The Dark-Hunters (459 page)

*   *   *

“
I
don’t understand your moodiness.”

Ash rolled his eyes as he stood in front of Artemis’s settee with her glaring at him. “I’m not moody, Artie. I’m usually pissed whenever you’re around. This is nothing new to you.”

Before she could respond, Simi appeared.

Artemis curled her lip. “Oh, get that out of my temple before it wets the rug.”

“You don’t have rugs,” Ash reminded her, unamused by her attack on Simi.

“The floor then.”

Simi hissed at Artemis.

Ash ignored the goddess and turned to Simi. “Hey, baby, what do you need?”

“
Akra
-Kat is in trouble,
akri.
Them demons have her caught and she’s got no powers. They’re going to let the really mean demons out to eat her.”

Artemis stood up and came forward, her face white. “What do you mean she has no powers?”

“They got this medallion that sucks all the powers of a god away and they used it on
akra
-Kat. Now they’re going to kill her.”

Before Ash could move, Artemis vanished. An instant later, she reappeared. “You might need to come with me.”

“You think?” Sin would tear her apart. But Ash needed verbal confirmation from Artemis before he acted. “You’re releasing me from my promise?”

“Yes, now help me protect my daughter!”

*   *   *

Kat
looked up as a shadow fell over her. Her heart stopped as she saw Acheron. “You’re here.”

Using his thumb, he pointed to Artemis over his shoulder. “Nothing like a bear worried over a cub.” He frowned at the sight of Zakar in Sin’s arms.

Sin laid his brother down as he saw Ash and Artemis, but to his credit, he didn’t attack the goddess.

“What happened?” Ash asked.

Kat swallowed before she answered. “Kessar killed him. I was going to heal him, but my powers are gone.”

Ash met Sin’s agonized gaze. “Don’t worry, Sin. You’ve lost enough. I’m not going to see this happen to you again.” Kneeling on the ground beside the body, Ash placed his hand over Zakar’s chest. Two heartbeats later, Zakar gasped as his body seized. He lurched forward, coughing.

The relief on Sin’s face was tangible. “Thank you, Acheron.”

Ash inclined his head before he took the rest of the cavern in.

“Can you stop the Dimme?” Kat asked hopefully.

Ash rubbed the side of his face as he considered everything. “I don’t control the Rod. It’s not Atlantean. Only Sin or Zakar can stop them.”

Sin helped his brother to his feet. Zakar appeared to be having a bit of trouble breathing, but he was alive and that was all that mattered. And with every breath he took, he seemed to get stronger.

Sin met Ash’s gaze. “We need our powers.”

Ash turned to Artemis.

She stared at the men blankly. “What?”

Ash’s irritation with her was more than apparent. “Kat is a Siphon. Even weak, she can take powers. One of us is going to have to share with her and the other will have to get the Rod from Kessar and return with it here.”

Artemis screwed her face up. “I’m not touching that demon. He’s disgusting.”

“Then you’ll have to share a few powers with Kat … and Sin.”

Artemis fumed. Everyone who knew her knew the goddess didn’t like to share anything. “Fine. But who will protect her if you fail to get the Rod?”

“Simi … and trust me, I won’t fail.”

Kat wasn’t quite so confident. “What if Kessar takes your powers before you get the Rod?”

Ash smiled wickedly. “I’m going to hope the Tablet can’t take all of my powers. I should still have enough juice to do some damage.”

Kat didn’t like the sound of any of that. “Hope? This isn’t the time to be hoping.”

Ash winked at her. “This is a perfect time for hope. The more dire the situation, the more you need it.”

Sin snorted. “You know something’s going to go wrong.”

“Probably.” Ash’s silver eyes were twinkling as if he relished the thought. “It always does.”

Artemis folded her arms over her chest. “I don’t like this plan. I want one where my powers stay inside me.”

“There’s no other plan and not really enough time to think of one.” Ash indicated the tomb with a jerk of his chin. “You’ll have a better time negotiating with Apollymi than you will with them. The only one who can contain them is Sin and he has to have his powers back to do it.”

Kat gave her mother her best pout. “Please … we need you.
I
need you.”

Artemis reluctantly held her hand out to Kat.

Kat smiled at her mother, grateful that she was being reasonable for once. “Thank you.”

“You better be thankful.” Artemis cast a hostile glare at each one of them. “All of you.”

Sin wasn’t quite so accommodating when Kat tried to touch him. “Are you sure you’re not reversing this and taking what little powers I have left to give to Artemis?”

She more than understood his fear. Even so, she couldn’t resist teasing him for it. “Guess you’ll have to trust me, huh?”

Sin hesitated. Deep inside, he was terrified of touching her now. Kat could kill him. Not just physically, but if she betrayed him …

There would be no way back and he knew he’d never recover. He was more vulnerable now than he’d ever been before. All the centuries of betrayal were there and they wanted him to run for the door.

But as he looked at her, his heart truly believed she would never hurt him again. Not intentionally.

It’s now or never.…

His heart thundered in his chest as he took her hand in his and waited for her to betray him.

Kat closed her eyes and summoned her failing powers. She felt the small electrical charge that went through her as she sorted through her mother’s powers to find the ones she’d taken from Sin all those centuries before. Once she found them, she let them flow from her back to Sin.

Artemis jerked back. “You’re weakening me too much.”

Sin was frozen as he realized that Kat hadn’t betrayed him … more to the point, he had powers he hadn’t felt in thousands of years. And it felt
damn
good.

Kat had returned to him everything she’d taken.
Everything.
He had his full god’s strength back. Lifting her hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles.

“Hey!” Acheron snapped. “If you want to keep that mouth attached to your head, I suggest you put some distance between it and her skin.”

Sin laughed as he pulled back. “Sorry.” He turned to Ash. “I’m ready to battle.”

“Good. Let’s do it.”

*   *   *

Ash
could feel the blood pumping through his body as he and Zakar, who was disguised as Sin, headed toward the fighting. The smell of blood was thick in the air and it permeated his head. He licked his lips in anticipation of what was to come.

The bloodlust inside him was ferocious as it begged for a taste of what he smelled. It was a beast that lived inside him that was forever hard to leash, especially in battle. It craved nourishment, reminding him how long it had been since he last fed. He should have taken a small bite from Artemis before he set out on this quest.

But it was too late now.

He entered the main cavern chamber. The Dolophoni were still standing … at least all but two who lay on the floor. M’Adoc was in one corner, eliminating two demons with one sword stroke.

Ash met D’Alerian’s gaze before a demon lunged at him and D’Alerian killed it.

Two demons moved to attack. Ash’s incisors grew as his body was thrown into battle mode. He grabbed the first demon to reach him by the throat in one hand and slammed him to the ground, then spun to catch the other. The beast inside wanted to rip the demon’s throat out. But he chose a more humane death. He shot a bolt between its eyes.

“Kessar!” he shouted, leading Zakar through the fray as he spotted their leader in the back.

The humor on the demon’s face melted into disbelief as he saw Acheron there. He reached for the medallion on his wrist and held it up, then chanted in Sumerian.

Ash laughed as he felt his skin turning blue. “What makes you think that ancient mojo’s going to work on me?”

Still, Kessar chanted.

Ash reached for the medallion, then cursed as it burned him. He’d forgotten that the emblems of other pantheons didn’t play well with him. Not that it mattered. Pain was one thing he could deal with. Closing his hand over the Tablet, he ground his teeth against the searing agony of it burning against his palm and fingers.

It was sucking some of his powers out of him. But he still had enough left to do damage.

Snatching the Tablet, he tossed it to Zakar, then headbutted Kessar, who staggered back.

Kessar let out an evil laugh as he caught himself and straightened.

A bad feeling went through Ash. “What are you laughing at?”

The demon straightened before he leaned against Ash to whisper in his ear. “By bringing Zakar back and handing him the Tablet with your blood on it, you just opened the tomb to the Dimme. Congratulations, Apostolos. You are the harbinger of Telikos … the end of the world.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

The
rumble of the tomb went through Kat like an electrical current. She and Artemis staggered back into Kish, whose eyes were as wide as possible as even the walls around them vibrated. Pieces of the ceiling shook loose and fell while the sound grew louder. She met Sin’s gaze to see the confirmation of her fears on his face.

Kat laughed nervously. “Please tell me the cave just has a little indigestion.”

But as it rumbled again and she heard a piercing shriek from inside the tomb, she knew the truth.

The Dimme were coming out.

Kat tensed, ready to battle as she saw the wiggling feminine fingers that appeared in a crack in the stone. They had long, black fingernails that pushed against the opening, trying to enlarge it.

“Get back,” Sin snapped at all of them.

“I’m powerless,” Artemis said. “I can’t fight against a demon since I gave someone—” she glared at Kat—“temporary loan of my powers. At least it better be temporary.…”

Kat shook her head. Yes, she’d given Sin his powers back, and taken some for her own, but she would never take away her mother’s. They might disagree from time to time, but at the end of the day, she loved her mother more than anything.

Sin smiled as he gave Artemis a meaningful stare. “I think we found our sacrifice to them.”

“Oh, poo,” Simi said petulantly, “we can’t let the heifer-goddess die.
Akri
will die too if he can’t eat from her.” Her eyes flaming, she put herself between Artemis and the tomb. “C’mon, Xirena, you gots to help the Simi protect the bitch-goddess.”

Xirena let out a disgusted snarl before she took up a position beside her sister.

Kish moved to stand next to Artemis. “Looks like the safest spot here for a human who doesn’t want to get eaten.”

Artemis raked him with a sneer as Xypher came to stand between Sin and Kat.

“Any game plan?” Xypher asked Sin.

“Don’t die.”

“I like it. Simple, bold. Impossible. Works for me.”

Kat scoffed at his sarcasm. “What are you bitching about, Xypher? You’re already dead.”

He laughed. “You know, for once, it’s good to be me.”

Kat only wished she shared his status. She looked at Sin. “Any words of advice on how to kill these?”

“Not a one. It took three of us to trap them last time … trap, not kill, because we never could figure out how to do that. They’re nasty buggers.”

Great. She couldn’t wait to meet one.

All of a sudden, something crashed behind them. Kat turned to see Acheron entering the chamber with Zakar and the rest of their group.

“Seal the door behind us,” Ash ordered Deimos.

Kish scowled at them. “Um, not to be argumentative or anything, but didn’t we have to fight to get that opened?”

A female Dolophonos gave him a duh-stare. “Well, if you want to leave it open and let all the demons in—”

“Close it, please.”

She smirked. “I somehow thought you’d agree.”

Deimos and his twin brother Phobos leaned against the rock that sealed the door. They were bloody and panting, as were the rest of them.

“Well,” M’Adoc said as he wiped blood from his bruised brow. “At least there are only seven of these.”

“Who are about twenty times worse and stronger than the others,” Sin added.

“Oh goody,” Kat said excitedly, “how it evens out.” Deciding she was through with the games, she flexed her arms out and manifested blades in her hands as Zakar came forward. Sin handed him the Rod they’d taken from Ishtar’s tomb.

“Simi,” Ash said sharply. “Take Artemis to Olympus.”

Simi let out a noise of aggravation. “One day I wish you’d just let me eat her.”

“Simi…”

“I’m going, I’m going,” she grumbled before she complied.

Sin passed a repugnant look at Ash. “Did you have to do that?”

Ash shrugged. “Forget the Dimme. If she dies, you’d have to fight me in my true form. You ready for that?”

“Not today. I’m a little battle worn.”

Ignoring them, Zakar put the Rod into the lock. When he tried to reseal it, the Rod shattered. “I think we waited too long. It won’t close again.”

Kat eyed the Dimme fingers that were pushing at the crack. “They’re awake and steadily chipping the stone down.”

“What the hell kills a Dimme?” Xypher asked.

They all looked at each other as a deep green glow burst out of the tomb. The gallu demons outside were now pounding at the door, trying to shatter it. The Dimme were screaming louder, breaking away more of the stone.

How did someone kill something that was invincible? The question chased itself around in Kat’s head until she was dizzy from it. And as she looked back at the tomb, a new thought occurred to her.

Kat turned to Sin. “I think we’re asking the wrong question. Forget killing them. How did you trap them last time?”

“Three Sumerian gods and a chant.”

Kish sighed. “Too bad we only have one out of the three.”

“No,” Ash said. “We have three out of three. Zakar, Sin, and Katra.”

Sin froze as he caught Ash’s meaning. It was brilliant. By saving Kat’s life, he might have saved the entire world. “The blood exchange.”