The Dark-Hunters (162 page)

They were exquisite pieces that had been given even more attention to detail than the others she’d “seen.”

“He even gave me a can opener so I don’t have to use my fangs. I like that. Metal is hard on the teeth.” Simi smacked her lips. “Pork and beans popsicle. Yummy! My favorite.”

“Simi?” Astrid said, sitting up. “Where is Zarek?”

“I don’t know. I woke up a few minutes ago and found this yummy food he left for me.”

“Zarek?” Astrid called.

He didn’t answer.

Of course, for him, that was typical.

“Simi, is he in the cabin?”

“I don’t know.”

“Would you please go see?”

“Zarek!” Simi shouted.

“Simi, I could have done that.”

The demon gave a heavy, irritated sigh. “Okay, but don’t let my beans thaw out.” She paused, then added, “
Akri
said to protect you, Astrid, not to fetch for you. Zarek a big Dark-Hunter and he can walk about on his own.”

Astrid felt the demon vanish.

After a few minutes she came back. “Nope, he not there, neither.”

Astrid’s heart pounded.

Maybe he had just gone for more food.

“Did he leave a note, Simi?”

“Nope.”

*   *   *

Zarek kicked open the door to the first Apollite house he reached. The small community of Apollites had been here for several decades now on the outskirts of Fairbanks, but he’d left them alone.

Dark-Hunter Code forbade any Hunter from harming an Apollite until they turned into Daimons who fed off humans. So long as they kept to themselves and didn’t harm humans and lived out their lives until they died at twenty-seven, they were afforded the same protection as any human being.

It was why, at least according to Simi, Zarek had been banished. To Artemis and the gods, killing an Apollite was as serious a crime as killing a human.

But at the moment, Zarek would gladly break that law and any other to keep Astrid safe.

As soon as the door crashed open, the female occupants of the house screamed and ran for cover while the men rushed him.

Zarek used his telekinesis to pin them to the walls.

“Don’t even try it,” he snarled at them. “I’m in no mood to deal with you. I’m here for Thanatos.”

“He’s not here,” one of the men said.

“I figured as much. But then, I also figure you can get word to him. Can you?”

“No.”

“He’s going to kill us,” a child’s voice cried out from the rear of the house.

The fear in the child’s tone calmed him, but only a bit.

Zarek released the Apollites he had pinned. “Tell Thanatos that if he wants me, I’ll be waiting for him outside of town in Bear’s Hollow. If he’s not there in an hour, I’m coming back here and cleaning out the Daimons I can feel.”

He turned and walked out the door.

Zarek paused a short distance away from them.

They bolted the door behind him and whispered among themselves until they had decided who should go fetch Thanatos.

Satisfied they would deliver his message, Zarek smirked and headed toward his snowmachine.

Getting on, he drove to the rendezvous and sat back to wait.

He pulled out Spawn’s cell phone and called Jess.

The Cowboy answered on the third ring. “Hey, Eskimo, is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Listen, I left Astrid at my cabin.”

“You did what? Are you—”

“Yes, I am insane, but they’re safe where they are. I want you to wait for about three hours and then go get her. That should give me enough time.”

“Enough time for what?”

“Don’t worry about it. Enter my cabin and tell Astrid who you are. She’ll be coming out of hiding with another woman. Be kind to the little one, she belongs to Ash.”

“What little one?”

“You’ll see.”

“In three hours?” Jess repeated.

“Yeah.”

Jess paused for a few seconds. “What about you, Eskimo?”

“What about me?”

“You’re not doing something stupid, are you?”

“No. I’m doing something smart.” Zarek hung up.

He tossed the phone into his backpack and pulled out his cigarettes and lighter. He lit up a cigarette while he waited and sat in the frigid cold missing his coat.

But as he thought of the coat, his thoughts turned to Astrid and he warmed up considerably.

How he wished he could have made love to her one more time.

Felt her skin on his. Her breath on his face. Her hands running over his flesh.

He’d never known anything or anyone like her, but then, she was a nymph after all. Wholly unlike anyone else in all the universe.

He still couldn’t believe the way he felt about her.

How was she able to soothe the pain in him that he had thought would never cease.

Strange how she took his thoughts away from the past. Away from everything.

No wonder Talon had been willing to die for Sunshine.

It made total sense to him now.

But Zarek didn’t want to die for Astrid. He wanted to live for her. He wanted to spend the rest of his immortality by her side.

He couldn’t.

Looking up at the mountains around him, he thought of Olympus. Astrid’s home.

Mortals couldn’t live there and gods didn’t live on earth.

It was hopeless between them.

And he was pragmatic enough to know it. There was no starry-eyed side of him to think for one minute anything could unite them. Any optimism he’d ever felt had been kicked out of him before he was old enough to shave.

Still, he couldn’t stop the part of him that ached with loss. The part of him that screamed out soul deep for Astrid to stay with him.

“Damn you, Fates. Damn all of you.”

But then, they had. Long, long ago.

He heard the rumble of a snowmachine’s engine approaching.

Zarek didn’t move until it drew near and stopped. He sat sideways on his seat with his legs stretched out before him, his ankles crossed. His arms folded over his chest, he waited patiently for the rider to dismount.

Thanatos pulled his helmet off and eyed him as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “You really are here.”

Zarek inclined his head and offered the creature a cold, sinister smirk. “Hair of the dog, baby. Sooner or later, we all dance with the devil. Tonight, it’s your turn.”

Thanatos narrowed his eyes. “You are an arrogant bastard.”

Zarek dropped his cigarette to the ground and crushed it out underneath his boot heel. He laughed bitterly as he pushed himself away from his snowmachine.

“No, not an arrogant bastard. I’m nothing but a piece of shit who touched a star.” He pulled both Glocks out from his shoulder holsters. “Now I’m the son of a bitch who’s going to put you out of your misery.”

Zarek opened fire.

He didn’t expect it to work and he was right.

It did nothing more than make Thanatos stumble back. And make Zarek feel a little better.

He ejected the clips into the snow, reloaded and fired again.

Thanatos laughed. “You can’t kill me with a gun.”

“I know, but it’s fun as hell just shooting you.” And with any luck, it might weaken Thanatos enough to where Zarek could stand some chance of killing him.

It was all he had.

When he’d spent his last round, he threw his weapons at Thanatos and followed it up with two grenades.

None of it worked.

It barely made Thanatos pause.

Growling, Zarek rushed him.

They fell to the ground fighting. Zarek kicked and punched with everything he had.

Thanatos was getting bloodier, but then, so was he.

“You can’t kill me, Dark-Hunter.”

“If you bleed, you can die.”

Thanatos shook his head. “That’s only a myth humans tell each other to feel better.”

Zarek kicked him back and unsheathed his retractable sword. He pressed the button in the hilt, extending it out to its full five-foot length. “Dark-Hunters are myths too but if you cut our heads off, we die. What about you? Can you reattach your head?”

He saw panic flicker in the Daimon’s eyes.

“I didn’t think so.” Zarek arced the blade up.

Thanatos ducked and twirled away from him. He pulled a large, ornamental dagger from his belt.

Zarek’s sword skills were a bit rusty, but as they fought, his memory came back to him.

Oh, yeah, he remembered well how to skewer things.

He cut Thanatos across the chest. The Daimon hissed and stumbled back.

“You look afraid, Thanatos.”

He curled his lips. “I fear nothing, least of all you.”

Thanatos attacked him before he could pull back. He caught Zarek’s sword arm and twisted it. Zarek hissed as pain sliced through him.

But that was nothing compared to the stab wound Thanatos delivered to his left arm.

He cursed.

His arm numb, Zarek couldn’t hold on to the sword.

Thanatos knocked him to the ground.

He put his knee on Zarek’s spine and pulled his hair until his neck was exposed.

Zarek tried to buck him off, but there was nothing he could do except wait for Thanatos to cut his head off.

The dagger’s blade cut into his neck.

Zarek held his breath, afraid to move lest he help the blade slice his throat.

Just as the blade cut into his neck, a blast of light flared across the snow, hitting Thanatos and knocking him back.

Zarek collapsed facedown in the snow.

“No, no, no,” Simi said as she appeared in human form beside Zarek. “
Akri
said you can’t kill Zarek. Bad Thanatos.”

His body aching beyond belief, Zarek rolled over onto his back as Thanatos rose to his feet.

“What the hell are you?” Thanatos asked.

“Never you mind,” she said, kneeling beside Zarek. She touched the cut on his brow and looked at his bleeding arm and neck. “Oh, no, you hurt bad, Dark-Hunter. Simi very sorry. We thought you’d come back but then Astrid got worried and made me come seek you. You don’t look very good, though. You were much more attractive earlier.”

Thanatos stalked toward them.

Zarek forced himself up and helped her to her feet. “Simi, go before you get hurt.”

She snorted like a horse. “He can’t hurt me. No one can.”

Thanatos attacked with the dagger.

“See, watch.” Simi turned around and let Thanatos stab her in the chest.

He sank the dagger in up to the hilt, then jerked it free.

The demon’s eyes widened as she gasped in pain.

At first Zarek thought she might be playing until she staggered back. Tears were in her eyes as she looked up at Zarek in agonized disbelief.

“It’s not supposed to hurt,” she cried like a small child. “I’m invincible.
Akri
said so.”

His heart pounded.

Blood trickled from her lips.

Zarek kicked Thanatos back and picked Simi up in his arms. Even though his injured arm trembled from the agony of it, he ran with Simi toward his snowmachine.

Thanatos stood back, waiting.

He watched them leave and smiled. “That’s it, Zarek. Run back to your woman. Show me where you have her hidden.”

*   *   *

Artemis felt the shock wave go through her temple like an earthquake. Something let out an angry, baleful roar.

Her attendants looked up, their faces white.

Artemis sat up on her throne. If she didn’t know better she would think …

The door to her private chambers disintegrated. Pieces of it flew through the room as if propelled by a violent tornado.

Her women screamed and ran for the door that led outside, seeking shelter from the unexpected maelstrom. Artemis wanted to run, too, but her fear held her immobile.

It was extremely rare that she saw this side of Acheron.

She was too terrified of him to ever push him this far.

He floated out of her bedroom with his long black hair whipping around him. His eyes were blood-red, swirling like fire as his unnatural powers surged. His fangs were overgrown and large.

He was the very thing she feared most in the universe. In this state, he could kill her with nothing more than a passing thought.

She panicked. If she didn’t get him calmed down the other gods would feel his presence and there would be hell to pay for everyone.

Most of all for her.

She used her powers to mask his, hoping to disguise his abilities as her own. With any luck, the other gods would assume she was having her own tantrum.

“Acheron?”

He cursed at her in Atlantean and held her back with an invisible wall. She felt his agony. He was in excruciating pain, but she didn’t know why.

Everything in her temple whirled in the vortex of his powers and rage. The only thing still grounded were the two of them.

“Artemis? I have a problem.”

She flinched as she heard Astrid’s voice in her head. “Not now, Astrid. I have a situation here.”

“Let me guess, Acheron is angry?”

“I am past anger, Astrid.” His voice was low, deep, and evil sounding. Acheron’s bloody gaze pierced Artemis. “How is it Simi is wounded?”

Artemis’s fear tripled. “The demon’s hurt?”

“Simi’s dying.” Astrid and Acheron spoke simultaneously.

Artemis covered her mouth. She felt suddenly ill. Sick. Horrified and scared beyond belief.

If anything happened to his demon …

He would kill her.

Acheron used his powers to pull her roughly to him. “Where did Thanatos get one of my daggers, Artemis?”

A tremor of guilt went through her with that question. When she had created the first Thanatos seven thousand years ago, she had granted him weapons to slay the Dark-Hunters. At the time she had thought it divine justice that he use one of Acheron’s Atlantean daggers to kill them.

As soon as Acheron had realized a dagger was missing, he had gathered all his weapons together and destroyed them.

Now she understood why.

He’d done it to protect his demon.

“I didn’t know your dagger would hurt it.”

“Damn you, Artemis. You have taken everything from me. Everything!”

She felt his pain, his sorrow. She hated him for that. If she died tomorrow he wouldn’t care at all.

But for the demon, he wept.

Why wouldn’t he love and protect her like this?