The Dark-Hunters (389 page)

If all else failed, the Oneroi would kill the Skotos.

At one time, Arik’s life had been dedicated to protecting his humans. To feel nothing and to only follow the orders of the elite Oneroi. In his day, he’d vanquished numerous Skoti without understanding or caring why they sought humans the way they did. Why they felt a burning need to risk their lives for their quest.

And then one night … no, one
encounter
had changed that and brought with it a clarification that still resonated within him.

Born of a human mother and the dream god Phobetor, Solin lived on earth, but at night he ran amok in the dreams of other humans. Completely amoral, he didn’t care what he did to others so long as
he
enjoyed himself.

For centuries, the Oneroi had been trying to stop and trap Solin. He was one of the few Skoti who’d warranted a death sentence. His voracious appetites and fighting skills were legendary among the Oneroi who’d been unfortunate enough to confront him.

And Arik had been one of them. Still young by their years, Arik had thought to take Solin on his own.

Most of the Skoti fled at the approach of an Oneroi. The Oneroi had full backing of the other gods to do whatever they had to do to control the Skoti. Since a Skotos could drain emotions from any human, they normally left without issue and didn’t waste time fighting when they could simply move on to someone else.

But Solin was stronger than most. Bolder. Instead of fleeing as Arik had expected, Solin had turned the human loose on him. By their laws, Arik had been forbidden to hurt the human, and Solin had known it. Arik had tried to pry her away without harm, but the moment her lips had touched his and he’d tasted her lust, something inside him had shattered.

He’d felt pleasure and arousal for the first time in his life.

And when the human had dropped to her knees and taken him into her mouth, he’d known his war in this was lost and his conviction shattered. In one heartbeat, he’d gone Skoti.

He’d been Skoti ever since.

Drifting from one dream to the next, he’d been searching all these centuries for someone who could raise his emotions to the level of that first night. But no one had come close.

Not until Megeara.

Only she was able to reach through the emptiness inside him and make him see vivid colors again. To make him feel her emotions. After all these centuries, he finally understood why certain Skoti refused to leave their partners.

Why they were willing to risk death.

Because of Megeara, he wanted to know what the world looked like through her eyes. What it tasted like. Felt like. And her ability to pull herself away from him was starting to seriously piss him off.

But what could he do? Even if he went to earth to be near her, he couldn’t really experience her or her environment.

He wanted her passion. Her life force.

There might be a way to touch her
 …

Arik paused at the thought. It was true that both the Oneroi and Skoti could take human form in the mortal realm, but because of their curse, they still lacked emotions. So what was the point? They were just as cold and sterile and unable to feel in human form as they were in their own god form.

That wasn’t what he wanted.

No, he wanted to be human. He wanted feelings and emotions so that he could experience her to the fullest extent possible.

It’s impossible.

Or was it? They were gods, with god powers. Why should such a thing be unattainable?

Your powers aren’t capable of such.
Zeus had made sure of that when he punished them for tampering with his dreams.

Then again,
Arik’s
weren’t. But there were others whose powers made a mockery of his. Gods who could make him human if they willed it.

Zeus would never concede such a thing—he hated the dream gods too much. His children would be too afraid of him to try. But his brothers …

They were a different matter entirely.

And Arik knew which one to barter with.

Hades.
The god of the Underworld held no fear of anyone or anything. His powers were more than equal to any of the others’, and best of all, he hated the other gods as much as they hated him. Because of that, Hades was always open to a good bargain, especially if such a bargain would irritate Zeus.

It was at least worth a shot.

With Megeara’s niggling emotions retreating from him, Arik flew from the Vanishing Isle where most of the dream gods resided and descended down, straight into the heart of Hades’ domain. It was dark as night here. Dismal. There were no ivory or gold halls like the ones found on Olympus. At least not until one visited the Elysian Fields, where good souls were sent to live out their eternity in paradise. Those lucky enough to attain residence there had any- and everything their hearts conceived of. They could even be reincarnated should they choose it.

But the Elysian Fields were only part of a much vaster realm. One that held nothing but misery for those who were damned to it. Especially this time of year. Three months ago the god’s beloved wife, Persephone, had been sent to live with her mother in the upper realm. Until Persephone’s return, Hades would be literally hell to deal with. From the moment she left until her return, he would spend his time torturing all those around him.

A saner god would wait to try to deal with Hades after Persephone’s return, when he was more reasonable, but Arik was desperate. The last thing he wanted was to take a chance on another Skotos finding Megeara.

No, it was now or never.

Besides, Arik had never been a coward. He’d never once retreated from battle or conflict. It was what had made him one of the best of the Oneroi and what had made him one of the deadliest Skoti.

He always took what he wanted. Damned be the consequences. He had eternity to deal with those. What mattered most was the present, and that was what he focused on. Always.

As he flew past Cerberus, the three-headed dog rose up to bark at him. Ignoring it, he dove down into the catacombs made of the skulls and bones of Hades’ enemies. Many of whom had been Titans and ancients who’d had the misfortune of irritating the somber god—they didn’t even warrant Hades torturing them for eternity. He’d relegated them to nothing more than decoration.

That alone should be a warning to Arik …

But the brave and the desperate never heeded such.

Arik slowed his flight as he entered the main chamber of Hades’ domain. This was the only room in Hades’ opulent palace that was open to outsiders.… But there was a lot more to his home than this one room.

Arik knew that because no one was immune to the powers of a Dream-Hunter. No one. All gods were vulnerable whenever they rested, which was why they feared the Dream-Hunters so, and it was times such as those that Arik had ventured here to see what Hades kept so secret.

Now Arik faded to invisibility and rose up toward the black ceiling that glittered eerily in the dim light. Hades sat below, alone, on his throne. Made of Titan bones, his black throne had been polished until it gleamed like steel. Hard and intimidating as the god had intended, it dominated the dais where it sat. Beside it was a much smaller chair. One made of gold and cushioned with pillows the color of blood. It was where Persephone sat whenever she was home with her husband.

Hades stared at her throne with a look of such longing that Arik could almost feel his grief. And it wasn’t until Hades moved that Arik realized the god held a small, delicate fan in his hand. One made of lace and ivory.

Closing his eyes, Hades held it to his nose and gently inhaled the scent.

Then he cursed and tossed the fan back to the throne by his side.

A heartbeat later, he got up to retrieve it and place it more carefully in a small holder on the right arm. Obviously that was where Persephone kept it.

Hades froze and cocked his head as if he was listening for something. “Who dares to enter my hall without summons?”

Arik lowered himself to the floor and materialized. “I do.”

The god turned about slowly and narrowed his amber eyes on Arik. “What brings you here, son of Morpheus?”

There was no need to hide what he wanted. “I would like to bargain with you.”

“For what?”

“I wish to be human.”

Hades’ evil laughter rang out in the hollow hall, echoing around them. “You know how to be human, Skotos. Stop eating ambrosia and drinking nectar.”

“That would only make me mortal and I don’t want to die. I want to feel, and for that I need to be a human and not a god.”

Hades approached him slowly until he stood just before Arik. “Feel? Why would anyone in their right mind wish for that? Feelings are for fools.”

Arik glanced to the fan. “Even you?”

Hades bellowed in rage as he flung out his hand and pinned Arik against the wall with his powers. The jagged bones bit into Arik’s back, tearing the fabric of his clothes.

Arik fought the hold, but there was nothing he could do at the moment except bleed.

“For a god who doesn’t wish to die, you speak of things you’d best not address.”

The force holding him receded so fast that he barely had time to recover himself before he fell. He hovered over the floor for a heartbeat until he placed his feet on the ground.

Hades raised his brows in surprise. “You’re faster than most.”

“And in my realm, I’m capable of even more feats.”

“What are you saying?”

Arik shrugged. “Only that a god of such power should be careful. Even the great Hades has to sleep sometime.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I’m only stating a fact.” Arik looked pointedly at Persephone’s throne. “And reminding you, my lord, that there’s nothing worse than allowing a Skotos to know of a weakness.”

Hades narrowed his eyes before he again broke out into laughter. “It’s been a long time since anyone dared such boldness in my presence. Look around you, Skotos. Do you not see the remains of the people who have pissed me off?”

“My name is Arik and I see everything, including the beauty and comfort of the palace you hide behind this facade of death. But in turn, I would ask you what good does it do to threaten someone who can’t feel fear?”

Hades inclined his head. “Point well taken. So tell me … Arik, what bargain do you wish to propose?”

“I want to live in the realm of the humans as one of them.”

Hades tsked at his request. “That’s not so easy to attain, dear boy. No Olympus-born god can live on earth for very long.”

“But we can live there for a time. I would go there now, but there would be no point, since I could only witness what’s around me and not experience it. It’s the experience I want.”

“What good is this experience when you’ll only forget it once you return?”

What the god didn’t know was that Arik wouldn’t forget. He’d remember and he wanted that memory. Unlike M’Ordant and many of the others, Arik had no knowledge of true emotions or sensations—they’d been beaten out of him so long ago that he’d completely forgotten what it was like to feel. He wanted to know how much more intense feelings could be when not blocked by the curse.

“Does the why really matter?”

Hades considered that for a moment. Folding his arms over his chest, he frowned at Arik. “For what you want, there would have to be a steep price.”

“I expected nothing less. Just tell me your fee.”

“A soul. A
human
soul.”

That was easy enough. Taking a human life wouldn’t bother him. They lived finitely anyway and very few of them even bothered to appreciate the beauty that was the human existence. He, however, would savor his brief time as one of them. “Done.”

Hades clucked his tongue at Arik. “Child, how naive of you. You agreed too soon. It’s not just any soul I want.”

“Whose then?”

“I want the soul of the woman who has compelled you to make a deal with the devil. Surely she must have a magnificent soul for you to come here and barter with me, the most despised of all gods.”

Arik hesitated. Not out of feelings for Megeara but rather because he wasn’t sure he would be through with her by the time he was forced to return. “And if I fail to complete this bargain?”

“It will be you who suffers here in her stead. If you fail to deliver her to me, I will kill you as a man and keep your soul in Tartarus. The pain you’ve felt to date will be nothing when compared to what you’ll suffer then. And before you reconsider, remember that you’ve already agreed to this. There is no going back now. Our bargain is set.”

“How long will you give me?”

“Two weeks and not a day more.”

Arik had no time to even twitch before a strange thick blackness covered him. One moment he was standing in the middle of Hades’ throne room, and in the next he was encircled by wetness.

It was water …

And unlike in dreams, his body was heavy. Leaden. Water poured in through his mouth and nose, causing him to choke as it invaded lungs that weren’t used to really breathing. He tried to swim, but the water was too thick. It seemed to be sucking him down deeper into the sea.

Panic consumed him. There was nothing he could do.

He was going to drown.

CHAPTER 3

“Geary, quick! There’s a body overboard!”

Oh good God, who had Thia attacked now?

Aggravated, Geary looked up from Tory’s notes at Justina’s call. Geary’s second in command was pointing over the side of the boat. As Geary rushed to the side to peer over, she handed the notebook back to Tory. Sure enough, there was someone struggling in the waves. And by the looks of it, he was quickly losing his battle.

“Christof!” Geary shouted for the boat’s captain. “We need…” She paused as the body sank down below the hungry waves.

There wasn’t time.

Her heart pounding from the rush of adrenaline, Geary kicked her shoes off and dove over the side. The coldness of the water stunned her as it covered her completely. Kicking her legs, she swam upward until she broke the surface so that she could look about for him.

Even though the water was clear, Geary had a hard time finding the guy below the surface. She had to keep diving down, then returning for fresh air before she dove back to search for him. Thank God she was a strong swimmer who was trained as a lifeguard and a certified diving instructor. But then, it was expected of her as an underwater recovery expert. She had to be as nimble in water as a fish.