DH 05 Kiss Of The Night (35 page)

His nasty attitude not only bled from every pore, but was apparent from the lip he kept perpetual y curled.

Bil y Idol and Elvis had nothing on this man.

“Yeah,” Zarek said, sneering even more. “And I’m freezing, so can we rush this little get-together so I can kil some assholes and get back to the beach where I belong?”

“If you hate it here so much,” Talon asked, “why did you agree to come?” In a subtle gesture of flipping Talon off, Zarek scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger, which was covered with a long, sharp metal ic claw. “Astrid wants me to make friends. I don’t know why. Some weird woman thing. She’s trying to make me more sociable.”

Ash let out a rare laugh at that.

Zarek passed an equal y amused, knowing look at Acheron. “I don’t want to hear it from you, O Great Ash.

You’re the one who got me into this in the first place.” Then Zarek did the most surprising thing of al ; he bent down and chucked the baby on the chin. “How you doing, little Simi?” The baby jumped happily up and down in the harness. “Fine. You got any more frozen beans for me? I miss being in Alaska with you. It was fun.”

“No time for food, Sim,” Ash answered.

The baby blew him a raspberry. “Can I eat the Daimons then?”

“If you can catch them,” Ash promised, making Wulf wonder what the man knew about the Daimons that he wasn’t sharing.

“What’s that mean?” Zarek asked for him. “You being vague again?” Ash looked at him archly. “Always.”

Zarek let out a sound of disgust. “Personal y, I think we should get together and beat the hel out of you until you come clean.”

Kyrian scratched his chin thoughtful y. “You know—”

“Don’t even go there,” Acheron said irritably. He turned to Wulf. “Go get your weapons. You have an appointment to keep.”

Wulf paused by Ash’s side. “Thanks for coming.”

Ash inclined his head to him and stepped away as he cuddled the baby demon to his chest.

Wulf went back to the car to get Kat, but she was nowhere to be seen. “Kat?” he cal ed. “Kat?”

“What’s wrong?” Talon asked as he and the others joined Wulf by the car.

“Did you see the woman I was with?”

They shook their heads.

“What woman?” Talon asked.

Wulf frowned. “She’s six feet four and blond. She couldn’t have just van—” He paused as he rethought that statement. “Never mind, she’s one of the few people who could have just gone poof.”

“Is she your wife?” Kyrian asked.

“No, she’s one of Artemis’s handmaidens who’s been helping us.” Ash scowled at that. “Artemis doesn’t have a
kori
tal er than her. Believe me. She doesn’t let any woman look down on her. Literal y.”

Wulf looked at him as a feeling of dread went through him. “I hope you’re wrong. Because if you’re not, then Kat was working with Stryker al this time and is most likely off to tel him about our surprise party.” Ash cocked his head slightly as if listening for something. “I don’t even sense her. It’s as if she doesn’t exist.”

“So what do you think?” Kyrian asked.

Ash picked his baby up as she started kicking him in the groin and moved her to his hip. The baby played with his braid, then started chewing it.

Wulf furrowed his brow. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear that baby had fangs.

“I don’t know what to think,” Ash said, pul ing his hair away from the baby, “Kat bears the description of an Apol ite or Daimon.”

“But she walks in daylight,” Wulf added.

Zarek cursed. “Don’t tel me there’s another Day-Slayer loose.”

“No,” Acheron said firmly. “I know for a fact Artemis hasn’t created one. She wouldn’t dare. At least not at the moment.”

“What’s a Day-Slayer?” Talon asked.

“You don’t ever want to know,” Julian answered.

“Yeah,” Zarek concurred. “What he said, times a hundred.”

“Al right, then,” Wulf said, heading for his house. “Let me get my things and we’l be on our way.” As he walked off, he saw Talon move to stand beside Ash. “This is the part where you normal y say if everyone does what they’re supposed to, everything wil work out as it’s meant to. Right?” Acheron’s face was impassive. “Normal y, yes.”

“But?”

“We’re dealing with something greater than the Fates tonight. Al I can honestly say is it’s going to be one hel of a fight.”

Wulf laughed at that as he left hearing range. That was okay by him. Fighting was the one thing he and his people excel ed at.

They arrived at the Inferno just before midnight. Oddly enough, the bar was completely empty of patrons.

Dante met them at the door, dressed in black leather. He didn’t have his vampire teeth in, and he looked extremely angry.

“Ash,” he said, greeting the Atlantean. “Been a long time since you’ve darkened my door.”

“Dante.” Ash shook his hand.

Dante looked down at the baby with a knitted brow. “Simi?” The baby smiled.

Dante let out a low whistle and stepped back. “Damn, Ash, I wish you would warn me when you’re planning on bringing your demon here. Do I need to warn the guys the feeding machine has come visiting?”

“No,” Ash said, swinging the baby lightly. “She’s only here to munch Daimons.”

“Where is everyone?” Wulf asked.

Dante glanced to the wal to his right. “I caught wind of what was going down tonight so we closed the place.”

Wulf fol owed his line of vision and saw the pelt of a panther mounted there. He recognized the hide by the streak of red in it. “Your brother?”

Fury darkening his eyes, Dante shrugged. “The bastard was working with the Daimons. Feeding them information about us and you.”

“Man,” Talon breathed. “That’s cold to kil your own blood.” Dante turned on him with a feral sneer that more than betrayed the fact that Dante wasn’t human. “My brother betrayed
me
and our people. If I were as cold as I’d like to be, his hide would be on the floor so everyone could walk on him. Unfortunately, my other brothers were a little disturbed by that so we compromised with the wal .”

“Understood,” Ash said. “Where’s the rest of the pack?”

“In the back. We’re staying out of it. We don’t like to kil our own.” Zarek snorted at that. “Unless it’s your brother.”

Dante approached Zarek and the two of them had a mutual sneer-off. “Law of the jungle. The betrayee gets to eat the betrayer.”

Zarek gave him a drol stare. “Law of my jungle. Kil them al and let Hades sort them out.” Dante actual y laughed at that. “I like this one, Ash. He understands us.”

“Gee, Z,” Ash said jokingly. “I think you may have found a new friend after al . That should make Astrid happy.”

Zarek flipped him off.

Ash ignored it. “Al right, game faces, guys.”

Dante went to guard the front door while Ash removed his baby from the carrier and handed her to Wulf who was a bit hesitant to touch the little girl demon.

She eyed him speculatively, then smiled. “The Simi won’t bite you if you don’t drop her.”

“I wil try not to drop you then.”

She flashed her fangs at him, then settled back in his arms, the perfect image of a relaxed infant.

“Should we hide?” Julian asked. “Take them by surprise?”

“We can’t,” Ash said. “Stryker isn’t a normal Daimon.”

“More like Desiderius?” Kyrian asked.

“Worse. In fact, my best advice to al of you”—Ash directed a warning glare at Zarek—”is to let me handle Stryker. I’m the only one of us he can’t kil .”

“And why is that, Acheron?” Zarek asked. “Oh, wait, I know this. Fairbanks wil hit one hundred and ten Celsius in January before you answer that.”

Ash folded his arms over his chest. “Then why ask it?”

“Just to piss you off.” Zarek moved across the floor. “When are they supposed to get here, anyway?” The air above the dance floor shimmered and hissed.

Zarek’s face broke into a wide grin. “Oh, goodie. Let the bloodbath commence.” Kyrian pul ed his sword out and extended the blade while Talon pul ed his circular srad into his hand. Julian unsheathed his Greek sword.

Zarek and Ash didn’t make a move for their weapons.

Neither did Wulf. His goal was to protect Simi, Erik, and Cassandra.

The bolt-hole flashed a second before Stryker came through it. A ful legion of Daimons came out with him, including Urian.

Urian’s face was completely stoic as he met Wulf’s gaze. It was hard to believe this was the man who had married Wulf to Cassandra. There was nothing on his face or in his eyes that indicated Urian knew him. Kat was right, the man was one hel of an actor.

“How nice,” Stryker said with an evil laugh. “You brought dinner for my men. If only everyone could be so considerate.”

Several of the Daimons laughed.

So did Zarek. “You know, I almost like this guy, Acheron. Pity we have to kil him.” Stryker slid a sideways glare to Zarek before his gaze went to Acheron. The two of them stared at each other without a word or emotion.

But Wulf saw the momentary confusion on Urian’s face as he noticed Acheron.

“Father?”

“It’s al right, Urian. I know al about the Atlantean. Don’t I, Acheron?”

“No. You just think you do, Strykerius. I, on the other hand, know your every flaw, right down to the one that enables you to believe in the Destroyer while she toys with you.”

“You lie.”

“Perhaps. But perhaps not.”

Oh, yeah, no one could play the game of vagueness better than Acheron. He was a master at saying nothing and making people doubt the very air they breathed.

Final y, Stryker turned to Wulf. His gaze dropped to the baby Wulf held. He cocked his head and smiled.

“How sweet. You went to so much trouble, didn’t you? Al of you did. I should feel flattered.” A bad feeling went through Wulf. Something wasn’t right about this.

Did the Daimon know Simi wasn’t his?

Stryker moved to stand next to Urian. He draped an arm over his son’s shoulders and kissed him on the cheek.

Urian scowled at the action and grew rigid.

“Children are the very thing we live for, aren’t they?” Stryker asked. “They bring us joy. Sometimes they bring us pain.”

Urian frowned even more as his father played with the leather laces holding Urian’s blond braid.

“Of course, you’l never understand the pain I mean, Wulf. Your son won’t live long enough to betray you.” Before anyone could move, Stryker slashed Urian’s throat with his hand that wasn’t human anymore. It was the shape of a dragon’s claw.

He shoved Urian away from him. Urian fel to the floor gasping, holding his hands against his neck to stanch the blood flow while his father faced the Dark-Hunters.

“You didn’t real y think I was stupid enough to fal for this trick, did you?” His gaze bored into Wulf and when he spoke, it wasn’t Stryker’s voice he heard… it was the voice of Cassandra’s father. “I knew you would never bring me the baby. I just needed to get the guardians away from Elysia for a while.” Wulf cursed at his words as he moved to attack.

Stryker vanished into a black cloud of smoke while the Daimons attacked.

“
Ak’ritah tah
!” Acheron shouted.

The portal opened.

One of the Daimons laughed. “We don’t have to go through—” Before he could finish the sentence, the Daimon was violently sucked through the opening.

The others quickly fol owed.

Ash ran across the floor to where Urian lay in a pool of blood. “Sh,” Ash breathed, covering Urian’s hands with his own.

Urian’s eyes were fil ed with tears as he stared up at Acheron.

“Breathe easy and shal ow,” Acheron said, his tone soothing and deep.

Wulf and the others watched in stunned silence as Ash healed the Daimon.

“Why?” Urian asked.

“I’l explain later.” Acheron stood up and lifted the hem of his shirt until his lean, wel -defined stomach was exposed. “Simi, return to me.”

The baby shot out of Wulf’s hands immediately. She turned from an infant into a tiny dragon, then laid herself over Acheron’s skin until she became a tattoo over his left ribs.

“I always wondered how your tattoo moved,” Kyrian said.

Ash didn’t speak. Instead, he raised his hands.

One second they were in the Inferno, the next, they were in the middle of Elysia.

More than hel had broken loose since Wulf and Kat had left earlier. Unending screams rent the air. There were scattered bodies of Apol ite men, women, and children everywhere. Apparently, they didn’t disintegrate like Daimons did unless they died on their birthdays.

Dread and fear tore through Wulf.

“Phoebe!” Urian cried, running for his apartment.

Wulf didn’t bother to cal out. No one could hear above the screams. So he ran as fast as he could toward his wife and son.

Several Daimons tried to stop him. His gaze glazed by fury, Wulf cut through them.

No one would get between him and his family.

No one.

He got to the apartment to see the door had been kicked open. Shanus’s dead body was lying just inside the living room.

Wulf choked on fear until he heard fighting from his bedroom. Best of al , he heard his son’s angry squal .

Running through the room, he reached the bedroom and paused. Chris stood in the farthest corner, holding Erik against his chest. Chris’s two Apol ite friends, Kyra and Ariel a, stood in front of him as if they were a barrier to protect him and Erik.

Stryker and three more Daimons were attacking Kat and Cassandra, who were fighting them off with admirable flair and skil .

“You can’t hold your shield forever, Katra,” Stryker growled.

Kat looked at Wulf and smiled. “I don’t have to hold it forever. I only had to hold it long enough for the calvary to arrive.”

Stryker hesitated, then looked over his shoulder at the same time Wulf attacked.

Wulf kil ed one Daimon, then went for Stryker. Stryker turned around and blasted Wulf with a god-bolt that knocked him back into the wal .

Hissing in pain, Wulf saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

It was Ash and Zarek.

Kat immediately vanished while Stryker cursed.

Wulf and Zarek went after the last two Daimons while Ash and Stryker faced each other.

“Go home, Stryker,” Ash said. “The war is over.”