Styxx (DH #33) (105 page)

The letters Estes sent Father said he enjoyed his time with Styxx immensely, and that they had great fun riding with Estes and his friends and Acheron. He said that he loved teaching Styxx new things, and seeing the twins together, night and day. Of course, he lavished praise all over Styxx at Acheron’s expense.

“He’s an even quicker learner and has a very gifted tongue that we greatly took advantage of,” Estes wrote. As if Styxx could be better at anything than my Acheron is.

What I really don’t understand … How can Styxx be so sullen after having such a long and fun-filled visit? He’s been locked in his room since his return and growls if anyone approaches him. When he comes out, he looks awful. Shakes all the time and cringes if you go near him. He won’t even look at Father. I don’t understand my beastly brother’s mind.

Father hasn’t even noticed. He’s just so glad to have him back, he couldn’t care less how shameful Styxx behaves.

Since I received the servant’s letter asking me to Atlantis, I think I shall go, too. After all. If Styxx can have fun there, so can I.

Yes, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll show Father. I’ll visit Acheron and Estes and have my own adventure. Then I can see how Acheron is and make sure he’s happy.

Acheron’s head reeled as he read that. “I have no memory of Styxx ever being there with me.”

“For two months?”

Ash shut the journal and pushed it aside. From what Ryssa described, and what his sister claimed Estes had written, he could only imagine what had been done to Styxx. Estes had loved his double entendres. Entendres he used to publicly humiliate and hurt his victims. And Ash had received more than his fair share of that cruelty when he lived with his uncle.

And as Ash sat there, he remembered some of the things Styxx had mentioned to him in anger and in passing, but never elaborated on.

The night Styxx had tried to free him after his father had ordered him returned to Atlantis …

Styxx hadn’t been lying when he’d buried the dagger in the ground. He must have gone to Atlantis on his own to free him. And somehow he’d been captured, too.

Damn you, Estes. You sick bastard.
It would be just like his twisted uncle to take those memories from Ash and leave them with Styxx to torture him with. There was nothing Estes loved more than playing with people’s heads and scrambling their thoughts.

Turning and using them against each other.

Estes had done that with Ryssa. He’d convinced Ash that she hated him and wanted nothing to do with him at all, while telling his sister that Ash was fine and happy. If Styxx had cared enough to go after Ash to free him, Estes would have definitely kept Ash from remembering it so that he wouldn’t ever try to leave, and he would have made sure Styxx was punished severely enough that he never tried to free him again.

Tears filled his eyes as he stared at the closed journals and pulled Tory into his arms for comfort.

“What is it, sweetie?”

“Tory, if I’ve done what I think I have, I don’t know how I’ll live with it.”

June 23, 2012

Styxx froze as he entered his tent to find a Charonte demon sitting on his bedroll, staring at him with big red eyes. The last time he’d seen Simi, she’d shredded him and left him … dead.

Moving as slowly as he could, he put his hand on the .38 he kept in a holster at the base of his spine. It wouldn’t kill her, but it would give him time to get away from her should she attack again. He also made sure to keep Skylos outside where the demon couldn’t hurt him either.

To his complete shock, she smiled warmly. “Hello, akri-copy.”

Wary as hell, Styxx eyed her. “What do you want?”

She sighed heavily. “The Simi come to say she sorry for what she did to you. But see, you hurt my akri and the Simi loves her akri so anyone who attacks her akri gets eat, even those who look like akri, see?”

Not really.

She stood up.

Tightening his grip on the gun, Styxx immediately backed away.

The demon cocked her head and frowned. “You look so strange like that. Why you wear eye makeup, akri-copy?”

He shrugged. “Protects my eyes from the sun.”

“That’s why yous gets sunglasses, silly. Don’t nobody tell you that?” She bent down and picked up her red heart-shaped backpack that had black demon wings spanning out from it. She wrinkled her nose at him. “Itn’t it cute? Akra-Danger gived it to me at Christmas. Now less see…” She rummaged around until she pulled out a bottle of barbecue sauce with a ribbon tied around it. “Happy birthday, akri-copy!”

When he didn’t move to take it, her smile faded. She stepped toward him and he quickly took two steps back.

Her shoulders and wings dropped as she pouted. “Why you so skittish of the Simi?”

“I don’t know. Call me stupid, but the last time we met, you killed me.”

Her wings drooped even more. “I know. It was wrong to do that to you. But that was before you saved akri and akra-Tory and gave Baby Bas his horse he loves to play with. So the Simi glad you didn’t stay dead, and I promise I won’t kill you again. Friends?”

Styxx wasn’t sure what to make of his brother’s demon daughter. He knew from Acheron’s memories that she was hopelessly devoted to his brother. Unlike a human, she wasn’t devious or conniving or even complicated. Simi was very black-and-white. She either hated or she loved.

Letting go of the gun, he reached for the barbecue sauce. “Thank you, Simi.”

Her wings shot back up as a smile curved her lips. “It the Simi’s favorite that she only give to special quality people. See…” She pointed to the label. “Hot, hot … though it hot here, you might not need it. But it’s good on everything.” She beamed a giant smile at him.

He inclined his head to her. “I appreciate it. Thank you very much.”

She cocked her head again and frowned. “Why you so sad, akri-copy? You got aches in your heart?”

“I’m fine, Simi.”

Her frown deepening, she glanced around the tent. “Who you gots coming to celebrates with you?”

Styxx sighed. “I don’t celebrate birthdays.”

Eyes wide, she gaped. “No! Birthdays are always special cause they’s the days when you were welcomed to the world and people be all happy when babies are born.”

Yeah … not in his experience.

Styxx set the barbecue sauce down next to his pack. “You should probably go back to Acheron before he misses you.”

Instead, she sat down on his bedroll.

Now it was Styxx’s turn to frown. “What are you doing?”

She opened her backpack. “Akri got lots of people who celebrate with him, and akri-copy got nobody. That makes Simi sad for akri-copy. Nobody should be alone on their birthday so…” She pulled out a package of Ding Dongs and held them toward him. “We have birthday cake!”

Styxx smiled at the innocent gesture. “I’ve never had birthday cake before.”

“Never?”

He shook his head.

She pressed her index finger to her lips in an adorable expression. “We need candles, but you so old that we’d have to have cakes the size of a … battleship … Hmmm … that’s okay.” She reached into her pack and pulled out a glowstick. “Less pretend this is one. But you can’t blow it out, but we pretend you do. How’s that?”

“Sure.”

“Okays. Now akri-copy sit.”

Styxx sat down across from her while she carefully opened the package and left the cakes on the wrapper. Then she snapped the glowstick and shook it.

“Now you make your wish and blow out the candle.” She held the glowstick up in front of his face.

Styxx blew on it.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You didn’t make a wish, did you?”

“I don’t have anything to wish for.” The things he wanted, he couldn’t have, and nothing else really seemed important.

“Everybody has wishes, akri-copy.”

“I’m not everybody.”

Ο
TI
μ
O
í y’
VO
μ
a …

I am Nobody
.

Simi took his hand into hers then placed a cake in it. “Then the Simi will make your wish for you. The Simi wishes you will be happy like the Simi and her akri.”

He smiled at her childlike wonder and views. “Thank you, Simi.”

She touched her cake to his then ate it. “You gots to eat yours all in one bites,” she said with her mouth full. “’Cause we gots no candles to blow out, you have to eat in one gulp for the wish to come true.”

He laughed in spite of himself and shoved the cake into his mouth.

Simi licked her fingers and nodded. “Good, right?”

He swallowed the cake. “The best ever.”

Simi got up on her knees and kissed his cheek then hugged him. “If you want, akri-Styxx, the Simi can love you, too. ’Cause hearts are amazing things. They get lots bigger to make room for new people to love alongside the old people you love.” She patted her chest. “The Simi gots lots of room to love you, too … if you want.”

Styxx was amazed by her. His brother had been lucky to have Simi by his side for all these centuries. “I should like that very much.”

She hugged him again, and patted his back. “Okay, the Simi have to go now, but she’ll be back to see you soon. And remember akri-Styxx that wishes are powerful, powerful things that come true when you believe in them. And the Simi believes you will be very happy, very soon. Bye.” Then she was gone.

Smiling over his unexpected visit, Styxx picked up the wrapper and threw it away. He let Skylos back into the tent and still wasn’t sure what to make of Simi’s appearance. No doubt his brother would have a fit if he ever learned she’d come to see him.

But it had been a nice surprise. No one had remembered his birthday since Bethany had been with him. He wouldn’t have even known it was today had Simi not visited. Not that it mattered. At his age, really, what was the point in counting them?

June 25, 2012

“Where the hell’s my brother?”

Urian paused his game to stare blankly at Acheron. “You need to modulate that unwarranted ire, buddy. I’m not your ’ho and you ain’t my pimp.”

A tic started in Acheron’s jaw. “Sorry.” But his tone contradicted his apology. “Do you happen to know where Styxx is?”