – Nine Inch Nails

Heaven Nor Hell - Volbeat

Good Man – Devour the Day

Blood – In This Moment

Somewhat Damaged – Nine Inch Nails

Black Sheep - Metric

Magnolia Blvd – Butcher Babies

Rebel Yell – Billy Idol

Twisted Transistor – Korn

Angels – The XX

CMND/CTRL – Deftones

Living Dead Girl – Rob Zombie

Beast and the Harlot – Avenged Sevenfold

Judith – A Perfect Circle

Hysteria - Muse

Something I Can Never Have – Nine Inch Nails

Where Did The Angels Go – Papa Roach

I Get Off – Halestorm

Bounce It – Juicy J, Wale, Trey Songz

Feral Game – Otep

Mr. Slowdeath – Butcher Babies

The Mirror and the Ripper – Volbeat

All You Ever Wanted – The Black Keys

Life of the Party – The Weeknd

Violence Fetish – Disturbed

Wrong Side of Heaven – Five Finger Death Punch

Spike in My Veins – Korn

Addicted to Pain – Alter Bridge

…To Be Loved – Papa Roach

Whore – In This Moment

I’m Not An Angel – Halestorm

Porn Star Dancing – My Darkest Days

The Outsider – A Perfect Circle

Die For You – Red

Beautiful Pain – Eminem, Sia

Sons of Wrath Glossary

Abyzz
: A potent, hallucinogenic drug of the demon realm; dangerous to humans

Alexi
: An army of soldiers bred to slay lycans

Amec
: An intense emotion, stronger than human love, of deep affection and loyalty

Amegation
: The illegal impregnation of an un-bonded female

Berserker
: Violent genetic mutations as a result of failed human Lywa trials

Brozszius
: A demon advocate for prisoners of Obsidius, willing to endure half the punishment

Brutesz Demons:
Boorish hit men of the underworld; shady and untrustworthy

Cartazmus:
An ancient book of demon history, which resides within a crypt in Orcosia

Catatones
: Ghouls who inhabit the catacombs of the Wrath Demon manor; guards

Demortis
: The metal of the gods; the only known element that can kill a demon; not commonly found in the human realm

Divine Matrons
: Governesses to children born of demon princes

Elysia
: A strong demon liquor

Enforcers
: Bounty hunters of the underworld

Eradis:
The binding of souls, after which, the couple becomes tazschla and servosx

Feshjule
: Demon equivalent for ‘fucker’

Gambis Demons
: Demons whose most notable talents are thieving and gossip

Gaszla
: Black arts witch

Halfling
: A recently bitten human awaiting the full change to lycan

House of Bereavement
: A tomb for the grieving; found in the underworld; demons call it Mortuadium.

Imprinting
: The transfer of a victim’s memory to another following a lycan bite.

Incubi
: Breed of male demon that feeds off sexual energy; they have the power to erase short-term memory

Lamb
: The derogatory Alexi term for weak human beings (those who do not carry the antibody to lycan venom)

Lenovidus Demons
: Pimps assigned to succubi at a young age; collect souls for the underworld

Lycan
: A supernatural species that can take the form of any animal; most common form: wolves

Lywa Antibody
: A powerful concoction designed by biochemist, General Jackson Wade, which confers resistance to lycan venom after a bite

Mortuadium
: House of Bereavement

Obsidius
: Underworld prison for the damned

Orcosia
: The underworld realm, otherwise known to humans as hell

Orcosii
: Council of Elders in Orcosia

Renoshza
: Sexual maturity of a succubus after her first orgasm with a victim.

Sanctuary
: A bar and casino in downtown Detroit owned by the Wrath Brothers

Sanctisz:
A plea of innocence

Sang
: Short for Sangexzha

Sangexzha
: An ancient species of the underworld, extinct for centuries, with an appetite for blood

Saevious Demons
: Violent sexual predator demons

Savidon
: A demon male’s sexual prime, wherein he’s forced to choose a mate for life

Scelius Demon:
Violent breed of demon that roam in packs and pick up women to share among themselves

Semptresz
: A seamstress to royalty in the underworld

Servosx
: Male demon mate

Shine
: A hallucinogenic drug popular in the underground scene

Stygius:
The realm of absolute death for the damned.

Succubi
: Breed of female demon that feeds off sexual energy and, at one time, were bred as sex slaves to demon lords; often prostitutes; typically mother many children from different fathers; avoided by most male demons

Sudesz
: Suicide; a punishable crime of the underworld

Szexus organ
: An organ in mature male demons responsible for bonded sex

Tazschla
: Female mate

Trolls
: Employed by demons as security guards

Underground
: Parties held in the basements of abandoned buildings in Detroit

Verbrizh:
The most painful form of punishment in the underworld, carried out with a specialized whip designed to inflict severe injury.

Vitiusz Demons
: Potentially violent demons with severe facial deformities

Wrath Demons
: Warriors of vengeance; sons of the demon prince, Wrath; punishers to those who’ve wronged; each specializes in a form of mental or physical pain

Zshula
: Midwife for lost souls; she brings them back from the otherworld

Prologue

In the underbelly of the world …

You see shit. Shit that doesn’t leave your head no matter how much liquor you pound to drown it out. The kind of potent images that play over and over in your mind like some fucked up snuff film you want to look away from but can’t.

Because the moment you do, is the moment she disappears … and Sentinels never look away.

–Xander