Still hidden behind the door with Nick, Tory blinked, then smiled at the sight of Ash standing tough and large in the middle of the Daimons. His stance said it all, I'm here to clean your house and I won't be merciful while doing it. Fuck with me and you'll be nothing more than your mama's bad memory.
His black hair was streaked through with dark red. The hem of his long, pirate style double breasted coat swung around those cherry red Doc Martens that he'd worn the night they first met. The ruby stud was back in his nose and for once she adored the sight of the sunglasses perched on his face.
Man, Acheron was hot and her heart raced in gratitude that he'd come for her.
The tall, blond man beside him was much more sedate in appearance. With a black button down shirt that was rolled back at his wrists and jeans, his clothes were plain in comparison. But he was almost as handsome with perfect features and white blond hair that he wore pulled back into a ponytail. She also didn't miss the fact that but for the blond hair, the man bore a remarkable resemblance to Stryker.
Like Stryker, he had a deadly air that was only surpassed by the one enveloping Ash.
"I thought Ash couldn't come here," she whispered to Nick.
"Apparently he's willing to end the world for you. You should be impressed. I am."
Her eyes widening, she definitely was. Why would Ash take such a risk?
And every demon and Daimon was frozen into place by his presence. Not a single word was said by the crowd outside. It was as if they were all holding a collective breath as they waited for Armageddon to begin.
All except Stryker who glared at the blond man beside Ash with an expression that was best defined as pained hatred. "You dare to stand with my enemy?"
"Against you, Father, I'd stand with Mickey Mouse."
Stryker curled his lip. "You worthless sonofabitch. You should never have been anything more than a cum stain."
The blond scoffed. "I could definitely say the same thing about you. It would have saved the world and all of us a lot of misery now, wouldn't it?"
The Daimons started forward, but they were thrown back by an unseen force.
Ash turned to Stryker and growled. "Enough of the family reunion bullshit. Where is Soteria?"
Tory frowned at Ash's words. Though the voice was his, it had a thick Greek accent and not the more fluid Atlantean one he used whenever he wasn't speaking colloquial American. How odd. Even when he spoke flawless Greek, his accent wasn't that throaty and traditional.
"She's over there." A tall blond woman appeared a few feet from Ash and indicated the door where Tory stood with an imperious jerk of her chin.
Tory gasped at her beauty as the woman crossed the short distance to embrace Ash. "At last, m'gios. You've come to set me free." She placed a kiss on his cheek and whispered something in his ear.
Tory was stunned as she realized this was the goddess Apollymi. Ash's mother.
The goddess of utter destruction.
Ash hugged her close and nodded before he stepped back. With a sneer thrown at Stryker, he turned and headed for her room.
Before Nick could stop her, Tory shoved open the door and ran for Ash. She threw herself into his arms and held him close from her giddy relief. And when their lips met . . .
She went cold in confused shock.
This wasn't Ash. In looks he was completely identical, but he neither smelled nor felt like Acheron. And he definitely didn't kiss like him.
Nick ran at the Ash imposter, but before he could reach him, Urian grabbed Nick and shoved him back into the room where they'd been.
"We have to go," Urian said to her and the fake Ash as he slammed the door shut behind them. He looked at Nick. "And you need to come with us."
Nick curled his lip in obvious hatred. "I'm not going anywhere with him. I'd rather be dead."
Urian forced Nick to look down at Satara's body. "I'm going to make the wildly unfounded assumption that Satara's dead by your hand and not Tory's." Gripping Nick's chin, he forced him to meet his gaze. "Now, stay with me on this, Cajun. My father slit my throat and murdered my wife because he thought I'd betrayed him by getting married. Before that, he loved me more than his life and I was his last surviving child. His second in command. Now what do you think he's going to do to you once he sees her body? I can assure you, it won't be a fun-filled trip to Chuck E. Cheese. For all their animosity toward each other, Satara is his sister and she's served him well over the centuries. If you really want to stay here and have some fun with Stryker, I won't stop you. But I really wouldn't recommend it."
That seemed to get through to Nick. Sanity returned to his eyes. "Fine. I'll go with you."
"Urian," the fake Ash said between his clenched teeth. "I think they're catching on."
"Catching on to what?" Nick asked.
Tory rolled her eyes at the dense question. "That this isn't Ash."
The words had barely left her lips before they faded out of the room.
Zolan, Stryker's third in command and the leader of his personal Illuminati attack force, cleared his throat in the still silent room. "Um . . . boss, I don't mean this disrespectfully, but why are we still here? I mean, if Acheron has come to free Apollymi, shouldn't there be an explosion or something?"
The Daimons and demons looked around as if waiting for an opening to the outer world to appear or for Apollymi to burst into song and dance, or for something else unnatural to happen. Meanwhile, Apollymi just stood there completely stoic, appearing almost angelic and sweet, as she watched Stryker closely.
His second in command, Davyn, scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I agree, kyrios," he said to Stryker, using the Atlantean term for lord. "It doesn't feel like the end of the world."
Stryker turned a cold sneer to Apollymi. "No, it doesn't . . ."
Apollymi arched a taunting brow. "How does the song go, 'It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine'?"
Something was wrong and in an instant he realized what it was. Launching himself from his throne, he ran to the room just as Urian, Tory, Nick and what had to be Ash's twin brother Styxx vanished.
His anger over the obvious trick mounted until he saw Satara lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Fear washed away his rage as he ran to find her dead. Her eyes were glazed and her skin tinged blue.
His heart shattered as he pulled her into his arms and held her close, fighting against the tears of grief and pain. "You stupid psychotic bitch," he growled against her cold cheek, fighting the sobs that demanded release. "What have you done now?"
Apollymi stood in the doorway, aching for Strykerius as he rocked his sister's body in his arms, reminding her of the day she'd found her son's body dumped on the cliffs. Sympathy and a newfound respect for him tore through her.
The fact that he could love someone as broken as Satara said much for him. Yes, he could be cold-blooded, but he wasn't heartless. Closing her eyes, she remembered him the day they'd first met. Stryker had been young and bitter over his father's curse.
"I gave up everything I ever cared about for him and this is how he repays my loyalty? I'm to die in agony in only six years? My young children are now banished from the sun and are cursed to drink blood from each other instead of eating food, and to die in pain at only twenty-seven? For what? For the death of a Greek whore killed by soldiers I've never even seen? Where's the justice in that?"
So she'd pulled him to her ranks and taught him how to circumvent his father's curse by absorbing human souls into his body to elongate his life. She'd given him and his children shelter in a realm where the humans couldn't harm them and where there was no danger of his children accidentally dying by sunlight. Then she'd allowed him to convert others and bring them here to live.
In the beginning, she'd pitied him and she'd even loved him as a son.
But he wasn't her Apostolos and the more he was around her, the more she wanted to have her own child with her no matter the cost. She admitted it was her own fault that she'd put a wall between her and Strykerius. And the two of them had used each other to get back at the people they hated.
Now it had all come to this . . .
"I'm so sorry, Strykerius."
He looked up at her, his silver eyes swirling in pain. "Are you? Or are you gloating?"
"I never gloat over death. I may relish it from time to time when it's justified. But I never gloat."
"And I don't let challenges like this go unanswered."
Tory didn't have time to even orient herself to her new location before someone seized her in a hug so tight, she feared her ribs might break. It wasn't until the scent of Acheron hit her and he kissed her deeply that she smiled and laughed in relief. She was safe.
She started to wrap her arms around his back, but remembered his injuries. Instead, she hugged his neck and held him close.
This was the real Acheron and he felt great in her arms.
He cupped her face in his hands. "Are you all right?" he asked, his eyes darkening as he saw her torn shirt and Nick's buttoned up jacket.
"I'm fine. Really."
"But we're not," Urian said drily. "Nick killed Satara while they held Tory."
"He did it to protect me," Tory interjected.
Urian snorted. "We'll put that on the headstone for you. In the meantime Stryker's going to want blood for this. A lot of blood."
Nick scoffed at his dire tone. "No offense, your father doesn't scare me, especially given how bad I want a piece of his hide. Come get some."
Urian looked less than impressed. "I know you think you share powers with him, but trust me he didn't give you anything but the leftovers. Not to mention one small thing. No one gets a piece of him until after I do."
Ash let out a shrill whistle. "Down, children. We have more important things to do than just save your machismo."
Tory hid a smile as she finally understood exactly what Ash's job was and why he described himself as a wrangler. He really was.
Ash leveled a determined look at Nick. "We have a battle to prepare for. I'm not letting Stryker take Nick."
Nick laughed bitterly. "I don't need your fucking help. I can fight on my own."
Ash didn't respond to the hatred in his tone. "I know why you hate me, Nick. I get it. But your mother wouldn't want you to kill yourself again. Hate me tomorrow. Tonight tolerate me as a necessary evil."
Nick shoved him back. "This doesn't make us friends."
Ash held his hands up. "I know." He turned back to Tory. "Styxx, take her out of here. Keep her safe."
Tory gaped as she realized that this was the same Styxx she'd read about in the journal-the same one who'd tortured and castrated Acheron.
A wave of rage so bitter she could taste it washed over her. She was going to tell Ash that she had no intention of going anywhere with the man who'd gone out of his way to hurt him, but before she could even open her mouth a bright flash of light blinded her.
A nanosecond later a herd of mean, blond men stepped out. They looked deadly serious as they took up formation.
Stryker came through and his gaze went straight to Urian. "You've betrayed me for the last time." He threw something at Urian.
Tory had no idea what it was until Ash caught it in his hand. It was a strangely shaped dagger that reminded her of an ancient Greek design and yet it bore the same sun symbol on the pommel that Ash had on his backpack.
Ash narrowed his gaze on the Daimons. "Take your girls, scream and run away now, Stryker. It'll save you time later. Believe me, you don't want a taste of me in the mood I'm in."
Stryker ran his tongue over his fangs as if he was savoring the idea of feeding on Acheron. "There's nothing I crave more than the taste of blood. Your Dark-Hunters aren't here." He looked around at the men who stood with Ash and laughed in derision. "Tonight we feast, Spathi. Attack!"
Tory was snatched behind the group that stood with Acheron. She wanted to tell them that she could hold her own, but as the men attacked and the Daimons fought back with punches and lightning bolt strikes, she realized that she wasn't as proficient as she needed to be.
They weren't just fighting with their fists and weapons, they were fighting with preternatural powers she could never compete with. And the thought had barely finished before a group of demons joined ranks with the Daimons to fight them.
Stryker went for Nick, but Ash caught him and the two of them went to the ground, slugging. Urian stabbed a demon between the eyes before he turned and ducked the fangs of a Daimon.
Tory stumbled back, looking for a weapon of some kind.
A demon launched itself at her. She tried to kick him back, but he didn't even flinch. Just as he would have reached her, Julian was there with a sword. He severed the demon's head with one well-placed swing.
Balancing the blade of his ancient Greek sword on his shoulder, he turned to face her. "Can you handle a sword?"
"Yes."
"Kyrian!" Julian shouted to the other tall blond man on their team. "Give me a sword."
Kyrian tossed what appeared to be only a hilt. In one fluid move, Julian caught it and pressed a button on the cross hilt. The blade shot out to just under three feet in length. He handed it over to her. "Daimons have to be stabbed through their hearts. Demons between their eyes and if you cut the heads off any of us, we all die."
"How do I tell the difference?"
"Most of the Daimons are blond and they explode into dust when you pierce their hearts. Hit the heart and if that doesn't work, try the eyes. If you stab someone who whimpers, then hits the ground, you attacked a good guy. Just FYI."
She inclined her head. "Thanks for the tutorial."
He laughed before he put his battle face on and went back to the fight.
Tory swung the blade around her body, getting a feel for the balance. Out of nowhere a female Daimon came at her and manifested a staff. She swung it at Tory's head.
Parrying the blow with her sword, Tory pulled the blade back and went on the offensive. The woman met her stroke for stroke and she made every blow count. The ferocity of it rattled all the way to Tory's bones.
She hated to admit it, but the Daimon was actually winning. With a feral growl, she tried to shove the Daimon back.
Suddenly, Nick was there. He swung the Daimon away from her and into another one. "No one hurts a human on my watch," he snarled before he stabbed the Daimon through the heart. As Julian had noted, the Daimon screamed, then turned into a golden powder.
Nick moved away from Tory before she could thank him.
Another flash of light heralded an even larger group of demons and Daimons.
Tory stepped back, her jaw dropping. They were so outnumbered . . .
The guys on her team were brilliant fighters, but they were being overrun by the sheer number of enemies. "This is bad . . ."
Ash froze as he saw one of the Daimons sink his fangs deep into Vane's arm at the same time more demons joined them.
He couldn't let his friends be hurt. Closing his eyes, he summoned his staff from Katoteros. He'd just tightened his hand around it when he felt someone stumble into him.
He opened his eyes to see Styxx there with an Atlantean dagger stuck completely through his stomach. Stryker cursed as he jerked it free, then went for Ash again.
Ash caught the Daimon overlord with the blunt end of his staff and shoved him back. "Flee or die," he growled.
"Fuck you."
Narrowing his gaze on Stryker, Ash shoved him back, then slammed the staff to the pavement. A wave of raw, unfettered power shot out from it to the demons and Daimons around him. Every one of them turned to dust.
Except for Stryker. He hovered above the ground in his dragon form, snarling and flapping. Bellowing, Stryker spewed fire.
Ash lifted his arm, barely in time to keep it from burning him. He shot another god bolt at Stryker who dodged it.
"This isn't over, Acheron. Next time you won't be able to use your powers." With another blast of fire, Stryker vanished.
Vane shook his bleeding arm in an obvious effort to alleviate the pain of the Daimon's bite. "Why were we fighting if you had that kind of power?"
In unison, every ex-Dark-Hunter and Nick said, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should."
"And sometimes things have to go wrong in order to go right," Wulf said. When the other guys looked confused by his solo outburst, he added, "I guess I'm the only one he ever said that one to."
Fury made a strange wolf-like noise. "I still don't see why we were fighting when you could have just kicked their asses without us."
"Because I believe in giving everyone a fighting chance . . . until they piss me off." Ash cast Vane a quick stoic glance. "Bringing in reinforcements was Stryker's mistake."
"And be glad it wasn't yours," Fury said with a nervous laugh to Vane. "I know I'm thrilled it wasn't mine." The wolf looked around at the Daimon and demon remains, or rather what little of it there was. "Acheron. When it absolutely, positively must be destroyed overnight."
Ash knelt by Styxx's side to inspect the damage done. He wasn't overly worried since Styxx couldn't die unless he did. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. The dagger Stryker had held would have killed him had Styxx not stopped the attack.
His brother, who had wanted to die as much as he had, had saved his life.
He could barely even fathom that.
Styxx met his gaze levelly, even though he was shaking from the pain of his wound. "You know, brother, you're never supposed to close your eyes in battle."
Ash laughed at his ill-placed humor. "I wasn't the one training to be a general."
Styxx glanced around at the men surrounding them. "Perhaps. But you do a much better job of leading than I ever did. I definitely think Father trained the wrong one of us."
That was the kindest thing Styxx had ever said to him. Ash didn't speak as he placed his hand over Styxx's wound.
Styxx's gaze didn't leave his. But when Ash sealed the wound closed, Styxx let out an expletive about Ash's "kind" touch that would have made Stryker proud.
"Am I dead yet?" Styxx asked sarcastically.
"Not yet. You still have a few years left to seriously piss me off."
Styxx smiled. "I look forward to it."
For once, so did Ash. "You did a good job for me. Thank you."
"Yeah well, next time you need someone to descend into a Daimon sanctuary, pick one of your other assholes to do it. I don't have the powers of a god when they come at me and it puts me at a definite disadvantage."
Still, he'd thrown himself in front of Ash to protect him . . . It went a long way in allowing him to put the past to rest and to accept his brother. Grinning, Ash helped Styxx to his feet.
Talon scratched his head as he watched them. "Hey T-Rex? Remind me next time I want to get smartass with you that it's a really stupid move on my part."
Wulf gaped. "Oh no you don't, you wuss. You told me the next time you saw Ash you were going to ask him if he'd seen the movie 10,000 BC and if it'd made him homesick."
Talon made a cut-off gesture at Wulf. "Do you mind not getting me fried tonight? I'd like to use some of my body parts later if you know what I mean and since you're married with a brood of kids I know that you do."
Ash looked at Tory and any semblance of agitation he might have felt evaporated. She was safe and that was all that mattered to him.
He looked around at the group who'd come to help him and marveled at it. "Thank you, guys."
Kyrian offered him his hand. "Anytime you need us, Acheron, we're here for you."
And one by one, they shook his hand and made a like declaration.
Until he got to Talon. "One day, you've got to tell me how you did that stick thing. That could come in handy not only with Daimons, but stray alligators and annoying neighbors."
Ash laughed. "One day I might."
At least until Nick walked past him and shoved his shoulder into Ash's. It was such a juvenile thing to do. Ash glared at him as he stalked away, into the darkness. "For the record, Nick, I loved Cherise too."
Nick flipped him off and kept walking.
Zarek was the last man to leave. He sauntered over and cocked his head. His gaze went to Tory before he returned it to Ash and spoke to him in Greek. "You know, it's amazing to me the wounds we can carry for eternity. But what has fascinated me most these last few years is how the right person can heal them. I remember a wise man once said to me that everyone deserves to be loved. Even you."
Ash snorted at the advice he'd given to Zarek after the man had almost let his wife go. "And as I recall, you told me to shut up."
Zarek shrugged, taking it in stride. "I'm an asshole. I admit it. I've been going to weekly Assholes Anonymous meetings, but it takes a long time to undo a few thousand years of habit. And to think you have even more years to undo than me."
"So how's Bob doing?" Ash asked, changing the subject to Zarek's young son. "Has Astrid won the battle yet?"
"On calling him Menoeceus? Hell no. I still say it's too close to Menopause for my taste and there's not even a good nickname for it. Can you imagine being stuck with that name at school? Call me ridiculous, but I'd like the kid to grow up without a stigma."
Ash laughed at a tirade Zarek had delivered on more than one occasion. Yet his wife Astrid completely ignored it and continued to call the poor child Menoeceus while his father called him Bob.
Zarek shook his head. "But I tell you this, there's nothing better than looking at a kid and seeing you mixed in with the one person you know you can trust to never screw you over. And I owe you for that, Acheron. Every time I look at them, I never forget what I owe you." He stepped away and switched to English, not knowing that Tory understood Greek as well as he did. "You two take care. And for the sake of the gods, stay out of trouble. At least until it warms up. You know how much I hate being in cold places." He vanished instantly.
Ash sent his staff back to Katoteros as Tory walked over to him. He repaired her shirt.
She tried to peer over his back. "How are you feeling?"
"Right now I could fly." He held his hand out for her.
The instant she took it, he teleported them back to his small flat on Pirate's Alley.
She looked around with an arched brow. "Wow, you weren't kidding. This place is itty-bitty."
He shrugged his backpack off his shoulder. "I don't need much."
"You know, me either. But there is one thing I need."
"And that is?"
The heated, sincere look in her eyes scorched him. "You."
He savored that word and the surge of love that went through his heart. But in the end, he knew the truth. "I can't stay with you, Tory. There can never be an us."
"Why not?"
Was she insane? Had she wiped the whole event they'd just lived through out of her mind? "You saw what I deal with on a daily basis. My enemies aren't human and I have a lot more than just Stryker to deal with, and while Nick might have set you free tonight, he might not tomorrow. Not to mention the large redheaded problem. I can't put you in that kind of danger. Ever."
"And if I disagree?"
"I won't let you. I'm a god, Tory. If I have to, I'll erase myself from your memories."
"You ever monkey with my brain and I swear, Acheron, you will be hurt."
And now that he thought about it, she was probably just like Nick-too flippin' stubborn for his powers to work on her. "Be reasonable, Tory. My life is very complicated and it's dangerous."
Tory wanted to cry over his obstinacy. "Everyone deserves love, Acheron," she said, repeating Zarek's words. "Look me in the eye and tell me you really want me to leave. Tell me you never want to see me again."
Ash swallowed as his emotions roiled through him. He didn't want her to go. He wanted to hold her and keep her by his side for the rest of his unnatural life.
But so long as she was human, she made him vulnerable. And as long as he had enemies determined to hurt him, he couldn't allow her near him. "I want you to leave, Tory."
"Yeah, well, people in hell want ice water. Now take your clothes off and let me see to your back. It has to be killing you right now."
"So you're going to completely disregard me?"
"Not completely. I hear what you're saying and I respect the fact that I was outgunned and outfought tonight-that those demon things came in and snatched me up from where I was sitting. I'm not a stupid woman, but that being said, I don't give up when I set my sights on something either. I love you, Acheron, and I intend to stand by your side even when you're trying to push me away."
Ash closed his eyes as he savored every word out of her mouth. "I don't know how to love someone, Tory. I don't."
"The crowd of people I saw who were willing to lay down their lives for you says you're full of more manure than a cow pasture, buddy."
"Artemis isn't going to let us live in peace. You do understand that?"
"I understand that I told you to take your clothes off and you're just standing here arguing with me. Give in to me, Ash. Trust me, it's easier that way."
Holding his hands up in surrender, he used his powers to remove his shirt.
Tory sucked her breath in as she saw the reopened wounds that lacerated his back. "How can you stand it?"
The blank look he gave her tore through her. "I'm used to it."
"Get in bed. That back needs to be tended and you need to rest."
"Yes, ma'am." Ash headed the short distance to his bedroom while Tory went to the kitchen. He paused in the doorway to watch her. Oblivious to him, she pulled a bowl out and ran water in it.
A wave of desire hit him so hard that it literally took his breath away. If he didn't hurt so badly, he wouldn't be going to bed alone. But the pain his back was infinitely more demanding than the one in his groin.
Yet neither of them could compare to the one in his heart which told him that this couldn't last. In spite of her stubbornness, she was going to have to go before Artemis killed her.
And Artemis was right. He was about to have to go crawling back to her to beg for food. Between the fighting and the wounds on his back, he was starving and if he didn't feed very soon, he would start killing.
Wincing, he wondered what Tory would think if she ever saw that side of him. The sad thing was, he never wanted her to deal with him like that. Never wanted her to see the demon beast that lived inside him.
No, Artemis had created that monster. It was only fair that she should be the one who fed it.
He sighed and went to bed to wait on Tory, knowing that come morning, he'd have to let her go.
