Acheron

You'll never see the moments coming that will forever mutilate your life-at least not until after they've mowed you down.

– SAVITAR

CHAPTER ONE

October 21, 2008

The Parthenon

Nashville , Tennessee

6:30 p.m., Tuesday

Acheron teleported himself into the main room where the statue of Athena stood, covered in gold. Because of the lecture that was going to start in a few minutes in another part of the Parthenon, the statue area had been closed off.

He should probably obey the rules, but why? It was one of the few perks he had from being a god.

Casts of the original Elgin marbles stood at stations that lined the walls on both sides. Even though the interior of the Parthenon wasn't exactly the way it'd been in ancient Greece, he'd always loved to come here. Something about it comforted him. And any time he was in Nashville, he made sure to stop in and visit.

He moved to the center of the room so that he could look up at the artist's rendition of the goddess Athena. It looked nothing like her. Raven-haired and pale, Athena was as frail in appearance as she was striking. But those looks were definitely deceiving. As a war goddess, Athena could pack a punch as hefty as any man.

"Acheron…" the statue said, coming to life before him. "Tell me what it is you seek."

He rolled his eyes. "A night away from you, Artemis. It's not like you don't know that."

She came out of the statue to stand in front of him at her natural height. "Oh, you're no fun."

"Yeah, right. Sorry. The statue thing lost its humor eleven thousand years ago. It hasn't become any more appealing over time."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she pouted. "You just blow all the fun out of everything."

Ash let out a slow, impatient breath. "Suck, Artemis. The phrase is 'suck all the fun.' "

"Blowing, sucking. Same difference."

He scoffed as he walked past her to look at the casts against the wall. "No, it isn't. Take it from someone with intimate knowledge of the two."

She screwed her face up at him. "I hate it when you're crude."

Which was exactly why he did it. Unfortunately, all the crudity in the world wasn't enough to drive her away from him. "Why are you here?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Why are you here?" She dogged his every step.

Again, he moved away from his least favorite stalker. "There's some archaeologist who thinks she's found Atlantis. I was curious so here I am."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh this I have to see. I love it when you go for the vernacular."

"Jugular," he corrected between clenched teeth. Too bad he didn't have the same enthusiasm. He hated to take anyone's credibility from them, or worse, publicly embarrass them. But the last thing he needed was for the world to find Atlantis and then expose what he'd been there. For the first time in his existence he had people who looked at him with respect and who allowed him dignity.

If they ever knew…

He'd rather die again. No, better a sting to the professor's ego than to his. While he had moments of altruism, in this he didn't. No one would ever expose him again.

Artemis blinked in happy expectation. "Where is this lecture going to be?"

"Room down the hall."

She vanished.

Acheron shook his head. He took a few minutes to walk around the exhibit and smile at the modern world's interpretation of the past. How could humanity be so strangely astute and at the same time dense? Their perceptions swung from being unerringly accurate to downright ridiculous.

Then again, didn't all creatures suffer from that same dilemma?

"Dr. Kafieri?"

Soteria looked up at the docent who was watching her with a perplexed expression. Oh, please don't tell me I was talking out loud to myself. By the woman's face she knew the answer and hated having been caught… again. "Yes?"

"You've got a good crowd gathering. I just wanted to know if you needed some water for your presentation?"

Her gut knotted at those words. Good crowd. Yeesh. She hated crowds and public speaking. If not for the fact they needed funding for new equipment in Greece, she'd have never agreed to this. "Yes, please, but make sure it has a screw cap. I'm always spilling drinks when they don't."

The woman turned and left. Tory looked down at the notes she was reviewing, but the woman's words hung in her mind.

Good crowd. What an oxymoron for a woman who hated crowds. Her throat tight, she went to spy on the room.

Yeah, it was definitely a crowd. At least sixty people were there. She felt sick.

As she started to withdraw into the shadows, the door opened and in walked a man who took her breath away.

Unbelievably tall, he strode into the room as if he owned it. No, he didn't stride, he loped in like a seductive predator. Every woman in the room turned to stare at him. You couldn't help it. It was like he was a magnet for the eyes.

His long black hair held a streak of bright red in the front and framed a face so incredibly handsome that he'd be pretty if he didn't have such a rugged aura. It also made her want to know exactly what his eyes looked like, but since he wore a pair of opaque black Oakley sunglasses, she couldn't tell. Dressed in a long black distressed coat, he wore a dark gray hoodie underneath that was opened to show a Misfits T-shirt. His black pants were tucked into a pair of dark cherry red Doc Martens boots with skull and crossbone buckles going up each side.

Ignoring the women who ogled him, he shrugged a black leather backpack off his broad shoulder and set it on the floor by an aisle seat before he sat down. The leather was as worn as his coat and the backpack was marred with a white anarchy symbol and one of a sun pierced by three lightning bolts.

She didn't know what it was about those long legs stretching out in front of him that made her heartbeat speed up, but it did. He looked so masculine sitting there like that. With his large hands covered by black fingerless gloves, he pushed the sleeves of his coat up on his forearms, then leaned back in the chair, completely at ease. She caught a glimpse of a red and black dragon tattoo on his left arm. He also had a small silver stud pierced through his right nostril, as well as a tiny silver hoop in his left ear.

He took a deep breath and hung one arm over the back of the chair. Dang, the man moved like water. Slow, graceful and yet he gave the impression that at any minute he could explode into action to take down anyone who threatened him.

Yeah…

"Dr. Kafieri?"

It wasn't until the third time her name was repeated that she realized the docent had returned. "I'm sorry. I was having a bit of stage fright." And a long minute of lust-filled fantasies about wrapping herself around Mr. Goth.

"Oh you'll be fine." The woman handed her the water.

Tory wasn't so sure. Crowds terrified her and unlike the Goth man outside, she hated to stand out. She would try picturing him in his underwear, but that was even more disturbing since all it did was make her hot and even more nervous…

He had to be the only man alive who could pull off intimidating in his tighty-whities.

God, what if all that massive hotness was commando?

Forcing herself to stop those thoughts, she checked her watch and saw that it was almost time to begin.

Tory gulped.

She glanced back at the crowd to see a tall, extremely voluptuous red-headed woman approach the Goth man. The woman was as beautiful as the man was gorgeous, but she didn't look like the type who would normally associate with his. Where he was dressed in black, FU clothes, she wore an all-white suit, right down to the dainty Jimmy Choo shoes. Immaculately coifed, the woman reminded her of a runway model. And when she sat down by the Goth man, he actually grimaced at her even though she was smiling and offering him some of the drink she'd brought with her.

The woman spoke to him and he turned his head to respond with a very harsh, "Fuck off."

She looked completely stricken by his coldness. Tory clenched her teeth. It was obvious they knew each other and while the woman was enamored of the man, he couldn't care less about her.

Typical jerk. Tory hated to judge people, but she'd seen his type over and over again in the classes she'd taught and had made the mistake of thinking herself in love with someone just like him once upon a time. Users who took advantage of the women who loved them. No doubt the redhead had bought every piece of the expensive clothes he so proudly wore.

But their relationship was none of her business. She just hoped the woman came to her senses soon and dumped the asshole.

"I'll go introduce you."

Tory jumped at the sound of Dr. Allen's voice as he moved past her. Just over fifty, he was fit and trim with gray hair and a small moustache. He'd been the professor who invited her to speak about Atlantis as part of the Parthenon's classic civilization series. Now if she could only use this as a way to help finance her next excavation, she'd kill two birds with one presentation.

Just don't let me fall down and stutter…

She crossed herself three times, spit and quickly prayed.

"I know many of you are familiar with the Kafieri name and the dubiousness of Soteria's father's and uncle's research and their claims. But in all fairness, Dr. Kafieri has taken her scholarship extremely seriously and I have to say that her findings have impressed me enough that I wanted to bring her here. Not to mention, being one of the few people who received a doctorate by age twenty shows exactly her level of commitment. I've yet to meet anyone who can flaw her theories or her dedication to the field of ancient study. Now if you'll all help welcome Dr. Kafieri."

Ash withheld his applause as he waited to see the professor he was about to roast.

"Shoot!"

The embarrassed word wouldn't be audible to anyone other than Artemis and him, but the stress in her voice evoked a wave of pity in him. He arched a brow as he heard papers being pushed together as if the presenter had dropped them.

An instant later, she popped out of the door behind the podium. Very tall and slender to the point of waifishness, she was pretty with plain brown hair she'd pulled back into a severe bun. A pair of small round bronze-rimmed glasses covered her deep, intriguing brown eyes. The beige box-cut suit did little to compliment her body and it was obvious she wasn't comfortable wearing it. In fact, she looked really itchy.

She set her papers down on the podium and cleared her throat before she offered all of them a sheepishly charming grin he was sure had gotten her out of much trouble growing up. "I know we're not supposed to open a speech with an apology, but I dropped my pages on the way out here so if you can bear with me for a moment as I realign them I'd appreciate it."

Ash hid his smile.

Dr. Allen looked perturbed, but graciously nodded. "Take your time."

And she did.

People around him were getting agitated by her delay as she tried to put the speech together again.

Dr. Allen leaned forward. "Aren't they numbered?"

Her face turned bright red. "No. I forgot to do that."

Several people in the audience laughed while a couple more cursed.

"Sorry," she said, looking up hastily as she patted the pages together. "Really. I'm very sorry. Let me just go ahead and get started."

With one last wistful look at her abandoned speech, she clicked a photo onto the overhead projector that showed an image of the Parthenon in Greece. "Many of you know that it was my father's and uncle's lifelong obsession to find Atlantis-they both gave up their lives to that quest, as did my mother. And like them, I've made it my mission in life to solve this mystery. Since I was in diapers, my family and I've been excavating in Greece, trying to find Atlantis's true location. In 1995, my cousin Dr. Megeara Kafieri found what I believe to be the correct site and though she abandoned her quest, I never did. This past summer I was finally able to find definitive proof that Atlantis is real and that Megeara's research finally uncovered it."

Ash rolled his eyes at the claim so many had made. If he had a nickel, he'd be even richer than he already was.

Soteria pressed the button and switched the photo to one that made him sit up straight in his chair as he recognized it. It was the broken bust of his mother, Apollymi. And there was only one place the good doctor could have found it.

Atlantis.

She pushed her glasses up on her nose with her knuckle. "This is one of many artifacts my team and I have brought up from the bottom of the Aegean." She used a red laser pointer to show the Atlantean writing on the bottom that spelled his mother's name. "I've been looking for someone who can translate what appears to be a form of early Greek writing. Yet no one has been able to decipher the words or even all the letters. It's as if this alphabet has characters that are missing from the traditional Greek."

Artemis hit him on the arm. "Looks like you're broken, Acheron."

"Busted," he corrected under his breath.

"Whatever," Artemis huffed.

Soteria looked out at the audience and then centered her attention on Dr. Allen. "Because no one can read this or even identify all the ancient letters, I'm convinced it's Atlantean. After all, if Atlantis was in the Aegean Sea, as my family and I believe, it's possible their language had a Greek basis or maybe it was their language that shaped what we know as Greek. The island's location would have firmly put it in the center of where Greek sailors traded, making it a power to be reckoned with and allowing it to shape the culture, traditions and language of ancient Greece."

She clicked to the next photo which showed a fragment of wall from the royal Atlantean palace. "This is from a building I uncovered…"

"Aren't you going to say something?" Artemis whispered.

Ash couldn't. He was too stunned as he stared at images he hadn't seen in over eleven thousand years. How could this one young woman have found it?

How could he have not known?

Then again, there was an easy answer. Damn his mother. She would have known they were pilfering the island's site, but rather than let him in on it, she'd be sitting back hoping one of the archaeologists released her from her captivity.

"My partner thinks it's from a temple," Soteria continued, "but given its location I'm convinced it was a government building. You can see here where there's more of the writing we saw on the bust, but again I can't decipher it." She flipped to another photo of underwater columns. "Now here is a sister site we found that we believe to be a Greek island which traded frequently with Atlantis. I found a piece of stone with the name Didymos etched into it."

Ash couldn't breathe. She'd found it. Dear gods, the woman had found Didymos…

She went to another picture that literally made him break into a cold sweat. "This is a journal we uncovered in the Didymos ruins of what appeared to be a royal palace. A bound journal," she repeated excitedly. "I know what all of you are thinking-they didn't bind books at this period in time. They shouldn't even have had paper. But again, we have the same writing and the dating on it shows it to predate anything we've ever found in Greece. What we have here is the Holy Grail of Atlantis. I know it with every part of me. These two sites are integral to each other and the main site is in fact Atlantis."

"Acheron?" Artemis snapped again.

He couldn't speak as he stared at one of Ryssa's carefully made journals-at her handwriting that was as clear as if it'd been written yesterday. That page documented nothing in particular, but what scared him most was what else it might contain and, unlike the other writings, it was Greek. There weren't many people in the world who could translate it. But there were enough that it could ruin his life if they did and it held something incriminating.

"Oh this is boring," Artemis huffed. "I'm out of here." She got up and left.

The next picture was a bust with a crushed-in head. It had been one of many in Didymos that had lined the streets and it was an image of his twin brother Styxx. Ash almost came out of his seat.

It was time to stop this before she exposed him.

He forced himself to appear nonchalant even though inside he was terrified and angry. "How do you know the carbon dating on the journal isn't contaminated?"

Tory looked up at the calm masculine voice that was so deep it commanded attention. It took her a second to realize who it belonged to.

Mr. Goth Asshole.

Pushing her glasses back on the bridge of her nose in a nervous habit, she cleared her throat. "We were meticulous with it."

He gave her a cocky grin that seriously annoyed her. "How meticulous? I mean let's face it, you're an archaeologist with an agenda who's out to prove her father and uncle weren't treasure-hunting crackpots. We all know how data can be corrupted. What was the time span of the journal?"

She cringed at the question. Lie, Tory, lie. But it wasn't in her. "Well some of the initial tests showed a much younger date."

"How much younger?"

"First century B.C."

One finely arched brow peeked up over the rim of his black sunglasses, mocking her. "First century B.C.?"

"Still too early for a book and yet we have a book," she said firmly, flipping back to the picture of the journal. "Hard empirical evidence that no one can refute."

He actually tsked at her. "No, Dr. Kafieri, what we have is an archaeologist with a preconceived agenda looking to wow us into financing another vacation for her in the Mediterranean. Isn't that right?"

Several people in the audience laughed.

Tory felt her anger rising at his accusations. "I'm a serious scholar! Even if you discount the journal, look at the other pieces of evidence."

He scoffed. "A woman's bust? A building? Some pottery fragments? Greece is littered with that."

"But the writing-"

"Just because you can't read it doesn't mean it can't be read by someone else. It could be nothing more than an undocumented provincial dialect."

"He's right," a man in the front row said.

A man behind the Goth dick laughed. "Her father was a lunatic."

"Nothing compared to her uncle. Must run in the family."

Tory gripped her pointer in her hand, wanting to hurl it at the jerk who'd started this session of ridicule. Worse, she felt the prick of tears behind her eyes. She'd never cried in public, but then she'd never been so humiliated either.

Determined to succeed, she went to the next photo and cleared her throat. "This-"

"Is a small household statue of Artemis," the Goth prick said in a sarcastic tone she could swear resonated throughout the entire building. "Where did you find it? A giousouroum in Athens?"

Laughter rang out.

"Thanks for wasting my time, Dr. Allen." The older man in the front row got up and walked out.

Tory panicked at the way the crowd was turning on her. At the look of disgust on Dr. Allen's face.

"Wait! I have more." She went to a picture of an Atlantean necklace that held the symbol of a sun. "This is the first time we've seen anything so stylized."

The Goth dick held up a komboloi that had the same exact image on it. "I picked mine up in a store at Delphi three years ago."

Laughter rang out as the rest of the room got up and left.

Tory stood there in complete embarrassment and rage.

"Whatever committee was dumb enough to approve her dissertation should be ashamed of itself."

Dr. Allen shook his head before he abandoned her, too. Tory gripped the pages so tight in her hands that she was amazed the edges didn't turn into diamonds.

The Goth man got up and retrieved his backpack from the floor. He loped down the stairs, over to her. "Look, I'm really sorry."

"Fuck off," she snarled, using the phrase he'd delivered to the other woman.

She started to leave, then stopped and reversed course before she raked him with a scathing glare that was only a pittance of the hatred she felt stinging her every molecule for this man. "You punk asshole. What was this? A game for you? This is my life's work you just annihilated and for what? Shits and giggles? Or was this nothing more than a fraternity prank? Please tell me that you didn't just ruin my integrity to get some kind of drinking points. This is something I've been working for since before you were born. How dare you make a mockery of me. I hope to God that one day someone degrades you like this so that you'll know, just once in your spoiled pompous life, what humiliation feels like."

Ash was going to respond until he realized something.

He couldn't hear her thoughts. Nor could he see her future. She was a complete blank slate for him.

"You better hope that I never see you walking down the street while I'm driving my car!" She whirled about and stalked off in anger.

He didn't even know where she was going. Everything about her was a complete blank for him. Everything.

What the hell?

Not wanting to even contemplate what that might mean, Ash teleported himself from the room to his condo in New Orleans. He didn't like not being in control or being blind to anything.

Until he figured out what was going on, retreat was the best answer.

Tory threw her pages into a garbage can on her way out the door. It wasn't until she'd reached her car outside that she finally let her tears fall.

The laughter still rang in her ears. Her cousin Megeara had been right, she should have let Atlantis go.

But both of her parents had given their lives in pursuit of it. Unlike Geary, she wasn't going to stop until she restored honor and dignity to her family name.

Well you certainly did a good job of it tonight.

She snatched the rental car door open and threw her purse inside. "You freaking, flippin', moronic frat boy!" she shouted, wishing she'd pulled that stud out of his nose and made him eat it.

Disgusted, she pulled her phone out and started the car. She called her best friend, Pam Gardner, as she left the parking lot for Centennial Park and headed for her hotel room.

"How'd it go?"

Tory wiped at the tears as she stopped at a light. "Awful! I've never been more embarrassed in my life."

"You didn't drop your pages again?"

She cringed at how well her girlfriend knew her-the two of them had been best friends since they'd met in her aunt's deli up in New York when they'd both been small kids. "Yes, but that's nothing compared to this."

"What?"

Tory pulled out into traffic as she snarled. "There was this… this… I can't even think of a word strong enough to convey what he was, there, and he made them all laugh at me!"

"Oh no, Tory." She could hear the tears in Pam's voice for her. "Are you serious?"

"Do I sound like I'm kidding?"

"No, you sound really pissed."

And she was. God, how she wished she could find him walking back to his dorm room so that she could mow him down. "I can't believe this night. I was supposed to be applauded and instead, I'm ruined. I swear to God in heaven if I ever see that man again, I will commit murder."

"Well if you need help moving the body, you know where Kim and I live."

She smiled at her friends. She could always depend on them in any crisis. Kim and Pam were living proof that while a good friend would bail you out of jail, a best friend would be in jail alongside you. "Thank you."

"Any time, sweetie. So when are you coming back?"

"I'll be back in New Orleans tomorrow." She couldn't wait to be home again where everything was familiar.

"Well look on that bright side, Tory. Whoever the dickhead was, you'll never have to worry about seeing him here."

That was true. Tomorrow she'd be home and she'd never see that asshole again.

CHAPTER TWO

Tory's dignity was still stinging two days later as she knocked on the office door of Dr. Julian Alexander. He was supposed to be the leading expert in the world on ancient Greece. She'd been told that if anyone in the world could read her journal, he was the man.

She prayed it was so.

A deep masculine voice told her to enter.

She pushed the door open to find an exceptionally handsome man in his early thirties sitting behind a beat-up wooden desk. He had short blond hair and beautiful blue eyes that seemed to gleam in the dim light. His office was littered with ancient Greek artifacts, including a Bronze Age sword hanging on the wall behind him. Bookshelves lined the walls and were filled past brimming with additional artifacts and textbooks.

Man, she could easily call this place home and was grateful to be with a kindred spirit. Even though she didn't know him, she liked him already.

"Dr. Alexander?"

Looking up, he frowned at her as he closed his leatherbound agenda. "You're not one of my students. Are you considering taking one of my classes?"

She hated how young she looked at times, not that she was any older than an average grad student, but still… she had a hard enough time with her credibility that she didn't need that strike, too. "No. I'm Dr. Kafieri. We spoke over the phone."

He stood up immediately and offered her his hand. "Sorry for the confusion," he said graciously as she shook it. "I'm really glad to finally meet you. I've heard a lot of…"

"Mixed things I'm sure."

He laughed good-naturedly. "Well, you know how our circles go."

"Not broad enough most days."

He laughed again. "True. Do you have the book with you?"

She set her briefcase down on the small chair in front of his desk and opened it. She'd very carefully wrapped the book in acid free paper to protect its delicate condition. "It's extremely brittle."

"I'll be careful."

She watched as he unwrapped it and frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he said with a note of awed reverence in his voice, "it's just amazing. I've never seen a bound book this old."

By his face she'd say it also brought back some kind of painful memories for him. "Can you read it?"

He opened the cover carefully before he studied the brittle pages. "It looks Greek."

"Yes, but can you read it?" she repeated, hoping that he could at least recognize some part of it.

He looked up and sighed. "Honestly? I can make out some of the words from basic root meanings, but this particular dialect is something I've never seen before. It definitely predates my area of expertise… probably by several hundred years or more."

She wanted to curse in frustration. She was so tired of hearing that. "Do you know of anyone who might be able to translate it?"

"Yeah, actually, I do."

It took a full minute for that unexpected answer to seep in. Dare she even hope so? "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "He's the historian I always go to whenever I need information. There's no one in the universe who knows more about ancient civilizations than he does. In fact, he knows so much about them you'd think he lived through them."

This was even better than she'd hoped for.

"Where does he teach?"

Julian closed the book and wrapped it back up. "Ironically, he doesn't. But you're in luck, he's here in town for a few weeks helping with Project Home Again and Habitat for Humanity."

Her heart was racing with the prospect of having someone corroborate that the book was as old as Atlantis-to have them verify it was Atlantean in nature…

It would be a dream come true if he could actually read some of it.

"Is there any chance we could meet with him?" she asked breathlessly.

"Hold on a second and let me see." He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and dialed it.

Tory chewed her thumbnail and silently prayed to talk to the one man who held the key to her book. She'd give anything to meet him…

Julian smiled at her. "Hi Acheron, it's Julian Alexander. How you doing?"

She could faintly hear the voice at the other end of the phone.

Julian laughed at something the man said. "Leave it to you… look the reason I'm calling is I have a colleague here in my office who has something we need you to take a look at-I personally have never seen anything like it, and I think from a historic point of view you'd be very interested in it, too. Any chance we can stop by?" He shook his head. "Yeah, it's some really old shit-nice phraseology, by the way." He paused as he listened. "Yeah, okay."

Julian looked at her. "Can you leave right now to see him?"

"Absolutely." She'd crawl over broken glass to meet the man!

He returned to his call. "She can do it. We'll see you in a few." He hung up and smiled. "He's a little busy at present, but he's more than happy to look at it."

"Oh bless you both!"

Julian returned the book to her. "Would you like to follow me over?"

"Sure. Where are we going?"

He picked his jacket up off the back of his chair and shrugged it on. "Acheron's doing volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity. He's over on Esplanade on a rooftop."

Tory frowned at the image in her mind of a stodgy classics professor on top of a roof. "So his name is Acheron…?"

"Parthenopaeus."

She laughed. "Good grief, I never thought I'd meet someone more Greek than me." With a name like that, he had to be old. No modern parent would be so cruel.

With a strange twinkle in his eye, Julian grinned. "Yeah, he's amazing when it comes to historical facts. Like I said he knows ancient Greece better than anyone I've ever known or heard of." He led her out of his office.

"How long has he been studying it?" she asked as he locked his office door.

"Since the moment he was born."

She cradled her briefcase to her chest. "Poor thing, he sounds like me. I swear my father was reading the Iliad to me the instant I was conceived."

Laughing, Julian led her out to the parking lot. She got into her white Mustang GT and followed his black Range Rover over to Esplanade. There were still a lot of homes in New Orleans that hadn't been repaired from Katrina. It did her heart good to know that Julian's friend would be kind enough to help out with the rebuilding. It said a lot for the man, especially given how old he must be.

She parked on the street behind Julian and grabbed her briefcase. As they neared the house that was teaming with volunteers, she tried to pick out who this incredible historian was that the leading expert in the world would consult.

There was a handsome older man handing a piece of lumber off to a younger man. He looked like he might be a historian.

Julian headed toward him. "Hey, Karl, could you tell Ash that I'm here to see him?"

"Sure." He headed away from them and rounded a corner, out of sight.

Julian held his hand out for the book. Tory pulled it out and gave it over to him.

She scanned the area and looked up at the roof where five people were sitting. Two were women and three were young men. But it was the one off by himself who captured her attention. Wearing a black tank top, he had the best set of arms she'd ever seen. Tanned and gorgeous, every muscle was honed to perfection… and it wasn't just his arms. The sweat from his hammering made the shirt cling to a muscled back that had been custom made for licking.

He wore a black ball cap turned backwards and even from where she stood she could see the black earbuds that led to an iPod in the back pocket of his ragged jeans. His left foot kept time to the beat while he worked.

She sucked her breath in sharply at the sight he made. Mama, if that man had a face even remotely cute, he'd be a god among men.

Her phone started ringing. Distracted, Tory glanced at it to see her friend Kim calling. She shut it off and then looked back at the roof.

Dang, Mr. Hottie was gone. It was just as well… she didn't have time for men anyway and a guy like that would never look at a woman like her. She glanced around again for the man they'd come to find.

She saw the one who'd gone for Acheron. He headed off to the other side of the house without saying a word. A couple of people came from around the corner and then she saw the guy from the roof…

Holy gods of Olympus. He was unbelievably tall, lean and ripped. His shirt clung to that perfect body and didn't quite reach the waistband of his pants. Instead, it exposed a mouth-watering glimpse of a hard tanned washboard stomach. His jeans rode low on his narrow hips, dipping down so much that it made her wonder if he had on underwear. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses and was chewing gum in the sexiest manner she'd ever seen. Sweaty and gorgeous, he reached up to pull the ball cap off… and set free a mane of coal black hair with a red stripe in the front.

No… surely this wasn't…

Of course it was. She'd know that meticulous, sexual lope anywhere.

He slowly pulled the earbuds out as he approached them. "Hey Julian."

And when he looked at her, she wanted to scream.

"You fucking asshole!" she snarled, shocked at the fact that such language actually left her lips in front of Dr. Alexander. She'd very seldom in her life used such, but then she'd never hated anyone as much as she hated this guy.

She looked at Julian. "You go to him for advice? He's only what? Five years old? I swear I own older sweaters." She whirled around to go back to her car.

"Didn't you want me to look at something?" the man taunted with a hint of laughter in his voice.

Those words put her into a realm of pissed off the likes of which she'd never known before. Raw, unmitigated fury blinded her and before she knew what she was doing, she'd jerked a hammer off the sawhorse beside her and thrown it at his head.

Unfortunately, he ducked it… then laughed. Laughed!

Unable to stand his mockery, she rushed to her car, hoping she didn't give into the urge she had to run them both down.

Julian turned a wide-eyed stare at Ash. "Damn, Atlantean, what did you do?"

"I apparently made a new friend."

Laughing nervously, Julian shook his head. "I made a friend like that once. The bastard almost gutted me."

"Yeah." Ash felt a wave of guilt that he'd hurt her so badly. But it was nothing compared to what would be done to him if she'd succeeded in her quest. "Guess I'll get back to my roof."

Julian inclined his head to the street. "I have to go and find her so I can return this."

Ash went cold as he saw the small square package in Julian's hand. "Return what?"

"It's a journal she found on some dig in Greece."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure." Julian pulled it out and handed it to him.

Ash's hand shook as he made himself betray no emotions. But inside… inside he was raw with grief. He opened the cover and saw the handwriting he knew so well.

Today is the eighteenth anniversary of my birth. Father woke me up with a new necklace and Mother and I spent the morning in our garden. Father was always kind enough to let her visit for the anniversary of my birth.

Ash clenched his teeth as he pictured the garden that Ryssa had kept so meticulously groomed. He'd never known that she'd shared it with her mother.

"You can read it, can't you?"

Ash nodded. "It's an old dialect. Provincial."

"Well, I'd say it would make her happy to know that, but after her reaction to you, I'm not so sure."

Neither was he. Then again, he deserved her anger. "Mind if I hang on to this?"

Julian hedged. "It's not really mine. However, I trust you to do what's right with it."

"Believe me, I will."

Julian inclined his head to him, then turned to leave.

Ash stood there, holding his sister's journal. He couldn't believe it'd survived so well. It'd been buried under the sea since the day he'd sunk Didymos. But unlike his mother, he'd made sure that all the living people were gone before he'd obliterated it.

Now he had a piece of his past returned to him like a haunting ghost. The question was what was he going to do with it?

CHAPTER THREE

Three days later as she walked across campus, toward her office, Tory was mad enough to spit out iron nails. How dare Dr. Alexander give her journal to that… that…

One day she was going to think of a word that would adequately describe Acheron's particular breed of low, gutter, nasty, vile… ness.

"Dr. Kafieri?"

She turned to see Kyle Peltier, one of her students, running up to her. He was a typical junior, with blond hair and a sweet face. He'd just transferred from another school this semester and was one of her better students. "Yes?"

"A friend of mine asked me to give you this." He held out a box wrapped in kraft paper.

She stared at the unexpected gift. "I don't understand."

"Me either, but when he asks for a favor, you do the favor without asking why."

Tory frowned at his cryptic words as she took the box. Kyle immediately rushed off before she could ask him anything more. "Well that was interesting." The box was heavy. She shook it, but couldn't figure out what it might contain.

Her current luck, a bomb.

Pushing the thought aside, she made her way to her small office, grabbed a cup of coffee and then set about opening it which was easier said than done. It was like the giver had hermetically sealed it shut with tape. "I hate when people do this!"

Finally, after no less than five minutes, she was able to detach the lid from the box and pull it free. Opening it up, she froze. It contained a hammer, a handful of olive leaves, a note attached to a single red rose, and a leather pouch the same size as a small book. Her heart pounding, she picked up the brown leather pouch and opened it to find her journal.

A smile curled her lips. So the little monster had done the right thing. Now she was able to laugh about the hammer and the olive "branches" he'd put inside. She picked up his note and opened it to find a beautiful masculine script.

I'm really not the asshole you think I am. The journal's from a young woman in an isolated part of Greece and documents her life for about eighteen months. It's pretty much boring reading, but if you want more details, call me. 555-602-1938.

Eirini,

Ash

Eirini-Greek for peace. Tory shook her head. Not the asshole she thought, yeah right. But it was kind of a sweet gesture and he had returned her journal.

With a rose.

Holding it up, she inhaled the sweet scent and debated whether or not she ever wanted to lay eyes on the troll again.

With his arms crossed over his chest, Urian frowned at Ash while Ash sat on his throne in Katoteros and played the guitar. Almost as tall as Ash, Urian had long white blond hair that he wore pulled back into a ponytail. A former Daimon, Urian had been saved by Ash after Urian's father viciously cut his throat. And like his father, Urian had a most acerbic personality that he was more than proud of.

Not willing to deal with Urian's ill mood swings or explain himself, Ash ignored the man while he continued to sing Matchbox 20's "Push" under his breath.

Simi lay on her stomach, watching QVC as she devoured a tub of barbecue-flavored popcorn. She was dressed in black tights and a short plaid skirt with a pink and black peasant top and corset.

Urian moved to where Alexion stood off to the side, also staring at Ash as if Ash were a science experiment that had gone seriously wrong. For thousands of years, Alexion had been the only person Ash allowed in his home besides Simi. Of course that was out of profound guilt since Alexion had been Ias-one of the first Dark-Hunters Artemis created. Ash had managed to bring him back to a quasi-ghost existence by using his blood to keep Ias from being a Shade.

Too bad Savitar hadn't explained those powers to Ash sooner. It would have saved both him and Ias a lot of grief. But at least Ias wasn't in constant pain and misery.

"What's the deal with the bossman?" Urian asked him.

Alexion shrugged. "I don't know. He came in last night with a book, went to his room to read, I suppose, and then he came out here this morning and has been playing… those songs ever since."

Those songs were ballads, which Acheron never played. God-smack, Sex Pistols, TSOL, Judas Priest, but not…

"Is that…" Urian physically cringed before he spat out the name, "Julio Iglesias?"

"Enrique."

Urian grimaced in horror. "I didn't even know he knew any mellow shit. Dear gods… is he ill?"

"I don't know. In nine thousand years, I've never seen him like this before."

Urian shuddered. "I'm beginning to get scared. This has to be a sign of the Apocalypse. If he breaks out into Air Supply, I say we sneak up on him, drag him outside and beat the holy shit out of him."

"I'll let you and the demons do that. I personally like my semi-living state too much to jeopardize it."

Ash looked up and pierced them both with a malevolent glare. "Don't you two girls have something better to do like pick out toe lint?"

Urian grinned. "Not really."

Ash growled a low warning, but before he could really threaten them, his phone rang. Leaning his head back, he sighed in frustration. Damn phone was always going off. This time it better not be Artemis screwing with him or he'd hunt her down and-

His thoughts scattered as he saw a New Orleans area code. He didn't recognize the number and it didn't register a name. How weird. Flipping it open, he answered.

"Is this Ash?"

"Soteria?"

Tory's throat went dry at the way he said her name. Because she was Greek, she'd never really thought Greek was a pretty language, but when he spoke it…

She could barely form a coherent thought. "Um, Tory. I go by Tory."

"Oh, I didn't know. Can I do something for you?"

Yeah baby, get naked and…

She shook her head. She never had thoughts like that and she didn't know why she had them now when she had business to discuss with someone she absolutely hated. "Uh, yeah, I was wondering about the journal. Is there any chance you could meet me later and tell me more about it?"

"What time?"

Grateful he wasn't hanging up on her after she'd tossed a hammer at him, she smiled. "I'll be home in about an hour."

"I'll be there." He hung up.

It wasn't until Tory closed the phone that she realized something. She hadn't told him where she lived. "Oh my God, he's a stalker."

Her phone rang.

She answered it to find Ash there with that deep, mesmerizing voice. "I just realized I don't have your address."

Laughing, she shook her head at her overactive imagination. "I'm not hard to find. I'm at 982 St. Anne down in the Quarter."

"I shall see you later then."

The archaic way he said that actually sent a shiver down her spine. Hanging up, she couldn't help but smile and she didn't even know why.

He's a jerk. A complete and utter ass.

Who'd sent her a rose and who appeared to know how to read a language no one else could. A language she desperately needed to understand. This was business. It wasn't a date. She could stand his pushy arrogance long enough to get what she needed and then she was going to toss him out on his butt.

Ash hesitated as he flashed himself a few houses down from Tory's. Like the woman who owned it, it blended in with the rest of the houses on the street. Really nothing about it stood out, yet it was plainly beautiful. Painted a very pale pink and trimmed in antique white, it was a typical New Orleans turn-of-the-century shotgun rowhouse. The shutters were drawn tightly closed and as he tried to see inside to find her, he saw nothing.

Nothing.

You should probably run.

But why? All it meant was that they'd be friends of some sort. This wasn't the first time this had happened to him.

Bullshit. Even when you were destined to be friends with someone you caught glimpses of them.

With her there was nothing…

That actually scared him and yet he found himself walking up to the door and knocking on it.

He heard what sounded like something getting knocked over inside followed by a low whispered, "Shoot!" He bit back a smile at her obvious distress. There was more scrambling about before she opened the door.

Her brown hair was down today. Thick, shiny and wavy, that hair beckoned to be touched… no, it beckoned a man to bury his face in it and breathe her in. How could he have ever thought it plain? No wonder she'd worn it up the other night. Not to mention, it made her look a lot younger when it was down around her face. Her cheeks were flushed which made her sharp, intelligent eyes glow.

And those lips…

Plump and full, they were made for a night of kissing.

But the best part had to be her glasses which were ever so slightly askew. As if sensing it, she straightened them and blew a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. "Sorry. I have technical difficulties making it through a room without bumping into something. Thank God my clumsiness is only restricted to the ground. I'd probably kill myself diving if I was this bad under water."

"No problem." Ash ducked down to enter the doorway.

Tory's eyes widened as she watched him walk into her living room. While she knew her place wasn't large, his presence in it seemed to shrink it down to nothing. He literally filled the room with his commanding presence. "You are freakishly tall, aren't you?"

He arched a black brow over the rim of those sunglasses that seemed to be permanently attached to his head. "For a woman wanting my help you are ever determined to insult me. Should I make this as painless as possible and leave now before the die-painfully-you-asshole-prick stuff starts again?"

She shut the door. "I would say I'm sorry about that, but you have to admit you were an asshole. What would you do if someone had done that to you?"

Ash didn't answer. It depended on if it'd been before or after his godhood had been unlocked. Before he'd have taken it. Now… oh they'd regret it for eternity.

He scanned the small house that was littered with ancient artifacts from Greece and Rome, as well as tons of framed photos of their ruins. Then he saw the small trash can she'd stumbled into. The contents were still half on the floor. She was a walking disaster that he found oddly charming.

"Interesting place you have here."

"Yeah, I love old things."

A wave of amusement went through him as he considered his own age. "How old?"

"Oh, the older the better. You can never be old enough where I'm concerned."

Then she should worship the ground he walked on.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

"You got a beer?"

She scowled at him. "Isn't it a little early in the day for that?"

"Wine?"

Rolling her eyes, she made a sound of supreme disgust. "I swear you are such a frat boy. Are you even old enough to drink?"

The insult amused him. "Yeah. Trust me, I'm a lot older than I look."

"I've heard that before. I'd ask for your license, but it's probably fake."

Actually, it was, but only because no one would ever believe his real birth date and if they did, they'd be trying to lock him in a cage to study his longevity.

"Don't you want something else? Tea? Coffee?"

Ash shook his head. "I'm good, really. I don't want any more insults. I'd like to experience three whole minutes in your presence before you lay into me again… and we really should make sure the tools are all locked up." He pulled the sleeve of his jacket back to look at his watch. "Let me start timing…"

She opened her mouth to respond, but he held his hand up. "Wait for it. We got two minutes and fifty-five seconds to go."

"I'm not that bad."

"Yeah… you're not standing in my shoes."

She looked down at his huge feet which had to be a size fourteen or fifteen-if they even made such a thing. "And judging by the ungodly size of them, I don't think there are many people who could."

He tsked. "We almost made it to thirty seconds without an insult. I think we just set a new record."

She hated the fact he was actually charming. Worse, he was charming her. "All right, I'll behave. If you don't mind following me, the kitchen's back here."

Ash adjusted the backpack on his shoulder before he followed her through the house. As they neared the kitchen he paused at one of the pictures on the wall. It was a family photo with Tory standing front and center, but there were three people in it he knew intimately.

Geary, Arikos and Theodoros Kafieri.

No wonder he couldn't see her thoughts or future. "Is this your family?"

She glanced back. "Yes. My papou's the one next to me."

Theo. Ash smiled at his old friend. Theo had been only seven years old when he'd been blinded during a World War II attack on his village that had killed his whole family. Ash had been the one who'd brought the child to America where he could start a new life and be safe. He'd been watching over Theo ever since.

So it wasn't that Tory had anything to do with him, it was the fact she was tied to Theo and to Arik who was married to Geary. Arik had once been a Greek god of sleep. Those connections to Tory explained so much.

Ash relaxed immediately. "You've got a great looking family."

She smiled. "Typical Greek. There's a million relatives, but then with a name like Acheron, I'm sure you know all about it." She cocked her head as if she thought of something. "You know, my grandfather has a dear friend named Acheron."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they met in Greece and came to America together. But that was a long time ago." She went back to the kitchen and pulled open a drawer that held small brown packets of coffee and tea. Pulling one out, she started her Flavia coffee pot, then pointed to the kitchen table where she had a bunch of books, maps and notes littered.

Ash made his way over to it and was impressed by it. She'd been a very busy woman.

"Cop a seat," she said, pulling her mug out before she opened the door to her fridge.

Ash widened his eyes at the sight of her extremely organized refrigerator. The shelves were lined with neatly stacked clear plastic containers that had white labels with their contents carefully catalogued. "Got enough Rubbermaid there?"

"I have a little problem with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Ignore it." She grabbed a container from the B section. Seriously.

"That's really beyond slightly OCD. You've got a major problem, don't you?"

"Shut up, sit down and read."

With the exception of his demon Simi, no one since his rebirth as a god had ever been so dismissive with him. "Please?"

"You need something?"

He cocked a brow at her. "You to be polite to me, Ms. I Own The World-Now Do What I Say You Pathetic Pleb."

She scoffed at him. "You don't strike me as the kind of guy who takes orders anyway."

"Yes, but a simple please goes a long way. I'm the one doing you a favor here."

She set her container of baklava on the table. "Fine. Please sit down, shut up and read."

Ash lifted his hands up in surrender. Honestly he should be appalled by her treatment of him and yet he was strangely amused by her. Shrugging his backpack off, he sat down and pulled Ryssa's journal over to him. "What do you want to know?"

"You claim you can read it. Read it."

Tory sipped her coffee while she watched him and noted that his long legs barely fit beneath her table.

He turned to a random page and then started speaking in what had to be the most beautiful and fluent pronunciation of ancient Greek she'd ever heard. She could only recognize random words, but the ease with which he read and the inflections in his voice led her to believe he might actually be telling the truth about understanding the words.

"Could you try that in English?"

He didn't even pause. "It's raining today. I don't know why the sound of it bothers me so, but it always has. Before it began storming, I went to see Styxx out in the covered atrium. He was with Father as usual and the two of them were learning war tactics. Even at eleven, Styxx shows a lot of promise to be a leader and warrior of great renown. I couldn't be prouder of my brother. His blond hair has grown lighter this summer since he's spent so much time outdoors. I tried to get him-"

"Stop," she interrupted. "You're really translating that, aren't you?"

He looked perplexed by her question. "Is that not what you wanted?"

Tory didn't even know how to respond to his question. Yes, it was what she'd wanted more than anything. But no one knew this language.

Except a Goth, punk alcoholic frat boy with a stud in his nose… and a body made for sin.

How in the world was this possible?

"Where did you learn Greek?" she asked.

"In Greece."

She couldn't accept that. "No, ancient Greek. Who taught this to you?"

"I grew up with it."

"You're lying. I know you're lying. No one on this planet speaks ancient Greek the way you do. I've consulted experts all over the world and not one of them could do what you just did."

He shrugged nonchalantly as if her concerns were nothing. "What do you want me to say?"

She shook her head, not really sure herself. "I want you to tell me how you know ancient Greek like that."

"My family spoke it and I learned it from the cradle. In many ways, it was my native tongue."

She would have called him a liar but for the fact that her own parents had been that way with her. Even so, she couldn't do what he'd done. It was simply amazing. "Tell me about your accent when you speak. It's not a typical Greek accent."

He answered her in flawless Greek. "I was born in a place called Kalosis. It's so small that it's not on a map. It's an island province and my accent is a cross between my mother's and old Athenian."

"When did you come to the U.S.?"

"After my twenty-first birthday."

"And yet you speak English like a native?"

He switched back to his mainstream American English. "I'm exceptionally good with languages. As for my native accent, it comes and goes depending on my mood and the word I'm speaking."

Such simple explanations really, and they made her suddenly feel like Torquemada during the Inquisition. "I'm sorry, Acheron. I just realized how shrewish I must sound while you're trying to help me." She let out a tired sigh. "You and I have gotten off to a really bad start, haven't we?"

He shrugged. "I've gotten off to many worse ones during my lifetime."

She appreciated his graciousness. "Yeah but not from someone you were trying to help, I'd wager."

Ash had to bite back a sarcastic laugh at that. If she only knew…

She smiled at him and strangely everything seemed to be forgiven. "Again, I'm sorry that I attacked you. It's just Atlantis has been my whole life. You can't imagine how important the history and my research are to me."

Probably as important as keeping it hidden was to him. "Look, I was a shithead in Nashville. I admit it and for that I apologize completely. I don't normally embarrass people like that. It's just I know for a fact that Atlantis is only a myth. You found some really interesting artifacts, but that's all they are. It's apparent to me that you're a brilliant and sincere scholar and I can appreciate the dedication. However you're wasting valuable time on a moot topic."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "How do you know it's a myth?"

"How do you know it's not?"

She leaned forward, so close that they were almost nose to nose. "Because the man who brought my grandfather over as a child told him stories of Atlantis and the ancient island of Didymos to entertain him and to take his mind off the severe burns he'd received from the Nazis. My papou said that the way this man described Atlantis and its marvels was as if he'd lived there. The man described the same exact buildings that I've found buried in the Aegean."

Ash went cold as she pricked memories he'd buried. Why had he ever told Theo those stories?

Because he'd been a terrified child and Ash had wanted to comfort him. Reassure him. Damn. How could he have known that that one act would come back to burn him so badly sixty years later?

"But the most important is this." She reached into the wooden box on the table and pulled out a coin he hadn't seen since he'd placed it in Theo's tiny hand when he'd left the boy with an adoptive family in New York with the promise that he'd be back to visit. It held the image of Ash's mother on one side and her sun symbol on the other.

Fuck.

Tory tapped the coin. "The writing on one side is something I'd never seen anywhere else until our discovery last summer. On the other side, it's Greek and though I don't know all of it, I can make out the name Apollymi. Now tell me this isn't from Atlantis."

"It's not from Atlantis," he said, his voice sounding hollow to his own ears. It had actually been from his pocket. "It could be anything. Might not even be a coin. It could be a necklace. Maybe she was someone's wife." Or his mother.

"I never said it was a coin. They wouldn't have had money at the time, would they?" Her gaze pierced him. "You know the truth, don't you?"

Ash made his phone ring. "Hold that thought." He pretended to answer it and got up as he tried to think of a plausible answer.

Damn her for being so quick.

Tory watched as Ash walked out of the room to take his call. He came back a few minutes later.

"I have to go."

"But you can't. I've got more questions for you."

He seemed frustrated about something. "I really don't have time to answer them."

"Can you come back?"

He shook his head at her. "I doubt it. I travel a lot for work and I won't be in town much longer." He grabbed his backpack from the floor and headed for the front.

She followed him. "I can pay you for your time."

"It's not about the money."

She pulled him to a stop. "Please, Acheron… please."

Ash wanted to shove her away and frighten her. The god in him didn't like to be grilled.

The man in him wanted to taste those lips that beckoned for a kiss. "I can't, Tory." I can't… His resolve set, he gently took her hand from his arm and left.

Tory wanted to scream as she watched him descend the stairs in front of her house that led to the street. He turned right and headed toward Bourbon Street.

There had to be some way to get him to help her. He was the only one who could read that book and by all the conviction inside her, she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

At the end of the day, she was a Kafieri and no one told a Kafieri no. "You can run from me all you want, Mr. Parthenopaeus, but you won't be able to hide. You will give me what I want." She was going to make sure of it.

CHAPTER FOUR

Ash did his best to get Tory out of his mind, but it was impossible. There was just something about her that beckoned him.

He hated that.

But not half as much as he hated the way he'd bailed on her like a coward the day before. He kept telling himself it was for the best and yet he couldn't quite convince himself of it. There was something about being around her that was comforting which given her normal hostility toward him made no sense whatsoever.

Now he sat up on the roof of the house he was helping to build, trying to clear his head and get back to business.

Someone touched his foot. He glanced up to see Karl in front of him. Ash pulled one of the earbuds out. "Yeah?"

"Visitor."

Assuming it was one of his associates in New Orleans, Ash set down his hammer and headed for the ladder. It wasn't until he was halfway down that he saw Tory waiting for him. Her hair was pulled forward into wavy pigtails. She wore a long beige skirt and brown blazer.

But it was her large brown eyes that seared him.

Looking at them and not at what he was doing, he missed a step and went slamming down the ladder, straight to the ground where he landed in a most embarrassing lump that wasn't helped when the ladder then fell across him, drawing all eyes to his clumsy stupidity. Pain hit him hard in his back, hip and shoulder as he struggled to find some semblance of dignity.

Given the way he was sprawled, it was actually hopeless. Sighing, he moved the ladder off his legs.

Tory came running over to kneel beside him. "Are you all right?"

The answer had been yes until she placed her hand on his chest. In this position, all he could think of was pulling her across him and making use of her hand for something much more pleasurable.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Then he glanced around at the other people staring at him in concern. His face heated in embarrassment. "I'm fine, everyone," he said louder. "Just a small slip."

They went back to work while he wanted to make himself invisible. He never did stuff like this.

"You should be more careful," Tory said in a chiding tone. What happened to her concern for him? Obviously it'd gone the way of his last vestige of dignity. "You could have broken your neck or as big as you are landed on someone and killed them."

Okay… the woman was nuts.

"What are you doing here, Tory?" He rolled over and pushed himself up, then realized he'd done some real damage to his leg as it throbbed painfully in protest at being used again. It was all he could do not to grunt or limp.

Her smile dazzled him. "I've come to tempt you."

It was too late, she already had and he knew she didn't mean it the way he did. "I can't be tempted."

"Yes, you can. All people can be tempted."

But he wasn't a person. He picked the ladder up and returned it to its previous position. Then he went to pick up the nails that had spilled out of his tool belt. When he started back toward the ladder, she planted herself firmly in his way.

"Tory…" he growled.

"Look, I'll be honest, there has never in the whole history of mankind been a more stubborn human being born than me."

"Yes, there has. Me."

When he started around her, she ran around him to the ladder and put herself on the first rung. He should be pissed as hell and yet she was so adorable standing there in her long skirt and flats with one arm wrapped around the rung over her head that it was all he could do not to smile at her. "Fine, you don't have to translate it. Just teach me how and I'll leave you alone. If it helps, I'm a really quick learner."

He ground his teeth in frustration. "I don't like arguing. I don't like conflicts. I basically like to be left alone to do my thing and that doesn't include teaching you anything. Now do you mind?"

"Please…" her expression was the hottest mixture of cute pleading and raw seduction that he'd ever seen. "I'll be your baklava slave until I die."

He scowled. "My what?"

"Baklava slave. I make the best you've ever tasted and I'll keep you supplied in it until you're fat and old."

"I don't eat baklava."

"That's because you've never had mine. Unless you're allergic to nuts, you'll love it."

He tried to pry her loose from the ladder, but true to her words, she wouldn't be moved. His anger snapped. How could he be one of the most powerful beings in the universe and not be able to move a single frail women out of his way?

She made her eyes look like a sad puppy. "Please, Acheron," she said in Greek. Then she switched to English. "Three days and then you'll never have to see me again. Tell me what you want in exchange and I'll do it."

Karl laughed as he overheard them. "Why don't you ask her to be your sex slave? For that I'd teach her whatever she wants."

Her jaw dropped as if that was the most nauseating thought she'd ever had. "Ew!"

That one single sound caught him off guard. "Ew?" Ash repeated. "You can't be serious?"

"Yeah, ew! I don't even know you really and here the two of you think I'm just going to jump in bed with you. No thanks! God, you're such an arrogant man pig."

Arrogant man pig?

She screwed her face up in distaste and left the ladder. "Fine, I'll research without you." She shivered. "Sleep with him for a translation, disgusting," she said under her breath as she walked off.

Ash hung his arm on the ladder while watching her head for her car. He was completely stunned.

She didn't want to sleep with him…

She thought sleeping with him was disgusting.

Everybody over puberty wanted in his bed. Everybody.

Except Tory. A burst of hope went through him as he realized that she might be one of the exceptionally rare people who was immune to his Aunt Epithymia's curse. Even women who didn't find men attractive looked at him.

There had only been a handful of them throughout history and up until now they'd always been men who were immune… or those who were blind.

To find a human female who didn't want him…

He could be normal around her. Let his guard down and not have to be worried that she was going to start grabbing at his crotch. The novelty of that alone made him crave being around her.

Before he could stop himself, he went to her car and stopped her. "I'll teach you."

She turned angrily and pressed her index finger into his chest. "I'm not sleeping with you, buddy."

He smiled at her. "I'm not asking you to. I swear it. I would never ask that of you."

Her jaw fell open before she raked him with an offended snarl. "What? You think sleeping with me would be repugnant? Oh you're such a jerk!"

Ash held his hands up in frustration. "Why can't I ever win with you? If I want to sleep with you I'm a pig and if I don't I'm a jerk. What do you want from me?"

She stood in the open door of her car and stared up at him with those soulful eyes that seared him all the way to his gut. "I want you to translate the journal and to keep your hands to yourself."

"And yet still be attracted to you?"

She let out an evil laugh. "Exactly. Now you're getting the hang of it." She clapped him on the arm. "I'll see you tonight at seven."

He couldn't wait, he thought sarcastically. Maybe he ought to have Simi come with him. Every time he was around Tory, he felt the deep need for protection. At the very least he should make sure he wore a cup tonight so she couldn't cold-cock him when he wasn't looking.

What kind of masochistic bastard was he that he kept getting involved with women who loathed him?

You should forget about teaching her anything.

Yeah, but she held a part of his past and if he didn't get her away from Atlantis and Didymos, there was going to be even bigger problems. May the primal source take mercy on him if she happened on another of Ryssa's journals. He had what he thought were the most damning of them. But he didn't know what else his sister had written about. Tory and her obssesive quest had to be dealt with.

The last thing he needed was for the Dark-Hunters to find out that his mother was the one who'd created the Daimons they spent eternity fighting against and that they were being led by a tsoulos who was still selling himself to protect them. It would be disastrous for him.

No, he had to help her enough to get her sidetracked off this quest. Maybe he should find something Lemurian and get her on that topic. After all, its past had nothing to do with his.

You could just kill her.

That would be Savitar's answer. But Ash couldn't do that either. Theo had buried most of his family already and if he knew anything about his old friend it was how much Theo loved his family.

No, he'd have to find another way to move the inert mass that was Tory's obstinacy before it was too late…

Scylla and Charybdis. Like Odysseus, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Tory had everything laid out perfectly. Her notebook, the journal and a beer on ice for her prickly tall guest. She was on the couch, nibbling on a cheese cube when there was a knock on the door at the precise minute the clock struck seven.

Dang… how punctual could one person be?

Getting up, she went to the door and opened it to find Mr. Goth all decked out in a long pirate-styled leather jacket, black pants and a pair of black boots with neon green skulls painted on them. His hair was damp as if he'd recently bathed and he smelled like strawberries. He was also still in those dark sunglasses.

"Come in," she said, stepping back to let him enter.

He bent his head down so as not to bump her doorframe and went to the armchair where he dropped his backpack on the floor and then took his coat off. He laid it over the backpack and kept the fingerless black gloves on his hands.

She frowned at the tattoo on his muscled biceps that peeked out from under his black T-shirt. "I thought that was on your forearm."

He glanced down at the tattoo and shrugged. "Should we get started?"

Before she could shut the door, his cell phone rang.

He let out a tired sigh before he flipped it open. "It's Ash. Go."

She went to open the beer and handed it to him while he listened.

He gave her a grateful smile as he took the beer. "Uh, no. That would be really unwise. Trust me, she has no known sense of humor about anything male… Okay I'll see what I can do." He hung up and dialed the phone at the same time he took a swig of beer.

"I'll be right with you," he told her, then he spoke to someone else on the phone. "Hey, Urian, I need you to ride herd on Zoe in Seattle. She's one step away from running afoul of Ravyn who's threatening to behead her… No, I won't be able to get up there for a few days." He took another swig. "Thanks." Hanging up, he put the phone in his back pocket.

Tory frowned at him. "So what exactly is it that you do?"

"I'm a wrangler."

"A wrangler?" she asked, amused by the mere thought of him on horseback with a black cowboy hat decked out with skulls. "Like a cowhand?"

He laughed. "Yeah, only I wrangle people with nasty attitudes. You'd like them. Most are real jerks."

"Ah, a true meeting of the minds then."

"Something like that." His phone rang again. Growling, he pulled it out and looked at the number before he opened it. "No… You don't have to ask it, I know what you want. The answer is no. Hell, no, since it's coming from Dominic." He hung up and then dialed another number. "Hey, Alexion. I'm forwarding some calls to you for the next hour or so. I'm not in the mood to deal with it right now." He flipped the phone closed again, then dropped it into the pocket of his coat on the floor.

Raking one insanely large hand through his black and red hair, he sat down in her armchair and looked up at her. "I'm ready when you are."

"You sure? You look a little tense and I don't want to make any sudden moves in case you've had a lot of caffeine or something."

One corner of his mouth quirked up into a charming half smile. "I'm fine."

Tory went to the coffee table and picked up her journal so that she could hand it to him. "What's the best way to do this?"

He took the journal and carefully opened it before he balanced it on his thigh. "How much ancient, ancient Greek do you know?"

"Extremely fluent."

He spoke to her again and she recognized it as Greek, but had no idea what he was saying. It was beautiful gibberish.

She frowned. "Is that the same dialect as the journal?"

"No…" he said in English before he switched back to Greek, "Can you understand what I'm saying to you now?"

"That Greek I fully comprehended."

"Okay," he said in English. "You're good with the Iron Age language. That'll help."

Tory crossed her arms as she tried to understand the time period the journal covered. "So the diary is from the Bronze Age."

He rubbed his thumb over his brow. "What did your dating tell you?"

Her cheeks heated as she was forced to admit the fact he'd pegged her correctly in Nashville. The troll. "It was basically inconclusive."

"I'll bet," he mumbled, then louder he said, "Brace yourself. The journal is from the Stone Age. The Mesolithic period to be precise."

Tory sputtered in disbelief. There was no way it was that old. Not even slightly possible. "You're screwing with me."

He shook his head slowly.

Tory stared at it. "No. You're wrong. Completely and utterly. It's just not possible. Do you understand what you're saying?"

"I understand totally."

Still she refused to believe him. "They didn't have books then. They weren't civilized. They didn't have writing… they didn't even have houses! People were still living in caves. They barely had fire."

He remained completely stoic under her tirade. "And you know this how? 'Cause you lived during that period?"

"Well no, but the archaeological record tells us that writing isn't that old."

"And the archaeological record is only as sound as the latest find." He held the journal up. "Congratulations, Dr. Kafieri, you just extended it."

Stunned, Tory couldn't do anything other than stare at the book in his hand. "It's too well preserved to be that old."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It is what it is."

"Yeah, but if it is that old, how do you know the language when we've never had anything from that period in written form before now?"

"I told you, it's basically the same language I was raised with. I lived in a pocket community where our Greek isn't the same as what you were raised speaking." He inclined his head to the book. "This is my language."

Tory shook her head as she tried to fully comprehend the importance of her discovery. Of what he was telling her. It was so mammoth. So much more than she'd ever hoped to discover. "Do you understand the significance of finding a diary this old?"

"More than you do."

"No one's ever going to believe it. No one." They'd laugh her out of the profession if she even tried to present this.

Ash took another drink of beer. "You're probably right about that." Because he was going to make damn sure of it.

Her eyes bright, she cradled the diary against her like a precious infant. "I'm holding something that someone once cherished… eleven thousand years ago. Eleven thousand years ago," she repeated. "My God, Ash, do you understand how old that is?"

Better than she could imagine.

"This book could tell me everything. What they ate, how they lived…" Tears filled her eyes. "With this book, we've unlocked a world that no one alive has ever glimpsed before. I can't believe this discovery. No wonder no one knew the languages or that the equipment couldn't get the right date. It was coming up with dates, but no one believed it so we kept testing and retesting. Oh my God," she breathed. "Eleven thousand years ago. Just imagine how beautiful the world must have been."

Not from his perspective. Personally, he'd like to be able to purge most of those years out of his memory. "You're getting your skin oil all over the journal. You might not want to do that given its age."

She immediately set it down. "Thanks. I tend to get carried away sometimes." She sat next to him on the floor and captured his gaze as she braced her hands on the arm of his chair. "What else can you tell me about it?"

Again, more than she'd ever believe. He could tell her who every person in it was and introduce her to two of them who were currently living and breathing. That was scariest part of all. But the contents of it were harmless. All it showed was how sheltered and naive Ryssa had been as a girl. How precious she'd been. "What else do you want to know?"

Before she could answer, her phone rang out with Ozzy Osborne's "Bark at the Moon." "Hold on a sec. That's David."

Ash leaned back in his chair while she went to answer it. You know you shouldn't have told her what the journal was. But then it didn't really matter. There were only a handful of beings who could read it and one of them was human. Besides, better he look at it and read the book first. Now he knew he had nothing to fear from it. But he needed to keep Tory near him and distract her from this quest before she found a journal that was damning.

It could have raised questions he didn't want answered.

"That's terrible! Was anyone hurt?"

Ash frowned at the stress in Tory's voice before he turned his attention to her call.

"Okay, just keep me posted. Thanks, sweetie." Her features were pale as she returned to him.

"Is everything all right?"

"No, someone attacked a member of my crew in Greece yesterday."

Ash frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh it was awful. We lost some research and a couple of artifacts that'd just been brought up. David said Nikolas tried to stop the muggers, but he couldn't. He'll be all right, but he's really banged up from it." She shook her head. "I swear we're cursed. Every time we get close to bringing up large chunks of the find, something bad happens."

"Maybe it's the ancient gods telling you to leave it be."

She snorted. "Maybe, but I can't. Both of my parents gave their lives to prove the existence of Atlantis. My uncle sacrificed his life and his sanity to it. My cousin may have given up the search, but I swore on my parents' graves that I wouldn't. Not until my father's reputation is restored. I'm tired of him being the punchline at parties whenever someone brings up Atlantis." She looked at him. "I'm sure you have no idea what it's like to be mocked and ridiculed-"

"You don't know me well enough to make that assertion."

"Sorry," she said quietly. "You're right. Who was that redhead by the way?"

Her constant shift in thoughts baffled him. "What on earth are you talking about now?"

"In Nashville, you were with a beautiful redheaded woman who got up and left in a pique. Who was she?"

Damn, she'd been attentive. "An old friend."

"You were really nasty to her. By the way she was acting, I assumed you two were hooked up."

It was his turn to snort at the very idea. "Oh I can guarantee you we're not an item." That would involve Artemis admitting openly that she was intimate with him. So what if they had a daughter together and half her pantheon knew they slept together, she still couldn't bring herself to admit he was anything other than her platonic pet.

"You were still mean to her," Tory chided.

He had to bury the ire he felt at her condemnation when she had no idea how much shit he'd taken from Artemis over the centuries-including the fact that she'd kept his daughter's birth a secret from him for over eleven thousand years. The goddess was lucky he hadn't killed her over that little stunt. "Look, my private life is private. If that's the only topic you're interested in, I'm leaving."

She slapped lightly at his knee. "Don't be so testy all the time."

"Yeah well, I don't like talking about myself and I despise personal questions."

"Fine. All I want is that brain of yours for a few." She handed him a shallow Rubbermaid container of baklava.

Ash frowned. "What's this?"

"I told you. Baklava."

"And I really don't eat it, but thanks for the thought." He returned it to her.

"Your loss." She grabbed a triangle of it before she set it back on the table. "Now teach me how to read this."

Ash opened the journal again. "There are a few additional characters and diphthongs that aren't in the classical Greek you're used to. The endings and conjugations are also different."

She nodded, then pointed to a word. "Adelphianosis. Is that 'brother'?"

He was impressed by how quickly she identified the unfamiliar language. "Yes."

She frowned. "So if I'm reading this correctly, it says that her brother…" she pointed to the word before it. "Styxx?"

"Yes."

She shook her head in confusion. "Why is he named Styxx? That was a female goddess name."

He'd always thought it an odd choice for his brother's name too, but what the hell? No one had asked him and Ryssa's parents had never been right in the head. "And how many men are named Artemis?"

"Good point. It just seems strange to me."

"Well that's why it has the additional X at the end. It's to differentiate the masculine from the feminine forms."

"Ah, that makes sense." She looked back at the book in his lap and he felt a strange dipping sensation in his stomach. Like a punch only it was more sexual than that and it took him completely by surprise.

He didn't react to people like that.

Yet he had this sudden compulsion to lean forward and just breathe in her scent. To touch her cheek and see if it was really as soft as it appeared. Or better yet to take her hand and press it against the sudden bulge in his pants that cried out for her body. His cock tightened at the mere thought of her unzipping his pants and touching him.

Unaware of his sudden mood, she trailed her finger down the page, trying to decipher Ryssa's neatly written words. "So this is her talking about a fight with her brother?"

It took a full three seconds for those words to descend past the desire he had to kiss her. "Uh… yeah. Her brother was angry because she was planning to visit her aunt in Athens and she didn't want her brother to go with her because he was annoying to travel with."

Tory glanced up as she heard the deepening of Ash's voice. She couldn't tell where he was looking since he still wore those dark sunglasses. "Can you see all right?"

"Fine."

"Why don't you take the sunglasses off?"

"I see better with them on."

"Oh," she dragged the word out as she had sudden clarity. "You're one of those, aren't you?"

"Those what?"

"Vain guy who needs glasses, but doesn't want anyone to know it and you can't stand contacts so you wear prescription sunglasses instead." She rolled her eyes. "I've had several of you in my classes. Really, no one will think less of your manhood for needing glasses-that alone does not a geek make." She indicated hers by tapping a fingernail on the lens. "Look at me. I'd rather be able to see than be vain about it."

Ash hid a smile at her latest wrong conclusion about him. Without commenting, he reached for his beer and took a drink while she returned to the journal.

They sat there for over two hours as she learned his native tongue. It was so strange to hear someone else speaking it after all this time that he couldn't help but be warmed by it. There was even a part of him made homesick from the sound. It was a feeling he didn't get often since he'd had a less than desirable existence there, but then home was home.

Even a bad one.

And honestly, he liked having this connection to someone. He'd been alone for so long. Had taught himself to trust no one. Yet he found himself wanting to trust her and he didn't know why. Perhaps it was her fierce loyalty. He craved someone to be that loyal to him. If only they would…

"What do you mean the journal wasn't there," Costas Venduras asked as he narrowed his gaze on his underling. As members of the Atlantikoinonia-a society founded to serve the goddess Artemis-it was their sacred duty to protect anything relating to Atlantis.

George swallowed nervously before he answered. "We took all the artifacts the man had with him, but the journal wasn't in with them."

"You know what the oracle told us. Atlantis can never be uncovered. Use whatever means necessary to ensure that all the artifacts are returned to the sea or destroyed."

George nodded. "Yes, sir. As the goddess wills it, it will be done." He started to leave, then hesitated. "By the way, we think the young professor might have the journal with her in New Orleans."

Costas felt his temper rising at the mere mention of that nosy little trifle who'd been a source of aggravation for him for over a decade. "Then send a team to recover it. In fact, our little professor has become too much of a liability for us and our cause. I'm tired of dealing with her. Signal the others with a TOS for Dr. Kafieri."

"Termination on sight. Yes, sir. It will be done."

CHAPTER FIVE

Ash was still in bed, not quite awake, but no longer sleeping when his phone rang. Assuming it was another Dark-Hunter in need of something stupid, he answered it without even looking at the number.

"Hey, Ash, it's Tory. I'm at the grocery store. What do you want tonight?"

You on a platter… He forced himself away from that uncharacteristic line of thought. "I really don't eat much, Tory. There's nothing I need."

"Oh come on. You didn't grow to the height of a mountain without eating someone out of house and home."

Actually he had.

"There has to be something you live on besides beer and if you say wine, I will hurt you."

He smiled in spite of himself. "I swear to you, there's nothing I want."

"You like frustrating me, don't you? Fine, I'll make falafel and humus-you're Greek. You'll live with it, like it, and you're going to eat some whether you want to or not. I'll see you tonight."

What was it with Tory and food? She was almost as bad as Simi. How could a woman that skinny eat all the time? He tossed his phone down, then rolled onto his back and covered his eyes with his arm, not wanting to get up yet. He'd been out late the night before hunting Daimons after he'd left Tory's house. Something was brewing here in New Orleans, but he couldn't figure it out.

Stryker was plotting something. He could feel it.

But he didn't want to think about Stryker right now either. Letting his thoughts drift, they came back to a pair of beautiful brown eyes circled by small glasses and set into the face of the most frustrating human being on the planet.

Soteria.

Before he could stop himself, he imagined her naked in bed with him. Her hair falling forward over her face as she leaned over him for a kiss… His cock hardened instantly.

Unable to stand it, he reached down to move himself so that it didn't hurt.

"You want a hand with that?"

Moving his arm, his eyes flew open to find Artemis in bed with him which instantly killed his peaceful mood. "No."

She pouted. "Oh c'mon, Acheron. You're not really going to let all that go to waste, are you?"

He rolled over to give her his back. "I'd rather masturbate."

She punched at his shoulder. "You're in one of those moods again, aren't you? I hate when you get so sullen with me."

Then why did she keep coming around him when it was his natural state in her presence? Well that, and severely pissed off.

"What do you want, Artie? It's not like you to pop into my bed and you know better than to come to Katoteros. How the hell did you get past Alexion anyway?"

"He's too preoccupied with his wife to notice me these days."

Note to self, kill Alexion again later. At least make the bastard wander around the shores of the Isle of the Dead for a while.

"So why are you here, Artie?"

"You want me here."

Yeah, like an alien rectal probe up my sphincter. "How you figure that?"

"Since you can't see it because it would impact your future, you told me to always let you know whenever something happened involving the Atlantean remains."

And she'd already failed to tell him about the diary which could have been disastrous for him if it'd been one from Ryssa's twenties. "And?"

"Well I just had those people arrested in Greece for excavating without a license. Say thank you, Artemis."

Ash turned his head to look at her. She was literally simpering with pride over what she'd done. "What people?"

"You know, that pathetic-looking archaeologist that we saw? Her people. They'd uncovered the site and were pulling things out of the water yesterday by the handfuls. Found all kinds of things. I know how upset you get when people do that, so I had the authorities go arrest them and confiscate the artifacts."

"Did you happen to have anyone beaten up while you were at it?"

"Why would I do that?"

He scoffed as he rubbed his forehead. "You seem to get off on seeing someone beaten."

She narrowed those evil green eyes on him. "You are in such a foul mood. I don't like to see you beaten either."

He'd seen the gleam of sexual satisfaction one time too many in her eyes while he was being punished to believe that. She loved making him bleed. It was the only time she felt more powerful than he and it made her even hornier than she was right now.

"Whatever you say, Artie."

"Then roll over and satisfy me."

"I have a headache."

She brushed her hand through his black hair, turning it blond. "You can't get a headache."

"Sure I can. I have a hundred twenty pound one rubbing on me even as I speak."

She slapped at his bare back. "You're such an asshole." She bit him hard on the arm before she vanished.

Grimacing, Ash rubbed at the spot. At least she hadn't torn his skin out. This time.

"I had them arrested."

He sighed as he realized those would be friends of Tory's. He better get up and go deal with it. Tory would be furious and scared for them.

"Greetings, brother."

Stryker glanced up to see his half-sister, Satara, standing in the doorway of his office. Because they'd had different mothers Satara had been spared the Apollite curse of death that Stryker bore, but then again, since their father had given her to Artemis to be a permanent servant to the bitch, he wasn't sure which of them had the worse life.

Today, Satara's hair was coal black like his and she wore a tight, red leather dress that clung to every deep curve of her body.

"What brings you here, sister?"

"Auntie Artemis, of course. You said to always tell you when she was in a tizzy over something. She went off on a big one last night."

"Over what?"

"It seems a team of archaeologists stumbled onto Atlantis. The real one. And some of the artifacts, including a pristine journal, were recovered."

Stryker sat back in his chair. "One of Ryssa's journals?"

"Given the way Artemis reacted, my guess is yes."

Oh this was good. The humans had no idea that Apollites and Daimons lived among them and they'd gone to quite a bit of effort to make sure it stayed that way. But if one of Ryssa's journals was uncovered…

It could tell everything about them.

It was bad enough he and his Daimon brethren had the Dark-Hunters after them. The last thing they needed was for their food source to get scared and start hiding from them at night. They only had a few hours each night to hunt or die. This could be bad.

"I need you to find that journal."

Satara walked forward to lean on his desk. "Artemis is already one step ahead of you."

He pondered that. Artemis seldom ever bothered herself with anything other than chasing after Acheron. "Why does she want it so badly?"

Satara shrugged. "I guess her fear is someone will learn that it wasn't Apollo who sank Atlantis. Or maybe Ryssa knew about Artemis's relationship with Acheron and wrote about it."

Stryker's mind whirled with other possibilities. "Or maybe there's something in that book that tells Acheron's weakness. Maybe even a way to kill him or Apollo and Auntie too."

Satara's eyes sparked with new interest. "I'll find that book."

"You do that. And if anyone gets in your way-"

"They're lunch."

"Forget Jake Gyllenhaal and Shia LaBeouf, have you ever seen a better looking man in your life?"

Tory frowned as she walked past a group of female students who were giggling and agog over who knew what.

"I don't think he goes here. I've never seen him before, but I'd kill to have him in at least one class."

"I'd kill to have him under me!"

"I've seen him around. He's been at the bar Sanctuary on Ursu-lines a couple of times when I was there partying with friends. I think he's hooked up with that tall blond waitress who has such a nasty attitude."

"Are you serious? How on earth did I miss that? I must have been good and drunk."

Their comments faded out as Tory made her way to her office. But as she neared it, the female student body count got higher and higher or more to the point thicker and thicker. She actually had to push her way through them.

Yeah… this wasn't right. She'd never seen so many people this interested in the Anthropology department before.

It wasn't until she neared her door that she realized why.

Ash was there. Dressed in a long black duster that made her wonder just how many ankle length coats he had, he leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. His was a powerful nonchalance that was riveting. She looked down and smiled at his crossed booted feet and the ever present black backpack resting behind them.

Those dark sunglasses were in place and today his long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. And his silver nose stud had been exchanged for one that looked like a small red ruby.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, reaching her door.

"Waiting for you."

She glanced around at the traffic jam he'd caused. "Really, you should have called. I think the Fire Marshal would have issues with this."

A slow grin broke across his face. "Sorry."

She opened the door and stood back. "You better get inside while I hold them off."

Picking up his backpack, he laughed before he complied.

Tory turned toward the collection of students. "See how exciting Anthropology is? He's a leading expert in ancient Greece. Now you should all change your majors so that you can ogle men like him all day long. Or better yet, uncover naked male statues."

She closed the door to find Ash smirking at her. "Was that necessary?"

"Hey, I live to recruit students for the department. If I can make you good for something, then by golly I'm going to do it."

"By golly?"

She shrugged as she put her armload of books down on her desk. "Yeah, like you don't have weird things you say, too. So what can I do for you?"

"I want to go back to that 'make you good for something' statement for a minute… Why do you hate me so much?"

Tory squirmed a bit under his hidden scrutiny and pointed question. "I wouldn't say I hate you. The hatred has fallen down to a mild distaste."

"Why?"

She sighed as she returned some of her books to the shelves behind her desk. "Because everything seems so easy for you. Have you ever had a day in your life where people weren't lining up to take care of you?"

"Yes, Soteria. I have. I assure you, my life has never been an easy one and you should be grateful every day you live that you can't imagine what kind of childhood I had."

Tory paused at the note in his voice and the deadly sincerity of his words. "I'm sorry, Ash. I didn't know."

He set the backpack down on the floor. "It's easy to look at people and make quick judgments about them, their present and their pasts, but you'd be amazed at the pain and tears a single smile hides. What a person shows to the world is only one tiny facet of the iceberg hidden from sight. And more often than not, it's lined with cracks and scars that go all the way to the foundation of their soul."

He was right and it made her feel guilty that she was so quick to assess people. It'd always been a fault of hers that she tried not to give in to. "You are amazingly astute for someone your age."

He snorted. "I told you, I'm older than I look and I've never had anything in my life that I didn't pay for one way or another."

She shuffled a stack of papers into her inbox. "Now that I think about it, you'd have to be a glutton for punishment to keep coming near me given my acerbic personality where you're concerned."

Ash offered her his hand. "Truce?"

"Peace, my brother," she said shaking his hand. "Now why are you here?"

Sighing, he stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I heard from a friend that some archaeologists in Greece had been arrested for excavating without a permit. I wanted to see if they happened to be your team."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Why would they be my team?"

"They were excavating a site they claimed to be Atlantis. Sounded like your guys to me."

"But we have all of our paperwork."

"If you're sure…" he let his voice trail off meaningfully.

She screwed her face up as if she realized her luck would have them in trouble. "Wait. Let me call."

Ash sat down in the chair in front of her desk and stretched his legs out while she dug her phone out of her purse.

Tory frowned at his backpack on the floor and the way he kept it within easy reach. "What's in that backpack, by the way? You're always guarding it like it holds national security secrets or something."

"Dirty underwear."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks so much for that image."

"You asked."

Shaking her head, she dialed David's number. When he didn't answer, she rang Justina. Again, no answer. Her panic set in as she tried for Bruce.

"Tory?"

She breathed in relief as he answered. "Hey sweetie, I can't get-"

"They've all been arrested."

Disgusted and afraid, she glanced to Ash whose handsome face was completely stoic. "What?"

"The whole team. I stayed on land to wait and sign for the new diving gear that was coming in and the next thing I knew, the boat was impounded and everyone was taken into custody."

Tory let out a frustrated breath. "How is this possible?"

"They say our paperwork is forged."

"Bullshit! It's not forged. Solin helped us to get it renewed just last spring."

"Yeah and as usual Solin has fled the scene. We can't find him either. For all I know he's in jail alongside them."

"Oh good grief. Okay, you sit tight and I'll see what I can do." Hanging up, she looked at Ash who sat as still as a statue. "You were right. My whole crew. Gone. Arrested. Perfect. Shoot me now and save me the expense of a bullet later."

He let out a tired breath as he rubbed one large hand down his thigh. "Don't worry. I'll make a call and get them out."

"You can do that?"

"I can do it." He pulled his phone out and flipped it open with a stern flick of his wrist.

Hoping he wasn't lying, Tory sat behind her desk and held her breath while she leaned her head against her hands. How had this happened? Her poor team. They had to be terrified over this.

Ash spoke in that deep, rhythmic flawless Greek of his that sent a shiver down her spine. "Hi Gus, it's Acheron Parthenopaeus. I need to pull in a favor from you. There's a group of anthropologists who were arrested for excavating in the Aegean, this morning I think. Can you get them out and clear them of all charges?"

He laughed. "I know they think it's Atlantis. Everyone wants to find a treasure. But I don't want to see them hurt for a pipe dream. They're harmless friends of a friend if you know what I mean. Get them out of trouble for me."

He tapped his thumb on his thigh while he listened. "No… I don't think they need a lesson. I'm sure they're rattled enough as it is. Give Olympia my best and let me know the minute the baby's born. I'll see the two of you next time I'm in Greece."

She straightened as he closed the phone. "Well?"

"He can get them out without a problem, but the artifacts are confiscated and there's nothing he can do about that. If you guys go digging down there again, they're going to execute you."

"You're joking."

"Not really. The authorities are extremely hot over this."

"But we had the right permits."

Ash held the closed phone against his chin. "According to them you didn't and they were one step away from issuing a warrant out for you because you took part of their national heritage out of their country without permission."

"What I have isn't Greek, it's Atlantean."

"The diary is Greek and they're not stupid. Even if it was Atlantean, they'd claim it since it came out of the Aegean which is their territory."

Tory hung her head in her hands. "I can't believe this. I was going to hand it over to them once I got a translation for it-I always give them whatever we find… just not necessarily as soon as we find it."

"Well Gus can get it smoothed over. Your guys'll be out of jail shortly and it would probably be in your best interest if you get that book back to the Greek government before they reconsider their decision and issue a warrant for you."

She looked at him. "Thank you for all your help, Ash. Really. Thank you. I don't know what we'd have done had you not heard about this and been here."

"I would say no problem but actually it is, so please don't do this again. Calling in favors is something I try really hard not to do. It usually bites me on my ass somehow."

Tory gave him a wan smile, knowing that she'd put him in a bad position. "Tell me what I can do to make this up to you?"

"Just stay out of trouble."

"I plan to." She growled before she pushed herself away from her desk. "Okay, enough pity party, I-" Her words were interrupted by her cell phone ringing. "I'm holding that thought." She picked up the phone. "Yes? No, I'm not at home. Yes, please dispatch the police. I'm on my way."

Ash frowned. "What's wrong?"

"That's the alarm company. There was a three-alarm burglary at my house." She grabbed her purse and keys.

"I'll drive."

"What?"

"You're too rattled to drive and you don't need to go alone to confront burglars. I'll go with you."

Tory was so grateful to him just then. She handed him her keys and followed as he led the way out of the building to the parking lot where she'd left her Mustang.

"What a day…" she breathed as she buckled herself in. "No, what a crappy week. I'm almost afraid to get up tomorrow."

Ash started the engine. "I know, first you met me-perish the thought-then your team got attacked. Now your house. Where's a hammer when you really need one?"

She smiled in spite of herself.

"It'll be all right," he said reassuringly.

She hoped so. But in the back of her mind, she was telling herself that it was a false alarm. That there was nothing bad at her house.

Please don't let there be anything bad at my house. She couldn't stand the thought of a stranger touching her things. Of her life being scrambled.

The moment Acheron parked out front, she knew better. Her front door was wide open and there was no sign of the police. She started to open the car door, but Ash stopped her.

"Wait for the police."

"Why?"

"You don't want to contaminate any evidence before they get here."

He was right, but she hated it.

It was another fifteen minutes before the police arrived. They went in first and then motioned to let them know it was safe.

Tory felt her tears starting even before she entered the living room. Her entire house had been ransacked. "Oh my God…" The OCD in her was horrified by what had been done. Everything was out of order.

The police, a man and woman officer, looked at her sympathetically. "We'll need a list of everything that's missing."

Tory barely understood what they were saying. Covering her mouth with her hand, she stared at pictures of her parents and family that had been thrown on the ground. Her drawers had been opened and their contents dumped all over her floor. She hadn't seen this much damage since she'd helped friends clean up after Katrina. "I can't believe one human being could do this to another."

Suddenly Ash was there, holding her against his chest. "It's all right, Soteria. Just breathe."

She held on to him, grateful he was with her. Grateful that he was holding her while her whole world was turned upside down. First Nikolas's attack, then her team arrested and their equipment confiscated, now this…

The female officer frowned as she scanned the damage. "Is it just me or does it look like they were searching for something?"

Tory pulled back at her question. "What do you mean?"

The male officer indicated the drawers on the floor. "In most burglaries, especially when you have houses this close together and it's daylight, they usually grab some big ticket items and run." He shined his flashlight at her television, still on its stand in the corner in front of her tall windows. "They didn't even grab your TV."

The female officer nodded in agreement. "Not to mention, it appears the alarm was tripped on their way out of here. Like they were trying to draw you out or something."

Tory scowled at them. "Why would they want to draw me here? That doesn't make any sense."

"No, it doesn't," the male officer said, turning his light off and returning it to his belt. "Unless they were looking for something."

The woman offered her a kind smile. "We've got the CSI unit coming over to take some prints. There's really nothing else we can do. Make a list of whatever's missing and we'll put it in your file and run it through the local pawn stores. Other than that, you'll have to file a report with your insurance company."

The male officer concurred. "And you might want to have your boyfriend stay with you tonight."

A wave of fear went through her. "You think they'll come back?"

The male officer shook his head. "We don't know. Besides most burglary vics have trouble sleeping for a night or two after a break-in."

Tory sat on the arm of her couch as she surveyed the destruction around her. She was grateful she kept her precious artifacts either with her or locked in a vault on campus. "I can't believe this." Ash took her hand in his and didn't speak while the police questioned her about possible suspects and their people came in to dust various areas and pieces for fingerprints.

They found nothing. Not a single smudge. Either the burglars were wearing gloves or they were mutants.

Personally she voted for mutants. She preferred to think that than deal with the fact that a normal, everyday person could do something like this to another.

When the police were finally gone, she turned to Ash. "I'm sure you have something better to do than baby-sit me."

"It's all right. I don't mind. There are some things you shouldn't be alone for."

There was a slight note in his tone that made her think he'd been alone through a lot of them.

He stooped down to pick up the pictures of her parents before he returned them to her mantel. She didn't know why, but the way he handled them made her heart clench with tenderness at his consideration for her.

"Do you have any family, Ash?"

He put the pictures right back where they'd been, as if he remembered the exact spot from his previous visit. "We all have people we love."

She didn't miss the fact that he avoided answering her question. Without looking at her, he went to the items that'd been knocked off her end table.

Kneeling on the ground, Ash frowned as he picked up a shadow box that had a small black rock in it. A tiny bronze plaque on the bottom read SOTERIA'S FIRST EXCAVATION 1985.

"What's this?"

Her eyes misted as she moved to take it out of his hand. "It's from the first time my parents allowed me to dig with them. I was so proud when I found this. I thought I'd discovered a rare spear point. My father didn't have the heart to tell me it was only a rock. So they framed it for me and put it in my room by my bed with a light that used to shine on it." She sobbed as a tear escaped past her control. "Those bastards touched my parents' belongings!"

Ash came to his feet to hold her as she cried. She clung to him as if her entire world had been shattered. He'd learned to bury his tears so deep inside that he couldn't fathom the passion and hurt it took for her to cry like this. All he knew was that the few times in his life when he'd cried this way the one thing he'd craved had been comfort.

And not once had there ever been any.

So he offered to her what no one had ever given to him. He let her sob until she was spent and the shirt over his chest was damp from her tears.

Tory pulled back, wiping at the wet spot she'd made. "I'm so sorry, Ash. I'm not an emotional person. I'm not." She cleared her throat and gave him the most determined look he'd ever seen. "I will not let them do this to me. I'm stronger than this."

"Everyone cries sometimes, Tory. There are some pains that run too deep for even the strongest to take without breaking. I don't think any less of you for it."

She laughed nervously. "You really aren't the asshole I thought you were, are you?"

He offered her a kind smile. "Actually, I have moments of great assholishness. Unfortunately, you seem to have been witness to most of the recent ones."

Tory patted his muscular arm in gratitude for his understanding. He was so easy to talk to at times. Sniffing back her tears, she looked around at the mess. "I'll never get all of this cleaned up."

Her house phone rang. She left Ash in her living room as she went to the kitchen to answer it.

Ash returned to gathering up the photographs as he tried to understand what had happened here. He should be able to replay the entire scene in his head, but like trying to see Tory's future, it was blank. This just wasn't normal for him.

He was a god of fate…

Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as she returned to his side and picked up one of the drawers that had been tossed upside down next to the couch.

"That was my friend Pam. She panicked when I didn't answer my cell and called the house. She and Kim are going to come over and help clean the mess."

"You want me to leave then?"

She hesitated. "Only if you want to. It's actually comforting to have you here with me." She looked away from him as if admitting that embarrassed her and put the drawer back in place. She stepped back and froze. "How weird."

"What?"

"They didn't steal my stereo either." She moved a sweater that had been tossed over it by the burglars to show him her white Bose wave system.

That was an odd thing for a burglar to miss. "Maybe they didn't see it."

"Maybe." She pushed it back on the shelf, then turned it on.

Ash frowned as the Bee Gees blared. "Night Fever"? He shuddered. "Disco?"

"Shush," she said, waving at him before she picked up another drawer. "It comforts me when I feel bad."

"How on earth can disco comfort you?"

She picked up a picture of her parents and turned it toward him. Her mother, who looked a lot like Tory, was in a white halter top dress with feathered brown hair while her father was in a yellow paisley polyester shirt and brown leisure suit with curly black hair and a mustache. They were leaning together in front of what appeared to be a New York disco club that Ash vaguely remembered from the late 1970s.

Tory stroked the photo lovingly. "My mother's best friend, Sheri, who is a major shutterbug, took this the night my parents first met. My father thought my mother was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. So he sheepishly went over and asked her to dance, expecting her to say no. She didn't. She thought his bashful hesitancy was so sweet that she said yes. They went out onto the dance floor right as Donna Summer's 'Last Dance' began playing. The extended dance version. By the time it ended, my father went down on his knee right there in the club and proposed to her. They married a year later and were never parted again until the day my mother died."

She swallowed as if the memories were hard for her to handle. Her bottom lip quivered as she swayed to the song. "When I was little, my parents used to break out their disco albums and we'd dance to them until we were too tired to move. Hearing disco is like having them with me again. I swear every time I hear Thelma Houston's 'Don't Leave Me This Way,' I hear my mother's voice singing to me while she holds me in her arms and dances around the room with me laughing."

He envied her those memories of being loved and cherished. He wished for her sake that her parents were still here to comfort her. "How old were you when they died?"

"I was seven with my mother and ten when my father died. He was never the same after she left us."

"She didn't leave you by choice."

"I know." Tory placed the photo back on her bookshelves on top of an old, worn copy of Homer's Odyssey. "It's just easier to say she left than to say she died." She looked at him. "What about you? Do you have any memories like that?"

He tried not to think about it. "Not really. I grew up without my parents."

"Did they die?"

He turned away and focused on cleaning the mess in her floor. "It's more complicated than that which is why I don't talk about it."

Tory scowled at the coldness in his voice that she was sure he was only using to shield himself. "I'm sorry, Ash. Did you know them at all?"

He didn't answer, but she could feel the sadness in him which led her to believe that he hadn't really known anything about them at all.

She watched as he quietly made order out of the chaos the burglars had left. There was an Old World air about him. A really old soul trapped inside a young body. More than that, there was something soothing. As if being with him calmed her deep inside in a way nothing else ever had. It was almost like being home… It didn't make any sense, but there was no denying what she felt when she was around him.

All of a sudden, there was a sharp knock on her door.

She went to find Pam and Kim standing outside with two boxes of extra large pizza and a twelve-pack of beer. The two of them looked a lot alike in many ways. Pam was taller and had her spiked hair bleached blond in front and dyed jet black in back. Kim's hair was the same style but the exact opposite in color. Decked out in their uniquely Goth fashion, they looked like they belonged with Ash a lot more than Tory.

Pam indicated the road behind her with her thumb. "Hey, is that a cop in the car across the street?"

Tory saw a brown sedan. "I don't think so. Why?"

"Cause the two guys in it had a pair of binoculars trained on this place when we pulled up."

Ash was at the door before Tory could even blink. He brushed past her, but before he could make it to the first step the car peeled out.

Ash almost summoned Simi to follow the car, but caught himself the moment the words gathered to this tongue. Damn, that had been close. The women would have been shocked to find a demon coming to life off his arm…

"Why would they be watching the house?" Tory asked.

Ash turned to face her. "I think you need to tell me everything you found on that dig."

"What do you mean?"

"I think something was uncovered that a lot of people are suddenly interested in."

Tory scoffed. "They're museum pieces. Nothing of any real value to anyone other than a collector."

Yeah and the small sfora necklace Ash had given to his daughter also had the capabilities of ending the entire world. The problem with the most powerful amulets and talismans was that mortals couldn't identify their significance.

But in the right or wrong hands, rather, they could have cataclysmic consequences. "Humor me and show me what you've found."

CHAPTER SIX

"Good tuna fish sandwiches; he's the tallest man I've ever seen."

Tory laughed at Pam, who was gawking at Ash.

Ash shook his head at what had to be Pam's most commonly uttered phrase since she'd walked into the house with him. She'd said it four times already.

"Pam," Kim chided as she set the pizza on the coffee table. "You're going to make him self-conscious."

Pam set the beer next to the boxes. "Well it's not like he doesn't know. I mean at five nine, I know how tall I am. Tory's six one so we're allowed to gawk. It's not every day we meet a man who actually makes us feel like we're short, right Tory?" Pam stood up on her tiptoes next to Ash. "Kim, you're tiny and barely crack five feet. You have no idea what it's like to be tall in a world of average height men. I could finally wear heels!"

Ash laughed before he scooped her up in his arms and moved her over by the couch.

"Oh, good grief!" she said as he set her down. "I've never had a man pick me up before and not grunt like he's dying. I'm in heaven. Marry me, Ash, please!"

"I would say yes, but I come with more baggage than even Samsonite can cover."

Tory ignored them as she entered the room with her dig journals. She pushed the pizza boxes aside on her coffee table, then set them down. "All right, this is everything over the last year."

Ash knelt down and started flipping pages.

Tory leaned over his shoulder as she reviewed what he was looking at. "See, mostly pottery shards and fragments. A few friezes and some bottles."

Ash paused as he found one familiar piece that made his breath catch… it was Ryssa's hair comb that matched the one he'd found centuries ago. His heart clenched as he ran his hand over the photograph, remembering how beautiful she'd been with them in her blond hair.

"It's incredibly well preserved, isn't it?" Tory said, unaware of how much this one piece meant to him. "The pearls are even still set where they'd been. It looks like something you could buy today. The workmanship on it's incredible."

"Yeah." He forced himself to turn the page to see more pottery before he betrayed himself with misty eyes.

Then he found it…

"Where's this piece?"

Tory frowned at the deep, firm tone from Acheron. Looking over his shoulder, she saw an ornate gold dagger that Bruce had excavated. "That one is still being tested in the lab, why?"

"We need it."

Wow, his tone was more commanding than a general calling for war. "Is it that valuable?"

Ash hesitated. Not from her standpoint, but since it was a weapon that could kill anything that breathed it was extremely valuable to him and to other nonhuman entities who'd do anything to possess it. "Yes."

Pam rolled her eyes. "I don't understand you people and your old stuff."

Kim patted her shoulder. "It's okay, sweetie. We don't understand you and your BeGoth doll obsession either." She looked at Tory. "You should have been with us on our Leda Swanson quest. She dragged me to three states until we finally found the doll in a boutique in Alabama."

Ignoring them, Ash finished looking through the book, but he couldn't find anything other than the Atlantean dagger that could be important. But given that, why would a human in a car be after it?

No human would understand its significance…

And no nonhuman would have made this kind of mess and left it. They'd have simply attacked and tortured Tory until she told them where to find it.

It was baffling. But what else could they want?

More importantly, how far were they willing to go to get it? It was one thing to break into a house. Would they kill for it as well?

Ash stood up. "I'm going to walk around outside for a bit and check things out. I'll be back."

Tory nodded. "We'll save you some pizza."

Ash didn't comment as he left the house and used his powers to leave New Orleans and venture to Savitar's island where the sun literally never set. Magical in nature, the island constantly moved around the world as Savitar searched out the "perfect" wave.

As expected, Savitar was lying on his back on a surfboard out in the water, staring up at the clear bright sky as the waves rocked him.

Unlike the omniscient Chthonian, Ash wasn't a water baby. He hated surfing and lying under the sun. But he also knew that when in Rome…

He popped himself onto a board beside Savitar who laughed when he saw him sitting on the longboard. "You look so out of your element."

"I am out of my element. Much like you in a Seattle Goth club."

Savitar gave him a wry grin. "I'm never out of my element, Atlantean. And it must be dire indeed to get you in shorties and on a board. One day I'm actually going to get you to say 'Rad four-mill steamer, dude!' "

Crossing his arms over his chest, Ash laughed. "Not likely."

Savitar tsked at him before he returned to staring at the sky. "I've heard that before. So what brings you here, Grom?"

Ash ignored the surfing term that was usually reserved for kids under fifteen. Only Savitar could get away with calling him a youngster. "There's a woman-"

"Isn't there always?"

Ash chose to ignore the sarcastic comment. "She's being pursued by someone and I don't know who."

Savitar arched a brow as he floated one heavily tattooed arm in the ocean. "Then you know I can't tell you anything."

Those words and his condescending tone set Ash's temper on fire. "Dammit, Savitar, don't play this game with me. Her life is in danger… maybe."

Savitar grabbed Ash's board and snatched him closer. "Like you, I won't tamper with fate."

"Bullshit. You tamper with fate all the time."

He shoved Ash's board away from him. "But I won't tamper with yours. Ever."

Ash cursed as he paddled back to Savitar's side. "Have you any idea how frustrating it is to be the final fate of the world and to have no control over your own?"

"Sure you do, little brother. Every decision you make causes your fate to unfold or to change. Have I taught you nothing?"

Savitar was right, but it wasn't that simple. Especially not when there was another person's life involved.

What would it take to make the Chthonian care?

Ash narrowed his eyes. "They've uncovered an Atlantean dagger."

Savitar sat up on the board to glare at him. "I hope you're planning to destroy it."

"I have to get it first. But that's the plan." Ash returned his hostile glare tit for tat. "Can you please, just this once, give me some insight into the future?"

Savitar shook his head. "You know what the Fates decreed for you. Through your own actions you will be saved."

"That could mean anything."

Savitar was silent for several heartbeats before he pierced Ash with a sinister look. "All right. I'm screwing with things here, but I'll tell you this much. It's not the dagger the thieves were after in her house. There's another journal her people found."

Ash cringed over that bomb. "Ryssa's?"

He nodded. "It's not the one Soteria showed you. This one was found yesterday by one of her buddies. And it was written after Ryssa became Apollo's mistress. In it is the truth about him and Artemis and their need for blood. It also tells how to kill them."

Ash felt sick. Yeah, that would cause a global annihilation that would impress even his bloodthirsty mother. "And me? Am I in it too?"

Savitar sighed. "Trust me, you don't want that in the hands of anyone else."

Ash's gut tightened. "Where is it now?"

"I can't tell you that."

Ash flashed himself to Savitar's board so that he could tackle him. Unfortunately, Savitar popped himself and the board out from under him and appeared on the other side of Ash's abandoned board before Ash could grab him.

"Hitting me changes nothing."

Ash swam to his board and glared at Savitar. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You of all beings know how fate works. What happened to you as a human happened because everyone from your parents on down tried to circumvent what was supposed to be-which ultimately was the destruction of the Atlantean pantheon. There was no changing that prophecy. But the way you suffered was completely unnecessary. Had your parents embraced their true destiny, you would have been saved years of torment. Fate will not be denied. We can sculpt it, but in the end we're all pawns to our final destinies. Good, bad or indifferent."

Those words offered him about as much comfort as one of Artemis's beatings. "I'm going to be exposed, aren't I?"

"I don't know. You planning on dropping your pants around me? If so, warn me first. I don't want to go blind."

Ash pulled himself up on his board. "You know what I mean. After all the battles I've fought to save the world and all the sacrifices in dignity and blood I've paid to set free so many Dark-Hunters, they're all going to know that I'm nothing but a pathetic whore, aren't they?"

Savitar's look was sharp and angry. "You have never been pathetic."

But they both knew he'd been a whore. That at the end of the day he was still one. Ash wanted to scream at the injustice of it all.

You can't outrun your past.

His own words were coming back to bite him. "How long do I have before I'm found out?"

Savitar let out a long, tired breath. "There are three outcomes for your journey, Apostolos. In one you're exposed and you lose everything, even your life, and your mother destroys the entire world in a fit of anger. In the other, you're exposed and the Dark-Hunters turn on you and Apollo's enemies destroy the god, then they wreak untold horrors on mankind as they enslave and abuse them…"

Ash hesitated to even ask for more. "And the third?"

"In one word, grisly."

Ash cursed. "So no matter what I do, the world is fucked?"

"I didn't say that. There's always hope, Apostolos. Of all men, you know that. It's only when you stop trying to affect the outcome of your life that you're truly defeated. What will come will come. It's how we deal with the shit in between that shapes us."

Ash snorted at his words. "You don't deal with anything, Savitar. You sit out here in the sun, catching waves, spewing bullshit philosophy you don't follow."

"You're right. I gave up trying to affect my destiny a long time ago. But that's because every time I tried to change the future, I fucked it up worse. Eventually the rat gets tired of pulling the lever and sits down in his corner to lick his wounds. So if you're ready to hang it up and come sit on the beach with me-"

"I'm stuck fighting."

"You're stuck fighting." Savitar lay back down on his board. "But you're welcome to come share my beach any time you get tired of the brawl."

Ash let out a long sigh as he considered it seriously. "Save me a spot. If this blows up in my face, I'll be back with my tail forever tucked between my legs." Because deep inside he knew the truth-he'd been through enough ridicule. He couldn't stand to see the people he loved look at him the way Ryssa had when she'd found him in the stew in Didymos. Even though she'd loved him and had forgiven him, the disappointment in her eyes was still seared into his soul.

He couldn't take that again.

"Wave's coming," Ash warned his mentor.

He didn't move as Savitar popped up on his board with one perfect flip.

The moment the wave struck, Ash returned to New Orleans. Water sports had never been his thing. He preferred freefalling through the air or speeding on the ground.

And he hadn't been a spectator in over eleven thousand years. If he'd learned anything in his godhood, it'd been to fight until they dragged him down.

Even then, he didn't know how to not keep battling.

There was another journal out there. Fine. He was going to find it and make sure no living human or other being ever read it.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ash paused as he entered the house to find the three women lined up and… singing to… dear gods, anything but this.

"Fergilicious."

All he needed was for Simi to be here and off-key with them since it was her favorite song and he'd spent the better part of the last year cursing whoever was dumb enough to introduce that song to a hormonal teenaged demon. Worst part? Simi wanted him to call her Similicious.

Yeah, like that would ever happen. He'd sooner become a Calvin Klein underwear model.

"C'mon, Ash," Kim called. "Join us."

He looked at her with horror filling his soul. "Oh hell no. Not enough beer in the world to make me sing 'I'll put your boy on rock, rock.' "

The women laughed so hard, Kim collapsed on the couch while Pam and Tory roared.

"So did you find anything?" Tory asked after she finally sobered.

"A broken headlight on the car across the street and two street-lights that are out." Ash picked up Tory's cell phone and held it out to her. "I actually need you to call your people and ask them if they found another journal."

Tory gave him a droll stare. "Believe me, if they'd found something as monumental as that they would have told me immediately."

"Even if they'd done it right before they were taken into custody?"

"Then the government would have it."

"Tory, please, just humor me. I've got a bad feeling."

As she reached for the phone in his hand, it started ringing. By the tone and the look on her face, he could tell she knew who it was before she answered.

"Hey Bruce, what's…"Her voice trailed off as her face lost color.

Ash put his hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Oh my God. No…"

He exchanged a confused look with Pam until he listened to the other end of the conversation.

"It was awful, Tory. We'd just been released maybe an hour when I got the call that he'd been mugged-just like Nikolas-on his way into his flat and was in surgery."

"What are the doctors saying?"

"They don't know. It's not looking good. But what's scariest is that the guys who ran him down, rifled through his bag and pockets… like they were looking for something in particular. They didn't take any money or his watch. Nothing… Harry said they were asking him questions as they beat on him, but since his Greek isn't fluent he couldn't understand what they wanted. They just kept beating the shit out of him until he lost consciousness."

Tory glanced up at Acheron, becoming suspicious about all of his "feelings." They were so unerringly accurate that she wondered if he might not be a part of them. "Did any of you happen to find another journal during the dig?"

"Earlier in the morning, just before the police arrived, we'd hit the mother lode of artifacts."

"But was there another journal?"

"It wasn't as well preserved as the one you have, but yeah, there was another book and get this… it wasn't wet. It'd been sealed in an airtight container that was inside a wood chest inlaid with gold. It looked like someone had stashed it there out of fear or something."

"Where is it now?"

"I don't know. Last I heard, Dimitri had it."

"I need you to find Dimitri and get that book to me."

"Why? It's not like anyone can read it."

"Yes, they can."

"Who?"

She looked up at Ash and wished that she could see the eyes he kept hidden from the world. "A man here in the States."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. He's the one who told me that there were probably more of them to be found and he's the one who got you guys out of jail. Now listen, my house was broken into and it appears they were looking for something, too. My friend says it's the journal. I don't know the truth, but until we do, you guys be really, really careful and keep me posted on Harry and Niko."

"Will do, Doc."

She turned off the phone and looked up at those dark sunglasses that she suspected hid a lot more than just his eye color. "What's going on, Ash?"

He rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip. "You've found a crucial piece of history and there are factions out there who are willing to kill for it."

No, it had to be more than that. It had to be. "Look, this isn't the Mummy. It's not like a teenaged girl's diary could resurrect the dead or anything. It's just the story of her innocuous life. What on earth could an ancient girl have known that would be worth killing someone over?"

He scoffed at her. "You're asking me that question? People kill each other over a pair of shoes or for wearing the same jacket."

Pam nodded. "He has a point there."

"I still don't understand it. I don't."

Ash shook his head. "There's a lot of things about this world, and people in particular, that I don't understand." And considering the fact he was an eleven-thousand-year-old god, that pretty much said it all.

He looked at Tory, wishing he could trust her enough to tell her why that book was so important, but for all he knew the reason he couldn't see her future was because she'd end up being the one to destroy him or the world.

I'm the Harbinger. Only I can bring about Telikos.

Or maybe not… His prophecy was to bring it about. By teaching her to translate his native language, he might have already set it in motion. If only he'd known about the second diary. It'd all seemed so harmless-a way to make amends for embarrassing the granddaughter of an old friend. Now it could be a disaster.

Feeling suddenly ill, he sat down on the arm of her couch. What had he done?

"Are you all right?" Tory asked. "You look really pale all of a sudden."

No, he wasn't all right. He was sick to his stomach at the thought of what he might have inadvertently done. Just like with Nick Gautier. In the heat of anger, he'd cursed his best friend to kill himself. Unfortunately, Artemis had then brought Nick back from the dead and created a nasty situation for Ash. Now his best friend was out to kill him in revenge.

Be careful what you say even in passing. Your word is law. His mother's warning rang in his ears and now that he thought about it, his mother had been eerily quiet for the past week.

Matera? he called out to her with his mind.

Apostolos? He was grateful for her quick response. By that he knew she wasn't hiding from him in fear of making him angry at her.

What is going on with the discovery of Atlantis?

Nothing. Stupid humans. Even when I tell them how to open the seal to my prison, they can't follow the simplest of directions. Where's an Atlantean when I need one?

Dead, courtesy of you, Mom.

Oh don't remind me… Did you need something, m'gios? You've been very quiet lately.

I've been busy and I have a problem. Someone's found one of Ryssa's diaries. Do you know where it is?

She paused before she answered hesitantly. Yes.

And?

She didn't answer.

Matera?

Yes? Her voice was sharp with impatience.

Don't play this game with me. I need to know where it is. Now.

I'm your mother, don't you dare take that tone with me.

He softened his voice before he spoke again. Please, Matera, where's the journal?

I can't tell you.

"Dammit to hell, Matera, answer me!" Ash shot off the couch in anger only to realize all three women were staring at him curiously.

Pam cleared her throat. "Any idea what he just said?"

Tory frowned. "Um… not really."

"Wow," Kim said with a light laugh, "some Greek the Greek princess can't understand. I'm impressed."

Pam arched one brow. "Must be the voices in his head that he was responding to. I just hope they're not telling him to kill us."

Ash felt heat scalding his cheeks.

"Ooo," Pam cooed. "That's nice. I like the way his cheeks mottle with red when we embarrass him."

"They do that when he's angry or sweating too," Tory said, eating a bite of cold pizza.

"Really?" Pam asked. "I have to say it makes him even hotter in my opinion."

Ash growled at them. "Women, please, could you not discuss this while I'm standing here?"

Pam cocked her other brow. "Are you back with us or still talking to the people in your head?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Bluetooth headset. "Tell ya what… Son of Sam. Why don't you put that on so that I have some peace of mind and can at least pretend that you're on the phone with someone else and not taking orders from dogs or something."

Ash laughed at her halfhearted truth. "It's okay, I was just thinking of how bad things could have gotten had Tory been here when the house was broken into."

The women exchanged nervous looks of doubt.

Pam glanced toward the door. "You know, Tory, he has a point. What with the others being mugged…"

"Maybe you shouldn't stay here," Kim added. "Why don't you come stay with us?"

Tory shook her head. "I can't put you guys at risk and I don't want to live in fear. I can load Henry and take care of myself."

"Henry?" Ash asked curiously.

Kim answered, "Her Baretta baby-sitter."

He was surprised that Tory would have a gun. She didn't seem the type. "Can you use that thing?"

Pam laughed as she gestured to Tory who appeared extremely unassuming as she ate more pizza. "Look at her. She looks so harmless and meek, but inside she's a lion. Tory is an adrenaline junkie the likes of which you've probably never seen… everything from deep sea diving to base jumping. Hell, she even jumps out of perfectly good airplanes for fun."

Ash was surprised and impressed by that. "Really?"

Tory shrugged. "I do like to live dangerously."

"No," Pam said, her voice filled with pride for her friend, "she lives fearlessly."

He inclined his head respectfully. "Fearless is a most desirable trait in any human being. Stupidity isn't. I'll stay with you until this blows over." The statement surprised him, but then again it made complete sense. Her team would get the journal to her and if he stayed close to her, he'd be the first one to find it. Then he could destroy it before anyone else had a chance to read it.

He hoped.

Pam hooked her arm into Tory's. "I'd go with his offer. You've been to our place before which means you know about Kim and her 'underwear on the floor' problem."

"That's not my underwear! That's yours."

Pam waved her ire away with one hand. "Let's not bicker over the small things in life such as who owns the underwear. Point being, I'd hang with the big guy. He's a lot more intimidating than us."

"He's cuter too," Kim grinned. "If she passes on his offer, can I beg protection? I think I have a neighbor who's been giving me the evil moti. He could hurt me, you know?"

Ash laughed. "I don't know… that underwear problem of yours…"

Pam burst out laughing.

Kim pouted. "Like you've never done it."

Actually he hadn't. He didn't wear underwear to drop on the floor. But the women didn't need to know that. "Switching topics again. Did you hear back from Dimitri about the journal?"

"Not yet."

"He's in Greece?" Ash asked.

Tory nodded.

"Okay." Ash swung his backpack up on his shoulder. "I hate to leave you guys, but I'm going to my place to grab some clothes. You have my cell phone number. If you so much as see a shadow out the window, call me and I'll be right back. I only live a few blocks away."

Tory smiled. "We'll be fine."

Ash hoped so. Heading for the door, he left them and went out to the street. As soon as he was sure no one could see him, he flashed himself to Greece outside the door of Augustus Tsigas's house.

Gus's father had been a Squire, one of the human servants who helped Dark-Hunters. As an adult, Gus had gone to work for the Greek government, thus helping not only Ash, but other Greek Dark-Hunters when they needed it.

He knocked lightly on the door so as not to scare Gus's wife Olympia who had no idea about the paranormal world her husband was involved with. Not to mention the fact it was two o'clock in the morning here.

He heard footsteps on the other side of the door before a light came on.

Gus opened the door with a scowl on his face. "This better be important, Acheron."

"Would I wake you for any other reason?"

"Yes."

Ash laughed at his surliness when they both knew he would never bother Gus needlessly. "This is important. Remember the group of people you helped out?"

"The archaeologists?"

"Yes. There was one named Dimitri. I need his address."

Gus looked extremely irritated. "I thought you were omniscient. Can't you get it yourself?"

"I come with some restrictions and unfortunately Dimitri is one of those exceptions."

Rubbing his eyes, Gus yawned. "Come in and I'll pull the record for you."

"Gus? Is something wrong?"

Ash closed the door as Olympia came into the room. Tiny and petite, she had long black hair and big brown eyes. "Sorry I woke you."

She smiled as she saw him. "It's all right, Acheron. I know you two probably need me to leave you alone. I'll go back to bed."

"Good night." He followed Gus into his office. "It's a boy, by the way."

Gus grinned proudly. "Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem." He waited quietly while Gus signed onto his work account on the computer.

After Gus jotted down the address, he handed it off to Ash. "I hope this helps."

"It does. Thanks."

Grateful that at least one person was being helpful to him, Ash flashed himself from Gus's house to Dimitri's apartment across town. He took a deep breath as he tried to think of the best way to handle this. He could either teleport into the house and search it while the man slept or he could wake him and ask him where it was…

Better to find it while he slept.

Ash entered the small, cluttered flat and paused. At first he thought Dimitri was asleep on the bed, but he didn't hear a heartbeat. Walking closer, he saw the man lying dead, face down in a pool of blood.

"Not good," he breathed, looking around at the chaos that had been left behind as someone tore the place apart during a search.

Ash took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping this time his powers worked. Just as it should have done at Tory's house, he saw everything in sudden crystal clarity.

Three large men dressed in black had barged in on Dimitri, wanting the book. Dimitri had fought and told them nothing, even while they tortured him.

His loyalty to Tory had ended with a silenced gunshot two hours ago.

Ash knelt down beside the body and closed the man's eyes. "Sleep in peace, little brother. The ones who did this will pay. I promise."

The men had left here in frustration after tearing the flat apart. But if they didn't have the journal, who did?

"Matera?"

Are you going to yell at me again, Apostolos?

I'm sorry. A wave of guilt sliced through him as he regretted being short with her. In all his life, his mother and Simi had been the only ones who'd really loved him. Because of that, he hated losing patience with them. I didn't mean to take my anger out on you, but will you please answer me one question?

The book isn't here, pratio. Dimitri gave it to someone else.

Who?

An image of his mother appeared before him. Her swirling silver eyes held sadness and regret. "I would give my life for you and you know that. But I can't answer that question. Its existence is tied too tightly to your own. You are a father yourself. You know that you can't always give your children what they want. I'm sorry, Apostolos."

He wanted so badly to take her hand in his. To feel her touch, just once in his life. "I understand. I don't like it, but I understand."

She took a deep breath before she spoke again in a voice that was filled with conviction. "I know what Savitar told you. But he was wrong about one of those outcomes. I won't let anyone kill you. Not again. If anyone comes near you, I will schism the realms and unleash my army for your protection. I am the goddess of destruction and I don't care what happens to this world of man. You are the only thing I love, and I will kill whatever and whoever I have to to save your life."

That wasn't overly comforting. Honestly, he'd rather be dead than suffer any more humiliation. But her love and devotion meant everything to him.

"I love you, Matera."

"Then release me."

He shook his head at the one request he could never fulfill. And it broke his heart. "You will destroy the world if I do."

To her credit, she didn't bother to lie to him. She would omit things and keep vital secrets such as the existence of his daughter from him and the fact that while Simi was the last of her line from Xiamara and the last of the Charontes in the human realm, she wasn't the last Charonte left alive, but his mother had never outright lied.

His mother swallowed. "In anger, I swore to kill Artemis and Apollo for what they did to you should I ever be free of Kalosis again. We both know that if I fail to keep my word, I would perish. So you're right. I would have no choice except to end the world on my release."

"And I have no choice except to keep you there."

She shook her head. "I'll never understand how you can bring me so much pride and pain at the same time. I don't agree with your loyalty to a race that betrayed you… no, they did worse than that-they tortured and abused you in a way that deserves no compassion or leniency. But I respect your convictions even when they violently collide with my own. No mother could be prouder of her son, Apostolos. Go find your book and know that I'm here to help you in any way I can."

He held his hand up to her so that she could place hers against his. It was the closest they could come to touching. Part of him wanted to release her at any cost.

But having suffered the way he had, he couldn't live knowing he'd hurt someone else like that. At least not unless they deserved it.

"Go with my love, Apostolos. Do us both proud."

Fading back to New Orleans, he stood on the balcony of his apartment at 622 Pirates Alley that overlooked the courtyard of the St. Louis Cathedral. It was dark, but he could hear the music drifting up from the Old Absinthe House below, as well as laughter and chattering from people on the street. There were Daimons in the alley stalking victims, but before he could even worry about it, Janice was there. He watched the Trini Dark-Hunter follow them toward Royal Street where he knew she'd dispose of them.

Tonight he had bigger concerns than the Daimons who trolled from victims. Someone had a journal Ryssa should never have written. He could go back in time and seize it, but he didn't know how that would disrupt the present. What changes it could incur. It could all work out well.

Or the earth could end.

He leaned against the railing, considering his options. Had he already sown his own destruction? He'd given Tory a key that had seemed harmless and now she was the greatest threat he could think of.

Protect the girl, Apostolos. Keep her safe…

He cocked his head at his mother's voice inside his head. "What are you saying, Matera?"

I shouldn't tell you this, but the survival of the world hinges on hers. Keep her safe.

Ash laughed as he was struck by a line from the TV show Heroes. Save the cheerleader. Save the world.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

Because I love you. Now go.

Ash hesitated, but at the end of the day he knew the truth. His mother wouldn't have told him that unless it was truly important.

Fine, he'd protect Soteria.

And he would protect himself.

"What are you doing, Apollymi?"

Apollymi turned away from her fountain to find Savitar standing in her garden looking angry at her. "Get out, you bastard."

He refused to move. "You shouldn't have told him that."

She lifted her chin in defiance of the Chthonian. For all his power, he was no match for her and he knew it. "Who are you to lecture me on what should and shouldn't be done?"

His eyes flashed from lavender to silver and then turned a dark vibrant blue. "You are tampering with fate."

She snarled at him. "I am protecting my son. If that's a crime, then punish me. Oh wait, I'm already being punished for protecting him. So be it."

Savitar narrowed his eyes on her. "This isn't a game."

"No, it isn't. I don't play those. I never have." She started past him, but he caught her arm and stopped her.

"I didn't have to contain the powers of the gods you destroyed on Atlantis the way I did when you went wild on them. But for me, the other Chthonians would have torn you apart for that."

Apollymi refused to be intimidated by him or anyone else. "So what? You want me to thank you?" She snatched her arm free of his grip. "The only thanks I owe you is for helping Apostolos learn his powers. For that, I will always be grateful to you. But that's as far as my gratitude goes. If you really think I fear you or those other mortal gods you run with, think again. In this universe, only the primal source outpowers me. There is nothing I fear."

His expression turned cold, brutal. "Not true. You fear the loss of your son and so long as you fear that, you're as controllable as the rest of us."

She hated the fact he was right. "Don't push me, Savitar."

"And don't push me. You may be a goddess by birth, but I'm a lot more than just a Chthonian and you know that. I survived a hell you can't even imagine and its fires forged a core of steel within me. You want a battle, pick your sword. But remember the number of gods before you who sought to kill me and failed."

She raked him with a heated glower. "In turn, you'd do well to remember that I destroyed not only my entire pantheon, but my very family to protect my child. Don't get in my way, or we will find out once and for all which of us wields the most powerful sword."

Savitar wanted to choke her for her obstinacy. But then she'd always been this way. Stubborn to the core of her being. "Fine, but consider what happened the last time you tried to protect him. The suffering your tampering caused Apostolos. Is that really what you want?"

Her eyes teared up and he hated himself for giving her that pain. "Damn you."

He scoffed. "I was damned long before this. Let fate unfold as it should, Apollymi. I beg you to stay out of this. For all our sakes."

Her crystal tears glittered like diamonds on her dark blond lashes. "Keep him alive for me, Savitar. Otherwise you know what will happen."

He inclined his head. "I will do what I can but in the end we both know that only Apostolos can make the fate we want for him."

Because if Acheron screwed this up, he wouldn't be alone in his suffering.

The entire world would be destroyed.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ash knocked on Tory's front door. He heard the women giggling like girls in the living room before Kim snatched the door open and gave him a devilish grin that made him nervous.

"You like black, don't you, Ash?"

Not sure if he should answer, he frowned. "It's okay."

"But what's your favorite color?" she asked, stepping back so that he could enter the house.

He walked in and wondered if maybe he shouldn't be running in the other direction. What were they up to? "I've never thought about it."

Pam cleared her throat. "But if you had to pick one, what would it be?"

He flexed his hand on the strap of his backpack. "Anything not white." That was Artemis's favorite color and the thought of it made him sick to his stomach.

Tory huffed at his evasive answer. "Could you narrow that down a bit?"

Pam tsked. "She's not going to let you have peace until you answer."

Still apprehensive over what they had planned, he shrugged. "Uh, okay. Red I guess. Why?"

Something came flying at his head. Without flinching Ash caught it and it squeaked. Scowling, he opened his hand to find a small red demon duck that had black horns… it strangely reminded him of Simi in her demon form.

He scowled at the women. "Uh… thank you?"

They burst out laughing.

Ash glanced around at them as Kim moved to sit beside Pam. "You ever feel like you've just walked into the middle of a movie and they forgot to tell you what it's about?"

Kim waved her hand in dismissal. "Happens to me all the time at work. I just go with it."

Pam laughed. "Which is really bad when you consider she's a labor and delivery nurse."

"Oh shush," Kim said, playfully hitting at her friend on the arm.

Pam and Kim grabbed their jackets from the couch. Pam shrugged hers on. "Well since Ash is back, we'll leave the two of you alone. Ash, if she throws another hammer at you, let us know and we'll take her to task for you."

Baffled, he didn't move or speak again until after they'd left. "You have interesting friends."

Tory locked the door as she smiled in pride. "No, I have the best friends in the world. I don't know what I'd do without them."

Ash felt his heart sink as he thought of Nick. "Yeah I had one of those once."

She turned to him with a frown. "What happened?"

He slept with Simi and I killed him for it. Well, not in actuality. He'd only cursed Nick to die which was the same thing as having pulled the trigger that ended Nick's life. "We don't talk anymore."

They only fought and tried to kill each other. And it was all his fault. In one fit of anger, Ash had destroyed their friendship.

She placed a comforting hand on his arm. He was sure she thought nothing of it and yet it touched him deep inside that she would even bother to reach out to him at all. "I'm so sorry, Ash. I can't imagine what I'd do without my girls. It's so comforting to know that I can call on them anytime of day or night and they'd be here as soon as they could. Everyone should have friends like that."

"Yes, they should."

Tory picked up the pizza remains as she remembered Ash telling her that he had no family either. "So who do you call whenever you're down?"

He shrugged off his backpack. "I don't."

She paused. "You don't ever get down or you don't call anyone?"

He looked around the room. "So am I sleeping on the couch?"

She didn't miss the fact he was changing the subject away from the personal topic. "No, I have a spare bedroom upstairs. You can even leave your backpack there and have no fear that I'll touch it."

He nodded slowly.

The silence was a bit awkward as she tossed the pizza boxes in a garbage can. "We finally got everything the burglars screwed up put back in place. OCD reigns supreme once again."

"Good. Did you figure out what was missing?"

She ground her teeth at the innocent question. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Obviously they were looking for something that wasn't here-like you and the police thought. Which makes me wonder when they'll come back."

"You want to go to a hotel to sleep then? I'd offer you my place, but I only have a one-bedroom efficiency. At four hundred square feet, there's not a lot of room for two people."

Wow, that was a small place to call home and it told her a lot about his solitary nature. "Do a lot of entertaining, do you?"

He smiled. "I told you, I like to be alone. But I do have some friends we could crash with if that would make you feel more comfortable. Their places are huge and you'd have plenty of room to get away from me. I'm sure some of them even have toolboxes should you need them."

She patted his arm again as she laughed at his gentle jibe. "If it makes you feel any better, I missed you on purpose with the hammer. I'm a championship hatchet and ax thrower. Believe me, if I'd really wanted to hurt you, I would have."

He snorted. "Not really comforting from my perspective. You don't date much, do you?"

Tory laughed again as she thought about that. "I try, but it never goes well for me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's like I'm cursed or something. Any time I get really close to a guy, he either discovers he's gay or he has a freak accident and decides to break up with me."

"Freak accidents that include hammers?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, but one guy did break his leg while trying to climb into bed with me. Kind of put a major kibosh on my love life. Not to mention a serious blow to the ego. Oh well… you haven't eaten. Would you like some food?"

He shook his head. "No thanks. I grabbed a sandwich at my place."

She looked at him suspiciously as she tossed away the last of the beer bottles. "You know we're Greek. We're supposed to eat and eat a lot."

"That's a bad stereotype."

"Not in my family, it isn't. In fact, it's more like an Olympic sport. My aunt Del is a twig of a woman who has been thrown out of all-you-can-eat buffets because she plows through food like a line-backer in training camp. In my family, we women cook and you men eat. That's just the natural order."

Ash crossed his arms over his chest as he noticed the curve of her ass as she bent over to pick up a small napkin that had fallen on the floor. Damn, that position went through him like fire as an image of her doing that naked tortured him. He could make some serious use out of her like that…

His breathing suddenly ragged, it was all he could do not to reach out and cup her in a place that was guaranteed to get him slapped hard. Then again, it might be worth it.

"Well I truly don't eat much so don't worry about feeding me."

She straightened to scowl at him. "Are you like some sort of weird vampire? You never take off your sunglasses and you only subsist on beer… then again, that also sounds like a frat boy and I have seen you out in daylight… So ends my vampire fantasy."

If only his fantasy of her naked would end as easily. "And on that note," which was a little close to home for his tastes, "I'm going to take my stuff upstairs. Which way do I go?"

"Second door."

Ash headed for the stairs and as he ascended them, the family photos on the wall struck him again. Tory was so completely normal. He'd spent so little time around people like her that he couldn't help but smile.

But more than that, he wondered what it would be like to have grown up in such a large family environment, loved. Everyone looked so happy in all the photos. Tory was standing with cousins in Greece as they hugged each other. There were more photos of them in Theo's deli in New York.

His favorite was one of Tory around the age of fourteen on a boat with Geary. The two of them were wearing brown wide-brimmed hats with white sunblock on their noses while they were locked in an embrace and laughing. Before he could stop himself, he reached out to touch her face. And against his will, he tried to imagine someone holding on to him like that, someone who was that happy to be with him.

What did that feel like?

You are tired.

The only person who loved him like that who could ever touch him was Simi. She thought the world of him and it was why he was so protective of her.

He touched the tattoo of her on his chest, grateful she was with him. He needed to let her loose soon, but honestly he hated whenever they were apart. There was such comfort from having her with him…

It was selfish, but he couldn't help himself.

Gripping the strap of his backpack, he continued up the stairs, to his room. Like the rest of the house, it was small and cozy. The curtains and comforter were beige with pink flowers.

Someone had come in and turned the sheets down for him. He didn't know why, but it made him feel welcome.

He set his backpack down and reached for an acoustic guitar that was set in a rocking chair. He felt a presence behind him. Turning, he saw Tory in the doorway, watching him.

"Do you play?" he asked.

"I torture it from time to time. What about you?"

"I do sometimes."

"You any good?"

"I do all right."

She entered the room with a small stack of towels and washcloths that she set on the dresser. "The bathroom's across the hall. You need anything else?"

You to touch me like I matter… He shook his head at the forbidden thought. "I'm a man of few needs."

She sighed. "I've noticed that about you."

Before Ash could stop himself, he took a step closer to her. Close enough that he could smell the precious scent of Tory mixed with peaches from her shampoo. He savored it. Just as he savored the sight of those inquisitive brown eyes that questioned everything about him.

Gods, how he wanted a piece of this woman…

Tory couldn't breathe as Ash stood so near her, she could feel his body heat. He was so incredibly sexy. So beautiful.

He's going to kiss you…

She could already taste those masculine lips. Feel his arms around her.

But that wasn't reality. The moment he would have touched her skin, she leapt away. "All righty then. I'll just leave you alone."

Ash wanted to whimper as she shot out of the room so fast she left a vapor trail. How could she not want him? All his life he'd been fighting people off. Fending away unwanted gropes and touches. Now he finally found someone he wanted to touch him and she treated him like a leper.

What the hell was this?

Aggravated, he raked his hand through his hair and cursed under his breath. It was going to be a long night with her sleeping so close to him and yet so far away.

Too early the next morning, Tory was awake and still bleary-eyed as she staggered downstairs to her kitchen. The moment she entered the room, she froze in her tracks.

Ash was there. Dressed only in jeans, he stood with his back to her.

Holy saints! The expanse of flawless tawny skin was more than a mere mortal woman could see and not salivate over. Wide muscled shoulders tapered down to narrow hips and a perfectly formed butt. His hair still mussed from sleep, he popped the top off a beer.

Tory made a sound of disgust over his actions. "You have got to be kidding me."

He turned and what little sanity she had fled. Yes, he still had those annoying sunglasses on, but the top button of his jeans hadn't been fastened. They rode low on his hips, and the dark trail of hair that ran south of his navel was slightly thicker at the opening.

He was commando…

And that long, hard body was made for sin. Really, no man should look like that and definitely not one who was standing in her kitchen… In her bed was another story. Man, how she wanted to take a bite out of him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked innocently.

It took her three heartbeats before she could remember her objection to his near naked state. "You're drinking a beer first thing in the morning. What kind of alcoholic are you?"

He flashed a taunting grin at her before he took a deep swig. "I'm not an alcoholic."

Yeah, right. "That's what they all say. At least put something on your stomach before you drink that."

His features hardened. "I don't need a mother, Tory."

She didn't believe that for one minute. Angry at what he was doing, she tried to take the bottle from him, but he refused to let her.

She glared at him. "You need someone to take care of you. Jeez! How can you do this to yourself?"

"It's just a beer."

"And hell is just a sauna." She went to the fridge and grabbed eggs and some cheese. "Sit down and I'll make you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"And I'm about to be wielding a frying pan and a knife so if you know what's good for you, you'll stop arguing with me and sit down."

"I don't eat breakfast," he mumbled under his breath as he moved out of her way.

"I really don't care," she mocked in a sing-song voice that was as close to his thick accent as she could manage.

He moved to the other side of her breakfast counter. "You are so bossy."

"Yes I am. Now sit."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Put a shirt on like a civilized human. Do you know how unsanitary it is to be in a kitchen with no shirt?"

Ash laughed even though he wanted to strangle her. She had to be the only person he'd ever met who wanted him to wear more clothing. He started to get up, but she made a squeal of disapproval.

"What now?" he asked, truly baffled by her mood swings.

She pointed threateningly at him with her knife. "Don't you dare move until after I see you eat something."

He let out a frustrated breath. "You told me to go put on a shirt."

"Since when do you listen to a single thing I say? Never. I know what you're planning to do. You'll go upstairs and not come back. So sit."

He held his hands up in surrender while he watched her crack open two eggs and put them in a bowl so that she could beat them with a fervor that would have scared him if he wasn't a god with protective powers. "You're not a morning person, are you?"

She put a handful of cheese on top of them. "No and I haven't had my caffeine IV either which means it would be wise of you to humor me."

Ash hid his smile. Why did she amuse him so? He didn't understand it and unless he wanted to tell her the truth about what he really fed on, he had no choice except to sit here while she made him an omelette, bacon and toast.

She plopped the plate down in front of him. "Fie!"-Eat in Greek.

He stared at the delicious smelling food as buried emotions surged. You want to eat, whore? Please me…

In the back of his mind, he saw himself in Estes's office, on his knees on the floor, naked and chained to the desk while his uncle read late into the evening. Starving because he'd been allowed nothing to eat all day while he'd worked until he was bleeding and sore from it to make his uncle rich, Ash had stared at the bowl of dried sugared figs Estes had left in front of him. His stomach cramped from hunger, his mouth had watered for a single taste. For over an hour he'd stared at the food, biting his lips in desperate agony. Convinced Estes was so engrossed in his reading that he wouldn't see him, Ash had reached for one.

He could still feel the sting of that vicious slap. See the anger in Estes's eyes as he snatched at his hair and held Ash at his feet. "Did I give you permission to eat, whore? You don't ever take from me without earning…"

Even Artemis withheld her blood from him in an effort to control him. If he didn't please her, he starved. More than that were the memories of being force-fed by his father's guards. Shovel it down his throat. Hold his mouth and nose shut until he swallows. And when he'd choked on what they were brutally pouring into his mouth, they'd punched and slapped him, too.

He hated to eat.

Tory reached for the cheese and froze as she caught the strange look on Ash's face. If she didn't know better, she'd swear he was afraid of the food in front of him. "What's wrong?"

"I really don't eat breakfast."

This time she heard the underlying note in his voice that reminded her of a small, fearful child. Before she could stop herself, she walked over to him and stood by his side. He continued to look at the plate.

Gently, she took his whiskered chin in her hand and turned his head so that he was looking at her. "I won't force you to eat against your will, Ash. But I don't want to see you starve. Please, eat something."

Ash stared at the vein on her neck that throbbed with the vitality of her life. He could hear her heart beating… that was the food he craved.

His incisors elongated at the surge of hunger that went through him. His senses sharpened as he felt his eyes turning red.

Eat…

But he couldn't bring himself to feed from her the way Artemis had done him when he'd been human. Even though he could make it pleasurable for her, he couldn't do it. It was such a feeling of being violated to have someone drain the blood out of your body. Have them rip through your flesh with their teeth while you were powerless to stop them…

I won't do it.

She reached down and cut a small bit of the eggs off before she brought the fork up to his lips. "Would you please take one bite?"

His instincts were to shove her away from him as his teeth receded. Instead, he found his lips parting so that she could place the eggs on his tongue. The taste stunned him. He hadn't tasted food since before he'd died.

But even better than the food was the satisfied smile on Tory's face. She reached out and stroked his jaw with the backs of her fingers.

Closing his eyes, he savored the tenderness of that touch as his cock hardened forcefully. In that moment, it took every ounce of strength he had not to pull her to him and kiss her. Or more to the point, strip her naked and sate the hollow ache inside him.

Never in all of his existence had he tasted lust like this. It was more than a mere craving, it was a raw, demanding need.

She broke off a piece of toast and held it up to his mouth. Dutifully, he parted his lips and let her feed him again.

Tory couldn't explain the peculiar sense of satisfaction she had from feeding him, but there was no denying it. She felt as if she were taming a feral lion. And when she fed him a piece of bacon, he gently nipped her fingers.

A shiver went over her.

"It's not so bad, is it?"

He shook his head.

She gave him another bite of the eggs. He swallowed them, then took a swig of beer. She couldn't see his eyes, but she could feel the weight of his gaze on her and it made her entire body hot.

"Now that I've placated you…" He pulled her against him and captured her lips.

Tory moaned as his tongue touched hers. Never in her life had a man kissed her like this-as if he were breathing her in. Possessing her. His kiss was hot and demanding as he cupped her face in his hands.

Ash was on fire from the taste of her, of the feeling of her tongue against his. Over and over, he could imagine himself buried deep inside her. Feel her hands on his back, stroking him with the same tenderness she'd used to touch his cheek.

Unable to stand it, he trailed one hand down her arm, and around her hips to press her closer to him.

Tory's body throbbed with an unbelievable demand. She wanted to strip those jeans off and taste every inch of his body until she was blind from ecstasy, but at the end of the day, she wasn't stupid.

A man like this didn't date a woman like her. It just didn't happen.

"Whoa, boy," she said, pulling back. "Down. We just met. For that matter, I don't even know what your eye color is."

Ash wanted to whimper as she stepped away from him. His gaze dropped to her nipples that were plainly visible beneath the tank top she wore. All he wanted was to shove her shirt up and take one of them into his mouth.

Would she hold him like he mattered?

Or would she slap him after he'd pleased her and kick him out her bed?

That last thought went over him like ice water. He didn't want to feel used anymore. Not to mention he had one large, red-headed problem who would beat him until he had no skin left on his body if she ever found out he'd kissed another woman.

Damn it. His life had never been his own.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. "You're just extremely irresistible."

"Strange, men have been resisting me for years."

"Yeah well, they were idiots."

Smiling, she reached up for his glasses. "Can I take these off?"

Ash swallowed as fear tore through him. "I wish you wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because they'll make you uncomfortable. No one likes to look at my eyes."

She scowled at him. "What are you? Rosemary's baby?"

"Kind of."

She shook her head at his fear. "Well in case you haven't noticed, I'm not most people."

No, she wasn't. But not even the gods could look at his eyes without curling their lips in disgust. "Just remember, when you do this, there's no going back."

Tory froze at those dire words. Now she had to know what they looked like. Reaching up slowly, she pulled the sunglasses off his eyes.

Ash looked down at the floor, preventing her from seeing their color. But dayam, the man was even more gorgeous without the sunglasses on. Never had she seen a more perfect set of features.

"Look at me, Ash."

Ash ground his teeth as he remembered Artemis telling him the same thing. Back then, he'd been afraid of her hurting him over them. Now there was no fear of Tory doing him harm, but even after all these centuries he knew how seldom people met his gaze without curling their lips or cringing. He hated for anyone to see the evidence of his godhood.

Tory stroked his brow with a light, gentle touch. "Please, Ash?"

Bracing himself for her horror and fear, he looked up and met her gaze levelly.

Tory stared in shock at the swirling silver color. Never in her life had she seen anything like them. The color was so pale and pure. They reminded her of mercury. "Are you blind?" Even as the question left her lips, she knew it was absurd. He could see plainly.

His features were stoic. "No, I'm not blind. It's just an unfortunate birth defect."

She saw the shame in his eyes as he spoke and it made her chest tight that something so beautiful would hurt him so much. "It's not a defect. Your eyes are beautiful. Unique… like you. I think they're very cool."

He glanced away.

She caught his chin and forced him to look at her again. "Who hurt you?"

His gaze was guarded. "What?"

Tory stroked his jaw as she realized how shrewish that must have sounded. "I'm so sorry, that was so nosy of me. It's just, you're so guarded and private about even the most innocuous thing. Like you're afraid to let anything out for fear of it being turned against you. And it's everything, right down to your eye color. I'll bet black isn't even your natural hair color, is it?"

Ash swallowed at her question. She was eerily perceptive. "Like you said, we barely know each other."

She brushed his hair back from his face. "Have you ever been intimate with anyone?"

"Of course I have."

"I don't mean sexually intimate. I've no doubt you've been with countless women, even at your age. What I'm talking about is having someone who knows your most intimate thoughts. Someone you can be yourself with without fear of them judging you or thinking less of you?"

Ash laughed bitterly at the mere thought of being so open with another person. "It's in the nature of people to hurt each other. No one really cares about your thoughts or your feelings."

Tory ached for him. He was so closed off that it made her want to weep. "I care about your thoughts, Ash."

"You? You've misjudged everything about me from the very beginning. I'm nothing but another asshole you have to deal with."

"Because you haven't given me anything other than your worst to judge you by. Why did you come to Nashville? Huh? Why was ruining my reputation so important to you?"

She saw the light fade from his eyes as he withdrew further into himself. But it was the pain in them that made her ache for him and in that moment she knew he'd had a very personal reason for what he'd done.

"Why, Ash?"

Her hall clock chimed.

He pulled back. "It's nine o'clock. I have a date."

Bemused, she frowned as he left the kitchen with his beer and headed to her living room where he'd set up an Xbox 360 to her TV. At least that's what she thought it was, but instead of being white it was covered with black hacker/pwn3d stickers.

Ignoring her, he pulled a T-shirt out of his backpack, put it on, then sat on her sofa and attached an earpiece to his head.

She sat on the arm of the couch. "What does pwn3d mean? I see that all over the Internet."

"It's a gamer's term that means you've been owned or defeated badly." He turned everything on.

"You do this a lot?"

"Every Saturday morning."

She rolled her eyes, waiting to see something like Halo or Gears of War or some other macho male game come up. So when it started out with pink dancing animals, she scowled. "Viva Piñata?" It looked like a young kid's game.

"Yeah," he said as he signed in under his own name. "Hey Tobe."

She realized he was talking to someone on the earpiece.

"Yeah, I know I'm a little late. Sorry."

Confused, she saw Ash pick a fox character while someone named Tobinator was a bear. Then JadeNX joined in and Toki-san.

Ash glanced at her, then turned all his attention to the game. "Toby, watch Jaden. I heard he had a bad night and is in the mood for annihilation." He laughed. "End of the world's not on me today, bud. Hey Takeshi, get your fat butt off me. You're squishing the fox." He skidded his character sideways in the race. "There is no honor in sacrificing the fox, you ugly hedgehog."

Completely baffled by the fact a grown man was playing a small kid's game, she went to bathe and dress.

She came back thirty minutes later to find him still at war with his opponents.

"Where's a friggin' rocket when you need it? Ah crap, Jaden, stop with the pollen. I hate that." Screwing his face up, he hit a button. "Yeah taste honey, you punk."

She heard the sound of a little boy's loud laughter through the earpiece.

Ash's phone rang. He glanced at it before he muted his earpiece and answered. "Hey, Trish. Yeah, I understand." He hung up the phone and returned to the game. "Guys, I think we have to declare Toby the de facto winner. His mom says he has to get out of his pajamas and get cleaned up to meet the world." There was an audible cry of protest. "I know, Tobe. PT sucks, but I'll see you later, right?"

Ash smiled sadly. "Listen to Takeshi, buddy. He's right." He paused to listen. "Good game, gentlemen. Thanks for the competition. Jade, me and you are going to rematch on this later. Peace, my brothers." He hung up and turned the game off.

Tory watched as he packed everything up. "Toby is how old?"

"Eight."

"And the other two?"

"Older than eight."

"So you grown men get online to beat an eight-year-old kid every Saturday morning?"

He laughed. "Nah, Toby always wins."

Tory let out an irritated sigh. "You see, you're doing it again. Telling me nothing."

Ash turned to look at her. "You know trust is always a good idea… for someone else. Every time I've ever made the mistake of trusting someone… it was a mistake that I regretted and paid for dearly. I'm really happy that no one has ever hurt you badly. I haven't been so lucky, okay?"

"I would never betray you, Ash."

He shook his head bitterly. "I've had people I've known a lot better than you tell me that. In the end, they lied and I was screwed over by them. No offense, but I don't want a repeat."

Tory wanted to weep at that. How badly had he been burned that he couldn't even tell her if the people on the other end of the game were friends, family or other?

"I'm going to go grab a shower." He picked up his backpack and took it with him.

Damn, she'd never seen anyone so mistrusting. He probably didn't have anything in that backpack except for dirty underwear. But God forbid someone should ever see his undies-they might learn something personal about him like his clothing size. Call the feds! Such a thing could jeopardize national security.

Sighing, she picked up the black controller from the coffee table and paused as another thought occurred to her.

Don't do it.

She couldn't help herself. Turning the system back on, she signed in under Ash's profile. JadeNX was offline, but Toki-san was still there.

She messaged him. "Are you a friend of Acheron's?"

He came back with, "Are you?"

Dang, was everyone Ash knew defensive like that? "Yes. My name is Tory, would you please call me? 204-555-9862."

Her phone rang a few seconds later. Tory turned the game and TV off before she answered it. "This is Tory."

"Takeshi," he answered in a voice thick with a Japanese accent. "What do you want with me?"

She suddenly felt ridiculous and prying. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you. Forgive me." She started to hang up.

"Wait. You wouldn't have contacted me without it being important. Is Acheron in trouble?"

"No. I'm an archaeologist and he's staying with me because we think someone might be trying to steal some Atlantean artifacts my team has found." She had no idea why she was telling him all this. "Ash is so quiet about everything that I just… I don't know."

"I wouldn't tell him that you spoke to me. He's very closed about such things and would take this angrily."

"I know. I shouldn't have contacted you. I just needed to know that he's… not insane or something."

Takeshi laughed. "You're safer with him than with your own family. He holds his honor above all things, even his own life."

That made her feel better. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome." He paused before he spoke again. "Take care of him, Soteria. And remember it takes great courage and heart for a man who knows no kindness to show it to another. Even the wildest of beasts can be tamed by a patient and gentle hand." He hung up.

Tory stood there, digesting that last bit when it hit her… he'd called her Soteria.

How on earth had he known her real name when she hadn't given it to him?

CHAPTER NINE

"What did you do?"

Tory jumped at the sound of Ash's deep, accented voice behind her. Guilty about contacting his friend, she turned around to face him and froze. Dressed in black pants and boots, he'd left his damp hair to hang freely around his broad shoulders. Good night, the man was unbelievably delectable. But it was the faded gray T-shirt that had a pile of skeletons on it that really caught her off-guard and made her wonder if his propensity for that wouldn't have him kill her over what she'd done behind his back.

She cleared her throat and tried her best not to look too nervous. "What?"

"You turned something on while I was in the shower and froze the crap out of me."

Relieved that was all that had him ticked off, she laughed. "Sorry. Dishwasher. I won't do it again."

"Please don't. One minute it was scalding. The next freezing."

She scowled as she saw the dragon tattoo back on his forearm-where it'd been originally. "Is that like some sort of temporary thing you do to screw with people's heads? I swear it keeps moving to different parts of your body."

Before he could answer, her phone rang. Tory groaned at the sound. "You know, between the two of us, we can't have a minute's peace from these stupid phones." She picked up the phone, surprised to find Bruce there. "Hey, sweetie. Did you get the journal for me?"

"No. Someone killed Dimitri last night and ransacked his place. They must have taken the book."

Staggering back at the unexpected news, Tory dropped the phone as horror and grief enveloped her.

Ash barely caught Tory before she fell to the floor, sobbing. "Breathe," he whispered.

But she didn't appear to hear him as she kept saying, "No, no, no," in a low tone.

He picked up the phone from the floor. "Hello?"

"Where's Tory?" a man demanded.

Ash looked at her. She'd gathered her legs to her chest and was sobbing against them while she covered her head with her arm. "She's really upset. What happened?"

"One of our friends was killed last night."

Ash ground his teeth as he remembered the horror of Dimitri's final hours-no one deserved that. "Okay. I'll have her call you back when she calms down." He hung up the phone and pulled her against him.

Tory buried her face against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck in a stranglehold that somehow didn't manage to hurt him. "How can he be dead? Why?"

He held her close. "I don't know, Tory. Shit happens to the best of us."

"No. Not over a fucking book." Her language shocked him and let him know exactly how upset she was. "Please, Acheron, tell me a book isn't worth a man's life." She launched herself from the floor and grabbed the phone.

"What are you doing?"

Lifting her glasses up, she wiped at her eyes as her cheeks flushed red with anger. "I'm calling everyone on my team and telling them to hide immediately. I won't have another person hurt. I won't!"

He didn't try to stop her as he rose to his feet. Instead, he attempted to sense something about this with his powers. It was so frustrating to have no insight or clues about what was going on. He hadn't felt this vulnerable since the day he'd died.

After calling everyone she could think of, Tory hung up and sighed. "Everyone else is accounted for and safe. Let's hope they stay that way." Sniffing, she pulled her glasses off and used her shirttail to wipe the lenses. Ash admired the way she'd pulled herself together.

She put her glasses back on and pierced him with an angry, hurt look. "What do you think is in that book that makes it so important?"

"The end of the world."

She scoffed at him. "Be serious."

"What if I was?" he asked, wanting to feel her out and see what she'd do if she had it. "What if there was something in that book totally apocalyptic?"

She didn't hesitate with her answer. "Then it would have to be destroyed."

"Even if it contained proof of Atlantis?"

She pushed her glasses up with the back of her hand. "Well since we're being hypothetical, yes. Proof of Atlantis wouldn't be worth the destruction of the world. I mean, really, what good would it do to save my father's reputation when there's no one left who cares?"

He smiled at her indignation. "You think quickly on your feet."

"So they tell me." Tory paused and closed her eyes. "I can't believe Dimitri. God, I hope he didn't suffer."

Ash didn't comment. He didn't want to lie to her and the truth…

Sucked.

Instead, he tried to get her mind off it. "What do you normally do on a Saturday?"

She sighed as she put away her dishtowel. It was obvious she was still torn up over Dimitri, but trying to be brave. "Depends on the Saturday. Here, lately, I've been skydiving, but my pilot canceled day before yesterday due to illness. So I was planning on grading papers and watching bad movies. What about you? Other than stomping a young boy's ego first thing in the morning, what do you do?"

Smiling at the mock sarcasm in her voice, he pulled a pocket watch out of his jeans. "In about two hours, you'll know."

"What's in two hours?"

"Basketball game."

She made a sound of supreme disgust. "Oh no. I don't do spectator sports. They bore me to tears."

Ash tsked at her. In this one thing, he was the mighty mountain who wouldn't be moved. He'd made a promise and he was going to be there no matter what. "You might as well reconcile yourself to the fact that you will be sitting on the bench today since I can't leave you here alone."

She actually hissed at him like a cat. "Dream on, buddy. Not going to happen."

"Yes it will."

"No," she said firmly. "It won't."

Tory couldn't believe his obstinacy. Why was he being so unreasonable? What difference would it make if he missed a stupid game with his friends?

But the more she protested, the more he ignored her. They literally fought over it up until Ash came downstairs wearing a black and white polyester referee shirt. He even had on basketball shoes instead of his requisite boots.

The sight of him dressed like that stunned her until the ludicrousness of it struck her.

It was all she could do not to laugh at the sight he made with his long red and black hair pulled back in a ponytail and nose ring… not a stud. A small silver hoop to match the two he now wore in his left earlobe. "They let you referee, huh?"

"No one argues with my calls."

"I'll bet."

He shrugged his coat on and picked up the backpack of death. "You want to ride with me over to the game?"

His offer surprised her since she hadn't seen him do anything other than walk or ride with her. "You have your car?"

Ash smiled. "Motorcycle. I brought it over last night when I went to get my clothes." It was a small lie. He'd actually manifested it this morning when he'd decided he wanted to ride for a bit and he was hoping she wouldn't balk over it.

"I don't have a helmet."

He pulled a black one out of the backpack. "You do now. What do you say? You up for some adventure?"

Tory wrinkled her nose at the helmet and folded her arms over her chest. She would love to join him, but she wasn't stupid either. "I have no gear to wear and the last thing I want to be is SQUID."

He laughed at her use of a biker's term to describe anyone dumb enough to ride without the proper safety gear on.

He pulled a worn, black Stitch Brazilian leather jacket out of his backpack. The shoulders, elbows and waist of it were heavily stitched and the armor in it extremely lightweight, but it was the dark gray skull and crossbones on the back with a gold Hayabusa symbol over it that made her laugh. "You have a thing for skulls don't you?"

"They're all right."

His attention to detail was admirable and the truth was, she hadn't been on a bike since the summer.

"You game?" he asked.

She took the jacket and shrugged it on. As she did so, the scent of leather and Acheron struck her hard. He must have worn this jacket a lot. Completely broken in, it felt warm and soft as she tightened it up with laces and Velcro. It fit her surprisingly well. It was also extremely expensive. She wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't paid at least a grand for it given the way it was made.

What on earth did he do for a living that he could afford toys like this? And just how did he fit everything in that Mary Poppins backpack of his?

Grateful that it was obviously bigger than it looked, she took the helmet from him and smiled. "Lead the way."

Ash's throat went dry at the sight of her in his favorite riding jacket. It looked alien and adorable on her. Definitely not her usual style and at the same time it made him feel as if she'd somehow claimed him by wearing his clothes. She reminded him of a kid in her big brother's jacket as she pushed her glasses up on her nose, then braided her hair to fall down her back so that the wind wouldn't tangle it. He waited for her to put her boots on before she was ready to leave.

Damn, the woman was strangely beautiful. Those brown eyes seared his soul and made him hard every time she met his gaze. And if he didn't get her out of this house soon, he was going to scoop her up in his arms, take her upstairs to her bed and show her exactly where his true talents lay…

Pushing that thought away before it got him into trouble, he took her down to the street where his sleek black and gold motorcycle gleamed in the sunlight. It looked like a nasty predator that tore up the road and made him feel a freedom he only had when he dreamed. There was nothing he loved more than climbing on the back of it and flying down the interstate like a bullet.

On that bike, his soul felt free and no matter how bad he felt, it made everything okay.

"What in the world is that?" she asked as she cocked her head to look it over.

"Custom built Hayabusa-Turbo," he said as he pulled his helmet off the handlebars and put it on over his head.

Tory hesitated as she realized that the bike had been built for only one rider. But truthfully, the thing was gorgeous. "I don't think we're both going to fit."

"Sure we will." He flipped the tail of it up to show her the customized passenger seat before he secured his backpack over the gas tank with custom-made clips to hold it into place. Then he straddled the bike with an undeniable male grace that said he was more at home here than anywhere else she'd ever seen him. He closed the shield on his helmet and pulled a key out of his pocket. Then he secured his long coat around him.

Oh good grief, there was something innately masculine about him on that motorcycle. Commanding. Fierce.

Most of all, he was hotter than hell and made her want to strip him naked and throw him down on her lawn in front of God and everyone as she made love to him until they were both begging for mercy.

"Hop on, koukla."

Her heart warmed at the Greek endearment that meant doll. Tory was a little more hesitant than normal as she approached the huge bike that had been built for obvious speed. She slung her leg over and wrapped her arms around his lean waist as he started it.

Oh yeah baby. She could stay like this for eternity. Snuggled up against his hot body as the clean scent of him filled her nostrils… surely there was nothing better to be found.

"Hold tight." His voice came through an intercom in her helmet.

She did and he squealed out, into the street. Her heart sped up at the way he rode as if hellbent for Lucifer. But honestly, she loved it. There were two truths about her-Things could never be old enough to please her and nothing could ever go fast enough to scare her. She loved history and she loved speed.

"You do this a lot?" she asked.

"Every chance I get. I live to ride."

Wow, he'd actually admitted to something. That was a first. Maybe she should mark the date to remember it by. But that thought left her as he flew over a bump that made them airborne for a minute.

She whooped and laughed at the feeling.

Ash smiled at the sound of her laughter in his ears. He'd been afraid at first that doing that would scare her. But as Pam had noted, she was fearless, and it softened his heart for her even more.

So did the sensation of her arms wrapped around him as she leaned against his back. Now if she'd only drop one of those hands a few inches down to the sudden bulge he had for her, he'd be open for business. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky.

He growled at the thought and urged the bike faster.

Tory didn't say anything else as they sped over to Kenner, to a grade school gym in what had to be record time-thank God she didn't have to pay his insurance bill if he went this fast all the time. She couldn't even begin to fathom the number of tickets he must have collected-it was a wonder the man still had a license.

"What are we doing here?" she asked as he put the side stand down.

"Game." He held the bike upright as she climbed off. He grabbed his sunglasses out of his backpack before he removed his helmet.

Tory didn't miss the fact that he kept his eyes closed while he exchanged the helmet for the sunglasses. For some reason she couldn't name, it bothered her that he was so self-conscious over his eyes. And yet at the same time, that one vulnerable self-doubt made him seem more human and actually adorable. How could a man so gorgeous and confident be that shy over something she found extremely seductive?

Tossing his backpack over one shoulder, he carried his helmet under his arm as he led her through a back door into the gym where a group of small boys were practicing. The kids had to be between seven and nine in age.

Tory's heart melted at the sight of them. Oh they were so cute and as they saw Ash, they came running to high five him-only he had to stoop over to accommodate their heights. She knew he was tall, but right then, he really looked like a giant. They surrounded him as they all chattered and vied for his attention.

Ash laughed. "All right, guys, you need to practice while you can. I don't want to see any traveling today or fouls. Got it?"

They nodded and shouted before they went back to their ends of the court.

Tory shook her head as she closed the distance between them. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

He frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean."

She gestured toward the kids. "I'm truly amazed. This is the last thing I would have ever imagined you doing on a Saturday afternoon."

"Ash is one of the best refs we got. He's always fair and the kids love him."

Tory turned to see an average height, older African-American man with graying hair and a well-groomed mustache.

Ash held his hand out to him and smiled. "Hey Perry, how's it going?"

Perry shook his hand and patted him on the arm. "Glad you could make it. We had two refs call in sick and was afraid we'd have to cancel the games. I really appreciate you and your friend helping us out."

"Anytime. You know how much I love watching the kids dribble."

Perry laughed as he playfully elbowed Tory in the side. "And he doesn't mean the balls either."

Tory smiled.

Ash pulled his coat off and slung it over his shoulder. "Perry Stallings meet Tory Kafieri."

Perry winked at her. "So Ash has a girl finally. I was beginning to wonder if he'd ever settle down on one female."

Ash snorted. "Ah, you think too much."

"And T-Rex doesn't think enough."

Ash shook his head as a tall, well-built blond man approached them. "Good to see you, Talon. Even if you are nothing but a pain in my ass."

"You too." Talon hitched a thumb over his shoulder. "Was that your Busa outside?"

"Yeah."

"Sweet. Anytime you're ready to let it go, call me."

"Don't hold your breath," Ash said teasingly before he introduced them. "Talon this is Perry and Tory."

Talon shook their hands in turn and held onto Tory's as he saw the helmet she held by its strap in her left hand. He arched an inquisitive brow. "Matching Busa helmets?"

"I came with Ash," Tory explained.

He turned a curious eye to Ash.

Ash wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. "Friends, Celt. Don't make anything more out of it than that."

"Whatever you say, T-Rex. Whatever you say…" there was enough doubt in that tone to fill the Superdome.

Perry clapped his hands together. "Well, now that the two of you are here, I'll let the coaches know. You get settled and we'll be underway in just a few."

Ash looked past Talon to the bleachers behind him. "Sunshine with you?"

"Parking the car."

"Cool." Ash gently took Tory's arm and led her toward the small crowd of parents. "Let me get you situated."

Tory looked at his shoulder where his ever-present backpack was snuggled close. "You going to trust me to guard the magic backpack?"

He smiled. "Sure. I know where you live and I've seen where you sleep." He sat her down on the bleachers just as an exuberant, voluptuous brunette came in with a flurry of excitement.

Dressed in a flowing pink skirt and tunic that was covered with a painted denim jacket trimmed in pink lace, the woman headed straight for Ash and placed a quick kiss on this cheek. "How have you been, baby?"

"Decent." He indicated Tory with a tilt of his head. "Sunshine meet my friend Tory. Sunshine's Talon's wife."

Tory smiled as she shook Sunshine's hand. "The tall blond who can't shoot hoops?"

Sunshine's laugh was infectious as she looked at Talon proudly. "That's my baby. Ain't he beautiful?" She raised her hand at her husband. "Go Talon, show them how it's done," she shouted.

Ash turned and laughed as Talon made a shot that fell far from its mark.

"Well, maybe next time," Sunshine whispered under her breath before she shouted. "Good try, baby, good try! Next time you'll make a home run!"

Ash exchanged an amused grin with Tory. "Yeah and on that note let me go stop him from embarrassing himself further." He dropped his coat, helmet and backpack at her feet.

Tory smiled as he ran across the court, pulling a silver whistle out of his back pocket before he put it on over his head and blew it. Talon turned toward him and Ash made an ancient Celtic obscene gesture at him that luckily only Talon, Tory and possibly Sunshine would recognize as extremely offensive.

Talon glared at him. "You're lucky there are kids here, buddy."

Ash gave him an evil grin before he wrangled the kids toward their starting places.

Sunshine sat down beside her and pulled a bottle of water out of her giant organic wicker bag. "So how long have you known Ash?"

Tory watched the grace Ash showed as he moved fluidly around the kids who were so tiny compared to him. She didn't know why, but he reminded her of some ancient warrior trying to train them for battle. "Not very. About a week."

"And he brought you here?"

Tory shrugged, not really understanding his compassion herself. "My house was broken into and a good friend of mine killed last night. Ash was afraid to leave me alone."

Horror filled Sunshine's dark brown eyes as she reached out to touch Tory's arm. "Oh my God, sweetie… are you okay?"

Tory swallowed as she thought about Dimitri and grief overwhelmed her. He'd always been the jokester of their crew. Full of life and preciously sweet. She was really going to miss seeing him on the boat and hearing his good-natured taunts. "Not really. But I'm holding it together. One step at a time, right?"

Sunshine took her hand into hers and offered her a kind smile. "Absolutely. And if you need anything, you call us. Talon and I live outside of town and can be anywhere pretty quickly because he drives like a lunatic. Night or day, you need something, you call."

The warmth from this woman touched her deeply. They were strangers and yet Sunshine didn't care in the least. "Thank you. Ash is lucky to have you guys as friends."

Sunshine waved her words away as Ash blew the whistle and separated two of the boys who were trying to bite each other. Smiling a smile that warmed her heart, he tucked one of the boys under his arm as he moved him away from the other one before he set him on his feet.

"I don't know," Sunshine said wistfully. "I think we're more lucky to have him."

Yeah, Tory was beginning to feel lucky that she'd met Ash too. Though to be honest, she wished they'd met under a better set of circumstances than his embarrassing her. "How long have you guys known him?"

"A few years for me. A lifetime for Talon. The two of them go way back."

Tory looked at the tall blond who was probably no more than two or three years older than Ash. His short curly hair was sweaty and he had two tiny braids that fell from one temple. She was glad to meet someone Ash knew really well. "No kidding? Ash never really talks about the people he knows."

"Yeah, he's brutally evasive."

Tory nodded in agreement. "Good description."

Sunshine offered her a bottle of water. "But even so, you have to love Ash. He's one of the few truly reliable people you'll ever meet."

Taking the water from her hand, Tory watched as Ash showed Talon how to shoot a basket during a time-out, then he laughed and shook his head when Talon screwed it up again. This was the first time she'd seen him really having fun. Most of the time, he was so reserved and closed off-as if afraid of allowing anyone to have any kind of power over him. There was only one reason she could think of that he'd be like that.

"Ash had a hard childhood, didn't he?"

Sunshine frowned. "I don't know. I've heard mixed things from different people. Some say he was very privileged and rich."

Yeah there was something very wealthy and Old World about him. Dignified as if he were accustomed to only the best things in the world… like the handsewn jacket she wore. "He does seem to have a lot of money."

Sunshine snorted. "Oh no, hon. What he has now, he earns. Believe me. But no one I know-and I know a lot of people who've known him for many years-really knows anything about his past or his family. He just refuses to talk about it."

Which meant it had to be brutal. Why else would someone hide it? Thoughts of family should be comforting. She was forever thinking about hers and smiling. The fact that Ash had closed himself off entirely from the subject said it all.

They were sources of pain for him.

Her heart heavy, she watched as the game picked up again. Ash was actually adorable as he ran alongside the kids who could barely play. They bumped into each other and tripped onto the court. Ash would run to make sure they were okay before he picked them up and set them back on their feet.

She'd never seen anything quite like it. But they were all cute. Especially Ash in all his Goth glory.

Sunshine dug out a bag of cinnamon flavored oatcakes. "Want some?"

"Thanks," she said, taking one from the small bag.

As they snacked, a mother and a small boy in a wheelchair came in and parked beside them so that the boy could watch the game. The boy who had short black hair and bright blue eyes grimaced as if he were in pain while his mother gently stroked his back. He was an almost exact physical duplicate of his mother, except the boy had a smattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose.

Tory scooted down to sit closer to him. "Hi," she said, holding her hand out to him. "My name's Tory."

He looked at his mother to make sure it was okay to talk to her.

"His name's Toby."

"Toby?" Tory grinned at him. "Really? My friend Ash was playing a boy named Toby this morning on the Xbox."

Toby smiled through his tears. "That was me! I kicked his butt!"

"Toby," his mother chided, "such language. What have I told you about that?"

He sat taller in his chair. "Well, I did."

Tory introduced herself and Sunshine to Toby's mother. "So are you two here to watch Ash?"

Toby shook his head. "My brother Zack is number seven on the blue team."

"Oh," she said, spotting the boy with brown hair, "he's the best player on his team."

The buzzer sounded for halftime. Ash came running over. His cheeks were mottled with red from his exertion. He held his hand out for Toby to high five him. "Hey Tobinator. How you doing?"

Toby squealed in glee. "Can we play?" he asked Ash.

Ash looked at Trish. "Is it okay?"

She frowned in apprehension. "Be gentle. He had a hard session with his therapist today."

"Will do." Ash picked him up and cradled him against his chest before he returned to the court where the teams were practicing again.

Zack passed his brother the ball. Laughing, Toby caught it and Ash ran him at the basket so that he could slam dunk it in to the basket that had been lowered to accommodate their smaller size. He held Toby over his head and twisted him back and forth, making the boy squeal in delight.

Trish's eyes misted at the sight of Ash with her son. "I don't know what I'd do without that man."

Tory frowned. "What do you mean?"

Trish wiped at her eyes. "Toby and my husband were in a bad car wreck a year ago. Barry was killed instantly and Toby was partially paralyzed. For weeks in the hospital, Toby was unresponsive to everyone. He wouldn't eat or speak. And then one day Ash and a friend of his came in and were singing with the kids on Toby's floor, handing out gifts. When he saw Toby, he went over and the next thing I knew, he had Toby laughing again." She sniffed. "Just look at them out there… God love that man."

Ash was holding Toby low to the ground so he could dribble the ball while his brother tried to block him. Lifting him up, Ash feigned to the right and ran at the basket so Toby could slam dunk it again. The boy lifted his arms up and whooped in triumph. Ash tickled him before he cradled him in his arms and ran him back over to his mother.

He set Toby back in his wheelchair and wiped his arm over his sweaty face. "All right, Tobe, we have to get back to the game. But Zack wants a rematch afterwards."

"He's on!"

Ash ruffled his hair before he glanced to Tory. "You doing okay?"

"Fine."

"Cool. But stay away from Sunshine's oatcakes. Talon says they're disgusting."

"Hey!" Sunshine shouted indignantly. "I'll get you for that, Ash."

Laughing, he stood up and returned to the center of the court.

"How are you doing, Toby?" Trish asked, her voice full of concern. "Did that make you hurt more?"

He beamed. "Nope. I feel great. Ash says I'll be walking again this time next year."

His mother winced as if the thought made her ache. "Oh baby… you know what the doctors think."

Toby lifted his chin. "I believe Ash. He says I'll be walking and I will. Just watch and see."

Tory smiled at the little guy. "That's the spirit."

Toby took her hand while they watched the rest of the game and cheered for his brother Zack.

When the game ended, Talon grabbed a ball to shoot again.

Ash scoffed at him. "Stop embarrassing the gene pool, Celt."

"Shut-up, T-Rex." He shot and missed.

Ash came to stand in front of Toby, arms akimbo. "Ready, squirt?"

"Ready."

Ash picked him up and looked at Tory. "You know how to play?"

"It's been a while, but yeah."

His grin taunted her. "Want to join us for a game?"

"Love to."

Talon handed her the ball as he came to sit beside Sunshine and drink some water. "I'm tired of being laughed at. Go avenge me."

Tory took her jacket off before she bounced the ball on the floor. Ash held Toby to his chest. "All right, Toby, let's annihilate the kyria."

Toby frowned. "Kyria?"

"Lady."

"Oh. Okay."

Tory feigned left and twisted around them as she ran at a basket. She was almost to it when Toby grabbed the ball and Ash put him up on his shoulders. Shouting in glory, Toby shot it at the basket and scored.

"And the crowd goes wild. Ahhhhh," Ash mocked the sound of cheering fans.

"Hey Ash?" Zack asked, running up to them. "Can I dunk one too?"

"Sure." He held Toby out to Tory who took the boy. He wrapped his little arms around her neck and made her melt while Ash grabbed his brother and put him up on his shoulders.

Zack dunked the ball and held his hands up in triumph while he bounced on Ash's shoulders.

Trish came forward, shaking her head at them. "Okay boys, tell Ash thank you, but it's time for us to go and let the next team have the court."

Toby pouted like a pro.

"Aw, mom," Zack whined as Ash set him on his feet.

Then Ash took Toby from her arms and carried him back to his wheelchair. "Don't worry, squirt. We'll beat Zack in a couple of weeks when I'm back in town."

"Okay and don't forget next Saturday! Nine a.m. sharp!"

Ash gave him a staunch Roman salute. "Ever at your service, my lord and tormentor." He brushed his hand over Zack's hair. "You played unbelievably well today. Keep practicing, kiddo."

"Will do. Bye Ash."

"Bye guys."

Tory walked up to him as they left. "You are so not an asshole."

He glanced down at her, making her wish she could see his eyes through his dark sunglasses. "Trust me, I can be. But I have a height requirement before I break ass on someone."

Talon snorted as he walked past them. "Yeah, take it from someone who's had his ass broken by him. Ash ain't all fun and games."

Without thinking, Tory put her hands on Ash's hips and leaned against his back. The moment she did, she realized she'd made a mistake as a wave of desire hit her so forcefully, it was all she could do not to pull his lips down to hers. Oh dear heaven, the man was sweaty, but he didn't stink at all. Instead, he smelled so good she wanted to take a bite out of him.

And all she wanted to do was run her hands down that hard chest and nibble him until he begged her for more.

Ash couldn't breathe as he hardened to the point of pain. Thank the gods he wasn't wearing tight pants. And the thought of her hands only being a few inches away from his cock only made him ache more.

Clearing her throat, she stepped back. "How many more games do you have to referee?"

"Two."

"Okay, I'm going back to my seat to eat some oatcakes. Good luck with the kids… oh and my favorite has to be the little guy over there, picking his nose."

Ash didn't speak as she went to sit by Sunshine. It took every bit of his willpower not to pull her back to him.

Talon handed a ball to him. "You all right, T-Rex?"

"I'm fine, why?"

"Cause in all the centuries I've known you, I've never seen you do that with a woman before."

"Do what?"

Talon laughed. "Boy, I don't think you need me to tell you what that is." He cast an incredibly quick glance down to Ash's groin.

Ash went ramrod stiff as he discreetly looked down to make sure he wasn't standing at attention. Well, he was, he just wanted to make sure it wasn't obvious.

Thankfully, it wasn't.

Which begged the question… how did Talon know?

Out of nowhere a ball came at his head. Ash caught it. Picking up his whistle, he blew it to call the players to start the game.

Tory was still rattled by what had happened. By how badly she wanted a piece of that man…

Sunshine wiped at the crumbs on her skirt. "Are you sure the two of you are just friends?"

Tory tried to appear nonchalant. "What do you mean?"

"I have never seen Ash allow someone to touch him from behind before. He normally bolts across the room if someone even comes near his back. The fact he didn't even twitch… highly suspicious."

Tory frowned at that new disclosure. "I didn't know that bothered him. He rode me on the back of his motorcycle over here."

Sunshine gave her a wide-eyed stare. "Touch you, girl. You are special."

"You think?"

"Honey, trust me. What you just did was a freaking miracle and I really wish you could appreciate how amazing it was."

Tory took a sip of water as she watched Ash with a set of older kids. And as she watched him and pieced together what little she knew about his past, she had a really bad feeling about his childhood.

There was only one reason she could think of that it would bother him that much for someone to stand behind him. And the thought of it made her sick to her stomach.

"Every time I've ever made the mistake of trusting someone… it was a mistake that I regretted and paid for dearly. I'm really happy that no one has hurt you, but I haven't been so lucky, okay?"

His words rang ominously in her ears as she watched him calling a foul.

Please let me be wrong…

But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Someone had hurt him badly in the past. So much so that he couldn't even deal with it.

It was why he hid his eyes from the world. Why he pierced a face that was so perfectly handsome it beckoned to be touched… Why he dressed in those FU clothes. It was to keep everyone away from him.

Closing her eyes, it was all she could do not to go to him and just hold him. To promise him that he was safe. How stupid a thought was that? The man was huge and he was fierce. The last thing he needed was her protection.

But he hadn't always been a man…

Tory winced as she remembered what he'd said about his parents. What had they done to him?

She didn't speak much until the last game was over. Ash and Talon stayed on the opposite side to talk to Perry for a few minutes.

Sunshine was packing up as Talon came over. "Did you have fun, baby?" she asked her husband.

Talon grinned at her. "I'm thinking we ought to make a few of those small things for ourselves."

Sunshine laughed. "Anytime you're ready. My mother is more than willing to be a grandma."

Talon kissed her passionately. "Yeah, we definitely need to get home and practice…"

Sunshine pulled back with a smile before she handed him her purse. "Lead the way."

Talon sucked his breath in before he turned to Tory. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too."

Sunshine hooked her arm in his. "Don't forget what I told you. If you need us…"

"Will do."

Ash pulled the whistle over his head as he approached her and tucked it back into his pocket. "I hope you weren't too bored on the sidelines."

"No, it was actually fun. You have great friends."

"Yeah, I do."

He bent over to pick up his coat. The moment he did, she decided to test her theory. She reached down and lightly brushed her hand under the band that held his ponytail over his neck. Her ring caught in his hair and pulled it.

Hissing in anger, he grabbed her hand and snatched it away from his hair. "Don't you ever touch me like that again." His growl was so feral, she actually thought he might hit her.

She swallowed against the severe lump in her throat. "I would never hurt you, Ash."

He didn't respond as he jerked his backpack and helmet up from the floor and stalked toward the doors.

Grabbing the jacket and helmet she'd worn, Tory followed him, wanting to cry. "Ash?"

He didn't stop until he reached his bike. He put his keys between his teeth before he shrugged his coat on.

"Ash?" she repeated. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry."

Ash tried to calm down. She'd done nothing wrong and he knew it. It was just…

He ground his teeth at the memories. He'd shave his hair off except the only thing he hated more than having his hair grabbed was feeling something, especially a breath or breeze against the nape of his neck. He hated people breathing in his ears or standing close to him, especially at his back. Even after all this time, one touch, one breath could make him feel worthless all over again. Make him feel…

Like a whore.

But Tory wasn't a part of that past. She wasn't Artemis who used those tactics to remind him of his place in her world. To remind him that he should be grateful he was allowed any kind of dignity.

Tory was simply a woman who'd touched a man not knowing the scars that lined his soul.

He let out a long breath as he calmed down. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I just don't like people grabbing my hair."

"Duly noted. Will never happen again."

He nodded.

Tory lifted her helmet as she again watched him close his eyes, remove his sunglasses and put his helmet on. Was he aware of what he did or was it so habitual that he didn't even realize his actions?

"Ash?"

He turned toward her as he fastened his chin strap.

"I think you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."

Ash froze as those words touched him. But then Artemis had said that to him once… and then cursed him for them later. Don't be suckered in.

"Thanks," he said, his voice hollow as he slung his leg over to straddle the bike. Then he set his backpack over the gas tank while she climbed on behind him.

She slid up against his back, her thighs intimately pressed against his buttocks.

He waited for that familiar disgust to fill him, but it didn't. And when she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his back, he actually savored it. Starting the engine, he looked down at her tiny hands that she had laced together over his stomach.

He'd never allowed another soul to ride on his bike with him… not even Simi.

She squeezed him in a tight hug and it was all he could do not to haul her off this bike and screw her like an animal in the parking lot until the fire he felt was quenched. But he'd never do that to her. He wasn't an animal and she was…

There were no words to describe her. She was infuriating, stubborn.

And wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

Touching her hands with his, he gave a light squeeze before he took the handlebars. "Hold tight."

"Will do, Achimou."

He laughed and cringed simultaneously at the Greek endearment of his name. Since the true pronunciation was Ack-uh-rahn the shortened form of it was Ack-ee-moo. Something he'd always feared someone using. So he'd learned to Anglicize his name to Asheron and then later to Ash to keep anyone from doing what she'd just done.

Yet, for reasons that were totally beyond him, he didn't mind her doing it.

Amazed by that, he headed out of the parking lot, back toward her side of town. They hadn't gone far when he felt a weird sensation go down his spine…

They were being followed.

Looking around, he saw a gray sedan closing in on them while the car in front of them was slowing down. Ash wanted to pass the car ahead, but there was too much traffic in the other lane.

Suddenly the car in front of him stopped.

He slammed on brakes at the same time a man sat up in the back seat of the car in front of them with a gun and opened fire. "Hold on!" he roared as the bullets slammed into him. Had he been human, he'd be dead. As it was, he put a shield around them to keep Tory from being hit and him from taking any more damage.

Gearing the bike down, he gunned it full throttle and shot around the car to the right, onto the sidewalk to get away from them.

Tory was terrified as she clung to Ash with everything she had. She wasn't sure how the gunshots had missed them, but she was grateful they had.

Now she saw the two cars racing behind them.

Ash took a corner so low to the ground he was amazed Tory stayed with him even with the shield around her. She hadn't been kidding. She had to be an experienced rider to take the corner and not fall off.

He considered using his powers to get them out of this, but that would tip her off big time that he wasn't human and she would lose her mind over the fact that they literally popped back into her yard. No, he was a god. He could surely outrun them.

At least until a third car cut them off. He swung to the left at the same time a fourth car drove straight for them. That car clipped his back tire.

Cursing, he felt the bike slipping out from under him. Before he could react, they went flying off the bike. Making sure to keep Tory shielded as she slid, Ash hit the ground hard as he skidded on the road.

Damn the consequences.

He was about to teleport them out of this right when the car that had hit them ran him over. Ash bellowed in pain as the front then rear tires crushed his legs. Unable to focus on anything but the agony, he dropped the shield around Tory at the same time she went slamming into a set of garbage cans that were lined around a pole.

Tears of pain filled his eyes as he struggled to breathe. He replaced the shield around Tory to protect her from any more harm and to knock her out as he rose to his feet.

Pain hit him hard. He might be a god, but he wasn't immune to damage. It wouldn't kill him. It just hurt like hell.

The men opened fire on him.

Ash slung his hand out and turned the bullets back on them. Fury rode him hard as he killed them as mercilessly as they'd tried to kill Tory.

All except one…

A small, wiry man, he was cowering beside the brown Audi sedan that had run him over.

"Who the fuck are you?" Ash snarled angrily.

The man didn't answer.

Ash grabbed him up by his throat and slammed him against the trunk of the car. "Answer me!"

But then he didn't have to… In that instant, Ash saw everything about him and the organization he served. Don't kill me please…

He heard the voices from the man's past. Voices of people who'd begged for their lives and this prick had killed them without caring.

So be it.

Ash crushed his windpipe and left him sprawled dead on the trunk of the car not caring who saw what he was doing. Still not satisfied, he looked at Tory who lay unmoving.

As he started toward her, he realized his legs were torn open and most of his body was covered with road rash because she'd been wearing his protective jacket. But none of that mattered as he knelt down on the ground beside her. Carefully, he pulled her helmet off to see the bruises on the side of her pale face and the blood on her lips.

He threw his own helmet aside. Fear and grief racked him as he felt for her pulse. She had to be okay. She had to be… His stomach knotted until he touched the faint beat.

He wanted to cry in relief. She was still alive, but she was weak from internal injuries.

Ash held his hand out for his backpack which flashed into his grip. Slinging it over his back, he picked Tory up and teleported them to Tulane Hospital. He cradled her against him as he limped painfully into the emergency room entrance.

Luckily it was someone he knew, Wanda, at the front desk.

A heavyset African-American woman, she gaped as she saw him walking toward her. His leg buckled from the pain and he almost fell. But he wouldn't do that. Not while he held Tory. He had to get her help.

"Oh my God, Ash! What happened?"

He couldn't speak as he felt Tory expel one last shallow breath before she died in his arms.

CHAPTER TEN

Ash sank to his knees in the middle of the ER as the pain from his injuries and an overwhelming, unbelievable wave of grief and anger assailed him. He didn't understand why, but he couldn't even breathe at the thought of Tory not being here.

"Tory," he snarled, holding her against his shoulder as he cupped her cold face in his hand and gently shook her body. "Don't you dare fucking die on me. Tory!"

Wanda was there with a doctor and orderlies. Standing behind him, she took his shoulders as the doctor pulled Tory out of his arms.

Ash wanted to fight them and yet he knew he couldn't. They had to save her. Don't interfere. Don't. Interfere.

Wanda's touch was gentle, but it wasn't the touch he wanted to feel. "Ash?" she said, her voice breaking.

He couldn't respond as he heard them calling for a Code Blue. They ripped Tory out of his arms and put her on a gurney before they whisked her away.

Ash knelt there on the floor, his bloodied coat fanned out, watching them run with her through the hallway while his soul screamed out for vengeance against those who'd hurt her.

"I think he's in shock."

Someone touched him. Ash growled, shoving the intern back as he came to his feet and stood there with his legs wide apart. "I'm not in shock. I'm fine."

The intern passed a wide-eyed stare to Wanda.

"Sweetie," Wanda said, touching him lightly on the arm. "You're not all right." Her gaze skimmed down his ravaged body. "You are very hurt and you need to let the nice doctor look at you."

Ash wiped at something warm that was running down his face. Thinking it was sweat, he glanced down to see his hand covered in blood that was pouring out of his temple. How could he explain to them that he'd heal? If they weren't staring at him, he'd make all the injuries vanish…

The one who couldn't heal herself was Tory. She was the one who was dead.

"I'm fine. I swear. I just need to go to the bathroom."

The intern was still suspicious but no one stopped him as he left them and entered the small room. Rage so raw he could taste it scorched him. He wanted blood and he could feel his eyes turning red. He manifested a pair of sunglasses over them before someone came out of a stall and caught sight of him in all his immortal glory.

His fury was so great that it arced a burst of power so strong, it shorted out the lights over him. Sparks rained down and sizzled while he struggled for control.

Save her…

With a mere thought he could heal her back to normal. No cuts. No wounds.

One stone throw and everything changes… He heard Savitar's voice in his head and he hated that part of his conscience. His entire human life had been ruined because of gods playing with his destiny. Of people bringing him back from the dead.

Falling to his knees, he screamed out in raw, unmitigated pain as he buried his face against his arm and struggled for sanity. He couldn't do it to Tory. He couldn't risk what saving her might do to the world. If she was supposed to die, she'd have to die. He refused to tamper with fate.

Fuck fate! You're a god, damn you, Apostolos. Seize your destiny! Save her!

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It was the one code he lived his entire life by.

"Don't die, Tory," he whispered, knowing he wouldn't forsake his oath. He wouldn't be like the ones who'd screwed him over by tampering with what should have been left alone.

Disgusted with his cowardice, he glanced at the mirror and flinched. No wonder they'd been so freaked out. He looked like walking death. His face was battered, his clothes torn and bloodied. He would change them, but then the staff would get suspicious if he walked out totally repaired. So he cleaned up his face and went back outside where Wanda was waiting. His heart stopped as he saw her holding the leather jacket that Tory had been wearing.

Wanda offered him a kind smile. "Your friend was resuscitated. They've taken her into surgery."

He took the jacket as a wave of relief washed over him. "Thank you, Wanda."

She nodded. "You sure you don't want to see a doctor?"

"Positive."

She shook her head as if disappointed by his decision. "Well I'll take you up to the waiting room. Do you have any of her information to fill out the paperwork?"

"No, not really. But you know I'm good for the bill. You do whatever it takes, damn the cost."

"I know, baby." She patted his arm as she led him toward the elevators. "We do need the names of her next of kin though."

"Megeara and Theo Kafieri. Theo is her grandfather who lives in New York and her cousin Geary lives in Greece."

"All right. I'll show you up and then come back with the forms."

Ash didn't say anything as she led him into the elevators where he'd been a thousand times while coming in here with Simi to do volunteer work. That was how he'd met Wanda. Her father had been on one of the wards where they'd brought presents at Christmas a couple of years ago after her father had had bypass surgery. They'd been friends ever since.

She took him to a small room that was sterile and cold… just like him.

"You need anything?"

He shook his head. What he needed was to know how Tory was doing. But his powers told him nothing.

"Okay. I'll be back."

He sat down to rest his legs that were still throbbing from the car having crushed them. As he moved, he caught a whiff of Tory's scent clinging to his jacket. Holding it to his nose, he inhaled her and wanted to cry. The fear of losing her actually made his hands shake and he didn't understand why. They barely knew each other.

Yet he wanted to storm upstairs and heal her.

All things go rotten. His mind roared at him for allowing himself to care about a mere human. Look at how great Artemis had treated him in the beginning. She'd bought him gifts and made sure he was comfortable, and then she'd turned on him the first time he hadn't pleased her. It was progressive entrapment that always turned against him.

Tory hated you first and then liked you…

He smiled at the memory of her throwing the hammer at his head. She was prickly. And smart. And funny. Most of all, she treated him like he was normal. Of course she didn't know he wasn't, but unlike other people she didn't grope him or make him nervous that she was a hair's breadth from trying to screw him.

She treated him like he was just another guy on the street.

"Ash?"

He looked up to see Tory's friend Kim in front of him. Her face was lined with fear and concern as she looked at him and the bloodied jacket he held.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I work here. Remember? I'm an L amp;D nurse. I was told by an ER friend that Tory had come in. What happened? Are you okay? Shouldn't you be downstairs being treated?"

He shook his head. "We wrecked on my bike."

Kim swallowed as her eyes filled with tears. "Is she okay?"

"They said she was in surgery. I'm waiting to hear."

She sat down beside him. "No offense, but you look pretty torn up too."

"I'll live."

She gave him a look of supreme doubt. "Why don't you give me your cell number and I'll call you the minute I hear something about Tory. You know I won't leave and you need to see a doctor and get cleaned up." She narrowed her gaze on the hole in his jeans that revealed his ravaged skin. "By the way, that wasn't a request."

Ash nodded as he realized that she was right. He wasn't doing anyone any good like this and he had another matter to attend to. Giving her his number, he left and headed for the elevator. The instant he was alone, he flashed himself to Artemis's temple on Olympus.

His anger mounting, he flung open the doors to her temple with such force, they clamored against the walls. Her koris shrieked before they ran out to leave Artemis alone with him.

Artemis sat up in a huff as she raked him with a feral glare. "What is your wreckage?"

"Damage," he corrected as he stalked toward her. "Can't you tell?"

"What? That you look like crap? You're filthy and you smell. Why didn't you bathe before you came to me?"

"Because a car ran over me, after I was chased by a group of men shooting at me, Artie."

"And that's my fault? How?"

He took a deep breath and counted to ten before he killed the mother of his daughter. Though to be honest, Katra was a grown woman who didn't really need her mother anymore… "Does the Atlantikoinonia ring any bells for you?"

"Yes, they do. So what?" That unrepentant stare went through him like an exploding grenade.

When he spoke it was through his clenched teeth as he fought for the strength not to lash out and hurt her. "They tried to kill me, Artemis. And as you can plainly see, I'm not really thrilled over it."

Her face paled. "They weren't supposed to touch you. Ever."

"No," he said, his voice dropping to the low cadence of a demon's, "their orders were to terminate an innocent human on sight. I just happened to be with her when they struck."

She gave him a droll look as she dismissed his concern and anger. "Why do you even care about the human? I was only trying to protect you."

"No you weren't. I know what's in the missing journal. You don't give a shit about my dignity. It's your own ass you're trying to save."

She scooted back on the couch, trying to escape him. "Does this mean you're the one who took the book?"

He paused. "I thought your people had it."

She curled her lip at him. "If we had it, why would we be after the bitch?"

The insult to Tory pissed him off even more. "She's not a bitch, Artemis. Now call your dogs off. I mean it."

She rose to her knees to meet him without cowering. "What if I don't do what you want? They're innocent humans too. Are you going to kill them?"

His hands itched to wrap themselves around that perfect, swan neck of hers and wring it until he had satisfaction. "I am not playing with you."

"And neither am I," she shrieked. "That journal threatens everything and I won't stop until I have it."

He hissed in anger, but she didn't retreat.

She tossed her head back, proud in her defiance. "You won't hurt me and I know it. You love Katra too much. She would be devastated to know her father killed her mother. I should have introduced you two a long time ago. So long as I have her love, I know I'm completely safe from your wrath."

He held his hand up as if he'd choke her anyway, but in the end, they both knew the truth. She was right. As angry as he was, he couldn't hurt her because it would tear his daughter apart.

Artemis smiled seductively. "I've missed you." She slid her arm around his waist.

Ash shoved her away from him. "If you value your worthless life, stay away from me."

He flashed himself from Olympus to Katoteros.

Urian was on his way out the door of the main hall as Ash entered it. "What the hell happened to you? You have a bad run-in with Artemis?"

Ash curled his lip at the ex-Daimon. "One day, Urian, I'm going to bitch-slap you so hard your ears will ring for eternity."

Urian laughed. "But it won't be today, mostly because you don't look like you could do much of anything to hurt someone. Seriously what happened?"

"I wrecked my bike."

Urian rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Fine, don't tell me. Whatever."

Ash let out a bitter laugh as he realized how preposterous that sounded. He'd never laid a bike down before in his life. Upset, angry at Artemis and worried over Tory, he paused to look at the Daimon. "You know, Uri, there's something seriously wrong with me."

"And you're just now figuring this out? Damn, you're the poster child for slow learning."

Curling his lip, Ash started past him.

Urian pulled him to a stop. "That was a joke, Acheron. You were supposed to laugh."

"I'm not in a laughing mood."

Urian nodded in understanding. "So what really happened?"

Ash hesitated. It wasn't in his nature to talk to anyone about anything. And yet he had one burning question that wouldn't go away. "What is so wrong with me that I'm only turned on by women who hate my guts?"

Urian snorted at his question. "You're right. That's sick." He clapped his hand on Ash's shoulder. "One word for you, my brother. Therapy. Get some."

"That's three words."

"It needed expanding… and speaking of expanding things, you have a visitor inside who wants to be your new best friend."

Ash cursed as he realized who was waiting for him. "Who the fuck let him out?"

"The girl ghost who wants the two of you to kiss and make up."

Ash ground his teeth together. "I'd rather be hit in the head with the tack hammer Tory threw at me."

"Tory?"

"Long story." Ash let out a tired sigh. "Thanks for the warning. I'll go deal with him."

Ash headed for the doors that led to his throne room. As he passed over the seal in the floor, his clothes changed to his Atlantean formesta and black leather pants. He threw open the doors to find Styxx waiting on the other side.

He paused at the sight of his twin who always caught him off-guard. Every time he looked at Styxx he was reminded of his past. Of the brutality. Of the injustice of their lives.

And against his will, he heard Estes growling drunk in his ear as he held him down by his hair and violated him. "How dare you make me want you like you do. I hate you for what you do to me, you disgusting whore. I. Hate. You." The only thing his uncle had ever freely given him had been blows and insults.

Now Styxx stood before him, a perfect replica with short blond hair and normal blue eyes that Ash would have killed to possess.

Ash looked away as he reminded himself that he was a god and not a worthless whore at the mercy of his brother's cruelty. "I'm really not in the mood to deal with you today, Styxx. What little patience I have was eaten alive about two minutes ago."

"I know. I can sense your moods."

Ash narrowed his gaze threateningly.

"It was a gift," Styxx said sarcastically, "from Artemis when she threw me into Tartarus and gave me your memories. I'm only here to ask you one favor."

Ash felt his skin flash to blue as anger pierced him fervently. "You would dare ask a favor of me?"

Styxx stepped back and nodded before he went down on one knee. "I ask as your brother and as a supplicant to a god."

Ash would have laughed had he not been so angry. What game was Styxx playing with him now? "As a supplicant, what sacrifice do you offer for this favor?"

"My heart."

Ash scowled. "I don't understand."

Styxx looked up with a sincere gaze that scalded him. "I offered you my loyalty and it wasn't enough. So in this, I offer my heart to you. If I lie or betray you, you can rip it out over and over again. Chain me next to Prometheus on his rock."

If he ever betrayed him again, he would. "And what favor do you ask?"

Styxx's eyes were haunted before he whispered. "Let me go. I can't live here anymore, isolated from people. Alone. Banished. I just want the chance to live a life that neither of us ever had a chance to live."

Any other time, Ash would have laughed in his face. But today he was weak with understanding and sympathy for the very thing he wanted himself. What had been done to them hadn't been fair. Styxx's life shouldn't have been tied to his and because of Acheron, Styxx had lost his family, his life and his home.

Maybe a fresh start would do them both good. "Fine, brother. You'll have everything you need to start over."

Throwing his hand out, he flashed Styxx to New York where the prince would blend in best with the population. It was also an area where he would hopefully never lay eyes on his brother again.

Besides, Styxx was right. He could kill him at any time. Let the man have a life if he could find it. Honestly, he wished him luck.

Most of all he wished Styxx a peace that seemed to forever elude them both.

"Simi?" He'd been holding her on his body, against her will.

She pulled off his arm and manifested beside him. Yawning, she glared at him in aggravation. "Akri done left his Simi on his arm for far too long. She done got tired and cranky. Why you treat the Simi like that, akri?"

He cupped her cheek in his hand before he kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, baby. It's why I brought you here. You should stay for a bit with your sister and Alexion."

She frowned up at him. "But what about you, akri? You've been so sad, but you wouldn't let the Simi come off you…"

"I know. I have things I have to deal with and I don't want you hurt. You stay here, Simykee."

She beamed at the endearment he hadn't used since she was a baby demon. "Only if akri promises he will call for his Simi if he needs her."

"I promise."

She held her finger up to him. "Good, cause the Simi knows akri can't break his word."

He smiled and pulled out his black American Express card for her. "Go shop."

She squeed before she ran to the TV and turned it on.

Wanting to be alone, Ash walked through the palace even though he could teleport. There were some times when walking and just being normal meant more to him than all of his god powers combined.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. There were some things that didn't need to be done. It was why none of the beings he'd consulted with would tell him shit about his future. Why he didn't heal Tory. There were some lessons, even hard ones, that everyone had to learn. Even the gods.

But right now, he didn't want to learn anything else. He wanted solace and comfort and there was no one for him to turn to to get it. So he entered his bedroom and picked up his guitar from its floor stand. He had a couple of dozen guitars spread throughout the palace here and the various apartments that he kept all over the world, but this one…

This was his baby. A Fender James Burton Telecaster with a maple neck and black body covered with red paisley flames, it had the fullest sound he'd ever heard. Sure he had more expensive guitars, but to him nothing played sweeter or smoother than this one.

Simi had even carved a message for him into the back of it. Allagapi akri, Simi. Charonte for "Simi loves her akri."

Ash smiled every time he saw that and his heart swelled with love for her. She could make him smile no matter how upset or sad he was, but she couldn't comfort him today.

He sat down on the bed and just started strumming. Before he knew it, he was playing Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." It was a song that had haunted him since the first time he'd heard it. It was like the writer had known exactly what was in his heart. It was all about the decisions that changed a life and how perceptions could change any and all situations and feelings.

The problem was right now his feelings were so twisted and conflicting that he didn't even know how to begin to sort through them. Torn between what he should do and what he wanted to do.

Torn between three women who were at odds with each other and with him. His mother who wanted to destroy the world, Artemis who wanted to kill Tory, and Tory who wanted to expose him to save her father's reputation.

Unable to stand it, he got up and tossed the guitar on his bed.

"I am a god."

But what good did it really do him? He was still ensnared by Artemis, controlled by her. He was no less afraid now than he'd been as a human. In fact he was more so because now his powers were absolute. With one whispered word, he could end the world. His decisions didn't affect just his life, they could affect everyone's.

Look what he'd done to Nick. Had Ash still been human, he'd have only beat Nick up for sleeping with Simi. As a god, he'd not only caused Nick to kill himself, but in order to bring that commanded fate into being, Nick's mother had been murdered as well as the sister of his friends Tabitha and Amanda.

He hated these powers. Most of all, he hated the responsibility. "I just want to be alone…"

A knock on his door intruded on his thoughts.

Ash let out a tired breath as he dreaded what was happening now. "Yeah?"

The door opened to show Urian standing there, looking at him with a guarded expression. "You're really not right, are you?"

Ash narrowed his gaze. "I hope you mean that the way I'm going to take it. Otherwise, in the mood I'm in, you might get your ass kicked."

Urian laughed. "Yeah I do." He entered the room and shut the door. "Look, I heard you when you came in. Not what you said, but what was underneath it. I know it's in my best interest to stay out of it. However, you saved my life once, even though I didn't want you to at the time, and I feel like maybe I should return the favor."

Ash frowned at him as those words pricked at the times in his life when he'd been brought back from death against his will. "I shouldn't have interfered with that, Urian, and I'm sorry for the pain you live with because of it."

Urian's eyes were full of bittersweet torment. "You know, it's all right. If I'd died, Phoebe would have followed me to the grave anyway." Phoebe had been Urian's wife. They'd met when Stryker had sent Urian after her to kill her. Instead he'd fallen in love with her and turned her into a Daimon like him so that they could be together. That forbidden love had cost him his life and Stryker had killed Phoebe in a fit of anger.

Urian cleared his throat. "Unlike me, she wasn't capable of taking a human life, even if the human deserved to die. The only way she could have continued living would have been to feed from another Daimon and that she wouldn't have done either. So you didn't really change her fate by saving me. My father was going to kill her regardless."

But if Urian had stayed dead, he wouldn't have witnessed Phoebe's death and he wouldn't live with the constant pain of it.

"Besides, if I'd died, my niece and nephews wouldn't have someone to threaten their dad when he's overprotective of them." Urian smiled sadly. "I'm the only uncle they have. Kids need an uncle, you know?"

Not from Ash's point of view, but that was a different wound. "So why the sudden girlspeak, Urian? Neither one of us is really into discussing our feelings… and no offense, I like the fact we don't."

Urian's gaze burned him with its passion. "I do too most times and I'm truly grateful you don't pry, but as a man who defied everything he once valued in this world and one who sacrificed the love of a father he worshiped… even though it ended badly, the days I had with Phoebe were worth every wound I've suffered."

He moved closer to Ash. "I know what it's like to be torn between a love so pure it burns you deep down in a place you didn't know someone could touch you and between your oath and duties. Between the love of a father you've always known and one you know you can depend on forever versus a love that's new and untested. But you know what I learned? It's a lot easier to live without my father's love than it is to live without Phoebe's. I just thought you ought to know that."

Ash didn't speak as Urian left him alone. But he did feel the fissure of power in the air behind him. It was a sensation he knew well.

Jaden.

"That just makes you want to vomit doesn't it?"

Ash arched a brow at the caustic words.

Jaden folded his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall so that his long brown coat fell open. "Lovey-dovey bullshit. Now let me tell you about what happens when you betray everything you hold dear and the bitch doesn't return the favor. Oh wait, you know that lesson already. The problem is you take the leap and you don't know until it's too late to pull back if you're going to land on a foam-covered mattress or jagged rocks where you lie impaled, slowly bleeding and wishing you'd just die already."

Ash scoffed at the vivid imagery. "You are such a bitter shit."

Jaden shrugged. "My bitterness comes with good company which is normally you."

It was true. They both knew betrayal and they both knew ultimate suffering and the scars it left on the soul and heart. "Why are you here?"

Jaden rolled his eyes. "Your demon is calling me to barter with for a new bag. Thought her daddy might want to take her shopping before she makes me an offer I can't refuse and I make you one really unhappy god-not that I'd care, but since we've been known to help each other out from time to time…"

"I appreciate the warning."

"Yeah well, it's what happens when we spoil the things we love. They don't always understand the boundaries and their ridiculous wants can get us killed if we're not careful."

Ash inclined his head in understanding. Though to be honest, he didn't know what had caused Jaden to become the demon broker. If there was ever a being who was less communicative about his past than Ash, it was Jaden. And in all these centuries, Ash had never met a creature yet who knew exactly how Jaden had come to be what he was.

Jaden offered him a sinister smirk. "Bed the woman until neither of you can walk, and get her out of your system. Remember, no matter what they are or where they come from, all women have one simple birth defect. BPD."

"BPD?"

"Bitch Personality Disorder."

Ash laughed bitterly. "Are you sure they didn't misspell your name on your birth certificate? I'll bet if you check, your real name is Jaded."

Instead of answering, Jaden grimaced as he rubbed at his neck as if it were burning. "You know what? I'll trade you my demons for your Dark-Hunters any day. You haven't seen crybabies until you deal with a freakin' demon who is pissed he sold his soul or something else and things didn't turn out just the way he or she envisioned it." He curled his lips. "Demons without backbones should be shot. I'll catch you on-line Saturday." Jaden vanished.

Ash shook his head. He didn't envy the man his role as go between. As bad as the gods were, he'd hate to have to deal with the primary source and while immortals were annoying, they didn't carry the kind of power a demon did and as a rule, they weren't quite so… impulsive.

Not that any of this mattered to him at present. The only thing really on his mind was Tory and the bastards out to kill her.

They were still out there. Damn it, he'd gotten so tangled in other matters that he forgot about the fact that the Atlantikoinonia was still gunning for her. He had to get back to the hospital and protect her.

He started to flash out, then remembered he needed to speak with Simi first. She lay on the floor alone, cell phone in hand, ready to shop. "Sim?"

She didn't look at him. "Not now, akri. Kirk's Folly is about to come on."

He turned the TV off with his powers, making her shriek in protest. "Don't bother Jaden again."

She looked up at him and pouted. "But Xirena say he can get the Simi anything she wants. All the Simi has to do is tell him what she will exchange for it so it won't cost akri money so I offered him my boots, but he say no, Simi. I don't like no, Simi."

Ash rubbed his head. "Don't listen to Xirena, Sim. Listen to your akri. Just put it on my card like always and don't barter with Jaden for anything. Ever."

She gave him a childlike smile. "Fine. Can we have TV now?"

He turned it back on.

She went back to ignoring him.

Hoping she could stay out of trouble for the next few days, he returned to the hospital. Pam was now in the waiting room where he'd been earlier.

"Any word?" he asked.

"Not yet. Kim went to check." She skimmed his body which was now covered with his long duster, a gray hoodie and black shirt and jeans. "You don't look as near to death as Kim said you did."

He shrugged as he pushed his sleeves up on his arms. "A shower does wonders for a body."

"So they tell me."

Ash sat down beside her, his heart heavy as they waited and waited with no word. Kim joined them and after what seemed like forever a doctor came out to talk to them.

"How is she?" Kim asked before he had a chance.

"Amazingly resilient and very lucky she got here as fast as she did. Her spleen was damaged, but we've got it put back together. Barring a bizarre infection, she'll be good as new."

Ash let out a deep breath in relief.

"Can we see her?" Pam asked.

"She's still in recovery, but we'll have her out within the hour. You'll be able to see her then."

Kim shook the man's hand. "Thanks, Phil."

"No problem."

As the doctor walked away, Ash turned to Kim. "Since she's going to be here for a couple of days, I have something you need to know."

Kim's face blanched. "Oh God, you're a serial killer aren't you?"

Her logic baffled him. "What?"

"See this is what happens," Kim said to Pam before she looked back at Ash. "You're too perfect which means you're probably Dexter right? Hiding bodies someplace weird. You probably have your mom's body stashed away in your closet."

Ash shook his head. "No, at least not this week." He paused as he hoped he was doing the right thing by telling them what'd really happened this afternoon. "We didn't just wreck. We were run off the road."

Pam narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Someone was trying to kill us. Last night, her friend Dimitri was murdered in Greece and his house searched. One of her team must have found something significant and someone wants it bad enough to kill for it. I don't think Tory should be left alone until we know more about it. The guys who came after us today, could very easily show up here."

Pam paled. "Can we get security on her?"

Kim shook her head. "The police won't do anything without concrete proof."

"I can guard her," Ash told them, "but I wanted you guys to know why if I'm not here, another guard needs to be. She can't be left alone."

Pam nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, I'm a major conspiracist anyway."

"And on that note," Kim said, stepping back, "I'm going to cruise by the recovery room and check in on her just to make us all happy."

"Thanks."

Kim patted him on the arm. "No problem. I'll be in touch."

But even so, Ash didn't breathe comfortably again until Tory was in a private room with him by her side.

She was hooked to several monitors and an IV. Her face was so pale that it scared him and he hated that sensation. It was also strange to see her without her glasses on.

Brushing her hair back from her forehead, he smiled at how beautiful she was. Not in a classic way-she honestly had nothing on Artemis in terms of looks, but there was something about her that even while she was unconscious shined through. Her spirit and her impishness. He could already hear her insulting him.

I thought you knew how to ride a bike. Gah, I can't believe you wimped out and lost control like that.

He could almost laugh at her imagined barbed comments as she took him to task for letting her get hurt.

His gaze dropped to her hand. Picking it up, he studied the daintiness of it. Her fingers were long, thin and graceful. The kind of hands that were made to stroke and to soothe. Fingers made to suckle and nibble. Before he could think better of it, he held her hand to his cheek and savored the soft feel of her skin. All his life, he'd craved a loving touch. One that wasn't selfish or hurting.

The only one to touch him like that had been Ryssa, but even she'd been stingy with them. Part of it had been his own fault. So many years of being slapped, pinched and hurt had preconditioned him to tense whenever someone came at his face. Even now he didn't really like anyone to touch him and yet he craved it.

I'm psychotic.

No, not really. He wanted what he didn't know and he didn't know how to get what wanted. It was that simple and that difficult.

But as he held her hand against his cheek, he imagined her awake, touching him. His cock hardened with need and his heart broke over the reality that he could never be with someone like her.

He was forever tied to Artemis. Forever tied to a destiny he'd wanted no part in. Trapped between his mother and a goddess who claimed ownership of him. What he wanted was one single day of freedom to be a normal man who could make decisions that would only affect his own life. A day to laugh and to relax.

And people in hell want ice water.

Wishes weren't magical and his life was what it was. All the wishing in the world wouldn't change that. Sighing, he led her hand back to the bed and placed it beside her.

What he was about to do was wrong and he knew it. He tried to rationalize it by saying that she was going to heal anyway… barring infection and what were the odds she'd get an infection? She was young and healthy. He was just speeding the process up so that she wouldn't be tied to the hospital in case the men hunting her came here.

If she's supposed to die, she's supposed to die.

Then she would die and his healing her wouldn't matter at all.

"I'm not messing with her fate. I'm only healing her." As he reached to touch her chest, he remembered the times he'd wanted to die and had been prevented from it. The time when he'd been dead and Artemis had tricked him into taking her blood to bring him back.

But this was different.

Yeah it was real different. Artemis had saved the world by bringing him back. By waking Tory, he might end it.

Still he couldn't stop himself from doing this.

Taking a chance he knew better than to risk, he touched the valley between her breasts and let the energy of life flow from his body into hers. The monitors popped ever so slightly before Tory gasped.

Ash moved his hand away the exact instant she opened her eyes to look up at him.

Tory lay confused as she saw Ash standing over her. With his sunglasses on, she couldn't gauge his mood. Her entire body was sore and she couldn't quite figure out where she was. "Did you hit me?"

Ash gave her a crooked smile. "Why would I hit you?"

He had a point. And as she tried to get her bearings, a faint image went through her mind… it was Ash holding her. "Don't you dare fucking die on me. Tory!" Those angry words brought back an immediate flood of memories as she remembered the guys chasing them.

"You were shot!" she said, looking for his wounds.

"No. They missed."

Tory frowned. The one guy had shot them at almost point blank range. How could he have missed? And then she saw the bike going down in her mind and remembered sliding over the street. "Where did you learn to ride anyway? Disasters-R-Us?"

Ash laughed. "I knew you were going to insult me when you woke up."

She wasn't amused by it. "What happened to wreck us?"

"One of the cars clipped our tire."

"And we lived?"

He nodded. "We lived."

"You sure?"

"I think so."

"Yeah, I think you're right." She looked around the hospital room that wasn't much more than a blur of lights and shadows without her glasses. "I don't think I'd be in this much pain if I were dead. Not to mention, if I'm this blind after death, I have a bone to pick with the higher powers."

Ash stared at her in disbelief. How could she be making jokes about what had happened? "I think we left your glasses under the car that hit us."

"Figures. I'm just glad you didn't leave me there too, though to be honest, my ribs feel like the car is still parked on top of me."

Ash didn't say anything since his legs weren't quite the same either.

"Oh my God, you're awake?"

Ash stepped back as Kim squealed and then ran to the bed to embrace her friend. He was always amazed by such friendship and love. Throughout history, he'd witnessed it, but he'd never really felt it. He had people he could rely on. People he called friend, but none of them-not even Alexion-was ever privy to the real him. None of them knew his thoughts and though they might know some of his past, they certainly didn't know all of it.

He was a ghost who walked through life observing it, wanting to take part, but too afraid to risk being hurt to reach out. No wonder he and Jaden got along so well. They were armored to the point they were hollow inside.

And as he'd learned when he'd been human, nothing could ever fill that vast hole. It was endless and it was ever consuming whatever he attempted to put there.

Tory had a strange sensation go through her as she remembered something else from the wreck.

Ash had been hit by the car…

Releasing Kim, she looked at him and saw no injuries on his body. Not even a bruise. Yet she remembered clearly the last thing she'd seen before she blacked out.

Ash being run over. Completely run over. It stood out because until then, she'd felt no pain, sliding on the street. Then the instant the car hit him, her pain had set in and her last thought had been that she'd just watched him die…

You're imagining things. It's shock from the accident.

Or was it?

What are you saying, Tor? The man's immortal?

How stupid could one woman be? He wasn't immortal by any means. She had an overactive imagination and it was playing with her again.

"Ash said someone intentionally ran you guys off the road."

She blinked at Kim's chatter. "Yeah, they did."

"So what are you guys going to do?"

She looked to Ash who appeared to be watching her. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know about you, but my plan is simple. Find the bastards and kill them."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Kim's eyes widened at Ash's harsh words. "A little bloodthirsty isn't it?"

Not to him and not when they so richly deserved it. He flashed her a taunting grin. "Given what they did to Tory, I'm thinking a quick death is merciful. Not to mention they ruined one of my favorite jackets and totaled my bike."

Pam snorted. "Well let's just torture then bomb the bastards. How dare they!"

Ash ignored the sarcasm as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now you're thinking like me. A little eye-gouging, some slit nostrils… I could seriously get into that."

Kim shuddered as she spoke to Tory. "I think your new friend is a little bloodthirsty."

Ash stifled a smile at her words. If she only knew that was his primary nourishment. And yes, he could definitely use some blood since it'd been over a week since he last ate.

Kim's phone rang. "Work calls. I'll be back soon."

Ash stepped back toward the bed to check in with Tory. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled up at him. "Amazingly whole. How about you? I thought the car ran you over."

"I rolled out of the way."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "It didn't look like that from my perspective. I could have sworn it plowed right over both of your legs."

He looked down at them before he shrugged. "Obviously not."

Tory's expression turned sweet and adoring, and it hit him like a blow to his stomach. She placed her hand gently on his arm in the most loving touch he'd probably ever experienced. "Thank you for getting me here. Kim said they told her you were bleeding like crazy when you carried me in through the ER doors."

He felt his face flush at her gratitude. "Don't worry about it. Next time I'm hurt, you can carry me."

She laughed at his humor. "I think it would take at least a team of people to carry you."

"Back to the insults, huh?"

She shook her head at him. "That's not an insult. You are a big man."

Ash opened his mouth to speak, but before he had a chance, the doctor came in to examine her. He moved away while the doctor chatted with Tory.

"You are one very lucky woman. But for your friend getting you here as quickly as he did, you wouldn't have made it. Your spleen was severely damaged in your wreck."

Tory was still amazed by what Ash had done for her. Kim had told her that he'd been in bad shape himself and that he'd been over-wrought when she'd died in his arms. Tenderness for him overwhelmed her.

When the bike had gone down, she remembered him reaching to protect her. He'd tried to keep her near him, but the force of the crash had separated them.

She grimaced as the doctor touched a tender spot on her abdomen.

He pulled back with an incredulous look. "You're healing unbelievably fast."

"Good genes and lots of vitamins."

He laughed at her. "You keep this up and we'll have you out of here in about three days."

Ash cleared his throat. "Is there any chance she can leave sooner?"

Tory caught Ash's meaning. "Yeah, I can't really afford to be out of commission too long."

"Honey," the doctor said in a strained tone, "you died. You might want to think about that for a minute and let it digest. You're really lucky you're still with us so let me watch over you for a few days before we turn you loose, okay?"

It was hard to argue when he put it like that. "All right. Thanks, doctor."

He inclined his head before he left them alone.

Tory looked over at Ash who was standing back with that stoicism he wore like a force field to keep the rest of the world away. She knew how hard she'd hit the ground and it wouldn't have been a bit softer for him. Yet he'd dragged himself to his feet and then carried her. His strength mystified her. "How did you get me here?"

"I have my evil Jedi ways," he said in a flat, even tone. "The Force is strong with this one."

She laughed again. He could be so charming when he wanted to. And so sweet. "Well if the doc won't release me, what do we do?"

He shrugged while keeping his arms crossed. "We keep an eye out for our new friends and make sure they don't decide to finish the job they started."

She nodded. "They think I have the journal, don't they?"

"Would be my guess. Either that or they're just really bored and thought knocking us around would alleviate it."

"Speaking of boredom… what am I going to do while I'm locked in here?"

"Wanna read some manga?"

She grimaced at him. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "It's like crack. Once you start, you have to keep reading. I have some Priest, Hellsing and Trinity Blood issues handy. Interested?"

"Actually, I'd like to read the journal we found. Someone who's really tall and male hasn't finished teaching me Atlantean."

"It's not in Atlantean. It's Greek."

"So say you."

Groaning, Ash shrugged his backpack off his shoulder and manifested the journal inside it. One of the reasons he always kept a backpack with him was so that he could teleport things that he needed without arousing mortal suspicions. Since no one knew what was in his pack, they didn't know when he used his powers to get something he needed or wanted.

It also held the things that meant the most to him and kept them from harm. Ryssa's three journals that he'd found after Didymos had been destroyed, her hair comb and Simi's teething toy that Savitar had given him for her when she'd been a toddler. Her baby fang marks were forever etched into the wood. The backpack also held his mother's medallion wrapped in one of the black scarves that Simi had brought back from one of her many visits to Kalosis.

And Nick's soul that he'd traded to Artemis, that Artemis had then given to Acheron.

He pulled out Ryssa's journal and handed it to Tory. "Can you read it without your glasses?"

She sighed irritably. "Not a single word. I hate being blind. Any chance I can talk you into going to my house and getting my spare pair?"

"I can't leave you unattended. You know that."

"Then will you read it to me?"

Ash looked down at the leather as a sharp pain pierced his chest. It was hard to read Ryssa's words because with each one, he saw her clearly in his mind and heard her sweet, calm voice speaking to him.

And it cut him deep in his heart.

Tory touched his arm again. "Please, Achimou?"

A muscle worked in his jaw as her tender voice worked magic on his resolve. "You are the only being who's ever called me that."

"Well I'd call you babycakes, but I think that might offend you even more."

He smiled. "All right, stop the torture. I'll read."

Tory watched the blurry shadow that was Ash as he took a seat near her bed and opened the book. When he started reading, she closed her eyes and listened to the deep resonant tone of his voice. From the ease with which he translated as he read, one would have thought it was written in English. He didn't even hesitate with the words.

"Today I spoke to my father about visiting Atlantis."

Tory straightened up in the bed. "Atlantis?"

Ash cringed as he realized what he'd said. He'd actually forgotten he was reading to an outsider. Tory had become such a part of him that he actually wanted to confide in her. "Yeah, that's what it says."

"See! I told you it was real!"

He had to calm her down. "It doesn't mean anything. For all you know this is an ancient Bridget Jones's Diary."

She scoffed. "They didn't have novels back then."

"History says they didn't have books, yet what's this thing in my hand? It's square, bound paper that's been written on. Looks like a book to me."

"Thank you, Captain Sarcasm. How nice of you to join us again. Can we get back to the story?"

"Just don't throw another hammer at me," he mumbled under his breath before he returned to the book. "Today I spoke to my father about visiting Atlantis and as usual it made him angry. Our negotiations with them aren't going well. Uncle sent word that war could break out again at any moment. But I don't understand why it's too dangerous for me to visit there while my brother and uncle live there. Surely it's not safe for…" Ash paused as he saw his name mentioned, "my brother. I can't stand not seeing him. The letters he sends aren't enough for me. I want-" Ash choked on the words on the page as pain hit him hard in his chest.-my brother home with me. Someone needs to make sure Acheron is kept safe from harm and though Uncle swears he's fine, I wish I could make sure of it for myself.

"She wants what?" Tory prompted.

"My eyes are hurting," he lied. "I think it's the lighting. Can we pick this up later?"

Tory frowned at the odd note in his voice. It sounded like he was choking on tears, but that didn't make sense. "If you wish."

"Cool. I'll just return it to my backpack." He got up and rustled around in it.

"Ash?" she asked after a couple of seconds.

"What?"

"Did anyone call my family?"

"I don't know. You want me to ask?"

"Please. I don't want my family invading when I feel fine. Especially not while we have insane people chasing us. I would die if one of them got caught in the crossfire."

"Okay. I'll go get Kim and find out. If you need anyone…" He put the hospital buzzer in her hand. "I know you can't see well so if you get scared at all, buzz the nurse and I'll be right back."

His concern touched her. "Got it."

Tory sat in the silence, processing everything that'd happened today. The things she'd learned and those she still only suspected about Ash. Not to mention the fact that she now knew she had people out to end her life any way they could over something she didn't even possess.

What was she going to do?

Ash returned a few minutes later. "Kim spoke to your grandfather and Aunt Del. She said they want you to call them as soon as you can." Ash stepped close enough that she could see him.

"Thank you, Ash."

"You're welcome. Kim also said she'd have Pam bring your spare glasses over to you just as soon as she can."

She put her hand over the one Ash had resting on her railing and gave a light squeeze. "Thank you for remembering to ask about them, too." She picked his hand up and placed hers against it. She'd always thought of her hands as mannish since they were so much bigger than most women's, but compared to his hand, hers were dainty. His fingers were long and graceful with calluses that also marred his palms. They were manly hands and she couldn't help wondering what they'd feel like skimming her body…

"Your hands are so huge."

"Yours are soft and little." She didn't miss the catch in his voice before he moved his hand away. "Mine are also really rough." He said it as if it embarrassed him.

"I like your hands. I think they're beautiful."

"I don't know about that, but they do what they're supposed to most times I guess."

She shook her head. "You hate compliments, don't you?"

Ash's gut tightened at the unwanted memories her question provoked. As a human, compliments had been followed by either unwanted gropings or all-out beatings from the people who didn't want to be attracted to him. As a god they'd become extinct which, given his former experiences, was fine by him.

"You want me to get you something to eat?"

Tory nodded. "I'm always hungry."

"I'll be back."

She didn't move as she watched him leave again. He was so strange and so seductive. Protective, arrogant and at same time unsure of himself. Which really made no sense to her. How could he ever be uncertain?

She lay there for several minutes as she pondered the dichotomy.

"Hey girl."

She smiled at the blur that was Pam. "Hey hon."

Pam came forward and put Tory's glasses on her face. Tory breathed a sigh of relief as the world came into focus again. "Bless you."

"Anytime. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good considering I just got hit by a car and died."

Pam growled at her. "You're not funny. And where's your delectable bodyguard?"

"He went to find food for me."

"Ooo, good looking and he quests for food when you're hungry. He's a keeper. So when are you going to sleep with him?"

Ash paused outside the door as he heard Pam's question to Tory.

Tory made a very undignified snort. "Sleep with him… pah-lease. Like I don't have better things to do with my day. I swear the way you have sex on the brain, you should have been born a guy."

"Oh yeah right, Tor, look at the man. They don't make a finer model than that one. Trust me. Unlike you, I look a lot. He's without a doubt the finest thing on two legs, or three if you play your cards right."

Tory let out a sound of utter shock. "Stop talking about him like that. He'd die of embarrassment if he heard you."

Pam tsked at her. "I'm telling you right now, Tory, if you let that one get away without sleeping with him, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"And given my history with men, if I tried to sleep with him I'd kill him. The last guy I tried to sleep with ended up in a body cast."

Pam laughed. "Look at me and tell me honestly you haven't thought about it."

"I'm not that blind, but I don't think of Ash that way. I'm much more interested in him for his brains than his body. Now move on to the next topic before I push the button and tell the nurses I'm being harassed by an insane stalker friend."

"You would, too."

Deciding it was now safe to make an appearance, Ash walked in. Pam's face turned instantly red as she moved to the other side of the bed.

He set his bag down on Tory's tray table and moved it closer to her. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I got some of everything."

Tory smiled. "There's not much I don't eat. Curse of my Aunt Del always telling me about the poor children who have to eat dirt just to keep from going hungry."

Ash adjusted the tray for her, then opened her soda.

"Um guys," Pam said as Tory unwrapped a hamburger. "I don't think you're supposed to eat that right after surgery. Don't they put patients on clear liquid diets or something?" She looked uneasily out the door. "Where's Kim when I need her?"

Tory waved her words away. "I feel fine."

Ash pulled the fries out for her and set them down. "I wouldn't have gotten anything for her that would cause her more pain."

Tory held the burger up toward him. "You want a bite?"

"No, thanks."

Looking at Pam, she gestured at him with the burger. "I swear he's living proof that air has calories. Otherwise he'd shrivel up to nothing."

"Oh like you have room to talk. If there was any justice in this world, you'd be bigger than my house. You eat like a man and you're skinny as a rail." Pam smirked at Ash. "My mother used to call her Jack Sprat when we were kids. Thank God her aunt owned a deli, though I swear Tory ate up all the profits whenever she worked there."

Ash laughed.

"Only 'cause Del makes the best koulourakias, kourabiethes and melomacarinas ever."

Pam smirked at Ash. "Did you understand a single word of what she just said?"

"Of course he does, he's Greek. Even if he doesn't eat, he knows the cookies. I'll bet his mother stuffed him full as a kid."

Ash snorted at the image of his mother cooking anything, other than world destruction. "Not really. My mom wasn't the Betty Crocker kind." Not unless it involved napalm or plagues.

A sharp gasp at the door made them all look to see Kim in the doorway. "What are you doing eating that!"

Tory and Pam pointed at him. "He brought it."

Making a sound of distress, Kim rushed to the bed to take the burger from Tory's hands.

Tory pulled it away. "Not on your life, Kim, and I mean that literally."

"You can't eat that right after surgery. It'll make you sick."

"Better the cow than your hand which I'm going to take a chunk of if you reach for it again. I'm hungry. You of all people know better than to come between me and food."

Kim whirled on Ash with a malevolent glare. "How could you bring this to her?"

"She said she was hungry."

Kim popped him hard on his butt. "Don't do it again! You clear her diet through her doctor or a nurse. You don't just bring food to someone in a hospital. Are you out of your mind?"

Ash was too stunned to even react as Kim went back to the sack on the tray and rifled through it.

"You two are awful, just awful." Kim started to roll the top down.

Tory glared at her like a feral lion. "You take that bag, Kim, and I'll make you regret it."

"Tory, be reasonable."

"My stomach wants food."

Kim held her hand up. "And when you're being attacked by vicious gastric pain later, remember I tried to stop you." She turned back to Ash who made sure his ass was covered. Literally. "If you two weren't being chased by homicidal loons, I'd order you out of here."

Ash backed up another step. "You're not going to hit me again, are you?"

"I ought to. If you were a couple of feet shorter, I'd take you over my knee." Kim made one last sound of disgust before she left them alone again.

Pam shook her head as she met Ash's gaze. "Want me to kiss your boo-boo and make it better?"

"Pam!" Tory snapped.

"Oh like you didn't have that thought, too. Relax both of you, I'm only kidding. Let me go calm down Nursezilla before she gets you two in trouble with your doctor."

Tory sighed as Pam left. "I am so sorry about my friends, Ash. I really did attempt to give them some home training growing up, but obviously it didn't take."

Ash laughed at her words. Truthfully, he found the ease they had in his company refreshing. Most people were either intimidated or frightened by him. Only kids seemed indifferent and treated him like anyone else on the street. "It's okay. I like them."

She took one last bite of her burger before she wrapped it up. "I better stop before I hurt myself. But it is good. Thank you so much for getting this for me."

"There's a ham sandwich, pickles, chips and yogurt also in the bag."

"What a sweetie you are. You really did get some of everything. You sure you don't want a bite?"

"I'm fine."

She handed him the bag. "All right then. How about I swap you the food for the journal?"

Ash hesitated. Since his name was all over it… I could tell her it's another name. True. She didn't know what the letters were. If he could convince her it was something like Archon and not Acheron, that would work.

Shrugging his backpack off, he unzipped the top and pulled the journal out. "Here."

She opened it where they'd left off. "Now where were we?"

"Ryssa was talking about her brother in Atlantis."

She drew her brow together in confusion. "Ryssa? How do you know her name was Ryssa?"

Ash tensed as he realized that his sister hadn't written her name anywhere in it. "Uh… I don't. I just gave her a name. It seemed more polite than calling her 'hey you, ancient chick.' "

She wrinkled her nose up at him. "FYI, I hate the word chick."

"Then I shall delete it from my vocabulary."

Smiling she put her hand on his arm and leaned against him. "You're so accommodating. Was this the spot?"

It took him a full second to catch his breath at the casual way she touched him. At the way her lips looked so inviting and sweet.

"Yeah," he said, forcing himself to look at the page.

She pointed to a line a few down from where he'd been reading. "I miss him?"

"Yes."

Her finger went to the next sentence. "He was sent away?"

"You're an incredibly fast learner."

"That's what my father used to say. His nickname for me was Athena."

Ash was surprised by that. She was nothing like the Greek goddess. "Athena?"

"You know, she sprang fully formed out of the head of Zeus. My dad used to say that I did the same thing and, like Athena, I gave my father a splitting headache." She smiled widely. "Show me a little of anything and bam, instant expertise. But this language is hard to learn. Beautiful, but difficult. Could you read in it for a moment so I can hear the way it lilts?"

Ash nodded before he obliged the request.

Tory listened to the inflections in his voice, mesmerized not only by how sexy it was, but by his intelligence. Before she could stop herself, she placed her hand to his jaw to feel the way his muscles worked while he spoke.

Ash paused at the tenderness of her touch and met her gaze.

"Don't stop speaking it," she whispered. "I love to hear your accent."

Little did she know he'd do anything she wanted so long as she touched him like this. He swallowed before he spoke again. "I wish Soteria. I wish I could make love to you like a human man. With no pasts to get in our way and no regrets. I would sell my soul for it."

Tory frowned at the words that seemed to come from his heart. "What did you say?"

"That you are an inquisitive imp."

She snorted. "No you didn't."

"Maybe, but you don't know for sure, now do you?"

She growled at him even though she enjoyed the fact that when he spoke in English, his accent was thick and lilting. "You know when you use that accent of yours, you could get away with murder." She pulled his sunglasses off, then folded them and put them in his pocket. "I like looking at your eyes."

"You're a very strange woman."

Perhaps, but there was something about him that made her feel warm and safe. She brushed the pad of her thumb over his lips. "Why do you hide from the world?"

"I don't hide from anything."

"Yes you do. The clothes you wear… they're your armor that you use to keep everyone away. You like to look dangerous and rebellious… it's like there's a part of you that thinks, if you give people a cause not to like you, then, when they don't it's okay because you were the one who decided they weren't allowed to like you anyway."

He started to pull away, but she stopped him.

"I would be a friend to you, Ash. A good one, if you'd let me."

Ash looked away as he remembered Artemis offering her friendship to him. "No offense, Tory, people say that with all good intentions. Unfortunately when the test comes, we inevitably fail it."

"Have you ever failed it?"

"Yes, I have." His sister had trusted him to protect her and he'd let Artemis get in the way of that. Nick had been the closest thing to a real friend and he'd cursed him to die.

As a friend, he sucked and he wouldn't wish his friendship on anyone.

"Well I haven't failed," Tory said firmly. "Not once. But the only way for you to know that is to trust me. And since I know you can't give me your trust, I'll forget we had this discussion." She looked back at the book. "What's this word?"

Ash hesitated as he saw his name in Ryssa's handwriting. He started to lie to her, but it caught in his throat. He wanted to trust her. He didn't understand it. But he couldn't help himself. With a deep breath, he did what he hadn't done in centuries. He trusted. "It's Acheron."

Tory looked at him intently. "It's your name?"

"Yes," he said, making sure he kept all emotion out of his voice. "She had two brothers. Acheron and Styxx."

"Named for the rivers of woe and hate? How morbid of their parents."

"More apropos perhaps."

"That would be worse, I think." She turned the page. "It's so weird reading this. She seems like anyone you'd meet today walking down the street. Her main concerns are pleasing her father and she misses her brother. She has the same fears as modern women-being taken seriously. Being listened to." She let out a wistful sigh. "Can you imagine the world she lived in? I wonder what kind of clothes she wore. What kind of bed she slept in…"

"I imagine she was a lot like you. Gentle and unassuming. Determined and protective of those she loved. And she probably annoyed both of her brothers from time to time."

His words touched her. "Is that what you see when you look at me?"

"No. I see a homicidal maniac who hates my guts."

She laughed. "Seriously?"

His teasing look sobered. "Yes, Soteria. That is what I see when I look at you."

She laced her fingers with his.

Ash stared at their hands entwined. It was the most incredible sight he'd ever witnessed.

Pam rejoined them. He expected Tory to let go of him and stiffen uncomfortably as everyone else did. She didn't. She kept her hand in his.

"Did you save our skin for the burger?" she asked Pam.

"You're off the hook for the moment. What can I say? Super Pam to the rescue."

Ash put his sunglasses back on as Pam moved to the other side of the bed. She saw their hands and smiled. "I'm glad you two made up."

"Hey, the man saved my life. That ought to be worth a bump or two on my ego."

Pam arched both brows. "Who are you and what have you done to my best friend?"

Tory looked up at Ash. "Dying tends to put a few things into perspective."

She had no idea.

"Have you ever had a near-death experience, Ash?" Pam asked.

"You could say that."

Pam snorted. "What? You get caught sneaking out of the house by your dad, too?"

If the woman only knew. "That one definitely left a lasting impression on me."

"Yeah. I ended up grounded for a month."

Tory was watching Ash. There was a note in his voice that told her there was a lot more to his story than he was letting on. But if he wouldn't tell her anything in private there was no chance he'd say anything in front of Pam.

His phone started ringing. Releasing her hand, he stepped back to check the ID. "I have to take this. Excuse me."

Tory watched as he walked into the hallway.

Pam let out a low, appreciative whistle. "Jiminy Cricket, that man has the finest ass I've ever seen. No wonder he wears long coats. We should swathe him head to foot just to save human sanity."

Tory playfully slapped at her friend's arm. "Would you stop."

Pam gestured toward the door. "You have your glasses on. Do you not see how fine an ass that is? And he's Goth too." She made a purring sound deep in her throat.

"We've got to get you hooked up with someone soon. The extra hormones are eating away your brain."

"I know. It's so sad, isn't it?"

Tory laughed as she returned to staring after Acheron and wondered what was going on with his call.

"Are you sure about this, Urian?"

"Absolutely-it pays to have friends on the dark side. Stryker is sending out scouts even as I speak to find the journal. He wants to take down Artemis and Apollo and absorb their powers. He's also hoping there's something in the journal to hurt you, which now has your mom going ape shit and sending out her demons to look for it too." Urian laughed evilly. "Welcome to Armageddon, buddy. Looks like they're starting without you."

CHAPTER TWELVE

Ash had just stepped back into Tory's room when his phone rang again. Looking at the ID, he sighed. "Excuse me. I'm having to answer another round of 'Help me, Mr. Wizard' calls."

Tory shook her head at the poor man whose phone seemed to be a constant source of irritation for him.

Pam sat down in the chair where Ash had been eariler. "How many friends does he have?"

"I think they're work-related calls."

"Ah, so what does he do?"

"He's a wrangler."

"Uh-huh…" Pam's voice was filled with doubt.

"I know. He hasn't told me exactly what he does either, but apparently they're always calling him for it."

Pam's eyes sparked with interest. "Maybe he's an international assassin. Oooo wouldn't that be cool?"

"We have got to get you away from movies."

Ash paused mid-sentence as a unique fissure of power went down his spine. The sensation was unmistakable… there were demons in the hospital. And he would pretty much stake his life on who they were after.

Hanging up, he backed into Tory's room. "We have to go."

"Uh, hello?" Tory said sarcastically. "Hooked to an IV here. Not going anyplace in the near future."

He moved to the bed and pulled it out of her arm before she could even blink.

Tory was aghast at his actions and was stunned when her arm stopped bleeding. "What's going on?"

"People who want us dead are closing in. And if we don't get moving, it's going to get ugly."

Her heart hammered at the thought of someone coming after them. "There's only one other problem-clothes. I don't have any."

Pam stepped forward. "Yes, you do. Ash guard the door and give us a minute."

"You have twenty seconds." He hit the door and closed it tight.

"Can you move?" Pam asked.

"Surprisingly yes."

"Okay, switch clothes with me and let's be quick."

Tory was out of her gown in an instant. She was a little sore from the wreck, but not nearly as much as she should be for someone who'd just been operated on. It didn't make a bit of sense.

But before she could think anything else about that, Ash was in the doorway again.

"We're out of time." He held his hand out to her.

"I don't have any shoes."

"We'll cope. Come on."

She took his hand.

Without another word, he hauled her into the hallway, toward the elevators. When the doors opened, he pulled her into a room and motioned for her to be quiet. His actions terrified her. Who was out there?

"Wait here," he mouthed to her before he opened the door and vanished into the hallway.

Tory wasn't sure what was happening. She only hoped Ash knew what he was doing.

A few seconds later he came back and motioned for her to move quickly. He practically shoved her into the open elevator. But as the doors closed, she looked back toward her room where two very tall men were headed. Dressed all in black, they appeared sinister.

"What about Pam?"

Ash pulled her back so that the doors could close. "She'll be fine. They know who they're after."

"Who are they?"

Ash cringed at the question he couldn't really answer. Demons out to torture her just seemed a bit farfetched, especially since he wasn't sure how Stryker had known to send them here. "I don't know their names. But I for one don't want to introduce myself to them right now."

"Are you sure they won't hurt Pam?"

He handed his phone to her. "When we get in the car, you can call her."

"What car?"

He didn't answer since he was focusing all of his power on masking their presence from the demons and on locating the rest of their crew. There were at least ten of them crawling through the hospital. He could shield his powers from them and mask Tory's looks.

At least from everything except an archdemon. Born of a demon's union with a god, they were a unique and highly unpredictable breed. And one of them was in the hospital leading the others.

Ash led her to the parking lot and over to his silver metallic Porsche 911 GT2. He opened the passenger door while he scanned the lot.

She paused in the opening. "Please tell me we're not stealing this."

"It's mine." He dangled the fat Porsche key in front of her.

Tory was still suspicious. Having done the Porsche driving school a few years ago just for fun, she'd learned the various models and their price tags. This was the creme de la creme of Porsche-and it drove like a badass dream. She'd wanted one so badly she could taste it, but the price tag was way out of her reach. "You own a quarter-million-dollar car?"

"Give or take a few ten thousand, yeah. Now get in."

Tory wasn't completely convinced. How on earth could he afford a car like this? But as she looked over at the driver's seat and realized that it was definitely designed for a very tall human, she couldn't deny the obvious. It had to be his. She got in as he slid into the driver's side.

Yeah, the car fit him like a glove and the fact that he knew the key went in on the left hand side said he'd been in the car enough not to hesitate with it.

"Acheron!"

As Ash shut his door, she looked up at the shout to see a large brown-haired man running toward them.

"Buckle up." Ash slammed the gearshift into reverse.

The man ran up onto the back of Ash's car.

"Oh you fucker," Ash snarled angrily. "Getting paw prints on my car… I swear, you scratch it, you die." He slammed on the brakes and sent the man flying onto a parked blue sedan.

Ash turned the steering wheel sharply and headed straight for the man who had rolled to the ground.

Tory cringed as she expected them to plow straight into him. Just as they reached him, he jumped out of the way with an astounding agility.

"You're crazy, aren't you?"

Ash didn't answer her as he took a corner so fast, she swore she felt a 2G pull. There on the street was a white BMW that fell in behind them.

"We're being followed."

Ash cursed at the sight of them in his mirror. More demons. But he was grateful they were at least attempting to blend in. Stryker must have had a talk with them about keeping anonymity in the human realm. Their inhibition to blast him leveled the playing field since he couldn't use his powers outright either.

Downshifting, he cut through traffic, heading toward the interstate. He needed to get them out of the populated areas before an innocent was hurt. Something easier said than done as two more cars appeared and then opened fire on them.

Ash threw a shield up to protect the car. He tried to use his powers to flip over the cars chasing them or at the very least stall the engines, but because they were demons inside and not humans, they countered his abilities with their own.

Damn them!

"My God," Tory gasped. "Do they suck at shooting or what?"

He didn't comment as he caught sight of four sleek black Honda Blackbirds closing in on them. Two of the bikes had double riders and the rider on the back was loaded for bear with KACs 6x35mm PDW that they pulled out from under their jackets.

Ash cursed. "Looks like they're opening for business."

At least that was what he thought until one of the motorcycles opened fire on the cars after them.

Tory scowled at the sight of the bikers helping them. "Friends of yours?"

"Not that I know of." If not for the fact they were using guns, he'd suspect Were-Hunters since many of them used motorcycles to travel by while in human form. But Were-Hunters would be fighting with magic.

The bikes fell into formation, forcing the BMW to drive into the retaining wall. Then they moved on to the other Beamer before they made short work of it, too.

Ash gunned the engine as they approached. At least until he realized they were definitely on his side. He swerved to the shoulder, then slammed on the brakes.

"Wait here," he said as he got out to confront the riders.

They stopped a few feet behind his car. The two who were armed swung off first and turned their backs to him as they scanned the road for more demons. But what caught his attention most was the gold sun symbol emblazoned on the back of their Brazilian leather Stitch suits.

His mother's symbol.

The drivers got off the bikes in unison and approached him like a single trained unit. They stopped before him and stood wide legged until they each brought their right fist to their left shoulder and bowed their heads. Then they sank down to one knee right there in the street.

What the hell was this?

The one who was the leader got up and removed her helmet. She was breathtakingly beautiful with long blond hair that fell in waves around her shoulders. In the leathers, her broad shoulders would make her easily mistaken for a man, but there was nothing masculine about her. "Sorry we couldn't arrange a better introduction. I'm Katherine Zanakis, head priestess of the Apollymachi."

Ash looked over them as he realized they were all human women in service to his mother. "What are you doing here?"

Katherine moved to the side as the others rose and another one came forward and removed her helmet. Very cute and probably a good ten years older than Katherine, she had short black hair and warm eyes.

"Justina?"

He turned at Tory's confused call to scowl at the imp who was running to join them. "I thought I told you to stay in the car."

"I don't listen," she said dismissively as she joined him.

Justina came forward and pulled the messenger bag off her shoulder. "I was told to deliver this to you." She handed the bag to Tory.

Tory looked as confused by the gift as he felt. "What is it?"

"It's what Dimitri died for," Justina explained. "I was there when the Atlantikoinonia stormed in and I managed to escape out the back door with the journal and seal while he held them off." Justina crossed herself three times as her eyes filled with tears over their lost friend.

Ash cursed as he remembered seeing Justina in his vision. Only then he hadn't realized whose side she'd been on. He'd assumed she'd been working for their enemies.

"The Atlantikoinonia?" Tory asked Justina.

"A group of lunatics," Justina spat. "They've chased us all the way from Greece to New Orleans. Every time we turn around, there they are trying to nab the journal."

Katherine nodded. "They're a group of men who are sworn to protect the secrets of Atlantis and they're ruthless."

"They destroyed our boat," Justina told Tory. "I killed one of them as he fled and that's what made me run to Dimitiri to get the journal. I didn't realize how important our research was until then."

Tory shook her head as if all this was making her dizzy. "I am so confused."

Ash put an arm around her to hold her steady. "She also just had surgery and was almost killed earlier today. Not to mention, our friends might find us again and when they do, I don't want to be in the open where they can get her or take a clear shot at us. Do you guys know where Sanctuary is on Ursulines?"

"I do," one of the women with the KACs said.

"Then we'll meet you there." Ash went to open the door for Tory who gave him a hard stare.

"What exactly is going on here, Ash?"

"I'm not sure, but I think we're about to get a few answers."

"Good. 'Cause I'm tired of being in the dark." Tory got in and started to open the bag in her lap, but Ash put his hand on hers.

"I'd rather you not do that."

She looked up with a frown. "Why?"

Because you'll expose me. "Let's wait until we get to Sanctuary." And I can safely get it away from you.

"All right." Her blind trust sent a wave of guilt through him. She folded her arms around the bag and held it tight, not knowing it was his life and dignity she held so close to her heart. Every secret he'd worked so damn hard to keep was right there…

He wanted to curse. His stomach knotted, he went to the other side and slid in before he led the way back to the Quarter.

Tory ran her hand over the sand beige leather interior of his car as if she admired the German styling. "You know what I think is so off about these cars?"

He had no idea. There was nothing he found off about them. He loved his Porsche. "What?"

"The cupholders."

He laughed. They were tucked into the trim which had to be flipped down so that they could swing out and unfold. "Yeah. Transformers. Cupholders in disguise. But that's not really what's on your mind, is it?"

"No. I'm trying to distract myself from the fact that I'm holding something in my lap that someone is ready to kill for. That one of my dearest friends paid for this discovery with his life and that if I'd just left Atlantis alone, Dimitri would be alive now. His wife wouldn't be a widow and his poor mother wouldn't be burying her only son." She winced. "I can't believe my selfish stupidity killed someone. What have I done?"

Ash's heart lurched as he thought about Nick. "It's easy to make mistakes. It's living with the consequences of them that's the hardest."

"Tell me about it. Do you have any secret spy ring that helps with the pain?"

"I wish, but no. There are some pains that run too deep for anything to absolve them. The best we can do is pick up the pieces and hope for the strength we need to keep going."

"Is that what you do?"

"No, I beat shit up-that helps even more."

She gave a light laugh. "I can't see you being that harsh."

She had no idea, but he was glad she didn't know the part of him that was capable of complete destruction.

Tory leaned her head against the glass and stared out the window.

They didn't say anything more until Ash pulled into the small driveway behind Sanctuary. The priestesses parked on the street while he led Tory toward the front door.

Dev Peltier was guarding it in human form… while it was still daylight. There were two kinds of Were-Hunters. Those born as humans who could become animals and those who were animals who could become human. During the daylight hours, Were-Hunters preferred their native form which for Dev would be a bear. The fact he was human made Ash extremely curious since only the most powerful of their breed could do that.

As a man, Dev wasn't much shorter than Ash. He had long curly blond hair and a dimple that only flashed when he talked since the bear didn't smile often. Dressed in jeans and a black Sanctuary staff T-shirt, he sat with a deceptive nonchalance. Even in human form, he could launch into action fast enough to give Ash a run for his money. But what amused Ash most was the Dark-Hunter bow and arrow Dev had on his biceps. He wasn't sure why the bear thought it was funny to wear the mark of Artemis, but Dev wore it proudly.

And as soon as Dev saw him, he reached to the small remote on his belt to cue the song "Sweet Home Alabama" to play inside the bar, alerting the rest of the inhuman inhabitants that Ash was about to enter the building. It was a game they played. Since the Were-Hunters were cousins to the Apollites, they often sheltered Apollites and Daimons. Ash, being a Dark-Hunter, would be obliged to kill any Daimons he found which meant the Daimons would be running for cover right about now.

The Apollites preferred to not see a Dark-Hunter so they made themselves just as scarce whenever he was around.

"How you doing, Dev?" Ash asked.

"Good." Dev arched a brow at Tory and the other women who were approaching. "Nice of you to beautify the bar for us. Appreciate it greatly."

Ash shook his head. "We need a quiet corner."

"Upstairs to the right. The whole area's cordoned off this time of day. I'll have Aimee head up to bring drinks."

"Thanks."

Tory smiled at the blond man who winked at her as she followed Ash. She'd walked past this place dozens of times, but since heavy metal wasn't her shtick, she'd never gone inside. It was huge-much bigger than it appeared from the street.

There were three levels with sections set aside for a bar area, a billiards section, a stage and dancing floor, and a restaurant. It was rustic and at the same time rather homey-except for the coffin in a corner by the bar that had a small plaque on it reading THE LAST GUY WHO ASKED AIMEE OUT-it had a dismembered skeleton in it.

Obviously Aimee was someone visitors were meant to keep their hands off of.

Tory followed Ash upstairs to a large round table in the rear, against a wall. He walked to the back so that he would be against the wall and waited for all of them to be seated before he sat down.

Once everyone was situated, he inclined his head to them. "All right, ladies, let's piece this puzzle together."

"It's not hard," Katherine said. "Since Tory's family first started poking close to the Atlantean ruins, we were assigned by the goddess to watch over them and make sure that the humans didn't offend her with their actions."

"Your goddess?" Tory asked.

Katherine smiled. "Apollymi the Great Destroyer. Our Order goes back to the days when Atlantis was the ruling power on earth. After Atlantis was destroyed, under the protection of our goddess who saved us from the great fall, we went to Greece and set up our Order where it's been maintained in secret ever since."

"We were one of the great Amazon tribes," Justina said. "Only where the others were Greek, we kept to the Atlantean ways."

Katherine smiled with pride. "And we were the strongest of them. But since the moment our foremothers escaped to Greece, we've been hunted by the Atlantikoinonia. A group founded by the goddess Artemis. Their mandate is to eradicate all evidence that Atlantis and Apollymi ever existed."

"Which means killing all of you," Tory whispered.

Katherine nodded. "Another reason we've been in hiding for centuries."

Justina pulled her jacket off and put it on the back of her chair. "But for Apollymi's protection, we wouldn't have survived so long."

Tory admired the way they spoke-the loyalty they showed to their goddess. "You speak as if she's real."

Justina smiled. "To us, she is."

"Did anyone read the journal?" Ash asked, changing subjects.

"No," Katherine said quickly. "To our knowledge, no one knows the language it's written in. Our oracle told us to bring it to Tory and that's what we're doing. It's foretold that she, like the ancient Atlantean Soteria, will be its guardian."

Tory was caught off guard by the use of her formal name. "Excuse me?"

"It's an old legend," Ash said. "When Atlantis was being destroyed, the head librarian of the national archives tried to save as much of their work as she could. It's said that her Shade now oversees the treasures of Atlantis and keeps them safe from plunder."

Katherine indicated the entire group with a wave of her hand. "The Apollymachi are her Shades. We are the guardians and the Atlantikoinonia are the destroyers."

Ash looked at the bag that Tory still held against her chest. "Perhaps in this we should be the destroyers."

Tory shook her head. "I want to know what the book says before we destroy it."

"No one can read it," Katherine repeated.

Tory shook her head. "Ash can."

The women looked at him with surprise etched on their faces.

Justina exchanged a glance with Katherine before she spoke. "Is that why the oracle said to deliver it to the Elekti?"

"Elekti?" Tory asked, not understanding the word.

"It means chosen one," Justina explained.

Tory scowled-that could be rather ominous. "Chosen for what?"

Katherine pushed the sleeve of her jacket back. "Our Order speaks of a man in every generation who bears the Destroyer's grace. He's known by her ring that he bears on his right thumb."

Tory looked down to see a thick gold band on Ash's thumb. It bore the same sun symbol that marked the women's jackets and his backpack. "What are you not telling me?" she asked Acheron.

"Lots." He turned back to Katherine. "So what are your orders now that you've delivered the book?"

"We are to guard Soteria and to follow the orders of the Elekti."

"Why?" he persisted.

"Because it's the will of the goddess."

Ash scoffed at her words. "You should never blindly obey anyone. Take it from someone who knows. Your goddess isn't infallible."

Katherine sucked her breath in sharply. "That is blasphemy."

Ash didn't respond but something in his features led Tory to believe that he knew a lot more about their goddess than he was letting on. "These Atlantikoinonia. They're human?"

Katherine nodded.

Tory was confused by his strange question. "What else would they be? Turnips?"

Ash shook his head at her sarcasm. Though to be honest, it amused him. However, that didn't change the predicament they were in. "Does anyone else know you have the journal?"

"No," Justina said assuredly. "Dimitri wouldn't have broken his word."

He hadn't detected that either. "Then for now, we need to get Tory back to bed to rest."

"I feel fine."

He arched a brow at her protest. "You just had surgery. You need to be in bed, resting."

Tory hated to admit he was right. "Fine. Take me home."

He looked down at the bag and shook his head. "I don't think that's wise given today's adventures. Whoever is after you knows where you live and I for one don't think we ought to make it easy on them. Let the bastards have to search to kill you." He stood up as an attractive blond woman reached them. Dressed in a skimpy black Sanctuary T-shirt with a howling wolf on the front, she was carrying a serving tray.

Pulling her off to the side, Ash talked to her in a low tone.

"No problem," the blonde said. "Follow me."

Ash took the bag from her. "C'mon."

Irritated by his highhanded demeanor and the fact he hadn't asked her opinion on this, Tory followed him to a door not far away. Aimee, whose name was on the back of her T-shirt, pulled out a set of keys and unlocked it. It led to a small room with another door that was locked with a palm scanner.

Tory was impressed by the security. "Get out of town…"

Smiling, Aimee opened it to show a large bedroom with no windows. "There's a bathroom through the other door. It's steel reinforced, so nothing's going to pop through it uninvited… heavy emphasis on the uninvited part."

Ash inclined his head to her. "Thanks, Aim."

"Anytime." She handed him the key to the outside door. "You can leave this door open so you don't have to use the scanner."

Ash gestured toward Tory. "You want anything to drink?"

"Apple juice would be a godsend."

Aimee nodded. "I'll bring some right up."

Tory headed for the bed as Aimee left them alone. "Can I read now?"

Ash made a low sound of irritation. "Do you mind if I look at it first?"

"Yes, I do." She held her hand out, wanting it immediately. She was desperate to see what all the hoopla was over.

"I read faster than you do," he reminded her.

She made a strong sound of her irritation to compete with his.

Ash paused. In that moment, he wanted to tell her the truth about what was happening and why. Wanted her to know that the beautiful waitress Aimee was Dev's younger sister… and a bear in her other form. He had a fantasy in his mind of Tory welcoming him in spite of it all. Of her taking it in stride without freaking out and shrieking. Of her not minding the fact that he was a cursed god.

But he knew better. He wasn't some kid with his first crush. He'd lived long enough to know people and their reactions to things that were radically different was seldom positive.

No matter how much he might want her to smile at him and tell him none of it mattered, he knew better. How many centuries had he waited for it not to matter to Artemis? And she was a goddess who couldn't accept him.

How could a mere mortal take him in stride? Besides, it was a dangerous world he lived in and she didn't have the power to survive in it.

He cleared his throat. "You'll get over your disappointment."

"Ash…" she said, with a note of warning in her voice, "don't make me get out of this bed."

He grabbed the bag and was out of the room before she could reach him. Shutting the door, he sealed her in.

"Hey!" Her muffled outrage made him cringe as he felt her anger inside him. He'd been held prisoner enough to hate himself for what he'd just done.

But he had to protect himself… and her.

He paused inside the outer room to open the bag. There was an Atlantean seal that had his mother's sun symbol with Archon's hammer and lightning bolt forming an X over it. There were three priestess necklaces that could be used to summon his mother's powers into a human body and the Atlantean dagger.

Ash cursed as he realized this was more destructive than a nuclear bomb. With this, anyone on the planet could end the world in the blink of an eye.

"Is there a reason she's locked up?"

Aimee's voice distracted him. "Yeah," he said, putting the items into his own backpack before he stood up. "I need her to stay there for a bit."

She gave him a sheepish frown. "You like to live dangerously, don't you?"

He ignored the question. "Tell her I'll be back shortly with some of her clothes."

Aimee shook her head as he she reached to open the door and confront a human who looked ready to take on a bear. Literally.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Aimee asked.

Tory glared at the woman. "Are you going to make me?"

"Hopefully, I won't have to. Ash wants you protected and I would think you'd agree with that."

Tory lifted her chin in defiance. "You always do what he wants?"

"No, but I know what it's like to protect someone when you care about them, even when they're being pigheadedly suicidal. So don't make me do something you'll hate me for later."

That took some of the steam out of Tory's anger. That and the fact that Aimee looked pretty stout and not much shorter than her. "I don't like being told what to do and I hate being locked in a room."

"Well if you promise to stay here and behave, I'll leave it open. But don't make me have to chase you down. I assure you, I'm a lot faster than I look."

Even angry, Tory understood why she couldn't go chasing out the door after Ash. There were still people looking for her and she was recovering. So she headed to the bed and got back into it.

Smiling, Aimee handed her the juice. She opened the drawer in the nightstand and pulled out a remote. An instant later a panel opened in the wall to show a large plasma TV. "It's not a prison. Hit the yellow button on the bottom and it'll call for me if you need anything."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, and try not to kill the tall guy in black. He might be an asshole at times, but he's basically a good man and there are so few of them in the world that we don't need to start weeding them out."

Tory laughed at her perfect description of Ash. Aimee was right. There really wasn't a plethora of good people in general. "Have you known Ash a long time?"

She tucked her tray under her arm before she answered. "Since I was a kid… he actually saved my life."

Tory didn't know why, but that surprised her. "He saved your life?"

She nodded. "My older brothers were killed in front of me. The men who did it were drunk on bloodlust and when they found where I was hiding, they dragged me out to kill me too. The next thing I knew, Ash was there and they were dead. He picked me up and returned me to my family. If he hadn't found me, I know they'd have killed me, too."

Tory frowned at the conflicting images in her mind that didn't make sense. "But you're older than him."

"No, I'm not."

Her frown deepened. Aimee looked at least a decade older than Ash's early twenties. "How old is Ash?"

"I don't know exactly. I've never met anyone who knows his precise birthday-but I know he's older than me. He doesn't offer and we don't ask. By the way, he said to tell you he'd be back with some clothes for you." Before Tory could say another word, Aimee was gone.

Tory lay in bed with those words running through her head. There was a lot more going on here than she knew and it bothered her that they all thought she was so stupid that she didn't know it.

What was the deal with Acheron? Who was he really?

And how old was he?

She looked up as a shadow fell over her bed. Her heart missed a beat until she realized the shadow was Justina. "You scared me!"

"Sorry. There was something I forgot to give you. It was so small, I didn't put it in the bag with the rest." She pulled a small sandwich baggie out of her pocket. "I think you'll find it really interesting."

Scowling, Tory took it from her and pulled the coin out. They'd found a lot of coins so that wasn't surprising. The back of it was the same as other Didymos coins.

But when she turned it over, she gasped.

The face on the coin was Acheron's.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It wasn't Ash who brought Tory's clothes to her later. He sent them up via Aimee which was a bit disappointing, but if he wanted to be a coward after locking her in, so be it. Besides, she liked Aimee who had a biting sense of humor and a very keen wit.

It also gave her time to plot revenge on the tall Goth who irritated her to distraction.

With nothing better to do, Tory took a shower in the small bathroom, careful not to get her sutures wet. She was extremely bored with her bed rest. She didn't understand how she could feel so good given what had happened to her. Honestly, she was only a little sore from the almost fatal wreck.

It was so strange.

Not wanting to be alone where thoughts of Dimitri and worry for her team made her ache, she left the room and headed into the bar area, seeking distraction. As she came out, Justina and Katherine got up from a small round table where they'd been sitting-Justina facing Tory's door and Katherine scanning the bar around them.

She didn't know where the other priestesses were, but the fact that those two were still here made her arch an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" she asked them, curious about their nervous twitching.

Katherine looked away sheepishly. "We were watching you to make sure no one disturbed you."

Well at least the man hadn't made them keep her locked in the room. She should be grateful for some small liberty. "Ash's orders?"

Justina smiled. "I finally found someone even bossier than you. Who knew? Not to mention he's a lot more fierce."

Ha, ha, Tory thought sarcastically. She didn't really find that particularly funny-most likely because she was on the receiving end of his bossiness. "So where is he?"

Probably out chasing the redhead or some other woman.

Katherine pointed over the banister down to the stage area. Tory looked below, then gaped as she saw the one man at the back of the stage who didn't have a spotlight on him. There was no mistaking the giant dressed only in black as he played a black guitar emblazoned with red flames.

Justina joined her at the banister. "The band's guitarist jammed two fingers right before they were supposed to play so they begged Ash to cover for him."

Tory was absolutely stunned as she watched his long fingers fly over the neck into perfect chords. "Get out."

Justina grinned. "Yeah, I know, he's impressive isn't he?"

No, he careened past impressive and went straight into the realm of guitar god. Because she played herself, she could easily appreciate the talent it took to make what he did look and sound so effortless. He didn't make a single mistake.

And when he broke into a screaming solo that rivaled Hendrix, Rhodes or Van Halen, the crowd went wild.

Before Tory even realized what she was doing, she was heading down the stairs to watch him play at closer range.

Ash didn't normally look at the crowd what few times he'd filled in with the Howlers-which was only during practice sessions or when the bar was closed to anything not preternatural, but for some reason he felt an uncharacteristic compulsion to do so now. He immediately saw Tory in front with Justina and Katherine behind her.

Time seemed suspended as he met those beautiful brown eyes that always seemed to see through him, straight into his soul. As he stared at her, he forgot everything else, especially when he finally heard her thoughts above those of the people around him.

Why do you live in the shadows away from everyone else? You should be out front and shining with that talent. I've never heard a better guitarist. How do you do that? Were you born with a guitar in your hands?

She looked at him in awe. You are so beautiful, Acheron. All of you. Why do you hide from the world and from me in particular? I would never hurt you…

The sincerity of those words reached out to him in a way nothing had before. But more than that were the other glimpses he finally had into her. Some of them he would never have guessed. Her soul was beautiful. Her heart unbelievably kind. He was used to dealing with those who, like him, were jaded. Those who expected only the worst from other people and the world.

But not her. She saw even the evil around her with a childlike hope.

Gods, how he wanted to touch that purity. To feel the magical way she saw the best in people, even when they didn't deserve it. Most of all, he wanted to see himself the way she did. To be the person she thought he was, instead of the animal he knew himself to be.

Just for one minute.

This had to be the greatest gift anyone had ever given him and she hadn't even realized she'd done it. It was just who and what she was. That was what made it perfect.

And he wanted to return the favor to her as they ended the God-smack cover they were playing. He went over to the lead singer of the band, Angel Santiago, who had long brown hair and a cocky grin, and whispered to him.

Angel shook his head, laughing. "For you, man, anything." Angel went to the others while Ash adjusted the mike in front of him to accommodate his height.

An instant later, Ash cringed as a spotlight was turned straight on him. He'd never craved this kind of attention and every part of him wanted to run for cover.

But Tory had a stupid fantasy and the part of him that she'd unknowingly touched wanted to give it to her.

His throat dry from embarrassment and fear, he met her gaze. "This is for Soteria." He went into the opening strands of Nickel-back's "Savin' Me." The moment he did, he wanted to die as he realized how badly he'd just screwed up-in public. The club was filled with people and animals in human form who knew who and what he was. Beings who would be dying to know who Soteria was and why he'd dedicate a song to her when he never did such a thing.

More than that, he'd most likely angered Tory by linking her name to his. Damn it. He knew better. No one wanted to be seen with him. Ever.

When was he going to learn that one basic fact? Decent people only wanted to interact with him in private. He was an embarrassment. A freak.

But it was too late now. All he could do was see this through and hope she didn't publicly bitch-slap him for the affront when it was over.

I'm such an idiot.

Tory couldn't breathe as she heard Ash sing. He had the most amazing voice. Low and deep, it sent shivers over her.

Good gods of Olympus…

She'd never heard this song before but the lyrics were beautiful…

Heaven's gates won't open up for me.

With these broken wings I'm fallin'

And all I see is you.

Those lyrics brought tears to her eyes. All her life, she'd had a fantasy about a great-looking guy in a band singing to her. She knew how stupid it was, but to be here right now having Ash of all men sing to her.

It was surreal and it was wonderful. Most of all, it made her want to cry.

And when the song ended, the spotlight was turned off. Ash set his guitar on the stand by the drum set and jumped down from the stage.

"We'll be taking a twenty-minute break," the lead singer said.

Tory barely heard him as Ash approached her slowly and for the first time she saw hesitancy in his powerful gait. Unsure, he stopped in front of her.

Ash cringed, dreading her reaction. "I'm sorry if I-" He was going to say embarrassed you, but before he could get the rest of the sentence out, she pulled the sunglasses off his face and grabbed him into the fiercest kiss he'd ever known.

Everything around him receded as her lips set fire to his entire body. It wasn't demanding or painful. It was a kiss of commitment. Of caring.

One that made him growl with need as she cupped his face with her hands, then trailed them down his body to hold him so close to her that his head spun with disbelief.

And in that moment, all he wanted was to be inside her. To have her hold him like this while there was nothing between them. Just bare skin to bare skin.

Tory couldn't breathe as she tasted Acheron. His body was so incredibly hard. She doubted there was a single molecule not muscled and ripped. Except for his lips. They were as soft as a whisper and tasted of raw masculine power.

"Damn Ash, get a room."

Ash tensed at the sound of Dev's voice as the bear walked past him. But he was still incredulous that Tory had grabbed him like this in public. No woman had ever done that before. He'd always been relegated to the shadows-to places where no one could see them together.

The fact that she'd kissed him openly…

It was heaven.

Biting her lip, Tory pulled back to see his face mottled with red. Whether from anger, exertion or embarrassment she couldn't tell for sure. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't offend you."

Ash shook his head as he laid his hand to her cheek. Pulling her against him, he buried his face in her hair and inhaled the sweetness of her scent. It was a scent he wanted to bathe in until it coated every inch of his flesh and branded him as hers.

Tory closed her eyes at the tightest embrace she'd ever had. She hugged him back and just held him while people walked around them. She'd never really been one for public displays of affection, yet with him it was different.

Nothing seemed to matter except being with him right here and right now.

Ash squeezed his eyes shut as raw emotions tore through him. Let her go. Shove her away. It was the sanest thing to do. The safest thing to do.

But he couldn't. He'd lived his entire life for other people, trying to please them and failing with every attempt. First it'd been his human father, then his uncle. The clients he'd taken.

And then Artemis.

He'd never been good enough to earn their love. Never good enough for them to make him feel the way Tory did. To her he was neither whore nor god. Neither property nor a source of shame.

He was just a man.

And that man wanted to make love to her.

Don't be stupid. Don't. You'll only get hurt, Ash. You know better.

Artemis will make you suffer until you beg for death… and then she'll torture you even more.

Yet when he looked into those deep brown eyes that saw him as a human with feelings, he was lost. Most of all, he was tired of taking nothing for himself. Of sacrificing himself for other people's happiness while he had no one who made him feel like he mattered.

Surely he deserved to have someone hold him close and soothe him. Would that be selfish?

His resolve bucked under the weight of conscience. Fuck it if was.

If he had to pay for this later, he would. He'd suffered unbearably for a lot less than Tory. And she'd be worth every scar.

Stepping back, he took her hand and led her to the stairs and up to her room. He closed the door, isolating them from the sounds and people downstairs, then turned to face her.

Tory was unprepared for the ferocity of his kiss as he pinned her to the wall. He'd always been so reserved and cool that she'd never suspected how sexy it would be for him to lose control like this.

The fact that she was the one who drove him to it only made her hotter. His lips tormented her as his hands began unbuttoning her blouse. She swallowed at the heat pounding through her. She'd never been with a man before.

And she barely knew him.

Yet she realized Pam was right. If she didn't sleep with Ash, she'd regret it for the rest of her life. There was something about him that made her restless and calm. Something that touched her heart in a way no one ever had before.

She wanted to be with him. To hold him close and never let him go.

Ash pulled back from her lips as he opened the last button of her blouse. Her breasts, covered by purple lace, were small and inviting. Adorable and perfect. He kept waiting for her to push him away and reject him.

She didn't.

Taking a deep breath, he reached to the gold clasp between her breasts. He met her gaze and the raw hunger there set fire to him as he opened her bra and spilled her breasts to his gaze. He cupped the right one in his hand, amazed by the softness of her skin as her taut nipple teased his palm. Dying for a taste, he dipped his head down to gently suckle her.

Tory gasped as he flicked his tongue over her nipple. With every lick, her stomach contracted sharply. His mouth was so hot as he sucked and played. His breath scorched her skin. She cupped his head to her, unable to believe how much pleasure he gave her.

He moved to her other breast as he unzipped her pants. Tory felt herself getting wet already. "Touch me, please," she begged, dying for something to sate the fire inside her.

Ash obliged her as he slid his hand under the waistband of her panties. He let the small hairs tease his fingers as he sank his hand down further until he could separate the tender folds of her body and run his finger down her cleft.

She made a strangled cry of pleasure. Smiling in satisfaction, he dipped his hand down lower to let her moisture coat his fingers before he moved his hand up to massage her.

Tory cried out as she felt her body exploding with pleasure. She'd never had an orgasm before. It was raw and it was unbelievable and even a little frightening. Words couldn't describe what she felt. She clung to Ash as he continued to heighten the ecstasy. He sank to his knees in front of her.

Still shaking and weak, she looked down to meet that hungry silver gaze. He reached up to pull her jeans down her legs with a feral intent that made her even more breathless. She lifted one leg and then the other so that she was completely bare from the waist down. Her shirt was open.

Ash couldn't breathe as he took in the sight of her like that. She was so beautiful and all he wanted to do was please her-to have her hands on his body, not hurting him or demanding he submit to her to make her feel more powerful. Just simply pleasing him. Soothing him. He brought her delicate hand to his lips so that he could taste her fingertips. The scent and sweet taste made his cock so hard it was all he could do not to attack her where she stood. But he wanted to savor her slowly.

The one thing in the universe that he excelled at was this and he wanted her to know the height of his skills.

She reached down to brush his hair back from his forehead. Ash buried his face against her thigh and nipped the tender flesh there as her hand touched his cheek.

"Please don't pull my hair," he breathed in a ragged whisper, not wanting anything to spoil this moment.

"I would never hurt you, Ash."

And that was why he was willing to risk the wrath of a goddess to be with her. For once in his life, he wanted to make love to someone who didn't make him feel like shit for it. Covering her hand with his, he turned his face so that he could kiss her soft palm.

Tory was stunned by his tenderness. He reminded her of a skittish fawn as he suckled her fingers. And when he looked up at her, she saw the unadulterated pain and torment inside him. His soul was as naked to her as her body was to him.

He licked her palm in one sensual swipe before he rose up to bury his lips against the center of her body.

Tory cried out as pleasure blinded her. She reached for his hair, only to catch herself. Instead, she clasped the door knob with one hand and bit her knuckle on the other one.

Her body took on a life of its own as he licked and teased her with his tongue. He lifted his hands to spread her wider so that his tongue could flick and delve deep inside her.

Ash reveled in the taste of the most private part of her body. The remnants of her last orgasm made him hungry for his own, but more than that, it made him want to hear her scream out his name.

Dying to be inside her, he slid his finger in, then froze as he found the last thing he expected.

He went cold inside.

"You're a virgin?"

Tory scowled at the venom in his voice as he spat the word out as if it were disgusting to him. "Is that a problem?"

He jerked away from her as if he'd discovered leprosy. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think it would matter."

He cast her a feral look that made her pull her blouse closed. "It matters. Damn it, woman!"

She was completely baffled by his unexpected response. Why would he be so angry over the fact that she'd never been with another man? "I thought men liked having virgins."

Ash raked his hand through his hair as he struggled to keep his temper in check. But it wasn't just anger he felt. There was shock, guilt and a hunger for her so profound he wasn't sure how he kept himself from her.

"I'm not most men." He picked her jeans up from the floor and handed them to her.

She gaped at him. "So that's it? You're just going to leave because I've never been with anyone else?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do." He tried to reach the door, but she put herself in front of it as she raked him with her own furious glower.

"Oh the horror of this situation," she said, her tone so thick with sarcasm he'd need a chainsaw to cut through it. "So what you're telling me is if I go downstairs and get laid by some other man first, I'll then be good enough for you?"

Jealousy ripped through him at the mere thought.

She narrowed her gaze suspiciously. "You don't like that idea either, do you?"

Ash struggled to breathe as images of her with someone else tore through him. No, he didn't want her with anyone else, but at the same time he didn't want to be her first. He didn't want to hurt her and honestly, he didn't want her to remember him or have any regrets. She deserved better than that. Someone better than him to sleep with her. "How can you be a virgin at your age?"

"I'm not ninety, Acheron. Good grief. I told you, I have a bad history with men. Every time I ever tried to sleep with one, something happened. Either someone came in on us or… in one case the guy fell off the bed as he climbed in and broke his collar bone."

She took his head in her hands and forced him to look at her. "I want to be with you, Ash. No strings. No commitments. I'm a big girl and I'm not going to turn into a stalker. I just want to love you for a little while."

Those words seared him and at the same time he wanted to curse because they made it impossible for him to walk away from her. "You don't deserve to be laid in a room in a bar for your first time."

"And that right there is why I want to be with you. You're the only man I've ever met who would even think about that."

Because he knew what it was like to be ruthlessly violated and to be haunted by it. For some reason, the first encounter lingered in everyone's memory. It was why he'd always made sure to take special care with virgins and why he'd been so good at what he did. No one deserved to be humiliated the way he had been. To cry from the pain of it and be laughed at while he begged for mercy.

Stop your damn blubbering, whore. It'll be over when I'm finished with you. He'd then been backhanded so hard, it'd broken his nose. There now. That pain'll get the other off your mind.

Why with all the powers that he had could he not purge his own memories? Why was eleven thousand years not enough to make the pain turn dull?

All he wanted was one moment free of those memories. One safe place where no one reminded him of what they'd made him. Of what he'd done to himself.

Tory frowned at the shadows she saw in Ash's eyes as if some painful memory tortured him. She wanted to soothe that ache more than anything. Why wouldn't he let her? "Ash?"

He reached down to put his hand on the scar where they'd operated on her. "You shouldn't be out of bed."

"I'm not in pain. I don't understand it, but I'm not. And I don't want to go to bed alone. Are you going to make me beg?"

Anger curled his lips. "You don't ever beg for anything."

She pulled his head down so that she could kiss him.

Ash growled as she stirred inside him an animal part that scared him. But he refused to give in to it. "I won't tup you like a whore in a backroom, Soteria. Let me finish playing with the Howlers."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Then you'll be back?"

The hesitation in his eyes made her hurt for him. He drew a deep breath before he spoke. "I'll be back."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

She kissed the tip of his nose, hoping he was being honest with her. "I'm going to hold you to that."

Ash swallowed. She didn't have to. Once he made a promise, he was bound by the laws of the universe to see it through or die. "Rest until I get back." He gave her a deep kiss.

Tory melted at the feeling of his arm around her while he cupped her cheek with his other hand and ravaged her mouth.

He pulled back and drew another deep breath as if fighting for the strength to leave her.

She smiled at him. "Don't make me wait too long."

He nodded as he left her to dress.

Tory pulled her clothes on before she went outside again to find Justina and Katherine back at their chairs. Heat rushed over her cheeks until she remembered that the room was completely insulated from noise. "Can I borrow your cell phone?"

Justina pulled it out and handed it to her.

She called Pam. "Hey sweetie… no I'm fine. I'm at the Sanctuary Bar over on Ursulines. Any chance I can get you two over here?"

"Sure. We'll be right there."

Tory hung up the phone and returned it to Justina. "Just FYI, I'm going to head out for a few minutes, but I'll be right back."

Katherine's expression turned stern and immovable. "You're not going anywhere without us. We're under strictest orders to keep you safe at all costs."

Ash… she could almost beat him for it, but then again that protectiveness was part of what she adored about him the most. At least sometimes.

Unwilling to fight, Tory held her hands up. "Fine. Just don't tell Ash. We'll slip out and be back before he finishes the next set."

Katherine didn't look convinced. "I'm not so sure about this."

"Oh, come on. It's just around the block a bit. We'll be fine. Besides forewarned is forearmed. We know to watch for them."

Katherine was still resisting.

"I trust her," Justina said. "She's stubborn, but not stupid. Tory wouldn't do this if she really thought there was a problem."

Katherine finally relented. "All right. So where are we going?"

Tory grinned. "It's a surprise."

Tory hesitated in the doorway of the overly bright store. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all… She looked over her shoulder at Pam who was proudly sporting her most prized possession, her vintage 1984 Duran Duran tour T-shirt.

"I don't know about this place. Isn't there another, less… um, extreme place to shop?"

Pam pushed her forward, into the store. "Oh shush, get inside. This is one of my favorite places and it's perfect for what you want."

Which didn't really endear it to Tory since Pam's fashion sense was the polar opposite of her own. While she was sedate, Pam was outrageous.

Kim pushed her from behind while Justina and Katherine opted to stay outside on Bourbon Street. "Come on, people, we're blocking the exit. Fire hazard here."

Tory's eyes widened as she went deeper into Pandora's Box, which was covered with spiked black leather corsets and teddys. All kinds of sex toys and pasties. Oh my word! She might be adventurous, but really, some of this stuff was just too much for her… like the men's bikini briefs that held an elephant's trunk where a certain piece of male anatomy would be. "I thought we were going to the little lingerie store on the corner."

"This is so much better." Pam pulled her to a display of edible panties.

Tory cringed at the thought of putting something like that on-would Ash even like it? "I'm not ready for all of this. Can't we ease me in slowly?"

Pam scoffed. "You're such a prude! How can a woman who lives to base jump cringe over edible panties?"

"Cause no one sees my panties when I base jump and they certainly don't eat them off me."

Pam gave an evil laugh. "Believe me, the panties are a lot more fun than base jumping. And given Ash's height, think of it more like pole vaulting." She wagged her eyebrows playfully.

Tory rolled her eyes.

"How about this?" Kim held up a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs. "These could be fun… ooo and look at the sex dice. You get to roll for positions and acts."

"Hi, can I help you guys?"

Tory turned around to find a woman not much shorter than her with long auburn hair and a very round, pregnant body. Dressed all in black, she had a spiked purple collar that was decorated with chains and amethysts. She smiled as Pam turned to greet her. "Hey girl, how did those whips work out for you?"

Pam beamed with pride. "Like a charm, until we broke up. Men suck."

The woman winked evilly. "Yes, but that's when we love them best."

Pam laughed. "Tabitha Magnus, meet my best friend Tory Kafieri."

Tabitha sucked her breath in sharply as she wrinkled her face up and waved her hand in a kill gesture at her throat. "Ex-nay on the Greek ame-nay. Hubby's in the backroom doing taxes and he has a mental problem with all things Greek."

Kim looked shocked. "Really? I thought he was Italian."

"He is. It's that whole Rome versus Greece thing that he never really got over. He's a nutcase, but I love him."

Pam gestured to Tabitha's belly. "Obviously, and considering your condition and the store you own, I'd say you love him often."

Tabitha laughed insidiously as she placed a protective hand over her distended belly. "Honey, if you ever saw that man naked, you would, too." She grinned. "So what can I do for you guys?"

"Tory is planning on having sex."

"Pam!" Tory would have crawled under the nearest rack except for the fact it contained sex swings and other items she didn't want to think about.

Pam gave her an innocent blink. "Well you are, aren't you? It's not like Tabby can't tell from the mere fact that we're here. Not to mention you can see that she's had some herself." She pointed to Tabitha's stomach again.

Tory growled at her as she shook her head, then spoke to Tabitha. "I apologize for Pam. I accidentally hit her in the head with a baseball when we were in fifth grade and knocked her out cold. She's never been right since."

Tabitha laughed. "You can't embarrass me. Believe me. Pam and I are cut from the same cloth. So tell me a little bit about this guy and I'll find you the perfect thing for him."

Tory smiled at the mere thought of Ash. She didn't know why but it made her giddy and warm. "Well he's tall and dark-haired."

"Tall, please," Pam scoffed while Kim laughed. "The man is a giant. She found the only six-foot-eight guy I've ever seen. Ooo and Tab you ought to meet him. He's Goth and gorgeous."

"And Greek," Kim whispered.

Tabitha frowned as she looked at them suspiciously. "Really? He sounds just like a friend of mine…" Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head, "But no, it couldn't be him."

"Him who?" Tory asked.

"Ash Parthenopaeus."

Tory's eyes widened.

Then so did Tabitha's. "NO!" she breathed in total disbelief. "You're getting a piece of Ash? Oh my God, girl, you go!" Tabitha started waving her hands and cackling excitedly. "If you want to make some real money, make pictures. I know women the world over who would pay big to see him naked, myself included!"

Pam high fived her.

Tory buried her face against Kim's shoulder while Kim patted her on the head. "There, there, baby. We'll hide her body in the trunk later."

Tabitha began running around the store, pulling things down from racks and shelves. "Ash definitely requires something black… no wait. Red. Racy red." She held a red furry teddy up, made a face and shook her head before Tory could even comment. "Not really your color. Oh wait!" She ran to the back room, then came out with a sheer black babydoll that had small skull and crossbones with tiny pink bows on their heads. "Perfect for Ash. He'll love it."

Tory had to agree. But it made her wonder just how well Tabitha knew him. "Tabitha have you and Ash ever…?"

"Please, no. Don't I wish." She leaned over to whisper in Tory's ear. "And don't tell my hubby I said that cause it would just make him mental. But before I met my baby, I dreamed many a dream of taking a bite out of that man if you know what I mean and since you're here I know that you do."

Tabitha went to a bookshelf at the back of the store and grabbed two books down. "You'll want these too."

Tory frowned at the one on top that featured a woman in a corset holding a cucumber. "How To Tickle His Pickle?"

Tabitha nodded proudly. "My personal fave. It's all you'll ever need to know to make a man go crazy."

The next book was even stranger. This one was even shrink-wrapped. Tory looked at it suspiciously. "Manga Sutra?"

"Ash loves manga." Tabitha patted the book and grinned. "He'll be very interested in that one, not that I think he doesn't know everything in it. But… could come in handy." Tabitha went to the front of the store and opened the glass cabinet near the register before she started pulling other things out.

Tory's face flamed at the items Tabitha piled on the counter. "They make flavored nipple cream?"

"Oh yeah, great stuff. It's not only flavored, but tinted to make you a bit rosier and best of all, it has a dab of menthol to make your nipples really hard so they're extra sensitive and men go wild for it. They just love stiffened nipples."

Kim and Pam laughed.

Tory covered her face with her hands and wanted to die of embarrassment. It was bad enough to have this stuff, but the fact that Tabitha knew Ash just made it all the more horrifying.

She was sure he'd be mortified to know that a friend of his had helped her pick this stuff out. And by the time she was being rung up, Tory was almost too embarrassed to go back to Sanctuary and face him.

As she dug out her credit card to pay for it, a tall extremely good looking man came out of the backroom. Dressed in a black turtleneck and slacks, he frowned at Tabitha who was still chattering away with Pam.

"You okay, baby?" he asked Tabitha, his eyes dark with concern as he came up to place a hand against her cheek. "You're extremely flushed."

Tabitha turned to him with an impish squeal. "Oh brace yourself, Val. Ash is getting laid tonight!" She pointed with both hands at Tory who wanted to crawl inside her purse and hide until old age claimed her.

To Val's credit, he didn't so much as blink. He offered Tory a commiserate smile. "It helps if you don't react to her comments. Tabitha lives to get a rise out of people. Just go with it and don't encourage her."

Tabitha snorted. "Be that way." She handed Tory the bag and thanked her.

"Thank you," Tory said.

"Good luck, hon, and remember… pictures!" Tabitha waited until they were gone before she whirled on Valerius. "Can you believe our Ash is getting laid?"

Val snorted. "Call me provincial, but I don't really consider him mine. And yes, I can believe the man has sex. What I find surprising is that this is the first time we've met the woman involved." He reached for his phone. "Maybe I should call and warn him."

"Oh put that away." She pushed it toward his pocket. "Our baby is growing up. I'm so proud!"

Tory had barely put the bag in the room before the band took another break. She'd just lain back down in bed when Ash opened the door with a tray in his hands.

"What's that?"

"I thought you might be hungry. I ran the options past Kim and she picked out what you should be eating." He set it down on the table beside her.

Tory smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Efharisto."

"Parakalo."

She melted at his unique accent as he said "you're welcome" in Greek. "I love the way you speak. I could listen to your Greek all day long."

He handed her another bottle of apple juice while he took a swig of his beer. "Are you completely bored?"

She reached up and pulled his sunglasses off so she could see his eyes. "Not entirely. How's the set going?"

"It's all right. I could kill Colt for hurting his hand. I don't really like playing in public."

"But you play so well."

"Yeah, but I'd rather play with myself." There was an evil glint in his eyes at the double entendre.

Laughing, Tory shook her head at him. "You and Pam, always trying to embarrass me."

"In my defense, it's because you're adorable when you blush."

She wrinkled her nose at him as she swallowed her bite of apple-sauce. "You want some?"

"Ochi." No, in Greek.

"You sure?" She tried to tempt him again.

"Positive." Ash remembered the last time he'd eaten an apple. It'd been that day in the orchard with Ryssa when he'd begged his father not to send him back to Atlantis. Ever since then, he'd despised the fruit. The mere thought of it turned his stomach.

"So how many more sets do you have to play?"

"One more."

She bit her lip in a way that made him harden for want of her. "Then I get to play with you…"

His cock jerked, ready for action even while his brain knew better. "You should reconsider."

She reached out and took his hand in hers. Her thumb swept against his palm in the gentlest of caresses. "When was the last time you made love to someone, Ash?"

Ash looked away as painful memories surged. Honestly, he couldn't remember. Had he ever really made love to Artemis? Maybe in the very beginning. But it was so long ago and it hadn't lasted.

All he could remember was the pain of her criticisms. The sheer agony of being nothing more than her boy-toy, there only to please her while he wasn't allowed to have any feelings or opinions of his own. Only she could show her pain and displeasure while he was permitted nothing. Not even his dignity.

What they had was sex. Basic and primitive. There was no emotion involved really, unless it was anger.

Like all the others before her, she hated the fact that she craved him and she sought to punish him for the fact that she slept with him. They merely used each other. If there had ever been any real tender feelings, they'd been shredded centuries ago. Nothing was left now except tattered remains of a yesterday neither could recapture.

"Can't you remember?" Tory asked.

"Not really," he answered truthfully.

Tory's heart tugged at the way he said those words. She touched his whiskered chin and turned his head until he was looking at her. "I'm going to make love to you, Ash. Tonight, I will rock your world."

Ash pressed her hand to his lips and nibbled her fingertips as fear and trepidation filled him. This night would cost him dearly.

No one should pay for love with blood and bone.

Yet he knew no other way. He'd always paid for every caress and every kindness. Nothing was ever freely given. The only question that ever mattered was, was it worth it?

Would Tory be worth the cost?

He hoped so. He returned the sunglasses to his face. "I'll be back."

Tory watched as he left and her heart was heavy for him. What were the secrets that tortured him so? Why did he look so afraid of touching her?

Finishing up her food, she went downstairs to watch him again. Pam and Kim were standing in the front, smiling. She came up behind them and goosed them on the bottom.

Pam goosed her back. "He's amazing, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is." Tory waved as Ash looked at her.

His answer was a sincere yet shy smile that warmed her heart and made her hot all over. The man was so choice…

She stayed there for several songs to watch and listen to Ash. When they started their final song, she went back upstairs so that she could get ready.

Ash frowned as he watched Tory leave the stage. Is she all right? he mouthed to Pam.

Pam nodded reassuringly.

Relieved, he couldn't wait until the song was done. The instant it was, he slung his Fender over his back, unplugged it, and jumped off the stage.

"You guys have fun," Pam said to him while Kim giggled. "We'll see you two later. Tell Tory to call me tomorrow."

"Will do." Ash cut through the crowd as he made his way back upstairs.

Justina and Katherine also took their leave with a promise to return in the morning.

Ash closed the outside door and locked it before he opened the one with a scanner. The moment he saw Tory, he froze. Dressed in a sheer black teddy that showed every curve of her body, she was dazzling. She'd brushed her hands through her hair, making it look rumpled.

Making her look delectable.

"Let me go shave real quick."

She frowned at him. "Shave?"

He ran the back of his fingers down his jaw, feeling how rough it was. "I don't want to give you whisker burn."

Tory was touched by his thoughtfulness. Until he tried to walk into the bathroom with the guitar on his back. He cursed as it caught sideways in the doorway. His face mottled with color from his embarrassment. "Guess I should take this off." He shrugged it over his head before he leaned it against the wall.

She covered her smile with her hand as she struggled not to laugh. He could be so adorable at times.

While he was in the bathroom, she thumbed through the quick notes she'd made in Tabitha's book. When he turned the water off, she put the book in the nightstand and tried to pose seductively on the bed.

Ash paused the towel against his chin as he caught sight of Tory on the bed with her legs tucked under her. She was trying to look seductive, but with her glasses on, it was a strange combination of the serious Tory and vixen.

And it made his cock hard. Tossing the towel aside, he dropped his coat in the doorway, then pulled his shirt off over his head.

Tory was stunned by that body and the muscles that rippled with every move. He knelt on the bed and crawled toward her on all fours like some lumbering, hungry predator.

He paused over her as his long black hair fell forward to frame his face. Their bodies weren't touching, but his swirling silver eyes seared her with heat. The muscles of his arms bulged from supporting his weight as he met her gaze. It was open, honest and at the same time she saw the fear in the back of those eyes and wondered what caused it.

The scent of leather and masculine skin made her instantly wet. He dipped his head down to hers and she shivered as only his lips made contact with hers. Then ever so slowly as he deepened that kiss to one of extreme potency, he lowered himself down on top of her until his weight pressed against her.

Tory sighed at the incredible sensation of his body on hers, of his lean hips resting between her legs. Her heart pounded at the bulge in his pants pressing against the center of her body. There was just so much of him. She reveled in the way he surrounded her with warmth and strength.

She ran her hands over his perfect back, feeling his muscles contract and tense as his mouth plundered hers. Wrapping her body around his, she rolled him over until he was pinned under her.

Ash didn't move as she pulled back to kiss her way down his chest toward his navel. The sight of her so hungry for him made him ache not just from lust but from some inner part of him that wanted, just once, to have someone really love him. She cupped him through his pants, making him growl in pleasure. Looking up, she smiled at him as she nipped his stomach. Her playfulness was so charming and sweet. So very precious.

He cupped her face in his hands and returned her smile as he sought to burn this memory into his heart so that he'd always have it close.

She moved to take his boots off. He held himself perfectly still as she unzipped his left one and removed it. She tossed his boot to the floor.

She pulled the other boot off and tossed it over her shoulder before she moved toward his pants. Ash sucked his breath in and held it as she reached for his zipper. The sight of her head poised over his fly… It was almost enough to make him come.

She pushed her glasses back up on her nose. Smiling at him, she unbuttoned his pants. Ash waited, his heart pounding as she slowly slid the zipper down to expose him.

Tory bit her lip in satisfaction as she freed him from his pants. The man was completely commando and he was huge. Not that she was surprised. Her earlier encounters with that bulge had given her some idea of its size, but this…

She pulled his pants off and took a minute to just soak in the beauty of his naked body. Tabitha was right, she could be rich if she took pictures of him and posted them online. He was flawless. Absolutely flawless. From his wide shoulders to the narrow hips all the way down those long, muscled legs that were dappled with black hairs.

And she wanted to please every bit of him.

Taking her glasses off, she placed them on the nightstand, then returned to stroke his hardness.

Ash leaned his head back as pleasure assaulted him. He watched through hooded eyes while she studied his cock. Opening her lips, she started to take the tip into her mouth then pulled back and frowned. She tilted her head and opened her lips as if trying to think of the best way to taste him.

She moved toward his cock again, then pulled back… again.

"You're killing me, Soteria."

"I'm sorry." She scurried away from him, and put her glasses back on before she opened the drawer and pulled out a book.

Ash scowled while she thumbed through the pages to a section that had a small makeshift bookmark and notes in the margin. "What are you doing?"

She ran her finger down the notes. "I just want to make sure that I do this right."

Leaning up on one elbow, he nipped her shoulder then gaped at the graphic drawings of a woman going down on a man. He pulled the book out of her hands and frowned at the title. "How to Tickle His Pickle?"

She shrugged adorably. "You know I don't know what I'm doing. I wanted to make sure that I pleased you, too."

Those words struck a chord so deep inside him that for a solid minute he couldn't breathe past the swell of emotion he felt for her. "There's nothing you could do that wouldn't please me." He kissed her gently as he dropped the book to the floor. "You don't need that, Tory." He took her glasses off and put them away before he returned to her lips. "All you have to do is touch me and I promise you I'm in ecstasy."

Tory swallowed as he led her hand to his cock and showed her how to stroke him. Wanting to make him happy, she dipped her head down to taste the moisture that was leaking from his tip.

Ash stopped moving the moment her lips closed around his cock. Not wanting to hurt her, he didn't so much as breathe while she explored him with her mouth. "You have the sweetest tongue," he growled.

She ran her hands over his thighs until she cupped his sac while she tasted him. Ash was blind from the pleasure of her touch. Unable to stand it, he pulled himself away from her. "I have a lot of control, Tory, but not with you doing that and I want to be inside you too badly to spoil it."

"Okay." She leaned to her side and pulled her sheer black panties off. Ash watched as she slid them down those long, graceful legs. His mouth literally watered as his body turned so hard he could drive a nail in with it.

She dropped her panties to the floor before she pulled a condom from the nightstand. "So how do we do this?"

As he unwrapped it and put it on, a thousand different positions played through his mind of how he'd like to take her. And just the thought of being inside her was enough to make him whimper.

But sex always hurt the first time and he was big enough to make it excruciating for her. That was the last thing he wanted.

"First, we have to get your body ready for me."

"I'm ready."

He laughed at her eagerness. His body burning, he sank his thumb inside her. She bit her lip and jerked in response. "You are wet." He dipped his head so that he could tongue her and make her even more slick.

Tory spread her legs wider wanting to feel as much of him as was possible. "You're killing me, Acheron."

"Patience, love, patience." He slid one long finger deep inside her. She shivered in response as his tongue swirled and teased. That finger was followed by another. He slid his chin against her. "Come for me, Soteria. I want to taste you."

When he returned to her, she had no choice except to obey. Her orgasm split through her until she was sure she'd die from it. Wave after wave cascaded over her and still he didn't enter her.

Instead, he rolled her over, onto her stomach. Before she could ask him what he intended, he began massaging her. Not just a regular massage, but one that loosened every muscle in her body.

"I don't want you to tense," he explained, his voice thick with his melodic accent.

"Oh trust me, I'm putty."

His deep laughter filled her ears before he slid his fingers into her again.

Ash bit his lip as his body ached, wanting inside hers. She was even wetter now. One more orgasm and he'd be able to enter her without too much pain.

Leaning down, he nipped at her buttocks.

Tory yelped at the pleasant pain that was followed by his hands delving even deeper inside her as Ash moved his mouth to kiss her at the base of her spine. He pushed her sheer gown up to her shoulders with his face while his hands worked magic on her body. Then he moved his hand so that he could rub his cock against her without entering her. She gasped at the sensation while he moved his hands to cup her breasts.

It was more than she could stand. Before she could draw another breath, her body climaxed again.

This time, he drove himself deep inside her body as her orgasm mounted. Tory groaned at the foreign sensation of his body inside hers. The thickness only made her orgasm all the more intense.

She cried out from the blind pleasure of it.

His throat dry, Ash didn't move as he felt her body clutching his. It took all of his strength not to thrust, but it wasn't time yet. Her body was still stretching to accommodate him. "Are you all right?"

"Are you kidding?" She slid herself further down his shaft.

He gasped as pleasure almost overrode his control.

"Is this right?"

"Yes," he breathed, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as his entire body shivered.

She rocked herself against him even harder.

"Stop!" Ash cried.

Tory froze, afraid she'd hurt him. "What's wrong?"

He pulled out of her and rolled over onto his back to look up at her. He brushed the hair back from her face before he ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. "I want to come while looking at you."

She kissed him as he pulled her over his body. She straddled his hips while they kissed.

Ash trailed his hand down her back until he touched himself so that he could guide his shaft back inside her. They gasped in unison as she sank herself down on him.

As she did so, her thoughts whispered through his head. Am I doing this right? I hope he's not disappointed. Why can't I do this with my glasses on so that I can see him better? Please don't be disappointed, Ash.

Those doubts tore through him. Most of all the sincerity of them, the concern for him brought tears to his eyes. "You're wonderful, Tory. Perfect."

She paused to squint at him. "Really?"

"Yes," he breathed, reaching down so that he could stroke her while she rode him slow and easy. His throat tight, her gentleness succeeded in breaking him where the beatings never had.

One small tear slid from the corner of his right eye. Slamming them shut, he surrendered himself to her. Right now, this moment, she owned him in a way no one ever had before.

No, she didn't own him.

He gave himself to her and for the first time, he understood the difference. He understood what it meant to make love. To share his body with someone not out of obligation or fear, but because it made them closer.

In this one heartbeat, he was hers and she was his.

Tory burned at the sensation of Ash deep inside her. All her life she'd wondered what this would feel like. But her imagination had nothing on this reality. Nothing on the beauty of feeling the restrained strength of Ash lying under her.

He was so hard and fierce and yet so gentle. She wished that she could crawl inside him or more to the point that she could wrap herself around him and keep him from harm forever.

If only he'd let her.

Ash cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately an instant before he came with a force so strong it rendered him temporarily senseless. Growling, he pulled back to stare in her eyes as he tasted the first real bliss he'd ever known.

And it was followed by a fear so profound that his heart stilled. Now that they were finished, how would she react?

Would she shove him away? Would she cry? Hit him? Curse him?

He held his breath, waiting.

Smiling, she leaned herself against his chest and cuddled there like a kitten while their bodies were still joined. She let out a deep sigh as she stroked his shoulder and arm. "That was even better than I'd ever dreamed."

Ash flinched, still expecting the worst. "You're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be?" She took his hand in hers and brought it to her lips so that she could nibble his knuckles.

Ash relaxed as he realized that she wasn't angry or upset at him for what they'd done. And the more he relaxed, the more he enjoyed the sensation of her naked body lying against his. "I could stay like this forever."

"Wouldn't it be nice?"

He nodded as he leaned his head against hers and inhaled the scent of her hair. Unfortunately, he felt himself sliding out of her. Damn.

"I better take care of this." He reluctantly moved her to her side so that he could pull the condom off.

Tory watched as he left the bed. Hating to not see him, she reached over to get her glasses. After they were in place, she opened the Sprite that she'd left there and took a sip.

Ash returned with a wet cloth for her. "Sorry it's so messy."

She fingered his lips. "I like your mess. I think you taste wonderful." She exchanged her drink for his cloth.

Ash had never tasted a soda before. Curious, he took a drink of it and was surprised by the sharp tartness. "Wow, this is actually good."

"Haven't you ever had a Sprite before?"

"No."

She rolled her eyes as she cleaned herself. "I know, you stick to beer."

Ash didn't answer as he took a deep draft of it again. He frowned as a strange wave of dizziness went through his head. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was getting a buzz from it. But that was impossible. As a god, he didn't get drunk. And even if he did, there was nothing in soda that would intoxicate him.

Tory frowned as she watched Ash down the whole twenty ounces of Sprite in one gulp. "Ash?"

"Is there more of this?"

He was acting peculiar. Like he was drunk.

"There should be another bottle in the fridge."

He licked his lips as he cupped her chin in his hand. "You know, you are beautiful for a human."

"What else would I be?"

He laughed before he kissed her. "You could be a goddess, but you're not bitch enough for that. Then again, Katra isn't a bitch. She's beautiful like you." He cocked his head as if another random thought occurred to him. "I need to see my daughter soon. She's going to have a baby. A girl like her only not like her. It'll be a baby her with a lot more power. I just hope she has enough of her father in her not to be a goddess of destruction. There are already too many of us. We need more who are innately good."

Tory was baffled by his rambling tone that was half Greek and half English. "What in the world are you talking about?" There was no way he was old enough to have a daughter old enough to give birth to a baby. "Are you screwing with me, Ash?"

He nipped her breast. "I've already done that, Soteria, and I enjoyed it like nothing I've ever enjoyed ever. Where's that drink?"

She handed him another bottle. "Are you drunk?"

"I feel drunk." He looked up at her and smiled brightly. "I'm drunk on your beauty. Look what you've done to me, human." He took a drink of Sprite, then set it aside and reached for her. "Touch me, Soteria. I feel so clean and whole when you touch me." He rubbed her hand against his chest, raking her nails against his nipple and as he did so, she saw a scar appear that ran from his throat all the way down past his navel. Another scar, a hand print, appeared around his throat as the hair on his entire body changed from black to blond.

"Ash?"

His eyes turned a dark, fiery red.

Terrified, Tory got up to run for the door.

Somehow Ash appeared in front of her. "Where are you going?"

Terrified and unsure of him, she gulped. "What are you?"

"I'm a god, Soteria. The last of the Atlantean pantheon."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Terrified, Tory backed away from Ash as those words went through her. He was insane… and she was in a soundproof room, naked with a lunatic.

Oh dear God!

"Okay," she said slowly, stretching the word out until she could think of some way to get to the door behind him and safely out of the room before he killed her. "Let's calm down. Can I get the normal, brooding Ash back?"

He looked as if her words hurt him. "Don't be afraid of me, Tory. I wanted to tell you that I was a god, but I didn't know how." Closing his eyes, he slid down the door to sit on the floor with his legs gathered tight to his chest. That gesture reminded her of a little boy who was upset that he'd been banished to his room for something he hadn't meant to do. "I knew you wouldn't like me if you found out the truth. No one ever likes me when they find out."

He looked up at her and his eyes returned to that swirling silver color. "He will be called Acheron for the river of woe. Like the river of the underworld, his journey shall be dark, long and enduring. He will be able to give life and to take it. He will walk through his life alone and abandoned-ever seeking kindness and ever finding cruelty. May the gods have mercy on you, little one. No one else ever will."

Tory frowned as he recited something that obviously caused him a great deal of pain. "What is that from?"

A tic worked in his jaw as his cheeks mottled with color. How could a lunatic be so handsome?

"It's what the priestess said over me when I was born into the mortal realm as a cursed god because my father wanted my mother to kill me to prevent our pantheon from falling." He looked away. "I wish she had… You don't know what it's like to walk through the world always alone in every crowd. Everyone sees me, but no one knows me." He hung his head in his hands. "I should never have touched you. What have I done? I will pay for this night for the rest of eternity." The anguish in his tone tore through her.

Tory approached him slowly. "If you're really an ancient god, prove it to me. Make me see clearly without my glasses."

He kept his face buried on top of his arms. "Okay."

The word had barely left his lips before her vision clouded. She sucked her breath in sharply at the pain. Removing her glasses, she blinked and then gasped as everything came into focus. Everything.

Her sheer babydoll then turned into a flowing silk gown that clung to her body and covered her completely.

Unable to believe it, she ran her hands over the cool, slick material and looked around the room at things that had always been shadows to her. It was all sharp and crisp now.

All of it.

Which meant she had a choice to make. Either he was telling her the truth or he was a very hot-looking faith-healer or they were both nuts.

She opted for the truth, which explained a lot more than just her sudden ability to see. It explained those strange eyes of his and his ability to read a language no one else could even identify.

Kneeling on the floor by his side, she approached him warily, ready to bolt if she needed to. "You kept me from dying, didn't you?"

He lifted his head and reached out to put one hand over the small scar on her forearm that she'd had there since a childhood accident from a broken bottle mishap. As he touched it, it glowed and then vanished. "I know better than to interfere with the natural order, but I couldn't let you die. I didn't want to watch you suffer."

"Why would you do that?"

He led her hand to his face so that she was touching his cheek as he stared at her. His eyes and the pain in them burned her soul deep. "Because I don't feel broken when you look at me."

Those words brought tears to her eyes. "How could you feel broken?"

He rubbed his face against her palm and when he spoke, his breath scorched her skin. But it was his words that branded her heart. "I was shattered as a child and thrown away, like a piece of trash no one wanted. But you don't treat me like that. You see in me the human bit and you touch that part of me. You make me feel whole and wanted."

Tory pulled him against her and held him close as her tears finally fell.

"I love when you hold me," he whispered against her shoulder.

Tory laid her cheek against the top of his head. "Why did you come to Nashville?"

He went rigid in her arms, then spoke in a language she couldn't understand.

"I don't know what you're saying, Ash."

He pulled back and cupped her face so that she could see the fury in his eyes as red tinged the outer line of them. "No one can know about Atlantis. They can't know about me, Soteria. No one can ever know what I was there or what I am now. I didn't mean to hurt you, but I can't let you expose me. Ever." He growled that word through clenched teeth.

A tremor of fear went through her along with a jolt of anger. "Are you the one who killed my parents when they got too close?"

He shook his head in denial. "I don't like taking human lives. They're too short. Daimons, demons, immortals and gods… they're fair game. But I don't tamper with humans if I can help it. I won't do to them what was done to me."

"What was done to you?"

He grimaced and pulled away. He tried to stand, then staggered and fell back to the floor. His expression baffled, he reminded her of a boy and not a powerful god. "What is wrong with me?"

"I think you're drunk." He sounded extremely intoxicated.

"I am drunk, but I don't know why." He started to lie down on the floor.

Tory caught him. "We need to get you into bed. C'mon, sweetie, help me get you there."

His hair turned black, then a very dark green laced with black streaks through it as they staggered toward the bed. The stud in his nose vanished, along with the scars of it ever having been pierced. She helped him lie down and covered him with a blanket. As he closed his eyes, she realized something.

For the first time, she was looking at the real him. He was completely naked and exposed to her. And she wasn't talking about his body. He had no defenses against her. No sunglasses or piercings to hide behind. He was completely vulnerable to her and something told her that he'd never been like this with anyone else.

She ran her hand over his chest as another thought tore through her mind. Acheron was Atlantean.

Atlantean… He knew every secret she'd spent her lifetime trying to learn. Dear Lord, I'm touching someone who's lived thousands and thousands of years. She could barely fathom it. He'd seen every culture that had ever fascinated her. "Ash?"

"Mmm?"

"What was Atlantis like?"

He let out a tired sigh. "It was ugly and beautiful."

"Can you show me?"

Ash came awake to the worst imaginable pain throbbing in his head. For the merest instant, he thought he was human again, waking up after a night of binge drinking and drugs.

But that was thousands of lifetimes ago.

Blinking open his eyes, he found himself naked in bed with Tory sitting on the floor, staring at him as if she were in shock while an odd noise kept an off beat rhythm in the background.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice thick and scratchy.

She screwed her face up as she scowled at him. "Define something wrong."

Ash rubbed a hand over his face. "Did you beat me with a hammer while I was sleeping?"

"No."

"Then why do I feel like this?"

She still hadn't moved from her spot on the floor. "Apparently you can't hold your Sprite, buddy."

"Wha…?"

She pointed at the two empty green plastic bottles on the night-stand. "Did you know that when you get drunk, she gets drunk too."

"She?"

Tory gestured toward the strange sound Ash had been hearing, but ignoring. He looked to see Simi lying on the floor, under the TV with her legs propped against the wall while she slept on her back and snored. That would have been bad enough, but the fact that she was in her demon form, complete with horns, tail and wings made his stomach shrink.

What had he done?

And then his gaze fell to the three-dimensional hologram on the floor that was a perfect replica of Atlantis. It even had tiny people moving around like some glowing white movie…

Oh shit.

Shit, shit, shit. It was all he could think to say as disbelief overwhelmed him.

Tory rose slowly and folded her arms over her chest. Narrowing her gaze on him, she approached the bed. "You don't remember anything about last night, do you?"

"I remember us…" He looked down to see the blood on the sheets that substantiated that part of his memory. They had slept together. The memory of her touch was branded in his mind and on his skin.

"But you don't remember the Sprite?"

He shook his head.

"Interesting."

He didn't know why that one word frightened him, but it did. "Interesting?"

She nodded. "You're a very cuddly drunk and quite the chatter-box too."

He felt the blood leave his face. "How chattery?"

"Very… Apostolos."

Ash sat up, mortified by what he might have said to her. Please gods, please… surely he hadn't told her what he was. Surely he wouldn't have been so stupid as to lose the only person he'd ever found who didn't see him as a whore. And it was then he realized she didn't have her glasses on. "Did I-"

"Fix my eyes? Yes. Then you summoned your demon and the two of you fought over taking me to Atlantis. Simi's the one who made the map on the floor so that we could all stay here because she said going there while you two were drunk might be bad since you'd probably destroy it before your mother had a chance. And then you shrank me down to toy size and took me through the city street by street, telling me about every piece of it, until you both passed out. Thankfully when you did so, I got bigger."

Still his stomach churned. "Did either of us physically take you to the real Atlantis?"

"I should tell you yes, to make you sweat. But Simi won the battle and we stayed here."

He let out a long relieved breath that he'd listened to his demon. Thank the gods for small favors there.

But it still didn't change the fact that he'd exposed himself to Tory. Completely. Utterly.

Damn.

He swallowed as he met her unflinching gaze. "Are you mad at me?"

"Furious. Truly. But I understand the lies. I mean, really, who's going to believe that this hot twenty-one-year-old buff stud Goth guy sporting a black backpack is an eleven-thousand-year-old omnipotent god who travels with a demon companion? Right? It's ludicrous."

Ash cringed as all of his secrets poured out of her mouth.

"By the way, you do know that you and I have met before."

He paused as he tried to recall the event and couldn't. "When?"

She sat down on the bed beside him. "1988. You were playing chess with my grandfather in the park when he had his heart attack. I was seven."

Now that Ash remembered vividly. Theo had just moved his bishop to take down Ash's queen when the old man grabbed at his chest and started groaning.

His tiny granddaughter with big brown eyes and a flurry of brown pigtails had come running. "Papou! Papou!"

Not wanting the child to see her grandfather die-if that was to be Theo's fate that day-Ash had summoned Simi to watch over the girl while he called an ambulance. "Watch her, Simi. Keep her happy and make sure she has everything she needs and wants."

Then he'd gone with Theo while Simi took Soteria back to Theo's condo to wait.

How had he forgotten that?

He shook his head as he looked at her and finally saw the little girl's sweet features in the face of the woman before him. "I remember."

"You know, I thought you were Billy Idol."

Now that he couldn't understand at all. "Billy Idol? I don't look anything like him and I've never had spiked hair."

She shrugged. "He was the only rock star I knew who wore leather and chains and sunglasses-like you had on that day. You also had long purple hair and an earring. Later, I kept telling everyone about this punk guy who saved my papou. My idolizing you is a big part of the reason Kim and Pam ended up Goth… ironic really."

She glanced over to where Simi was still sleeping against the wall. "It wasn't until I saw Simi again last night that it all clicked into place for me." When her gaze locked onto his, the intelligence and accusation in it actually made him cringe. "You're the one who dug my grandfather out of his burning house when he was seven years old and brought him over from Greece. The man who watched over him the whole way here and told him the stories about Atlantis that he told to my father and uncle."

Ash wanted to deny it, but how could he? She now knew everything. "Yes."

She nodded. "That alone is why I'm controlling my anger at you for lying to me and humiliating me in public after I was doing nothing more than telling the stories you, yourself, told my grandfather. How can I be mad at a man who braved a Nazi attack to pull a seven-year-old boy out of the wreckage of his house and save his life? My grandfather said that you bandaged his eyes and then carried him in your arms for days until you reached the docks where you had to bribe the snot out of everyone to get him out of the country. He was so scared and griefstricken from the loss of his family. The only thing that kept him sane was the deep voice of Acheron telling him that he'd be all right. That he wouldn't let anything else bad happen to him while the man held him and soothed his tears… that was you. You were the one who found the American family who adopted him, who helped him finance his first deli, and all his life you were the man he met in the park on Sunday afternoon to play chess with." She sniffed back tears that made his own eyes water. "How could I ever hate you?"

Ash looked away as his own emotions tangled. Everyone else had hated him. How could he expect her to be any different?

Tory swallowed and looked at Simi. "I've spoken to her so many times on the phone and through e-mails. My cousin Geary and I even named our expedition the Simi Project because Simi was the one who helped us find the location of Atlantis."

Ash's eyes widened at something he'd had no knowledge of. Anger snapped to the forefront of his emotions as he wanted to choke the demon. "Simi did what?"

"You told me to, akri," Simi said from her place on the floor before she yawned loudly. When she spoke again, her voice was a perfect duplication of his. "Watch her, Simi. Keep her happy and make sure she has everything she needs and wants." Her voice returned to normal. "So that's what the Simi did, akri. Just what you told me to do."

"That was for one afternoon."

"Akri didn't say that to the Simi. You say make her happy so the Simi did. If you wanted me to stop, akri, you should have said so."

Ash raked his hands through his hair as he realized how much pain he'd brought to Theo when all he'd ever wanted to do was help the boy-that he'd exposed himself and revealed the location of Atlantis without meaning to. Damn it. "I know better than to interact with humans. How could I have been so stupid?"

Tory leaned over him, her face so sweet and inviting even though to him, right now, she was the greatest threat. "You can't live alone all the time, Ash… or is it Asheron, Acheron or Apostolos? I don't even know what to call you."

Call me yours…

It was such a stupid thought. And he knew better than to ever let that one out. He was owned body and soul by Artemis. "I don't care which one you use. I answer to all of them."

"You must have a preference."

"Only his mama, Akra-Apollymi, call him Apostolos. Ooo and sometimes that Jaden demon man and Savitar who is always so nice to the Simi. He always brings the Simi good things to eat. But I think akri likes Ash best cause that's what he tells most people when he meets them nowadays."

Ash gave her a dry stare. "Thanks, Sim."

"You're welcome, akri," she said, oblivious to his sarcasm. "Now the Simi's head hurts. Can I sleep on you where it's comfortable until it stops aching so much? I don't like the floor anymore. It hurts the Simi's wings."

He held his arms out. "Of course you can, Simykey."

Smiling, she transformed and flew as a black mist onto his body to form a small dragon tattoo on his shoulder.

Tory narrowed her gaze on Simi's form. "Now I know the secret of the ever-changing tattoo. You got anymore surprises for me?"

"I suppose that depends on what else I said last night. Damn. At what point did I pass out?"

"From your point of view, not soon enough I would imagine."

If he were able to get the sick lump of dread out of his stomach, he would have laughed at that. As it was, the best he could muster was a grimace. "You are taking all of this remarkably well."

She crossed her legs under herself before she shrugged nonchalantly. "What am I supposed to do? I mean it's not like I have some precedent for dealing with this. I don't know anyone who's ever met a guy who turned out to be a god with his own personal demon. Inner demons, yes, but a tattoo that becomes a demon… no. Definitely off the grid."

"Actually that's not entirely true."

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You should talk to your cousin Geary. Her husband, Arik, used to be an Oneroi."

Tory sat perfectly still as if she couldn't believe what he'd just told her. Kind of funny to him given the way she seemed to be accepting everything else. After a brief pause, she asked a single question. "Arik was the Greek dream god?"

He nodded.

Tory covered her mouth with her hand. "So that's why Geary gave up the hunt for Atlantis. That weenie! It was right after she'd met Arik in Greece." Her expression angry, she slapped at his thigh.

"Ow!" Ash rubbed the spot, grateful she hadn't hit him any higher on his leg. "What's that for?"

"Why didn't one of you tell me?"

"It's not exactly something we're supposed to talk about with humans. Most of them aren't as reasonable as you're being."

"Yeah well, you do know this changes nothing." Her gaze showed every ounce of her determination. "I still intend to be the one who discovers Atlantis."

Ash froze as his own resolve set itself. In this battle, he was going to win no matter what. "Don't be stubborn, Tory. Let it go."

"That's easy for you to say. You don't know the mockery my family has lived with because you told my grandfather stories that enchanted the imagination of his sons. Both my father and uncle gave their lives to find Atlantis and prove it's there. I can do no less than to revive their reputations."

He cupped her face in his hand and tried to make her understand why she couldn't do this. "They're dead, Tory. Their reputations mean nothing to them."

Ash felt her clench her teeth as anger and grief flickered in her brown eyes. "They mean everything to me."

How could he make her see his point of view?

"You want to salvage your father's reputation and I want to preserve mine. You and I are at war with this. No one can know ever about the Atlantis that was destroyed."

"You're a god. Why would its location hurt your reputation?"

A twinge of hope went through him. "Did I tell you why I was in Atlantis as a human?"

"No."

Oh thank the gods that even drunk he'd had at least an ounce of self-preservation. Relief and joy poured through him. No wonder she was still giving him some respect.

And that was why he couldn't let anyone know about Atlantis. "Why can't you let this go?"

"Because I loved my father. I owe this to him."

Ash narrowed his gaze. "Would you destroy me in the process?"

Tory shook her head, trying to understand why he was so insistent. "You're not making any sense. How could this possibly hurt you?"

Tell her the truth, Apostolos. Ash flinched at the sound of his mother's voice in his head.

He looked up at the ceiling as he sensed her presence. You've been remarkably quiet throughout this, Matera. Why didn't you tell me about your priestesses?

Why should I? Besides you knew I had to have worshipers to maintain my god powers at their current strength. Did you think the Daimons were the only ones who paid homage to me?

Yeah, stupidly he had.

Show her the journal, m'gios.

And if she betrays me?

She's a human. I will kill her if she hurts you.

But he wouldn't allow that and he knew it. I can't, Matera. I don't want to see her look at me like that too.

What if she doesn't? What if she's being honest and to her you are nothing more than a friend? Your past doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter to Savitar or Simi. You must learn to trust sometime, Apostolos. Don't you think that maybe she's the one person who won't judge you over something that was done to you against your will? Give her a reason to abandon Atlantis. Let her understand.

He looked back at Tory, terrified of the thought of seeing the same pity in her eyes that Ryssa had held in hers. He liked the fact that Tory saw him as a normal human.

Then again, she now knew him to be a god and her treatment hadn't changed. Maybe his mother was right. Maybe he could trust her.

"You can't live in darkness all the time, kid"-Savitar's words haunted him. "Sooner or later, everyone puts their ass in a sling. But you know what, most of the time you're still laughing about it, grateful you had the fun that caused the injury."

It was true. Yet the one thing Ash understood to the depth of his soul was that a physical pain healed a lot cleaner and sooner than a mental one.

"Please don't hurt me, Soteria," he whispered in Atlantean. Feeling sick with dread, he decided to trust in his mother. He held his hand out and used his powers to bring his backpack into his grasp.

Tory let out a nervous laugh. "You weren't joking about those evil Jedi tricks, were you?"

"Not really." He reached to the bottom and pulled out the last journal. His stomach knotted to the point he feared he'd actually be sick, he handed to her. "I grant you the ability to read this fluently. But know that I'm doing this against my better judgment and I'm trusting you with something about me that no one else has ever known. No one. This is the secret I'm willing to kill to protect. Do you understand?"

Tory swallowed at the ominous note in his voice. What could it contain that was so appalling to a god? "I understand."

He put the backpack down on the floor. "I'm going to shower while you read."

She didn't move until after he'd left the bed. Curious, she opened the book and gasped as she realized that she was able to read it as if it were English. She knew every letter, every definition. It was incredible and as she read, she saw the scenes as clearly in her mind as if she were watching a movie unfold.

At first it was just the intimate and innocuous details of a princess's life until it started talking about her brother…

The whore.

Ash let the water slide over his skin as he fought the pain and anger inside him. Tory would never look at him the same way again. Ever.

Why the hell had he listened to his mother? He should have destroyed every one of his sister's journals.

I'm such an asshole.

There was no denying the truth of him. He was forever tainted by a past he'd never wanted. In this moment he hated Estes more than he'd ever hated him before. That one foul bastard had deprived him of everything.

Even Tory's respect.

Turning the water off, he stepped outside the shower to find her standing in the doorway, staring at him. Shame and embarrassment filled him at her silence as he reached for a towel to dry himself. He braced himself for her insults and anger. "I'm sorry I tainted you, Soteria. I had no right."

A single tear slid down her face as she approached him.

Ash tensed in expectation of her slap or insults. He deserved no less and he expected nothing more. So when she pulled him into her arms and kissed him, he was stunned completely.

Tory pulled away from his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him close as the true horror of his human life tore through her. And to think she'd dared to accuse him of not understanding what it was like to be mocked or humiliated. Thank God she had no idea of the depth of his sorrow that made a mockery of hers.

She couldn't speak for the tangle of emotions that gathered in her throat to choke her. She was angry for him and heartbroken.

And in that moment, she realized how much she loved this man. Now Takeshi's words made complete sense to her.

"Take care of him, Soteria. And remember it takes great courage and heart for a man who knows no kindness to show it to another. Even the wildest of beasts can be tamed by a patient and gentle hand."

She ran her hand down his smooth, perfect back as she remembered the stories of his beatings. They hadn't even allowed his back to scar so that the thicker, scarred skin would help to shield him from the pain of new lashes. What had been done to him was so wrong… "I'm so sorry for what they did to you, Acheron. I'm so sorry."

Ash closed his eyes as he held her against him and breathed her in. "You don't condemn me for it?"

"For what?"

"I'm…" He couldn't bring himself to say the word whore to her.

Tory tightened her hold as she remembered his words about being broken the night before. This was what he'd meant by them. Pulling back, she cupped his face in her hands so that he could see her sincerity. "Nothing has changed between us. I don't care about your past, Ash. I don't. All that matters to me is the man in front of me right now."

"I'm not a man, Soteria."

No, he wasn't. He was a god. Powerful. Humble. Kind and deadly. For the first time, she understood all the glimpses of him that she'd seen. "I know. But if you think your godhood excuses you from putting the toilet seat down, think again."

Ash laughed, amazed by her strength and humor no matter the situation. "I'm not used to anyone standing with me."

"I know. I was always lucky. My family would fight back the devil himself to keep me safe. I can't imagine the strength it took for you to be alone in the world. To have no shelter from those out to hurt you. But I won't abandon you. If I'm nothing else in my life, I'm loyal to those I call friend. And I'll be more than honored to be your friend, Acheron, if you'll let me."

Pain ravaged his heart at her offer and at a single truth he couldn't deny. "I've never had a friend who knew all about me before." He didn't count Artemis as a friend and that lack of knowledge was how Nick had ended up dead. Had he trusted Nick enough, just once, to introduce him to Simi, Nick wouldn't have slept with her because he'd have known she belonged to Ash. It was a mistake that had cost them both everything.

"I know what you're thinking, Ash," she said, stepping back to look up at him. "You have trusted me and I will never forsake you."

Time would tell.

She looked down and smiled warmly. "By the way, you're very cute naked. Now get dressed. I have some questions for you."

He was instantly clothed.

Tory's eyes widened at his powers. "You know that could come in handy. I'll bet you're never late, huh?"

"I try. Now what questions do you have?"

She led him back into the room where the journal was lying on the bed. "You told me last night that you have a pregnant daughter. Now from the journal's date, I know how old you are. How old is she?"

"I was twenty-one when she was born." It was the easiest explanation for Kat's age.

Tory picked the journal up and opened to the scrap of paper where she'd left off reading. "Okay so she's a great-great-great-grandmother. Messes with my head, but I can deal with that." She made a note in the margin of the journal. "Who's her mother?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Artemis. Understood. We never talk about that."

He frowned at her ability to guess and to be so accommodating about his redheaded problem. "How-"

She put her hand to his lips to keep him from speaking. "I got it from the journal that you protect her even when she refuses to return the favor. But my next question to you is what is she going to do when she finds out about me?"

Satara stayed back in the shadows of Sanctuary, pretending to be a patron at a table sipping her longneck beer-a rather nasty concoction-as she waited for Acheron to leave the room where he was holed up with his newfound pet. The only real gift her father, Apollo, had ever given her was the ability to pass undetected by other gods. He'd done that so she could spy for him. Little did he know that she used her gift against him more than for him-for a god of prophecy, her father could be unbelievably dense. Then again, his ego was such that he couldn't conceive of anyone not absolutely adoring the very ground he stood upon.

And because of her gift, to Acheron, even with all the powers he possessed, she blended into the background. How nice to have an anti-Atlantean cloaking device.

Which had been very helpful last night while she'd been in the club trying to gather information for Stryker and instead had learned about Acheron's current female obsession. Or should she say, weakness.

The journal she sought was here-she could feel its pull but the Atlantean god protected it and as long as he did she couldn't touch it without risking his wrath.

So she was waiting for him to let down his guard and leave either the bag or the bimbo unguarded. And if her demons would do their job correctly, she'd have a shot at Ryssa's book and the secrets it contained.

Satara gasped as she felt the pain in her chest that signified Ash had left the building. Smiling, she got up and headed upstairs to steal his most guarded possession.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Satara pulled back as she caught sight of Aimee Peltier with Ash's new pet standing outside the room where the two of them were staying. Damn! She couldn't touch the little slut so long as the bear was with her. She'd attempted to violate the sanctity of a Were-Hunter safe zone once in Seattle and had almost been killed over it.

Savitar had made his point loud and clear. The Weres were off her menu.

Bastard.

But if nothing else, she learned from experience. Which meant she couldn't grab the journal until either the bear was gone or they left the opening of that room so that she could sneak inside. Not to mention the fact that two of Apollymi's high priestesses were near them too. The last thing she needed was for one of them to summon their goddess's powers-Apollymi was a lethal bitch who made Artemis appear a whipped puppy in comparison.

She'd have to bide her time.

Stepping back, she returned to the shadows to wait until either she had a moment to pounce, or her demons arrived-if they would just get here. Those demons were turning out to be more trouble than they were worth most days. Unlike the Daimons they had a god complex and didn't like answering to anyone they didn't have to obey.

But the demons were handy at times. If they violated sanctuary laws, oh well. Who cared if they died?

Or better yet…

Auntie Artie might prove to be the better ally in this. If nothing else, Artemis would get Acheron out of the way for a while… especially if Auntie were to learn that Acheron had been playing in another woman's garden.

Tory was desperate to keep reading, but on the off chance that Aimee might know the ancient language, she refrained and put the journal in her backpack purse to keep it safe.

She looked around the small round table where Aimee, Justina and Katherine were hanging out and exchanging bad date stories.

Not exactly Tory's favorite way to waste her life. "Guys," she said, smiling at them. "No offense, but I'm getting stir crazy. Can we please go downstairs and hang in the bar or do anything that keeps me from sitting here bored out of my mind while the three of you watch me grow eyebrow hair? I mean really, I am fine. I'm not going to spontaneously combust or do anything else freaky. Promise."

Aimee laughed. "Yeah, but if I go down there and the guys see me, they'll put me to work."

Tory grinned. "Put me to work, I beg you!" Anything was better than growing inert.

Aimee cocked her head suspiciously. "Do you know how to wait tables?"

"Absolutely. My family owns three delis and two restaurants in New York. I'm slave labor anytime I go near them."

Justina held her hands up and grimaced. "I don't do tables, dishes, windows or anything else that involves other people's germs or saliva."

The three of them looked at her curiously at the unsolicited confession that really was more information about her than any of them needed to know.

"Okay, sex and kissing notwithstanding. That's completely different. Eating food is another matter. People are gross."

Tory laughed.

"I'll help out too," Katherine said. "Tina can follow Tory around and make sure no one grabs her while we're goofing off-that should keep Tina safe from saliva germs and Tory safe from boredom."

Aimee scoffed at Katherine. "Ladies, have you not seen the muscle we have downstairs? Anyone or anything comes in here with a nasty intent and my family will mop the floor, ceiling and walls with them. Why do you think Ash brought Tory here in the first place?"

Katherine smiled. "Okay, we're sold. Plus I have my priestesses dispersed in the crowd so that we can watch too. We should be pretty well covered."

"Cool beans." Tory followed Aimee downstairs so that she could get her a Sanctuary T-shirt and a white half apron to wear around her jeans. Tucking the journal into the apron pocket, Tory set about waiting tables while Justina tried to follow her around and remain inconspicuous.

Yeah…

It was hard to miss the tall brunette with an FO attitude so thick it could wall in an ancient city, who eyed everyone like they were the next victim. But that was okay. Tory loved the woman, attitude and all.

Smiling at her friend, she went over to a table where an extremely good-looking man sat alone, wearing a pair of sunglasses that reminded her of Ash's. Dressed all in black, he also had the same FU attitude that she'd noted on Ash the night they met. His brown hair was brushed back from his face which bore the same double bow and arrow mark that Dev had on his arm. Ash had told her those were used by Artemis to mark her Dark-Hunters, but it was still daylight outside so maybe he was like Dev and wore it because he thought it was cool.

As she drew closer, Tory assumed he was another Were-Animal. "Hey sweetie," she said in greeting. "What can I get for you?"

She couldn't tell he was looking at her for the sunglasses, but she could feel the weight of his gaze like a tangible touch. Before she could blink, he was on his feet, standing behind her with one hand across her waist. He leaned his head down to her hair and took a deep breath.

"You stink of Acheron." His voice was deep and laced with a thick Cajun accent.

Tory put her hand on the journal, ready to fight to the death over it. "You might want to take your hand off me and step back."

"Or what?"

"Or I'm going to ruin your day."

He laughed bitterly in her ear. "You think so?"

As quick as she could, she moved her hand from the journal to his crotch. Grinding her teeth, she took hold of him with a grip made strong from her years of archaeology and twisted until he was doubled over in pain. She let go as his face turned bright red and he cursed her.

"There's no thinking to it, buddy. Given the fact that I'm six foot one, you had to know I wasn't a wimpy female."

Justina moved in behind her.

He started for her, but before he could make contact, Dev was there, pushing him back. "Nick, you know better."

Nick shoved Dev away from him. When Dev started for him again, Nick held his hand up and with an unseen force, he slammed Dev against the wall. "I'm not your bitch, Dev. Don't ever put your hands on me again." Straightening his jacket with a tug at the lapels, Nick sauntered over to her. He lifted one piece of her hair off her shoulder. "Give Ash my best and make sure you tell him that you met Nick Gautier." He tossed her hair away from him as if she disgusted him before he walked out.

Dev went slamming to the floor.

Tory ran to him to make sure he was all right as he cursed at being defeated. "What was that about?" she asked him.

Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet. "Nick has issues. Unfortunately, Ash seems to be his biggest one."

"How so?"

"They used to be best friends and now they're mortal enemies. I didn't know Nick would be able to tell you were with Ash or I wouldn't have let him in here. Sorry."

Tory waved his apology away. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just stunned by the animosity." She thought Ash only elicited that kind of anger from her. "What happened to make them enemies?"

"I honestly don't know. But given how close they were a few years ago, it must have been one hell of a fight."

Tory shook her head at the disclosure. Poor Ash. Couldn't he depend on anyone to keep faith with him? No wonder he was so skittish of everyone. It seemed he collected enemies the way some people collected trading cards.

It made her want to protect him all the more.

Ash stopped right before he entered Liza's store. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about Tory. Unable to explain it, he flashed himself back to Sanctuary where he found her standing behind the bar, making beers.

Relief the likes of which he'd never known filled him. Without thinking, he dodged behind the bar and pulled her back against him so that he could feel her there, safe and whole.

She reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I just…" He snorted at his own stupidity. "Never mind."

Aimee paused beside them. "If you were about to say that you had a bad feeling, you weren't being ridiculous. Nick was here a few minutes ago."

His stomach hit the floor as fear filled his entire being. "What happened?"

Tory turned to face him. "He told me to give you his regards."

Ash cursed at the veiled threat. "I can't believe that sack of shit. If he so much as breathes on you, I swear I'll rip his throat out."

Dev laughed as he leaned against the bar from the other side. "No fear there. Tory took him out on her own."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'd be really nice to her if I were you, Ash. She dropped his ass like a trained combat SEAL with one well planted squeeze in a highly sensitive area. It was entertaining as hell for those of us not on the receiving end of it. Nick, however, will probably be a limping falsetto for at least a week." He shuddered. "I for one plan to keep at least three feet between me and her arm's reach for the rest of my lifetime."

Tory's face turned bright pink. "I don't like being manhandled by strangers."

He didn't like her to be manhandled either and it snapped his fury to the forefront. "Nick really didn't hurt you?"

"Not a bit. But I hate that I had to hurt him. Poor guy."

Ash closed his eyes behind his sunglasses as those words touched him. That was why she meant so much to him. She could see the best in even the worst of creatures-well, except for him when they first met. But even that he was beginning to find charming. "Why are you down here and not upstairs resting?"

"Boredom. It's not in me to sit around and do nothing all day. I'm Greek. We must work. To quote my Aunt Del there is no lean when you can clean."

Aimee laughed. "Don't worry, we're not letting her out of our sight… and after the Nick incident, we're not letting her out from behind this bar."

"Yeah," Tory said wistfully, "Prisoners R Us."

Ash arched a brow. She said that like it was a bad thing. Truthfully, he was grateful for it. "Good. Since all of you have it under control, I'm going to return to my errands and I'll be back shortly."

"Be careful."

He inclined his head to Tory and the words that touched him before he returned to Liza's store. Just as he reached for the knob, he heard Artemis's shrill scream in his head echoing like barbed wire against his brain.

"Acheron! Here! Now!"

"I'm not your dog, Artemis."

She appeared in front of him on the street, her eyes flaming red. "Then if you won't heel, let's see if I can make your bitch beg." She started to fade.

Ash grabbed her arm and held her beside him. "What are you talking about?"

She wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "You didn't really think you could go off and fuck another woman and I wouldn't find out about it, did you? You faithless pig! I'm going to make her scream like no mortal has ever screamed before."

This time when she started to leave, Ash launched himself at her and took them to her temple on Olympus. He held her pinned between him and her bedroom wall. Artemis let out a shriek so severe he was amazed he still had his hearing.

"Let me go!"

He shook his head. "Not until we settle this."

"Settle what? That you're a lying, faithless bastard? How could you!" She tried to scratch at his face.

Ash held her hands and kept her pinned between him and the wall.

"I will have her life, her soul, everything!"

"You won't touch her."

"You don't command me!"

Those words set his wrath off to such a height that he immediately shifted into his true destroyer's form. He saw his blue hands and could only imagine what the rest of him must look like. "Don't push me, Artemis. I haven't fed in weeks and in this matter, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

She snarled at him. "I hate you!"

"You've always hated me. Since the moment I first kissed you in your temple, you've despised me and I know it."

With a furious scream, Artemis started sobbing as if her heart was being ripped into shreds. She fought against him. "That's not true. We were friends. I loved you!"

He scoffed at the lies she still believed. "You loved me so much that you watched as I was butchered on the floor at your feet. That's not love, Artie. I felt your relief when I was dead."

She shook her head in denial. "I brought you back because I loved you."

"That's the lie you tell yourself, but I know the truth. You brought me back because you were afraid of my mother."

"I am a goddess!"

"And I'm a god. One whose powers mock yours and you know it."

She shrieked again as she tried to buck him off. "You've betrayed me and I want vengeance for it."

"Then take it out on me."

She froze at his words and for the first time since she'd attacked him, there was a semblance of sanity there. "What are you saying?"

Ash took a small step back, prepared to seize her again if he needed to. "I'm the one who betrayed you. If you want to make someone bleed, then I offer myself to you as your victim. But you have to swear to me that you'll never lay a hand on Soteria. Ever."

The flame of sexual heat in her eyes sickened him. She could deny it all she wanted to, but she got off on making him bleed and suffer. She always had. "Only if you swear not to use your powers to heal yourself. You will take the punishment you have earned and you will suffer for what you've done to me."

Because it was always about Artemis.

Of course he wouldn't have been with Tory because Tory was kind to him. The only reason he could ever be with someone else was to hurt Artemis and for that he'd bleed.

Yeah…

"I swear it."

She lifted her chin. "Release me."

"Not until I have your word."

"Oh I promise you, I won't touch your slut."

He cringed at her words and their unspoken threat against Tory. "And that you won't send anyone else after her either."

She balked.

"Artemis?"

She pouted like a toddler who'd just broken her favorite doll. It wasn't until she realized that he wouldn't give in on this that she crossed her arms over her chest and spat, "Fine. I swear your whore will never be hurt by me or any of my minions."

He wrapped his hand around her neck. "And I swear if you ever call her whore or slut or any other insult again, I will kill you. Do you understand me? Her name is Soteria and you will call her nothing else."

Fear replaced the anger in her eyes. She knew he had no choice except to fulfill whatever oath he took. And right now the thought of killing her ranked right up there on his list of things he'd most like to do.

"I understand," Artemis said coldly. "Now prepare yourself for me, whore."

Ash winced at words she knew hit him on a level no one should ever be hit on, and he hated her for that. In one heartbeat, they destroyed all the centuries of dignity he'd tried so desperately to build and reduced him to the little boy who'd pathetically begged his father not to hurt him.

Damn her for it. He didn't want to do this, but he knew he had no choice. His stomach was so tight with anger and disgust, he was amazed he wasn't vomiting from the sensation.

Last night was worth it.

No… Soteria is worth it. When she held him, he wasn't a whore. He wasn't pathetic or unwanted. For that moment of peace that he'd had in her arms, this was nothing.

He only hoped that once Artemis finished with him, he was still able to feel that way.

Sick with dread, he stepped back from her and dropped his long coat to the floor then pulled his shirt off over his head. Gods, it felt just like selling himself in his uncle's house all over again. All he needed was to have those gold bands back in place on his wrists and ankles and his tongue pierced. To have her grab his hair and tell him how to please her best.

He ran his hand over his chest where Simi slept. "Simi? I need you to take human form." If she were still on his skin when Artemis began beating him, she'd come off and attack the goddess. Since he'd promised total submission, he couldn't allow his girl to do that.

Simi appeared with a precious smile on her face until she realized where she was. Then her lips curled in repugnance. "Why we here with that old heifer-goddess, akri? The Simi thought we were going to have fun again."

"I know, Sim. I need you to leave me for a little while."

Her nostrils flared angrily as her eyes turned dark red. She knew what happened to him whenever he made her leave here. "Akri-"

"Just do it, Simi." He looked past her to see Artemis glaring at them. "I want you to go to Sanctuary and protect Soteria for me. Make sure no one hurts her."

Simi turned and hissed at Artemis. "I'll go protect Akra-Tory, akri. But the Simi don't want to leave you. I wish you'd let the Simi eat the heifer instead."

Ash cupped her face and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. "Go, Simi, and don't eat the humans or Weres."

Simi nodded before she vanished.

Ash swallowed as he met Artemis's glower. An instant later his wrists were encircled by chains. They were pulled up and spread wide as a whip appeared in Artemis's hand. He let out a long breath as centuries of this went through him and he fought the anger that swelled inside his heart.

How could she do this and still claim to have feelings for him?

"You have betrayed me for the last time, Acheron."

He laughed bitterly. "I've betrayed you? When have you ever kept faith with me?"

She answered his question with a stinging backhand across his face that split his lip. Only now that he was secure could she strike him. She grabbed his hair, turning it instantly blond, and jerked his head back as hard as she could. "I wish I'd never met you."

"I assure you the feeling's more than mutual."

Then she did the cruelest thing of all. She manifested a mirror before him and dressed him in the same chiton he'd worn when they met. Brushing the hair back from his neck, she blew her breath on his skin, knowing how much he hated it.

"This is what you're afraid of, isn't it? The entire world knowing what a whore you really are. Eleven thousand years later, you're still crawling into the bed of whoever can pay your fee. Tell me, Acheron, what did Soteria give you to sleep with her?"

He glared at her in the mirror and answered her with the truth. "She bought me with the one thing you've never been able to manage, Artemis. Kindness. Warmth."

She wrenched his hair so hard he was sure she pulled a full handful of it out. "You bastard whore! I would have given you the world had you asked it of me, but instead you'd rather be in the bed of a common human."

He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. "You've never given me anything, Artemis, without making me pay dearly for it. Not even your heart."

"That's not true. I bore your daughter for you!"

"No. You bore your daughter. You didn't keep Katra because of me. You kept her out of total selfishness and you know it. You never really intended for me to know I had her because you didn't want to share her with me or anyone else. You could have told me the truth at any time, yet you hid her from me for more than eleven thousand years." He shook his head at a truth that scalded his soul. "You're selfish and you're cold, and I'm tired of getting frostbite when I touch you."

She brought the whip down across his back. Ash hissed as pain tore through him.

"I own you!" she shrieked.

Ash tightened his grip on the chains that held him in place. "I won't be owned by you, Artemis. Not anymore. I shouldn't have to barter myself to you for kindness and I'm through with it."

She hit him again. "You would rather sell yourself to a human who can't understand you? She knows nothing of our powers. Nothing of what it means to be a god. The responsibility. The sacrifice."

His breathing ragged, he stared at her in the mirror. "And neither do you. Soteria doesn't ask me for anything. She gives, Artemis. No strings. No hidden agenda. She takes my hand in public and she holds it. She's not embarrassed to be seen with me."

She jerked his head back and snarled in his ear. "Because it costs her nothing to be seen with you! You ask too much of me. You always have."

"Did it never occur to you that you ask the same of me? I've given to you for eleven thousand years and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being ridiculed by you and your brother. I'm tired of taking your shit and dealing with your moods while you refuse to allow me the same courtesy. I want my freedom."

After releasing his hair, she hit him three more times before she raked her nails painfully down his back. "There is no freedom for you, whore. Ever."

Tory smiled as she saw Simi walking up to the bar. She still remembered the first time she'd seen the demon, though at the time she'd thought Simi an average college age girl who'd made a great babysitter for her. It was hard to believe after all the phone and e-mail conversations they'd shared that Simi had failed to mention the one basic fact that she was a demon.

Then again…

But as Simi approached, she could tell something was wrong with her. "What's wrong, Simi?"

"That old heifer bitch goddess is hurting akri again and akri won't let the Simi do anything to help him, but the Simi isn't supposed to say anything about what the bitch-goddess does so forget the Simi said anything." She huffed as she sat down on a bar stool and propped her chin in her hand. "Hook the Simi up with some ice cream, Akra-Tory. I need double scoops."

Aimee went to accommodate Simi while Tory walked around to sit beside the demon.

"What do you mean the heifer goddess is hurting Ash? You mean Hera?" She was the goddess most often referred to as cow-eyed in mythology.

"Not that one. The redheaded mean one that the Simi wants to eat, but akri say 'No Simi. You can't eat Artemis.' The Simi hates that heifer."

Tory went cold as she remembered what Ash had told her about Artemis and their relationship. "Where's Ash?"

"On Olympus. He told the Simi to come stay with you and make sure no one hurts you."

This couldn't be good and Tory felt ill that she couldn't help him. "What does Artemis do to Ash?"

"The Simi isn't supposed to say." She looked around the bar like an impish child before she lowered her voice. "But akri didn't say the Simi couldn't show you…" She reached out and touched Tory's arm. The moment she did, Tory saw Ash being beaten.

Unable to stand it, she shot to her feet and tried to focus. But she couldn't. Her heart pounding, she was hyperventilating at the thought of causing him that kind of pain. "We have to do something!"

"We can't. Artemis hurt akri worse if we try. Believe me, I know. He promised her she could hurt him if she didn't hurt you and she say okay, so now… the Simi hates the heifer goddess."

So did Tory. If she could turn back time, she'd beat the snot out of her in Nashville.

Aimee brought Simi the ice cream while Tory tried to think of something, anything, she could do. She looked at Aimee, then Katherine and Justina, but decided not to ask their opinions. Ash would die of shame if he knew they knew what was being done to him.

You now have the secrets that I would kill to protect.

No doubt this was one of the secrets he held dearest. No wonder he'd been so harsh to Artemis in Nashville.

"If I ever get my hands on her…"

She'd do what? Bleed on her expensive shoes? Artemis was a goddess and Tory was human.

Wait… there had been something in the journal about Artemis and her weaknesses. Her heart hammering with hope, Tory headed toward the kitchen behind the bar where it was light enough for her to read.

But before she could make it to the room, she saw a tall, black-haired woman at a table off to the side.

You want to hurt Artemis? Come talk to me.

Tory looked around at the voice in her head until her gaze returned to the unknown woman.

Yes, it's me talking to you, Soteria. The woman motioned for her to join her at the table.

Reversing course from the kitchen, she patted Aimee on the arm. "I'll be right back." Before Aimee could respond, she went straight to the woman who was unbelievably attractive and probably as tall as she was.

"Hi," the woman said, her voice thick with its Greek accent. "I'm Satara. You should consider me a friend."

Yeah, right. Tory would wait and make up her own mind about that. "How did you do that thing where you talked to me in my mind?"

She smiled before her voice was in Tory's head again. I'm the daughter of Apollo and if you want to help me, I'll be more than willing to help you kill Artemis.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Tory was instantly suspicious of the unknown woman and her motives. "Why would the daughter of Apollo help me hurt her aunt?"

Satara twisted her lips up into a seductive, yet impressed smirk. It was as if she begrudged giving Tory any kind of respect. "You're a smart little human. Most don't know their mythology. But that's neither here nor there, is it? Let's just say that like you I'm a friend of Acheron's. I'm tired of seeing him hurt."

Knowing Ash as well as she did, she knew Satara wouldn't have gotten that tidbit from him. Which meant the woman was in league with Artemis and was now trying to turn on her own aunt. Yeah, that really lent itself to Tory trusting her… not even a bit. "Strange, he never mentioned you to me." Tory started to leave.

Satara leapt at her and grabbed her painfully by one wrist. "Give me Ryssa's journal if you want to live."

Biting Satara's hand, Tory twisted away and ran for the bar. Simi was across the room, hissing at Satara who vanished the moment she saw the demon.

"That the heifer-goddess's mean niece. The Simi don't like her neither."

Agreeing with her, Tory rubbed her bruised wrist. What else was in that book that she had yet to read? It had to contain a lot more than she'd seen so far. "Simi, grab your ice cream and come upstairs with me. I think you and I need to do some research."

As they headed up, Tory considered calling her cousin Geary, but decided against it given how secretive Ash was. He went out of his way to make sure no one knew his business and since she'd promised him that he could trust her, she wouldn't do anything to violate that oath.

But it was hard…

Once Simi was settled in with her in the small room, she pulled out a notebook and pen, and attacked her reading with a renewed vengeance. Though to be honest that was easier said than done. Every time Ryssa wrote about Ash, it broke her heart. The senseless abuse and cruelty was unimaginable and when she saw what they'd done to him during Artemis's feast day she wanted blood for it.

No wonder Simi hated the goddess the way she did.

How could Artemis turn her back on Ash and leave him there to suffer? Truly, she didn't understand this need to save face that Artemis had. But then Tory didn't care what other people thought of her. She never had. Yes, they'd mocked her incessantly in school for being too smart, blowing the bell curve and for being a tall, skinny nerd. Her hair was frizzy, she'd had braces and glasses so thick they'd melt plastic army men.

But then she remembered clearly that day when she'd come home crying to her father over the words Shelly Thornton had assaulted her with at school-your father's a crackpot that everyone laughs at, your mom's an idiot and you're a pathetic geek who'll never have a boyfriend outside of the one you make up in your head and your dress looks like you found it in a dumpster. If that wasn't bad enough, all the girls who were afraid of Shelly being mean to them had laughed at her too. Then they'd joined in on attacking her clothes.

The worst part was, Tory had loved her dress dearly. It'd been one her Aunt Del had made for her out of Greek lace and a bright purple satin material they'd found in the fabric store that Tory had fallen in love with.

Her heart had been splintered that day by their cruelty until her father put her on his knee and kissed her tears away. "No one can ever make you feel inferior without your permission, Tory. Don't give it to them. Realize that it's their own insecurities that make them attack you and others. They're so unhappy with themselves that the only way they can feel better is by making everyone as unhappy as they are. Don't let those people steal your day, baby. You hold your head high and know that you have the one thing they can never take away from you."

"What's that, Papa?"

"My love. Your mother's love and the love of your family and true friends. Your own self-respect and sense of purpose. Look at me, Torimou, people laugh at me all the time and say that I'm chasing rainbows. They told George Lucas that he was a fool for making Star Wars -they used to even call it Lucas's Folly. Did he listen? No. And if he'd listened to them you wouldn't have had your favorite movie made and think of how many people would never have heard the phrase 'May the Force be With You.' "

He'd brushed her hair back from her wet cheeks. "I want you to always hold your head up and follow your dreams wherever they take you. Don't you ever listen to the people out to hurt you or make you cry. Listen to your heart and be better than them. No one gets ahead by hurting others. The only real peace anyone will ever have is the one that comes from within. Live your life on your own terms and make it a happy life. Always. That's what's important, Torimou."

It wasn't always easy to listen to those sage words and the sad truth was that she'd never worn her purple dress again, or purple period. But over time, she'd learned to care less and less what others thought about her as she made her own way in the world. The only thing she couldn't stand was to have her beloved father and uncle mocked.

The world could laugh at her if they must, but she couldn't stand anyone to make fun of those she loved.

But as she read the insecurities of Artemis, she realized how lucky she'd been to have her father. Poor Artemis for not having anyone to love her like that.

And poor goddess for hurting the only one who would have…

Tory looked over to see Simi watching QVC. She was lying on her back with her head hanging over the edge of the bed as she watched it upside down.

Okay…

"Simi?"

The demon looked at her curiously.

"Do you think Artemis is sad?"

"I think she's just plain mean."

"Yes, but people aren't mean just to be mean. There has to be a reason for it."

Simi let out a forlorn sigh. "Well, akri say that the heifer-goddess doesn't have anyone to love her and that's why we have to be nice to her. But the Simi say so what? There's a reason she gots no one to love her. She's mean."

There it was in a succinct, if not semi-humorous, nutshell. And it made her wonder if Ash had been recognized as a prince how much different their relationship would have been.

But the point was moot really. And as the hours went by, Tory learned a lot more about ancient Greece, Atlantis and Acheron than she'd ever dreamed possible.

Aimee brought food for them and somewhere around midnight, Simi fell asleep on the floor with her feet rising up at a ninety degree angle against the wall.

Shaking her head at the strange position, Tory pulled one of the blankets from the bed and draped it over her. Just as she tucked it around Simi, a small fissure went through the air.

Unsure of what caused it, Tory looked to her right to find Ash standing outside the bathroom with one arm braced against the wall. His face pale, he appeared to be in severe pain. But most shocking was the fact that his hair was golden blond and he wasn't wearing a long coat. Only a long-sleeved black shirt that had been left untucked.

"Ash?" she whispered.

He didn't respond.

Concerned, she closed the distance between them and saw that he was sweating profusely. "Baby, what's wrong?"

He looked at her with a confused frown. "I didn't know where else to go. I… I didn't want to be alone."

"Do you need to lie down?"

His eyes empty, he nodded.

Tory waited for him to move. When he didn't, her concern tripled. "Ash?"

"I need a minute."

She stood there waiting. After a long pause, he pushed himself away from the wall and started for the bed. He'd only taken a single step when he sank to his knees. Without thinking, she reached to touch his back.

He hissed and recoiled as he tried to crawl away from her. Pulling her hand back, she gasped as she saw the blood coating her palm.

She knelt beside him. "What can I do?"

His breathing ragged, he ground his teeth as if fighting an unbearable agony. "My powers are unstable. I'm in too much pain to direct them accurately."

"Okay. You can lean on me and I'll get you to the bed." She stood up and held her hand out for him.

Ash couldn't speak as he saw her there with her outstretched hand. He shouldn't be here and he knew it. Yet that was what had made him seek her out when he would never have sought out anyone else. She wouldn't hurt him or mock him. She would help. The only other person he allowed to tend him when he was weak was Liza. But not even Liza had ever seen him when he was this vulnerable.

He damn sure didn't want Alexion or Urian to know.

Taking her hand, he allowed her to pull him up. He ground his teeth as another wave of pain ripped through him. She wrapped his arm over her shoulders and carefully placed her arm around his hips where he wasn't hurting so much.

Together, they walked him to the bed and helped him to lie down.

"Don't tell Simi," he whispered. "I don't want her upset."

Tory nodded as she watched him pass out. Angry and aching for what had been done to him, she very carefully cut his shirt from his back. And with every inch of bleeding skin she uncovered, her fury mounted at the horrific mutilation. This was unbelievable.

She didn't care how much Artemis was unloved. If she had the bitch here right now, she'd tear every strand of red hair out of her selfish head!

"This is going to stop," she whispered to him. "One way or another, Ash, I'm going to find a way to put that goddess in her place."

Ash came awake to the odd sensation of something cold on his back. For a moment, he thought himself at Artemis's temple until he opened his eyes and saw Tory in a chair a few feet away from him, reading.

Everything came flooding back and when he took a deep breath, the pain in his back reminded him of how real his visit with Artemis had been.

Tory immediately set the book aside. "Try not to move."

"Believe me I am."

She knelt on the floor in front of him. "I put one of my Aunt Del's concoctions on your back. It's aloe, cucumbers and potatoes mixed with Vaseline and lanolin. I know it sounds gross, but it's really good to take the sting out of cuts and burns."

"Thank you."

She smiled as she rested her chin on the hand she had on his mattress. "I've got you covered with a sheet and I told Simi that you were sleeping. She went downstairs to eat so she has no idea that you're hurt. No one does."

He took her hand in his and kissed her fingers. "Thank you."

"Anytime, sweetie."

He treasured that endearment. Most of all, he treasured her.

She cocked her head while she toyed with his fingers. "Can you not use your god powers to heal yourself?"

"I could, but I promised not to."

"Why?"

Because I'm an idiot. No, he'd done it to protect her and if this was the price for her safety, so be it. "I'd rather not say."

She patted his hand. "Then I'll keep running cover with you and Simi-who was asleep when I tended your back. And speaking of, I think I finally met someone who eats more than I do. Geary would be impressed."

How did she do that? He was lying here with a ravaged back and she was blithely ignoring it and treating him like he was recovering from nothing more than a common cold. How was she able to take things like this in stride and not make him feel like a freak over it? "You're not going to ask me anything more than that?"

She shook her head. "I trust you, Ash. Completely." She held the book up. "You've trusted me with a lot of your secrets already. If you want to keep a few to yourself, I understand and I won't pry."

"You're too good to be real."

She smiled. "Not really. Remember, I'm the one who tried to hammer you."

He laughed, then grimaced at the pain.

She scowled in sympathy before she brushed his hair back from his cheek. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

Make me human, like you… But that was a stupid thought. "Please don't tell anyone I'm down. I should be better in a couple of hours. I just need a little more rest."

She rubbed his jawbone with the pad of her thumb. "You got it. By the way, your backpack is right here." She took his hand and led it to where it was set on the floor by the bed. "I haven't touched it except to put it there."

"Thank you."

"No problem." She stood up slowly. "Are you hungry or thirsty?"

He was starving, but there was nothing here that would satiate him. "I'm fine."

Tory cocked her head as he closed his eyes and let out one long breath. Even with his ravaged cheek and the bruise on his lip, he was still one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen. The fact that he'd have any interest in her at all amazed her. Honestly, she was no Artemis. The goddess was stunningly beautiful.

What human could compare to that?

Yet Ash was here with her. He trusted her when he trusted no one else. That alone touched her heart. And the more she read about his past, the more she wished she could wrap her arms around him and just hold him until all the bad memories were wiped away.

She looked down at the journal in her hand. There was so much sadness in it. Not only with Acheron, but with his sister too. Ryssa had tried so hard to help him while Apollo had been every bit as cruel to her as Artemis was to Ash.

And while she was fascinated by the history and glimpses of daily life she'd seen through Ryssa's words, she'd read enough. Ash's past was tragic and it said a lot for him that he could have any compassion at all.

She was through spying on him.

Tucking the journal into his backpack, she made sure it was completely zipped before she went downstairs to check on Simi.

Ash felt Tory's absence like an ache in his soul. There was something about her presence that lifted his spirits and made him happy just to be near her, which, given how much pain he was in, said much.

You should leave her.

He'd bought her a reprieve from Artemis's wrath, but for how long? The longer he stayed with Tory, the greater the danger to her. Not to mention Artemis wasn't the only one he had to deal with.

Stryker would kill Tory in an instant and by now Nick had most likely told the Daimon overlord about her. She was a human who didn't fit into his world of viciousness. Of beings who held no regard for anyone or anything.

But the mere thought of not seeing her was enough to bring him to his knees. Why couldn't he have something for himself?

You're a worthless whore. You deserve nothing but scorn and ridicule.

How could anyone ever love him?

Simi was blind to his faults because he'd raised her. He'd protected her. His mother loved him, but again, it was a parent-child bond. And Katra…

They were still learning each other.

"Stop it," he growled at himself. He wasn't a child. He wasn't the same pathetic creature who'd begged his father for a mercy that had never come to him.

He was a god.

She was human.

It was that simple and that impossible. He'd survived for eleven thousand years alone. By comparison, she was an embryo. What did she know about life? How to survive in the world he knew?

This would have to end. He was old enough to know better. There was no way for a happy ending for him. He'd willingly sold himself to Artemis when he'd been nothing more than a boy and there was no way out. His existence was too complicated. Once he healed, he'd end this and send her on her way. It was the best for all of them.

Tory laughed as she watched Simi pour hot sauce over her ice cream. More than that, she was grateful she didn't have to eat it-even if Simi did keep taunting her "wimpy" tastebuds. Better that than the stomach ache she was sure the demon would have later.

She was just about to tease Simi over that when there was a sudden rush of air around her.

Not sure what the sensation was, she stopped speaking mid-sentence and saw the color fade from Aimee's face as she stared in horror of what was behind Tory's back.

Dev and Katherine rushed forward.

Tory turned to see a group of extremely tall, handsome men there. The leader had eyes as black as space… and just as vast and empty.

He laughed at the bear clan before he seized her and everything went dark.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Ash heard the door to the room open again. Expecting Tory, he didn't move until he felt Dev's presence near him. He opened his eyes to find the bear looking down, his expression a mixture of dread, fear and anger.

"What?" Ash asked, half afraid of the answer.

"A group of demons just seized Tory."

It took a full minute for those words to penetrate the denial inside him. When they did, a rage so volatile Ash could taste it, rose up. Grinding his teeth against the pain, he clothed himself before he threw the covers back and stood against the injuries that made every molecule of his body throb. "Where did they go?"

"Kalosis."

He let out an expletive so crude, Dev actually blushed. It took every ounce of willpower not to lash out at the bear for allowing them to take her out of here. Lucky for Dev, he knew it wasn't the bear's fault. Sanctuaries only protected Apollites, Daimons and Were-Hunters.

Demons existed outside their rules.

And they'd gone to the one place Ash couldn't follow. The plan had been carefully thought out and executed. He'd congratulate them except for the fact he wanted their blood.

Simi popped in directly behind Dev. "I can go to Kalosis, akri. The Simi will get Akra-Tory back for you."

"No!" his voice came out completely demonic at the thought of what they might do to her. The gallu demons and the Charonte were natural enemies and while Simi could hold her own against virtually anyone, she couldn't fight all the gallu by herself. She was still a very young demon in terms of power and strength. "I won't risk you."

If they'd taken Tory to use against him, they'd take Simi in an instant. Honestly, he was amazed they hadn't tried. Of course even young, Simi had the powers to put up a strong fight and though they would have taken her, they would have paid for her abduction.

Tory on the other hand was completely at their mercy.

"Simi, return to me."

Her eyes large, she obeyed and placed herself back on his forearm. Ash turned back to Dev. "How many were there?"

"Six. They popped into the bar, right behind her and homed in as if she'd been marked by something. Before I could reach her, she was gone through a bolt hole. I'm really sorry. We did our best."

"I know you did." It was why the bear was still breathing. "Now it's between me and them." Ash flashed himself to Katoteros. His body throbbing, he walked through the main foyer and allowed his human clothes to melt away into the flowing silk formesta that was easier to bear on his bruised body.

He walked out onto the balcony that overlooked a tranquil sea. Even so, he wasn't overly fond of this spot. It reminded him too much of the balcony to the room where his adopted father had kept him in Didymos. But he needed the clarity of the balcony right now.

"Matera?" he called, summoning her from the depths of the hell realm where she lived.

"Apostolos?"

He counted to ten to get his temper under control so that he could talk to his mother without the fury he felt offending her. Even though they fought against each other over mankind, she was still his mother and he loved her enough to keep his tone respectful. "I forgave you for sending Stryker after Marissa Hunter in an effort to lure me into Kalosis to free you, but this…" He paused before he exploded in anger. "How could you?" he asked from between clenched teeth.

"How could I what?" Her tone showed genuine surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Demons entered Sanctuary and took Soteria into Kalosis. Are you telling me that you have no knowledge of this?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." The angry denial in her tone was too sincere to be feigned. Her shade appeared beside him and there he saw for himself her anger on his behalf. "I will take care of them, Apostolos. Have no fear. I'll be right back."

Ash inclined his head to her shade respectfully, but something inside him warned him that it wouldn't be that easy.

Apollymi left her dark garden with a swirl of fury as she teleported from her area of the palace to the hall where Stryker held court over his Daimons. He was sitting there, nonchalantly, as a group of them were feeding on some hapless human at his feet that they'd no doubt kidnaped and brought here.

Stryker looked up with a frown at her approach. "To what do I owe this honor?"

She ignored his sarcasm as she looked around at the Daimon horde. "I want them out of here. Now."

Stryker made a noise of irritation before he nodded. "You heard the goddess. Out."

They obeyed instantly, taking the human with them. Apollymi felt badly for the person they'd killed, but it was the state of nature that one life form invariably fed on another. While it wasn't fair the human had been prematurely killed, the Daimons had it even worse. They were cursed to watch themselves and everyone they loved decay over a twenty-four hour period because eleven thousand years ago a god had been angry over the actions of only a dozen Apollites.

No, life wasn't a balance sheet of fairness. It was survival of the fittest, smartest and swiftest.

And right now, that was her.

As soon as she was alone with Stryker, she narrowed her eyes on him. "Where is she?"

Stryker gave her a blank stare. "She would be?"

"Soteria Kafieri. Your demons took her out of Sanctuary in New Orleans. Where are they holding her?"

Stryker scowled as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean my demons took her?"

Why was he playing this game with her? "The Sumerian gallus you welcomed here. Surely, not even you can miss their stench. They violated the Chthonian laws of Sanctuary and they took her hostage to hold against Apostolos. Don't you dare feign ignorance in this."

"I'm not feigning anything." He stood up indignantly. "Kessar!" He shouted, summoning the gallu leader who was as evil as any being Apollymi have ever met.

The demon appeared before him with an arrogance that was commendable given the fact Kessar would have been dead had Strykerius not taken him in. Tall and lean with brown hair and red eyes, he looked more like a fashion model than a demon and he used those good looks to his advantage whenever he sought humans to eat.

He curled his lip in repugnance as he faced Stryker. "I despise whenever you do that, Daimon. I'm not one of your pathetic minions to come when you call my name."

Stryker wasn't intimidated in the least. "So long as you reside here and benefit from my protection, you'll come when I call."

Kessar's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What can I do for you, my lord?"

His sarcasm made a mockery of the tone Stryker had used on him.

"I want to know about this woman you've taken hostage. How dare you move into the human realm without my knowledge."

Kessar shrugged. "We did what your sister asked us to do. I assumed she had your ear. If you have issue with what's happened. Perhaps you should have a family meeting." He vanished.

Stryker cursed. "I hate that sonofabitch."

"Then why did you offer him refuge?" Apollymi asked.

He looked at her with a coldness she could feel all the way through her. "You have your demons for protection, it seemed only fair I should have mine. We both know I no longer have your favor, Apollymi. Even though I killed my own son to make you happy. Even though I've spent a million lifetimes in blind service to you, I'm only a means to an end. You want to hurt my father for what he did to your son and I'm the chosen tool for it. Honestly, I didn't mind your using me so long as I thought of you as a mother. But you declared war on me and so here we are. Neither of us happy. Both of us alienated from our children." He let out a bitter laugh. "We're a pair, aren't we?"

Apollymi approached him slowly as her restrained emotions roiled through her. It wasn't as simple as he made it sound. "In spite of what you think, Strykerius, I did love you. But I'm a goddess of vengeance and you made the mistake of forgetting that. The moment you went after Apostolos to harm him, you drew the battle declaration, not I. Where my son is concerned, I have no reason or loyalty to anyone above him. He is what I cherish most and he and his daughter and grandchild are the only things in this world I would die to protect. Now you hold what is sacred to him. Release her immediately, or not even your demons will be able to save you from me."

Stryker eyed her angrily as he realized this was no bluff. "Satara!"

His sister appeared instantly in a pique. "Don't take that tone with me."

Apollymi glared at her. "Where's Soteria?"

The stupid child didn't even have the sense to fear her. Instead, she shrugged. "She's safe for the moment."

"Release her," Apollymi demanded.

"Hardly."

Apollymi threw her arm out and brought Satara into her grasp so that she could choke her with one hand. "I'm not into games, little one. Release her or I will kill you."

Satara sputtered and choked as she tried to pull Apollymi's hand from her throat. It was useless. No one outpowered Apollymi. "You kill me and she dies, too."

Apollymi squeezed her neck tighter.

"Apollymi, wait!" Stryker snapped. "She's not lying. Look at her wrist. She's wearing the Atlantean cuffs. And I'm willing to bet the other one is on Soteria. You kill her and Soteria dies with her."

Satara smiled evilly. "And you would be correct, brother."

Cursing, Apollymi threw her against Strykerius. "I want Soteria freed."

Satara straightened and met her anger with a smugness that made her want to blast the chit into oblivion. "When I have my journal from Acheron, she will be freed. Trust me, I don't want her harmed any more than you do." The taunt in her voice didn't fail to register with Apollymi, who also recognized the fact the bitch was lying. "I merely want what Acheron has."

Apollymi scoffed. "Do you think he would ever trust you to make a trade for her?"

"No. That's why I've had my demons summon Jaden. Jaden will broker the deal. That way I know Acheron won't use his powers against me and I won't use my demons or powers against him."

Apollymi rolled her eyes at the ridiculous boast. She was ever amazed by the arrogance of people who seriously overestimated their abilities. "Little girl, you have no powers."

Satara laughed evilly. "Oh Apollymi, for all yours, you greatly underestimate me if you think that." She faded out.

If she rolled her eyes any further back, she'd go blind from it. Apollymi turned to Strykerius. "I understand the need for family, but if I were you, I'd let that one go before she drags you down to a depth so low you drown in it." Then she too faded back to her garden where she could speak to Apostolos alone.

As a mother, she hated delivering bad news to him and that made her hate Satara all the more. "There's nothing I can do, m'gios. They've gone to Jaden who will contact you with the terms to get her back."

She could feel Apostolos's impotent fury. "Matera-"

"They have the bracelets on Soteria. If I try anything, Satara will kill her."

He sighed wearily. "What do they want?"

"Ryssa's journal."

"Which one?"

"They didn't say, but I'm sure Jaden will tell you all you need to get her back." And once Satara was free of that bracelet, she was going to wish she'd never dared to cross Apollymi or her son.

Ash pulled away from his mother and wished her well. Right now he had bigger things to concern himself with. If Satara wanted one of the journals, there was only one reason.

She wanted to kill Artemis and Apollo.

"Damn it, Ryssa." Why had she always felt the need to journal her every thought? Yet those words had comforted him over the centuries.

Now they were the greatest threat he'd ever known.

He grimaced as a severe pain cut through his back. For that alone, he should let Satara have at Artemis.

But unfortunately, her death would end the world.

There was nothing to be done for it. He'd deal with Satara, but for now he had to secure Soteria.

Closing his eyes, he took himself back to their room in Sanctuary. He walked to the other side of the bed and froze.

There was no backpack.

What the hell? He looked around for it, but as he couldn't even sense the items it contained, apprehension shrank his stomach tight. This wasn't good. No one should have had access to this room or his backpack.

Leaving the room, he went outside to find Aimee who was waiting tables. She pulled aside into a quiet corner at his approach.

"Hey," he said in a low tone. "Have you seen anyone in our room upstairs?"

"No, why?"

"My backpack's missing."

Unaware of how important it was, she frowned. "Let me go ask and see if someone knows something."

Ash tapped his thumb against his thigh as he struggled to locate the pack with his powers. Nothing came to him. It was as if it'd been sucked out of existence.

When Aimee returned shaking her head, he knew something had gone seriously wrong.

Since the backpack didn't appear to be in the human realm and it wasn't in Katoteros or Kalosis, there was only one more likely place.

Olympus.

Pissed to a level only Artemis could elevate him to, he went to her temple and found her sitting on her white chaise as if she hadn't a care in the world. As if she hadn't beaten every fragment of skin from his back. And when she looked at him with a cold, simpering smile of pride he knew she'd fucked him over yet again.

"What did you do?" he demanded.

"I've done nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Artemis. I'm not in the mood."

At least that succeeded in wiping the stupid smile off her face. "I'm not lying to you. You haven't asked me any real questions."

He hated playing the literal game with her. "Fine. My backpack's missing. Have you seen it?"

It appeared instantly at his feet.

Artemis let out a slow breath of disgust. "I don't know why you love that matted out rag."

"Ratted out."

"Whatever. You should think about getting a new one."

Ash didn't respond as he knelt down to search it. The moment he opened it, his fury ripped through him with a renewed vigor. "Where are Ryssa's journals?"

"Safe."

Yeah and she so wasn't at the moment. "That is not an acceptable answer."

She rose slowly from the chaise in a swirl of red hair and white cloth. She was regal and cold as she raked him with a snarl. "It's the only answer you're going to get. Those books posed a risk to me and I've now illuminated it."

"Eliminated, Artemis. Damn, learn to speak." He jerked the backpack closed before he stood to confront her eye to eye. "Those journals are my property. I want them returned to me, right now, along with my mother's medallions and the Atlantean dagger."

She didn't even have the sense to look scared. "No."

Ash roared at her as she continued to taunt him with her nonchalance. "Don't test me!"

"Or what?" she snapped. "We both know you'd never hurt me. You've sworn it. I'm safe from your wrath." She actually smiled at him as if his anger amused her. "Forget your human and I'll forgive you for what you've done." She reached to touch his face where she'd slapped him earlier.

Ash grabbed her hand to prevent it. "I want my property back."

Her nostrils flared. "And I want mine. Shall we make an even exchange? You for the journals."

"I'm not your property, Artemis."

"Then I don't know what you're talking about with the journals and other matters."

He tightened his grip on her wrist, wanting to slap her so badly that he was amazed he kept himself in check. "Did you ever really love me? Even a little?"

"Of course I did."

He knew better. She wasn't capable of it. Disgusted, he shoved her hand away from him. "But only because I belonged to you and you alone. Even as a god, you don't think of me as your equal. To you I've never been anything more than a toy to be discarded when you're bored or through with me." He stepped back from her. He picked his backpack up and slung it over his shoulder, intending to leave.

She followed him. "If you want to save the life of your human, Acheron, you have to give me what I want. Swear to me that you'll never touch or see her again and you can have your stupid journals and toys."

Ash looked at her as desolate pain tore through him. In all his life, he'd wanted only one thing. Someone to make him feel the way Tory did whenever she looked at him.

And now Artemis was demanding he give that up.

To save Tory's life.

His back burned from Artemis's anger, reminding him of how broken their relationship was. How could he go back to her when he'd found something so much better?

Then again what good would standing his ground do if Tory were dead? Could he live with the thought that she'd died because of him?

There has to be a way out of this. You're a god, not some worthless pawn.

No, he was through playing this game. "I won't pay your price, Artemis. And you should know that by asking it, you've severed the last vestige of me that ever cared for you."

She laughed bitterly. "You'll be back, begging for me to help you. Begging for the life of your pitiful human. I know you, Acheron."

He shook his head in denial. "No, you don't. And that's the most pathetic part of the sum of us. In all these centuries, you've never bothered to learn the most basic thing about me at all."

His heart sick with worry for Tory and hatred for Artemis, Ash returned to Sanctuary to page Jaden. Unlike many of the gods, Jaden refused to embrace modern technology. He'd banned all cell phones from working anywhere near him, but Ash had managed to talk him into a beeper so that he could at least page the broker so that they could partake of the one thing Jaden did like about the modern age.

Video games.

He'd barely dialed the number before Jaden appeared beside him looking as ill as Ash felt.

"Is Tory all right?"

Jaden crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. "She's angry and indignant-not that I blame her in the least-but she hasn't been hurt."

Thank the gods for that. But it was only an extremely temporary relief. "I don't have the journal they want."

Jaden let out a low whistle. "That is going to be a problem. Can you get it?"

The answer would have made him laugh if it wasn't so sickening. "If I swear myself to eternal slavery to Artemis. Yes."

Jaden snorted. "I'd rather trade places with Prometheus and have my innards ripped out every day."

"So would I."

"Then what are you going to do?"

That seemed to be the question of the day. If only he had some solution. "Can you buy me some time?"

Jaden hedged. "Demons aren't exactly patient as a rule and particularly in this case. They seem to think that the journal will somehow free them."

"Free them from what?"

"Being servants. Living underground. Having to suffer the presence of Daimons and their stench-can't really blame them there. Escaping death matches with you and Sin every time they pop out of the ground-again can't blame them for that. But still…" Jaden shook his head in bitter amusement. "You have to remember that what we're dealing with here are Sumerian gallu demons. The next to the lowest form of demon on the demon food chain. They're simple demons really. Lowly. You know… morons."

Ash snorted. "They were bright enough to take her out of a Were sanctuary without getting caught."

Jaden arched a single brow over that. "That could probably bring Savitar over."

He wished. But their laws didn't work that way. "Humans aren't a protected class."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Savitar shares your 'all humans are vermin' mind set."

One corner of Jaden's mouth twisted into an evil smirk. "I wouldn't say all humans are vermin. They do have their uses-especially the females for brief periods of time. They're just so… pathetically human."

"Which is why you deal with demons."

"Who are even more pathetic than humans when you think about it. Personally, I'd rather play video games. Wouldn't it be great if we could suck the souls of the people we hated into the box, shoot them down and then dance in their entrails?"

Acheron rolled his eyes at the glee in Jaden's voice. "You woke up on the wrong side of the oak tree, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I have my own issues to deal with and, right now, the primary issue appears to be fucking over one of my only friends. I'll do my damnedest to buy you some time with the demons, but you need to come up with a miracle quickly." He started to fade out.

"Hey, Jaden?" Ash waited until he'd rematerialized before he spoke again. "Thank you. I know you don't have to do what you're doing for me and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it."

"It's okay. I'm sure one day I'm going to need help bending some rules backwards. And when I ask for your help I don't want to hear any shit from you."

"Anytime, agriato."

Jaden inclined his head respectfully to him as Ash spoke in Jaden's native tongue and called him brother. It wasn't a language the demon broker heard often. He gave Ash a slight imperial bow before he vanished.

Ash stood alone in the room that seemed so empty without Tory here to fill it. Though she was tall, she was very slight of frame, almost frail in appearance and yet her spirit was so enormous that it filled the emptiness inside him in a way nothing had before.

Just trade yourself to Artemis for her and be done with it.

"You are not a whore to be bartered and sold!" He swore he could hear Tory's indignant voice in his head. And for the first time in his existence, he didn't feel like one.

Ash lifted his chin as a surge of pride and power swept away the pain of his beating. The pain that had lived inside him for so long that he'd almost forgotten anything else.

Taking a deep breath, he let his true voice out and spoke the words that now burned inside him. "I am the god Apostolos. The Harbinger of Telikos. The Final Fate of all. Beloved son of Apollymi the Great Destroyer. My will makes the will of the universe. I am not your whore, Artemis, and I will never be your slave."

He was through bartering and playing. Tory had done something no one else ever had. She'd given him self worth and a resolve he'd never known before. A woman like Soteria Kafieri wouldn't love a piece of shit. She wouldn't love a whore who crawled at the command of a goddess he despised.

No, Tory deserved more than that. And the love he felt for her made him better than his past. He loved her not only for who and what she was, but for the way she made him feel every time she looked at him.

No one was ever going to hurt her so long as there was breath in his body.

If Satara wanted a fight for Soteria, the bitch was going to get one.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Tory ground her teeth at the indignity of her stance. Her hands were chained over her head to a board. Her legs had a degree more freedom, but they too were chained into a wide stance and she hated it. It was so degrading to be held like this and to not be able to get free. She couldn't even scratch the itch on her nose and it was making her crazy.

More than that, this gave her an understanding of Acheron that made her want to kill over the way he'd been treated. How many times had he been tied like this? Savagely beaten while those around him cheered and jeered? Or worse, took sexual pleasure from his degradation?

Today they finally carried out Acheron's castration for a crime I know he'd never commit. I can still hear his screams of unbearable pain. His cries for mercy and for death. The way he sobbed like I'd never heard him cry before. I don't think he knows how the sound of his misery echoed through the halls. How those screams scarred my soul. And I doubt if I will ever be able to silence them from my heart.

Ryssa's words spoke to her. Now she fully understood what Ash had endured as a human being. A pawn to his enemies. A pawn to the brutal machinations of people who had no regard for his life or feelings. Assaulted, betrayed and abused. It was a wonder the man was even sane. That he wasn't as merciless and callous toward the world that had been that way to him. The fact that he could find even a modicum of compassion astounded her. And she wasn't going to let these assholes use her to hurt him.

Growling in rage and determination, she pulled at the chains on her hands as hard as she could.

Laughter rang out. "You might as well stop that. All you're going to do is hurt yourself. Even if you get free, you'll never survive the Daimons and demons who'll eat you the minute you leave this room."

Tory paused to see Satara standing a few feet from her dressed in a black pantsuit, her hair a deep burgundy color this time-what was it with these god people that they constantly played with their hair?

She narrowed her gaze on Satara. "You know, my whole life I've taken pride in the fact that I'm Greek. But I have to say that after you and Artemis, I'm seriously beginning to hate some of my heritage. Is it congenital or is there something else that has made you such a bitch?"

Satara hissed at her like a cat who'd just had its tail crushed. "Don't insult me, human. I'm not supposed to harm you. At least in theory. Though now that I think about it, a little ruffling of your feathers might not be such a bad thing."

Maybe that should scare her, but for some reason she couldn't fathom, it didn't. "Seriously, why do you want to kill your aunt so badly?"

Satara scoffed. "You serve her spoiled rotten ass for eleven thousand years and let's see to what extremes you'd go to free yourself. I offered a deal to Acheron centuries ago to free us both and the bastard refused. He deserves the hell she gives him and then some. But I don't. Unlike him, I didn't bind myself willingly to her. I was forced into this and one way or another, I'm going to get free."

"And when Ash comes for me-"

She laughed, cutting off Tory's words. "He won't come here, sweetie. He can't. You're in the Atlantean hell realm. If your lover sets one foot down here after you, his mother goes free and the world ends. He thinks too much of humanity to let that happen. So you are mine for a bit. And personally, I think we should have some play time."

Ash summoned Simi off his body.

Cocking her head, she studied him like a small child. "What's the matter, akri? You look very sad."

He didn't answer her question since it would most likely upset her and that was the last thing he wanted. "I'm leaving you here at Sanctuary while I do something."

"What are you doing?"

Going to commit suicide most likely, but that didn't matter. Only Tory's welfare did. However if he was to enter a fight, which he was about to, Simi would come off his body to battle by his side and he couldn't let her be hurt because of him.

"Humor me, Simykee. I'm going where you can't."

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "You going to see that heifer, aren't you? Fine. The Simi will stay so she don't gots to hear no huffing and puffing or anything else that turns a demon's stomach. Akri, have you any idea what it's like to be sick as a tattoo? It's not fun, believe your Simi when she tells you that."

He shook his head at her, amazed that she could make him smile while he felt so bad. "I believe you, Sim. Now stay put." He took her downstairs to where Dev, Angel, Kyle and the rest of the bears were having a powwow of some sort. Some customer must have made a pass at Aimee and they were contemplating making him tomorrow's daily special.

"I'm going to leave Simi here for a bit," he told Dev. "Will you guys watch her?" It was a rhetorical question.

At least that's what he thought until Dev shook his head. "We're going with you."

Ash scowled. "What are you talking about?"

"We know what you're planning," Angel said, "and we're going with you."

He was completely stunned. And when he saw Valerius, Talon, Kyrian, Julian, Zarek, Sin, Vane, Kyl, Katra, Fang, Tabitha and Fury walking in, all he could do was scowl in confusion.

Why would all of them be here?

"What's going on?" Ash asked them.

Kyrian gave him a droll stare. "There's not one of us here that you haven't put your ass on the line for-most of us more than once. Alexion told us what happened with Tory and we're here to watch your back no matter what you have planned."

Talon nodded. "Wulf is on his way, too. He'll be here as soon as the plane lands and Otto can speed him over. And Otto plans to stand with us too."

Valerius pulled Tabitha back. "Tabitha won't be fighting. She'll be going home very shortly, but she wanted to let you know she's here in spirit."

Tabitha made a face. "But for the baby, I'd be busting balls for you, Ash. You know that."

He smiled at her. "I know, Tabby."

"The other Dark-Hunters wanted to be here," Talon said, "but since the sun hasn't quite set yet, they couldn't. However, once the blazing ball goes down, they're here if we need them."

Ash was amazed by their willingness to bleed for him. It touched him on a level he hadn't realized existed. It was why he wanted to keep his past a secret so much. Would they be this willing to stand by him if they knew the truth of his past? Or would they be like everyone else and step on him?

Just like Merus…

But even so, this meant everything to him.

He looked at Kat. "I don't want you in this fight."

She growled at him. "Dad-"

"No arguments," he said, cutting her off. "If Simi stays out of the fight, so do you."

Sin gave a low, evil laugh. "I'm so glad he's your father. And that for once we see eye to eye."

Kat held her finger up to Sin. "You are out of my bedroom tonight. And you…" She turned to Ash. "Just irritate me. Tory is a good friend of mine. If anything goes wrong and you need me, you guys better call. Otherwise, you're all in the dog house." She looked back at her husband. "And you're in it regardless."

Sin shrugged her ire off good-naturedly.

Zarek ignored them with his habitual sneer. "This still doesn't mean I like you, Acheron. But I owe you for my wife and son. I would lay my life down for yours because without you, I wouldn't have shit and I know it."

That was probably the closest thing to a declaration of love the man could muster and it honestly touched him.

"I wasn't expecting any of you to stand with me. We're not fighting just the Daimons in this. We're fighting demons too."

Sin snorted. "I live to tear demons apart. Bring the bastards on."

Zarek nodded. "Agreed… bring on the rain. The one thing I learned from Astrid is that life isn't about finding shelter in a storm. It's about learning to dance in the rain. I don't care what I kill as long as I get bloody while doing it."

Talon smiled. "We're here for you, T-Rex. Just like you've always been here for us."

And to think he'd always thought of himself as alone. While he'd trained the Dark-Hunters and had fought with the Were-Hunters to help them, he'd never expected them to return the favor. "Thanks guys. I'm not used to people standing at my back." They'd always handed him over to his enemies or screwed him hard. It felt good to know he wasn't alone. "I know you all have families who love you so if you want to leave-"

Vane scoffed. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't want to. You and Val fought to save my sister when no one else would have bothered. I haven't forgotten it."

"And I haven't forgotten what the Dark-Hunters did for me and Maggie," Wren said sternly.

Fury nodded. "Yeah, we're family. Psychotic, bizarre and a hodgepodge of personalities that should probably never be blended, but here we are. Now let's go kick some ass."

Satara smiled cruelly at Nick as she faced him toward Tory. "Think about it, love. It's the perfect revenge, isn't it?"

Tory glared at the woman who had to be the most heartless of creatures. Someone really needed to give her a beating.

Satara left him to return to Tory's side. "I know she's not much to look at. But you can pretend you're screwing me." She stood directly behind Tory and reached around her to cup Tory's breasts for Nick's inspection. "Think of how much it'll kill Acheron to know you raped his woman while he was powerless to stop you. Think of the guilt and agony he'll live with every day, thinking of her crying and begging for mercy while there was no one to help her. Of her calling out for him when he couldn't be with her. It's the perfect revenge."

Tory shoved herself back against Satara and slammed her head into the woman's face. "You better be glad I'm tied up, you bitch."

Satara buried her hand in Tory's hair and snatched her head back. "It's time to gag you."

A cloth tie appeared around Tory's face.

Satara cut her shirt open with a gold-handled dagger. She trailed it against Tory's skin until she hooked the blade underneath Tory's bra. "C'mon, Nick. The little whore humiliated you in Sanctuary. Take your revenge on her and on Acheron."

He approached them slowly. Methodically.

Tory tried to scream through her gag, but no sound came. Terrified, she jerked on the chains and hated that she was so powerless to defend herself.

Satara sliced open her bra, spilling her breasts out. "She's all yours."

Nick took the knife from her hand.

Tory felt the tears of frustration stinging her eyes. How could any man worthy of the name do this to a woman? She would never hurt another being like this. The fact that Satara as a woman would orchestrate the rape of another made her the most repugnant of creatures.

And they better kill her after this, because once she had her freedom, she would kill them.

His features completely stoic, Nick fingered the edge of blade.

Satara was all but glowing with satisfaction. "Go on, love. Make me proud."

Nick paused his hand and looked up at her. "You know what, Satara? There's only one person I've ever given a shit about making proud." He gripped the knife tight in his fist. Pulling his sunglasses off, Tory gasped as she realized he had the same silver eyes as Acheron.

He met her gaze before he looked back at Satara who was smirking in pride.

"And that person was never you." The moment those words left his lips, he buried the dagger deep in Satara's stomach.

Satara stumbled back, gasping as she covered the wound. Blood flowed between her fingers. Her face was a mask of pain and disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"I'm embracing my fate." He snatched the keys from her pocket. Spinning around, he removed the thick silver bracelet from Tory's arm and let it fall to the floor where it landed with a loud thud.

Satara let out a shout for her brother as she ran for the door.

Nick threw the dagger at her fleeing form with a lethal aim. It slammed into her lower back and sent her straight to the ground.

Tory was too stunned to move as Nick opened the chains that held her arms in place. "Why would you help me?"

When he straightened up from freeing her feet, he pulled her shirt closed over her chest. Then he shrugged his jacket off and handed it to her. "Don't get me wrong, I hate Ash with every part of me and I will kill him one day, mark my words. But I don't have to imagine the pain he would feel if I tortured you. I live with that pain every fucking day because of him. I hear my mother's voice crying out for me to help her. To save her life while she was tortured and killed. And because of her, I'm a better man than Ash is. I won't let an innocent die to get back at him. You don't deserve to die any more than my mother did."

Tory shook her head, trying to understand him. "But you threatened me at Sanctuary."

"No, I only wanted to rattle him. I would never hurt a woman. My mama raised me better."

She looked to Satara's lifeless body.

Nick scoffed at the pity on her face. "She wasn't a woman, trust me. She more than deserved what I did and she's done a lot worse to others, including me. I ain't ever going to be a pawn to no one else again." He left her to pull the dagger out of Satara's back.

Tory followed him. "That's Atlantean, isn't it?"

He smiled evilly. "You make sure you tell Ash I have it."

Then he took her arm and hauled her toward the door.

The instant he cracked it open, she realized that they were in a room that led out into a great hall filled with demons and Daimons.

She shrank back as Nick gave a low curse.

"We can't go that way, can we?"

He shook his head. "Not unless you want to be eaten." He was just about to pull back when the impossible happened. The bolt hole in the center of the room opened.

It flared bright and gold.

And when it dulled Acheron and Urian stood there, defiantly facing the Daimons.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Still hidden behind the door with Nick, Tory blinked, then smiled at the sight of Ash standing tough and large in the middle of the Daimons. His stance said it all, I'm here to clean your house and I won't be merciful while doing it. Fuck with me and you'll be nothing more than your mama's bad memory.

His black hair was streaked through with dark red. The hem of his long, pirate style double breasted coat swung around those cherry red Doc Martens that he'd worn the night they first met. The ruby stud was back in his nose and for once she adored the sight of the sunglasses perched on his face.

Man, Acheron was hot and her heart raced in gratitude that he'd come for her.

The tall, blond man beside him was much more sedate in appearance. With a black button down shirt that was rolled back at his wrists and jeans, his clothes were plain in comparison. But he was almost as handsome with perfect features and white blond hair that he wore pulled back into a ponytail. She also didn't miss the fact that but for the blond hair, the man bore a remarkable resemblance to Stryker.

Like Stryker, he had a deadly air that was only surpassed by the one enveloping Ash.

"I thought Ash couldn't come here," she whispered to Nick.

"Apparently he's willing to end the world for you. You should be impressed. I am."

Her eyes widening, she definitely was. Why would Ash take such a risk?

And every demon and Daimon was frozen into place by his presence. Not a single word was said by the crowd outside. It was as if they were all holding a collective breath as they waited for Armageddon to begin.

All except Stryker who glared at the blond man beside Ash with an expression that was best defined as pained hatred. "You dare to stand with my enemy?"

"Against you, Father, I'd stand with Mickey Mouse."

Stryker curled his lip. "You worthless sonofabitch. You should never have been anything more than a cum stain."

The blond scoffed. "I could definitely say the same thing about you. It would have saved the world and all of us a lot of misery now, wouldn't it?"

The Daimons started forward, but they were thrown back by an unseen force.

Ash turned to Stryker and growled. "Enough of the family reunion bullshit. Where is Soteria?"

Tory frowned at Ash's words. Though the voice was his, it had a thick Greek accent and not the more fluid Atlantean one he used whenever he wasn't speaking colloquial American. How odd. Even when he spoke flawless Greek, his accent wasn't that throaty and traditional.

"She's over there." A tall blond woman appeared a few feet from Ash and indicated the door where Tory stood with an imperious jerk of her chin.

Tory gasped at her beauty as the woman crossed the short distance to embrace Ash. "At last, m'gios. You've come to set me free." She placed a kiss on his cheek and whispered something in his ear.

Tory was stunned as she realized this was the goddess Apollymi. Ash's mother.

The goddess of utter destruction.

Ash hugged her close and nodded before he stepped back. With a sneer thrown at Stryker, he turned and headed for her room.

Before Nick could stop her, Tory shoved open the door and ran for Ash. She threw herself into his arms and held him close from her giddy relief. And when their lips met…

She went cold in confused shock.

This wasn't Ash. In looks he was completely identical, but he neither smelled nor felt like Acheron. And he definitely didn't kiss like him.

Nick ran at the Ash imposter, but before he could reach him, Urian grabbed Nick and shoved him back into the room where they'd been.

"We have to go," Urian said to her and the fake Ash as he slammed the door shut behind them. He looked at Nick. "And you need to come with us."

Nick curled his lip in obvious hatred. "I'm not going anywhere with him. I'd rather be dead."

Urian forced Nick to look down at Satara's body. "I'm going to make the wildly unfounded assumption that Satara's dead by your hand and not Tory's." Gripping Nick's chin, he forced him to meet his gaze. "Now, stay with me on this, Cajun. My father slit my throat and murdered my wife because he thought I'd betrayed him by getting married. Before that, he loved me more than his life and I was his last surviving child. His second in command. Now what do you think he's going to do to you once he sees her body? I can assure you, it won't be a fun-filled trip to Chuck E. Cheese. For all their animosity toward each other, Satara is his sister and she's served him well over the centuries. If you really want to stay here and have some fun with Stryker, I won't stop you. But I really wouldn't recommend it."

That seemed to get through to Nick. Sanity returned to his eyes. "Fine. I'll go with you."

"Urian," the fake Ash said between his clenched teeth. "I think they're catching on."

"Catching on to what?" Nick asked.

Tory rolled her eyes at the dense question. "That this isn't Ash."

The words had barely left her lips before they faded out of the room.

Zolan, Stryker's third in command and the leader of his personal Illuminati attack force, cleared his throat in the still silent room. "Um… boss, I don't mean this disrespectfully, but why are we still here? I mean, if Acheron has come to free Apollymi, shouldn't there be an explosion or something?"

The Daimons and demons looked around as if waiting for an opening to the outer world to appear or for Apollymi to burst into song and dance, or for something else unnatural to happen. Meanwhile, Apollymi just stood there completely stoic, appearing almost angelic and sweet, as she watched Stryker closely.

His second in command, Davyn, scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I agree, kyrios," he said to Stryker, using the Atlantean term for lord. "It doesn't feel like the end of the world."

Stryker turned a cold sneer to Apollymi. "No, it doesn't…"

Apollymi arched a taunting brow. "How does the song go, 'It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine'?"

Something was wrong and in an instant he realized what it was. Launching himself from his throne, he ran to the room just as Urian, Tory, Nick and what had to be Ash's twin brother Styxx vanished.

His anger over the obvious trick mounted until he saw Satara lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Fear washed away his rage as he ran to find her dead. Her eyes were glazed and her skin tinged blue.

His heart shattered as he pulled her into his arms and held her close, fighting against the tears of grief and pain. "You stupid psychotic bitch," he growled against her cold cheek, fighting the sobs that demanded release. "What have you done now?"

Apollymi stood in the doorway, aching for Strykerius as he rocked his sister's body in his arms, reminding her of the day she'd found her son's body dumped on the cliffs. Sympathy and a newfound respect for him tore through her.

The fact that he could love someone as broken as Satara said much for him. Yes, he could be cold-blooded, but he wasn't heartless. Closing her eyes, she remembered him the day they'd first met. Stryker had been young and bitter over his father's curse.

"I gave up everything I ever cared about for him and this is how he repays my loyalty? I'm to die in agony in only six years? My young children are now banished from the sun and are cursed to drink blood from each other instead of eating food, and to die in pain at only twenty-seven? For what? For the death of a Greek whore killed by soldiers I've never even seen? Where's the justice in that?"

So she'd pulled him to her ranks and taught him how to circumvent his father's curse by absorbing human souls into his body to elongate his life. She'd given him and his children shelter in a realm where the humans couldn't harm them and where there was no danger of his children accidentally dying by sunlight. Then she'd allowed him to convert others and bring them here to live.

In the beginning, she'd pitied him and she'd even loved him as a son.

But he wasn't her Apostolos and the more he was around her, the more she wanted to have her own child with her no matter the cost. She admitted it was her own fault that she'd put a wall between her and Strykerius. And the two of them had used each other to get back at the people they hated.

Now it had all come to this…

"I'm so sorry, Strykerius."

He looked up at her, his silver eyes swirling in pain. "Are you? Or are you gloating?"

"I never gloat over death. I may relish it from time to time when it's justified. But I never gloat."

"And I don't let challenges like this go unanswered."

Tory didn't have time to even orient herself to her new location before someone seized her in a hug so tight, she feared her ribs might break. It wasn't until the scent of Acheron hit her and he kissed her deeply that she smiled and laughed in relief. She was safe.

She started to wrap her arms around his back, but remembered his injuries. Instead, she hugged his neck and held him close.

This was the real Acheron and he felt great in her arms.

He cupped her face in his hands. "Are you all right?" he asked, his eyes darkening as he saw her torn shirt and Nick's buttoned up jacket.

"I'm fine. Really."

"But we're not," Urian said drily. "Nick killed Satara while they held Tory."

"He did it to protect me," Tory interjected.

Urian snorted. "We'll put that on the headstone for you. In the meantime Stryker's going to want blood for this. A lot of blood."

Nick scoffed at his dire tone. "No offense, your father doesn't scare me, especially given how bad I want a piece of his hide. Come get some."

Urian looked less than impressed. "I know you think you share powers with him, but trust me he didn't give you anything but the leftovers. Not to mention one small thing. No one gets a piece of him until after I do."

Ash let out a shrill whistle. "Down, children. We have more important things to do than just save your machismo."

Tory hid a smile as she finally understood exactly what Ash's job was and why he described himself as a wrangler. He really was.

Ash leveled a determined look at Nick. "We have a battle to prepare for. I'm not letting Stryker take Nick."

Nick laughed bitterly. "I don't need your fucking help. I can fight on my own."

Ash didn't respond to the hatred in his tone. "I know why you hate me, Nick. I get it. But your mother wouldn't want you to kill yourself again. Hate me tomorrow. Tonight tolerate me as a necessary evil."

Nick shoved him back. "This doesn't make us friends."

Ash held his hands up. "I know." He turned back to Tory. "Styxx, take her out of here. Keep her safe."

Tory gaped as she realized that this was the same Styxx she'd read about in the journal-the same one who'd tortured and castrated Acheron.

A wave of rage so bitter she could taste it washed over her. She was going to tell Ash that she had no intention of going anywhere with the man who'd gone out of his way to hurt him, but before she could even open her mouth a bright flash of light blinded her.

A nanosecond later a herd of mean, blond men stepped out. They looked deadly serious as they took up formation.

Stryker came through and his gaze went straight to Urian. "You've betrayed me for the last time." He threw something at Urian.

Tory had no idea what it was until Ash caught it in his hand. It was a strangely shaped dagger that reminded her of an ancient Greek design and yet it bore the same sun symbol on the pommel that Ash had on his backpack.

Ash narrowed his gaze on the Daimons. "Take your girls, scream and run away now, Stryker. It'll save you time later. Believe me, you don't want a taste of me in the mood I'm in."

Stryker ran his tongue over his fangs as if he was savoring the idea of feeding on Acheron. "There's nothing I crave more than the taste of blood. Your Dark-Hunters aren't here." He looked around at the men who stood with Ash and laughed in derision. "Tonight we feast, Spathi. Attack!"

Tory was snatched behind the group that stood with Acheron. She wanted to tell them that she could hold her own, but as the men attacked and the Daimons fought back with punches and lightning bolt strikes, she realized that she wasn't as proficient as she needed to be.

They weren't just fighting with their fists and weapons, they were fighting with preternatural powers she could never compete with. And the thought had barely finished before a group of demons joined ranks with the Daimons to fight them.

Stryker went for Nick, but Ash caught him and the two of them went to the ground, slugging. Urian stabbed a demon between the eyes before he turned and ducked the fangs of a Daimon.

Tory stumbled back, looking for a weapon of some kind.

A demon launched itself at her. She tried to kick him back, but he didn't even flinch. Just as he would have reached her, Julian was there with a sword. He severed the demon's head with one well-placed swing.

Balancing the blade of his ancient Greek sword on his shoulder, he turned to face her. "Can you handle a sword?"

"Yes."

"Kyrian!" Julian shouted to the other tall blond man on their team. "Give me a sword."

Kyrian tossed what appeared to be only a hilt. In one fluid move, Julian caught it and pressed a button on the cross hilt. The blade shot out to just under three feet in length. He handed it over to her. "Daimons have to be stabbed through their hearts. Demons between their eyes and if you cut the heads off any of us, we all die."

"How do I tell the difference?"

"Most of the Daimons are blond and they explode into dust when you pierce their hearts. Hit the heart and if that doesn't work, try the eyes. If you stab someone who whimpers, then hits the ground, you attacked a good guy. Just FYI."

She inclined her head. "Thanks for the tutorial."

He laughed before he put his battle face on and went back to the fight.

Tory swung the blade around her body, getting a feel for the balance. Out of nowhere a female Daimon came at her and manifested a staff. She swung it at Tory's head.

Parrying the blow with her sword, Tory pulled the blade back and went on the offensive. The woman met her stroke for stroke and she made every blow count. The ferocity of it rattled all the way to Tory's bones.

She hated to admit it, but the Daimon was actually winning. With a feral growl, she tried to shove the Daimon back.

Suddenly, Nick was there. He swung the Daimon away from her and into another one. "No one hurts a human on my watch," he snarled before he stabbed the Daimon through the heart. As Julian had noted, the Daimon screamed, then turned into a golden powder.

Nick moved away from Tory before she could thank him.

Another flash of light heralded an even larger group of demons and Daimons.

Tory stepped back, her jaw dropping. They were so outnumbered…

The guys on her team were brilliant fighters, but they were being overrun by the sheer number of enemies. "This is bad…"

Ash froze as he saw one of the Daimons sink his fangs deep into Vane's arm at the same time more demons joined them.

He couldn't let his friends be hurt. Closing his eyes, he summoned his staff from Katoteros. He'd just tightened his hand around it when he felt someone stumble into him.

He opened his eyes to see Styxx there with an Atlantean dagger stuck completely through his stomach. Stryker cursed as he jerked it free, then went for Ash again.

Ash caught the Daimon overlord with the blunt end of his staff and shoved him back. "Flee or die," he growled.

"Fuck you."

Narrowing his gaze on Stryker, Ash shoved him back, then slammed the staff to the pavement. A wave of raw, unfettered power shot out from it to the demons and Daimons around him. Every one of them turned to dust.

Except for Stryker. He hovered above the ground in his dragon form, snarling and flapping. Bellowing, Stryker spewed fire.

Ash lifted his arm, barely in time to keep it from burning him. He shot another god bolt at Stryker who dodged it.

"This isn't over, Acheron. Next time you won't be able to use your powers." With another blast of fire, Stryker vanished.

Vane shook his bleeding arm in an obvious effort to alleviate the pain of the Daimon's bite. "Why were we fighting if you had that kind of power?"

In unison, every ex-Dark-Hunter and Nick said, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

"And sometimes things have to go wrong in order to go right," Wulf said. When the other guys looked confused by his solo outburst, he added, "I guess I'm the only one he ever said that one to."

Fury made a strange wolf-like noise. "I still don't see why we were fighting when you could have just kicked their asses without us."

"Because I believe in giving everyone a fighting chance… until they piss me off." Ash cast Vane a quick stoic glance. "Bringing in reinforcements was Stryker's mistake."

"And be glad it wasn't yours," Fury said with a nervous laugh to Vane. "I know I'm thrilled it wasn't mine." The wolf looked around at the Daimon and demon remains, or rather what little of it there was. "Acheron. When it absolutely, positively must be destroyed overnight."

Ash knelt by Styxx's side to inspect the damage done. He wasn't overly worried since Styxx couldn't die unless he did. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. The dagger Stryker had held would have killed him had Styxx not stopped the attack.

His brother, who had wanted to die as much as he had, had saved his life.

He could barely even fathom that.

Styxx met his gaze levelly, even though he was shaking from the pain of his wound. "You know, brother, you're never supposed to close your eyes in battle."

Ash laughed at his ill-placed humor. "I wasn't the one training to be a general."

Styxx glanced around at the men surrounding them. "Perhaps. But you do a much better job of leading than I ever did. I definitely think Father trained the wrong one of us."

That was the kindest thing Styxx had ever said to him. Ash didn't speak as he placed his hand over Styxx's wound.

Styxx's gaze didn't leave his. But when Ash sealed the wound closed, Styxx let out an expletive about Ash's "kind" touch that would have made Stryker proud.

"Am I dead yet?" Styxx asked sarcastically.

"Not yet. You still have a few years left to seriously piss me off."

Styxx smiled. "I look forward to it."

For once, so did Ash. "You did a good job for me. Thank you."

"Yeah well, next time you need someone to descend into a Daimon sanctuary, pick one of your other assholes to do it. I don't have the powers of a god when they come at me and it puts me at a definite disadvantage."

Still, he'd thrown himself in front of Ash to protect him… It went a long way in allowing him to put the past to rest and to accept his brother. Grinning, Ash helped Styxx to his feet.

Talon scratched his head as he watched them. "Hey T-Rex? Remind me next time I want to get smartass with you that it's a really stupid move on my part."

Wulf gaped. "Oh no you don't, you wuss. You told me the next time you saw Ash you were going to ask him if he'd seen the movie 10,000 BC and if it'd made him homesick."

Talon made a cut-off gesture at Wulf. "Do you mind not getting me fried tonight? I'd like to use some of my body parts later if you know what I mean and since you're married with a brood of kids I know that you do."

Ash looked at Tory and any semblance of agitation he might have felt evaporated. She was safe and that was all that mattered to him.

He looked around at the group who'd come to help him and marveled at it. "Thank you, guys."

Kyrian offered him his hand. "Anytime you need us, Acheron, we're here for you."

And one by one, they shook his hand and made a like declaration.

Until he got to Talon. "One day, you've got to tell me how you did that stick thing. That could come in handy not only with Daimons, but stray alligators and annoying neighbors."

Ash laughed. "One day I might."

At least until Nick walked past him and shoved his shoulder into Ash's. It was such a juvenile thing to do. Ash glared at him as he stalked away, into the darkness. "For the record, Nick, I loved Cherise too."

Nick flipped him off and kept walking.

Zarek was the last man to leave. He sauntered over and cocked his head. His gaze went to Tory before he returned it to Ash and spoke to him in Greek. "You know, it's amazing to me the wounds we can carry for eternity. But what has fascinated me most these last few years is how the right person can heal them. I remember a wise man once said to me that everyone deserves to be loved. Even you."

Ash snorted at the advice he'd given to Zarek after the man had almost let his wife go. "And as I recall, you told me to shut up."

Zarek shrugged, taking it in stride. "I'm an asshole. I admit it. I've been going to weekly Assholes Anonymous meetings, but it takes a long time to undo a few thousand years of habit. And to think you have even more years to undo than me."

"So how's Bob doing?" Ash asked, changing the subject to Zarek's young son. "Has Astrid won the battle yet?"

"On calling him Menoeceus? Hell no. I still say it's too close to Menopause for my taste and there's not even a good nickname for it. Can you imagine being stuck with that name at school? Call me ridiculous, but I'd like the kid to grow up without a stigma."

Ash laughed at a tirade Zarek had delivered on more than one occasion. Yet his wife Astrid completely ignored it and continued to call the poor child Menoeceus while his father called him Bob.

Zarek shook his head. "But I tell you this, there's nothing better than looking at a kid and seeing you mixed in with the one person you know you can trust to never screw you over. And I owe you for that, Acheron. Every time I look at them, I never forget what I owe you." He stepped away and switched to English, not knowing that Tory understood Greek as well as he did. "You two take care. And for the sake of the gods, stay out of trouble. At least until it warms up. You know how much I hate being in cold places." He vanished instantly.

Ash sent his staff back to Katoteros as Tory walked over to him. He repaired her shirt.

She tried to peer over his back. "How are you feeling?"

"Right now I could fly." He held his hand out for her.

The instant she took it, he teleported them back to his small flat on Pirate's Alley.

She looked around with an arched brow. "Wow, you weren't kidding. This place is itty-bitty."

He shrugged his backpack off his shoulder. "I don't need much."

"You know, me either. But there is one thing I need."

"And that is?"

The heated, sincere look in her eyes scorched him. "You."

He savored that word and the surge of love that went through his heart. But in the end, he knew the truth. "I can't stay with you, Tory. There can never be an us."

"Why not?"

Was she insane? Had she wiped the whole event they'd just lived through out of her mind? "You saw what I deal with on a daily basis. My enemies aren't human and I have a lot more than just Stryker to deal with, and while Nick might have set you free tonight, he might not tomorrow. Not to mention the large redheaded problem. I can't put you in that kind of danger. Ever."

"And if I disagree?"

"I won't let you. I'm a god, Tory. If I have to, I'll erase myself from your memories."

"You ever monkey with my brain and I swear, Acheron, you will be hurt."

And now that he thought about it, she was probably just like Nick-too flippin' stubborn for his powers to work on her. "Be reasonable, Tory. My life is very complicated and it's dangerous."

Tory wanted to cry over his obstinacy. "Everyone deserves love, Acheron," she said, repeating Zarek's words. "Look me in the eye and tell me you really want me to leave. Tell me you never want to see me again."

Ash swallowed as his emotions roiled through him. He didn't want her to go. He wanted to hold her and keep her by his side for the rest of his unnatural life.

But so long as she was human, she made him vulnerable. And as long as he had enemies determined to hurt him, he couldn't allow her near him. "I want you to leave, Tory."

"Yeah, well, people in hell want ice water. Now take your clothes off and let me see to your back. It has to be killing you right now."

"So you're going to completely disregard me?"

"Not completely. I hear what you're saying and I respect the fact that I was outgunned and outfought tonight-that those demon things came in and snatched me up from where I was sitting. I'm not a stupid woman, but that being said, I don't give up when I set my sights on something either. I love you, Acheron, and I intend to stand by your side even when you're trying to push me away."

Ash closed his eyes as he savored every word out of her mouth. "I don't know how to love someone, Tory. I don't."

"The crowd of people I saw who were willing to lay down their lives for you says you're full of more manure than a cow pasture, buddy."

"Artemis isn't going to let us live in peace. You do understand that?"

"I understand that I told you to take your clothes off and you're just standing here arguing with me. Give in to me, Ash. Trust me, it's easier that way."

Holding his hands up in surrender, he used his powers to remove his shirt.

Tory sucked her breath in as she saw the reopened wounds that lacerated his back. "How can you stand it?"

The blank look he gave her tore through her. "I'm used to it."

"Get in bed. That back needs to be tended and you need to rest."

"Yes, ma'am." Ash headed the short distance to his bedroom while Tory went to the kitchen. He paused in the doorway to watch her. Oblivious to him, she pulled a bowl out and ran water in it.

A wave of desire hit him so hard that it literally took his breath away. If he didn't hurt so badly, he wouldn't be going to bed alone. But the pain his back was infinitely more demanding than the one in his groin.

Yet neither of them could compare to the one in his heart which told him that this couldn't last. In spite of her stubbornness, she was going to have to go before Artemis killed her.

And Artemis was right. He was about to have to go crawling back to her to beg for food. Between the fighting and the wounds on his back, he was starving and if he didn't feed very soon, he would start killing.

Wincing, he wondered what Tory would think if she ever saw that side of him. The sad thing was, he never wanted her to deal with him like that. Never wanted her to see the demon beast that lived inside him.

No, Artemis had created that monster. It was only fair that she should be the one who fed it.

He sighed and went to bed to wait on Tory, knowing that come morning, he'd have to let her go.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Tory paused as she entered the room where Ash was sleeping. His breathing was so strange. Not like a human, it reminded her more of a dog panting. Worried about him, she put her bowl and cloth down on the nightstand and sat down by his side.

She placed a hand on his feverish cheek. The moment she made contact, his entire body turned a vivid blue. Gasping, she watched as his skin marbled and swirled with varying shades of blue color. His nails turned black and two small horns emerged from the top of his head.

Shooting off the bed, she scowled as Artemis's bow and arrow mark appeared over the wounds on his back.

Ash growled even in sleep. And when he opened his eyes to look at her, it was all she could do not to run. No longer silver, they were glowing red and shot through with yellow streaks. He opened his mouth and hissed, showing her a set of serrated fangs.

"Baby?" she whispered, searching for some sign of the man she loved in the creature who terrified her.

He blinked as if seeing her for the first time and crouched on the bed.

Tory approached him slowly. Holding her hand out, she gently laid her palm against his blue cheek. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her hand while he took a sniff of her wrist. That seemed to calm him. He said something to her in a language she couldn't even begin to translate. "I don't understand," she said in Atlantean.

"Akee-kara, akra."

She brushed his black hair back from his face. "Do you need something, sweetie?"

Ash was trying to focus, but it was impossible. Everything was so hazy. He wasn't even sure if he was awake or dreaming. The pain in his back seemed to be gone now. And he was around fresh blood-he could smell it and hear the heart beating.

That sound made his mouth water.

Licking his lips, he inhaled the scent of feminine flesh that covered the veins he wanted to puncture…

Eat.

He wasn't supposed to. Even in this state, he remembered the rule that he'd taught himself. He wasn't allowed to taste humans. It was wrong. But right now while he was starving, he couldn't remember why.

All he could think of was sating his demanding ache.

He pulled the human closer so that he could inhale her neck. Licking the tender flesh there, he grazed her skin with his fangs, wanting to sink them in deep. He felt the chills sweep over her as she sighed in pleasure.

She spoke to him, but he couldn't understand her words. At least not until her lips touched his. The sweetness of her mouth touched the man inside him and it sent the beast back into submission.

Tory shivered as Ash returned to normal. His skin was once again tawny, his eyes that calm beautiful silver. Even so, there was a ferocity to him that reminded her of a barely leashed tiger.

And when he led her hand to touch him, she hesitated. "You're hurt, Ash. You should rest."

He shook his head as if trying to clear it. Her clothes vanished. And this time when he took possession of her mouth, she couldn't remember her argument. He laced his fingers with hers and pressed her hand against his hardened cock. She felt his shiver in her own body as he rubbed himself against her palm.

He left her hand there so that he could touch her. One moment, she was standing beside the bed and in the next, she was pinned beneath him. She sighed at the wonderful sensation of his naked body lying against hers.

Careful not to touch his back, she cupped his face as he deepened his kiss.

Ash still wasn't sure if this was a dream or not. All he knew was that the scent of Soteria filled his head and he had to be inside her. His heart hammering, he spread her legs and slid himself deep. The moment he did, he gasped at the pleasure he felt. But it didn't last long before the beast inside him was back, wanting to feed as her blood rushed through her veins. It was all he could hear. All he could focus on.

It overrode his pleasure and left him salivating.

Tory whimpered as Ash pulled back. At least until she saw his face. The torment there branded itself on her heart. "What's wrong, Ash?"

Ash wanted to stay with her. He wanted to be inside her again…

No, he wanted to feed. The urge to rip her throat out was fierce.

He was losing control. It slipped and broke free until he was no longer able to remember anything other than the misery of hunger. Every second with her brought him closer to the edge.

Unable to handle it without killing her, he left the human realm.

Tory blinked as she realized she was alone. "Ash?" she called, wondering where he'd gone off to.

Completely naked, Ash threw open the doors to Artemis's bathing chamber. No longer human in any way, he was the beast he despised. Nothing mattered to him but feeding. Destroying.

Killing.

Acheron was gone. Only Apostolos was here. And the Harbinger Apostolos wanted blood and there was only one person he wanted it from.

Artemis…

Artemis gasped at the intrusion on her bath until she realized it was Acheron. She smiled at his blue skin and black hair. "I told you you'd return to me."

He flew from the doors to the pool where she bathed. Landing in a crouch on the ledge near her, he reminded her more of a bird than a man.

He grabbed her and pulled her close.

She put her hand on his jaw and pushed him away from her neck before he could sink his fangs into her. "You haven't earned your food. I'm angry at you and you're not going to eat until you please me."

Incapable of language in his destroyer's form, he hissed at her and tightened his grip.

Artemis blasted him away. He tumbled back to land on his side. In one fluid move, he flipped to his feet and snarled.

He bared his teeth in anger before he launched himself at her.

She teleported out of his way, knowing that if he laid hands, or in the current case, claws, on her, she'd be killed.

He stalked her like prey. She should probably be afraid, but her anger overrode that. Normally neither one of them allowed him to go this long without eating. But he'd betrayed her and honestly she didn't care right now if he died.

Refusing to give in to him, she ran for her backroom.

He tried to cut off her retreat, but she shot through him and entered her safe room. Stupidly, he followed. The moment he was inside, she flashed herself to the door and slammed it shut, leaving him trapped inside.

He threw himself repeatedly against the clear door like an animal gone insane. But honestly, as hard as he struck it, she was amazed he didn't break through.

"You can't escape here, Acheron. You're powers are useless in that room and until I let you out, you're mine."

He slammed one clawed hand against the door and let out a howl so feral it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Oh, he would definitely kill her right now if he got free.

Narrowing her gaze, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a smug glare. "As I said, I own you. Now sit in there and starve until I'm ready to feed you."

Ash could barely understand those words past the hunger gnawing at him. In this state, he was like the Shades of Dark-Hunters who'd died while Artemis held their souls in thrall. Forever hungry and thirsty. Unreasonable and unable to make himself understood. It was the most wretched of existences.

The door solidified and left him alone in a small, dark room. There was no furniture, no windows…

No light whatsoever.

For an instant, his sanity returned and he felt like a boy in prison again. He twisted around, looking for the rats that used to bite him. Listening for the telltale sound of their scurrying feet.

"Artemis!" he shouted. "Let me out!"

I'm afraid. Those words caught in his throat.

"Acheron? Are you there?"

He heard Ryssa's voice in his head.

And then his hunger returned, driving all semblance of humanity away from him. He slashed at the doors with his claws. The pain of his hunger was excruciating. Unable to stand it, he slammed himself against the door, again and again, determined to break through it.

Four days went by while Artemis pondered what she should do about Acheron. His incessant slamming against the wall and snarling howls were beginning to wear on her.

But he needed to be taught a lesson. He needed to be punished and until he learned to come to heel, she wasn't about to let him out.

Not to mention, at this point, she was honestly afraid of him. He'd never gone this long without feeding. And past experience told her that a small gobbet of blood would only whet his appetite for more.

She considered feeding one of her maidens to him, but that would be cruel.

And on the tail end of that thought came another one. "Not a Kori…"

No. Something that rhymed with it rather. She smiled at her ingeniousness. She'd sworn to Acheron that Soteria wouldn't be harmed by her or one of her minions.

But she hadn't promised to keep Acheron away from her.

He'd told her that Soteria soothed him. Fine, let the bitch soothe him now. Let her feed him.

Preening with satisfaction, Artemis flashed herself to New Orleans where the little slut was teaching a class. Aggravated at having to wait, she stood in the hallway until it was over.

Tory was heartsick as she dismissed her students. She hadn't seen or heard from Ash in days and the fact that he'd left her in sole possession of his prized backpack made her wonder if something bad hadn't happened to him.

Putting her books into her own backpack, she pulled it off the table and headed for the door. But before she reached it, a tall gorgeous redhead stepped inside. Dressed in an expensively tailored white suit and Prada shoes, she was stunning.

Tory wanted to rip every strand of hair out of her head.

"Why are you here, Artemis?" she asked coldly.

Artemis curled her lip as if she hated to be around Tory even more than Tory hated being around her.

Nah, it wasn't possible.

"Acheron needs you, human. He's hurt and he can't come."

Tory scowled. "Why would you come to get me?"

"He wants you. Believe me, there's no other reason I'd be here."

Still suspicious, Tory gripped the strap of her backpack. "Are you lying to me?"

Artemis made an ancient Greek gesture of loyalty and truth. "I swear to you, he's in ultimate suffering and he needs you. Are you really so selfish that you won't help him?"

She was selfish? Tory would have laughed if she hadn't been so worried about him. "Take me to him, then."

Artemis flashed her out of her classroom and into what appeared to be an ancient Greek temple. The room was surrounded by columns and above her head was an amazing hunt scene stamped into gold. It was exquisite.

"Where am I?"

"Olympus." Artemis led her into a bathing room that had an ancient styled bathing pond. She didn't stop until she reached a door on the other side of it. As she lifted her hand, the door lightened to transparency.

Tory gasped as she saw Ash lying naked on the floor. His black hair was matted, his breathing shallow. His skin was marbled blue again and two black horns jutted out from his head. His lean muscles were starkly outlined by the dual blue skin tone. His hands ended in long black claws and when he saw them looking at him, he bared a pair of sharp fangs in their direction.

Pushing himself up, he kept one arm around his stomach as if he were about to be ill. He took one step and collapsed on the floor again in obvious pain. He roared a bellow of frustration and agony.

"He's disgusting in his god form, isn't he?"

Tory raked the goddess with a repugnant stare. "He's never disgusting. What's wrong with him?"

"He needs to eat. This is what always happens to him if he ever goes too long between feedings."

"Why haven't you fed him then?"

A slow, evil smile curved Artemis's lips. "Sweetie, why do you think you're here?" She reached out and opened the door.

The next thing Tory knew, Artemis had shoved her inside the room and shut the door, locking her in with Ash. "Bon Appetit."

Tory turned to the door, trying to open it. But it was hopeless. There was no latch or key or anything on this side. All she could do was see Artemis's gloating face.

Oh if she ever had three minutes alone with her… It would be a death match worthy of pay-per-view.

With no other choice, Tory approached Ash slowly. Warily. Could he even tell if it was her? By the way he was acting, she didn't think so. "Baby?"

He looked up at her with blood red eyes that held no semblance of understanding. They were feral and cold. The eyes of a predator.

With a speed she couldn't even see with her naked eye, Ash was off the floor. He grabbed her by the throat, threw her down on the ground and sank his fangs deep into her neck.

Ash's head buzzed and his shoulder ached as he finally slaked some of the hunger that had been tearing at him for days. The blood was so good. So warm and satisfying. He licked and sucked, drinking it in until he was normal again.

But as he returned to himself, his anger mounted that she'd let him go so long without nourishment. Even though he hadn't been able to speak, he remembered her watching him through the door.

"You'll eat when you please me…" She knew what those words did to him and he was tired of her abuse.

"Artemis, you…" His words trailed off as he pulled away from her throat and realized it wasn't Artemis he was holding.

It was Tory and she was extremely pale from the blood loss.

Horror filled him. Her neck was savagely torn from his teeth, her brown eyes half-hooded as she struggled to breathe. No! His soul screamed out. How could he have hurt her?

How could he be so far gone that he hadn't even realized it was Tory he tasted?

Because Artemis had kept him without food for too long. And then she'd thrown a human in with him, knowing a human couldn't survive his feeding.

"Oh gods," he breathed, choking. "Stay with me, baby. I'll get you help."

She coughed as she reached up to touch his lips that were covered in her blood from his feeding. He saw the fear in her eyes and the pain that he'd caused her. The guilt was more than he could bear.

"Soteria?" he whispered her name like a prayer. "Akribos?"

She expelled one last breath before her eyes glazed over and her hand fell limply to the ground where it landed palm up.

Unimaginable grief tore through him as he realized he'd just killed her. Throwing his head back, Ash bellowed from the weight of guilt and pain that assaulted him.

He would never have hurt her. Never!

Then he saw Artemis at the door, safely tucked on the other side of it, watching. The satisfaction in her eyes made him want to gouge them out.

He carefully laid Tory down before he charged at the door, determined to get to the bitch who'd taken everything from him. Again. "Why!" he roared.

She narrowed her eyes in pitiless fury. "You know why." Then the door darkened and left him alone with the body of the only woman he'd ever really loved.

The woman he'd just killed. And in this room where his powers were negated, he couldn't heal her or bring her back. Tory was dead and he'd killed her. Throwing his head back, he roared with pain.

Tory was wandering through a thick, oppressive fog. She felt lost and disoriented. The last thing she remembered was seeing Ash. Seeing the look of horror and fear on his beautiful face while her neck throbbed in pain.

Now there was no pain. There was nothing. No light. No sound. No smell.

The deprivation was terrifying.

"Ash?" she called, trying to get her bearings.

"He's not here, little one."

She turned at the thickly accented, kind voice behind her to find Apollymi standing there in the darkness. "What are you doing here?"

Apollymi held her hand out to her. "I stole your soul the moment you died and brought it to Kalosis, but I can't keep it unless you allow me to. I wouldn't allow it if I were you. Souls are too precious to squander and yours in particular has great value to me."

"I don't understand." She put her hand into Apollymi's and the moment their skin touched, she had total clarity of everything that Apollymi knew about her and Acheron-more than that, she saw the memories of Ash and how he died. Of Artemis turning her back on him and leaving him while he reached out for her to help him.

How could she have done such a thing?

Tears welled up in her eyes and then when she saw her own death and the satisfied look on Artemis's face as Ash cried out, she wanted blood.

"Artemis killed me?"

Apollymi nodded. "She's still punishing my son and there's nothing I can do to stop it… but you, Soteria, you can."

"How?"

"I can send your soul back to your body for a brief moment of time. Once I do, the only way you can return to the living is to drink the blood of Apostolos before your soul flees your body again."

Tory had a hard time believing that. "What?"

Apollymi patted her hand. The dim light reflected in her crystal tears as those swirling eyes glowed warmly. "I am a goddess of destruction. His father was a god of creation. Inside Apostolos, our powers are joined and he is one of the rare gods who can both create and destroy life. It's his creative powers that Artemis uses to bring her Dark-Hunters back to life. Without feeding from him, she'd never have that ability. And like Artemis, if you feed from my son, you will share his powers with him. You will have the ability to cure yourself and to return to your life. More than that, you'll have the powers to protect yourself and I will send my priestesses to serve as your guardians to make sure that no one ever harms you again."

It all sounded too good to be true. She could return to Ash and the world with the powers of a god… Surely it couldn't be that simple. "What's the catch?"

"It's the same catch Artemis used on Apostolos. Once you feed from him, you will always have to feed from him."

Tory cringed as she remembered the pain of Ash biting her. "Blood?"

Reluctantly, she nodded. "Please, Soteria. Do what I can't. Save my son from that monster who willfully hurts him. Apostolos will never willingly take the blood of another and bind that person to him. Not after the violent way Artemis tricked him into bondage. But if you return and you feed him and he feeds you, he will be free from that bitch forever."

She looked away as she considered what would come. "I can stay with Ash?"

"Yes and I will give you enough of my powers to make sure that neither Artemis nor any other enemy of Apostolos will ever be able to harm you again."

The depths to which Apollymi would go for Ash touched her and it reminded her of her own mother-a mother she missed every day of her life. "But what about you? Won't that weaken you?"

"It will, but I don't care. I want my son free and I want him happy, no matter the cost to me. I'm tired of seeing the weariness in his eyes when we speak. Of seeing the pain that I can't soothe. Will you help him? Please?"

Tory tightened her grip on the goddess's hand, wanting her to know how sincere she was. "I would do anything for that man."

Apollymi smiled. "I thought your cousin Geary would be the one to free my baby. But the moment I first saw you when you were only ten, poking around the ruins of my temple under the Aegean, I knew you were the one. It was why I never allowed any other man to touch you."

She covered Tory's hand with her other and held it tight. "Soteria. The keeper of Atlantis who stood at her post even against my anger, and who went down fighting to protect what she loved most. You do your namesake proud."

Apollymi pulled the necklace from around her neck and then folded it into Tory's palm. "When are you are ready to fight for him, press that to your heart and you'll have the powers of a goddess. Forever."

Tory held the necklace in her hand and studied the red swirling mist inside a translucent stone. Grateful for the gift, she embraced Apollymi.

Apollymi was stunned by the hug-no one had touched her with so much affection since the night she'd conceived Apostolos. Closing her eyes, she held the girl close. "So long as you're kind to him, you will always be my daughter. If you ever need anything, call for me and I will answer."

"I won't let anything happen to him again. I promise."

Apollymi kissed her cheek before she pulled back. "Then go to him, Soteria. He needs you."

Nodding, Tory stepped back and pressed the stone to her heart. The moment she did, a searing pain ripped through her. "Ow! You didn't tell me it'd hurt."

Apollymi shrugged. "Birth is never painless and especially not a rebirth."

She wasn't kidding. Tory felt like something was shredding her from the inside out. Nauseated and dizzy, she blinked at the darkness that was so oppressive it was blinding.

The next thing she knew, she was in Ash's arms again. He sat on the floor, holding her to him, cheek to cheek, as he rocked her and whispered to her, "Please, Tory, please don't be dead. Please don't leave me alone. I don't want to live without you…"

Those heartfelt words choked her, but what stunned her the most was the wetness of his cheeks.

He was crying.

For her.

Lifting her hand, she brushed her fingers against the whiskers of his jaw. He pulled back with a startled gasp. "Soteria?"

She nodded, then she felt the hunger his mother had mentioned. It burned through her with an unbelievable ferocity that lengthened her incisors. Determined, she met his gaze. "Let me stay with you, Ash."

Ash couldn't breathe as he understood what she was asking. What she needed. And for the first time in eternity, he was willing to bleed in order to give her life. "Are you sure?"

She nodded.

He brushed his hair aside and tilted his neck for her. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for the pain of her bite. For the hated sensation of her breath on his neck while she fed.

Tory paused as she felt him go rigid. It took her a second to realize why. Ash couldn't stand to have anyone breathe on his neck and yet there he sat, offering himself to her without complaint or comment. In that moment she loved him all the more.

And with her newfound senses, she knew his neck wasn't the only place she could feed from…

Ash opened his eyes as she moved away from him. Frowning, he watched as she dipped down and bit into his inner thigh. He sucked his breath in sharply as a wave of desire blinded him and hardened his cock which was only a few inches from her mouth. But greater than that was the shock that she hadn't grabbed his hair and hurt him while she fed from his neck. She was being gentle and considerate, and when she looked up at him, her eyes matched his.

That deep swirling silver that he hated so much was beautiful on her. They were bound together now. His powers. His blood. They were hers too. But even so, he wanted her as she'd been. Kissing her lips, he turned her eyes back to the brown color that had stolen his heart the first time she'd looked around the room in nervous panic.

This was the woman he loved. The one he couldn't live without.

Tory felt a raw unimagined power deep inside her. She could hear everything now. See the most minute color changes in every object. "Is this how you see the world?"

"Yes."

It was all so vivid. Overwhelming. At the same time her body was hot and needy. She looked at him and he actually blushed before he clothed himself.

Clearing his throat, he indicated the door with a tilt of his head. "We can't do that here."

"Artemis," she growled the name.

He nodded. "We're still locked in her temple."

"Not for long." Rising to her feet, she went to the door.

Ash scowled as Tory closed her eyes and held her hands out by her sides. He felt the wind of his grandmother stirring around them. His jaw went slack as he realized what was happening-his mother had surrendered part of her powers to Tory. She didn't just have his inside her.

And the combination of his powers with his mother's…

Scary stuff that.

The thought had barely finished before the door splintered into a thousand fragments.

Artemis shrieked from the other side, then ran to her throne room.

Ash stood up and went to Tory. "Let's go home."

She shook her head. "You go on ahead. I'll be there in a minute."

He paused at the odd note in her voice. "Tory…"

She gave him an impish smile, cutting his words off. "I'm just going to talk with her. Don't worry."

Yeah, right. Don't worry? Was she insane? And for once, he wasn't sure which of them was in the most danger.

Ash hesitated, but ultimately he trusted Tory. "Remind her that I'll know if she hurts you and if she does, there's not enough power on Olympus to protect her."

She kissed the tip of her finger and pressed it to the tip of his nose. "Don't be such a worrywart. We're just having girl talk."

Ash somehow doubted that. Knowing Tory, it would be more like a cat fight. But he wouldn't interfere. It was time someone took the goddess down. "All right, baby. I'll be waiting at my apartment."

Tory didn't move until Ash was gone. The moment she sensed his powers safely back in the human realm, she headed in the direction Artemis had run off to.

Her new powers surging, she went to have a long overdue Come-to-Jesus talk with the goddess.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Artemis kept waiting for all of the powers to fade from her temple.

They didn't. She felt Acheron's primary ones leave, but there was more still here. Powerful. Cold. Calculating.

That wasn't Acheron.

And when Soteria came through the doors of her bathing chamber and into her throne room with a deadly lope, the blood completely drained from Artemis's face. There was no denying the woman wanted a piece of her and was ready to fight for it.

Still she refused to let the girl see her panic. "You're nothing to me, human."

Tory scoffed, and spoke to her in perfect Greek. "Oh you're wrong about that, Artemis. I'm not nothing. I'm the one who's going to kick your butt if you ever go near Acheron again."

Artemis flung her hand out and sent Tory flying across the room. "You don't threaten me."

Tory lifted her hands and just as she would have hit the wall, she stopped moving. Opening her eyes, she was stunned to find herself floating over the ground a few inches from the stone that Artemis had intended to slam her into.

Artemis shrieked in outrage while Tory laughed in relief. These powers were very cool.

Holding her hands out, she centered herself back on the ground. Artemis ran at her and caught her about the neck. Tory slid out of her grasp, then shoved her away. "Oh, bitch, please." She threw her hand out and pinned Artemis to the wall.

"Let me go!"

Tory tightened the hold on her. "For all the times you've hurt Ash, you're lucky I'm not ripping the heart out of your chest right now. How could you?"

Tears formed in Artemis's green eyes as she struggled to free herself. "I love him."

Tory shook her head. "How can you say that? You don't even understand what love means. Love isn't being ashamed to be seen with the one you care about. It isn't about punishment or hurt."

Feeling sorry for the goddess, Tory let her go. "Love is what gives you the strength you need to face anything no matter how brutal or frightening. It's what allowed Ash to be beaten rather than tell his father about you. It's what allowed him to be gutted on the floor at your feet rather than publicly shame you. And you spat on him for that love and tore him apart. For a goddess, you're pathetic."

Artemis sneered at her. "You're human. No one cares if you sleep with a whore."

Tory did something she'd never in her life done before. She slapped another person.

Artemis shrieked and tried to claw her, but Tory caught her wrists in her hands and pushed her back. She leveled a murderous look on the goddess to let her know she meant business. "You ever insult Acheron again and so help me, I'll do to you what you allowed your brother to do to him. I'll cut your tongue out for it. Acheron is the man I love and no one, ever, takes issue with him without having issues with me."

Artemis snatched one hand free and tried to backhand her, but Tory caught her wrist again. "You're no better than I am," Artemis snarled. "You would sacrifice him in an instant to save yourself and I know it."

Tory shook her head in denial. "You're wrong. There is nothing on this earth, above or below, that I value more than Acheron. And we're both done with you. Have a great eternity and if you want to continue having an eternity, stay out of my way and leave Acheron alone."

Artemis curled her lip. "You're not done with me entirely, human. I'm the mother of his daughter."

That turned her stomach. "You're right. You are Katra's mother, poor her. But you're wrong about one thing."

"And that is?"

Tory let the Destroyer's power unite with Ash's inside her. One minute, she was normal and in the next, she felt her hair turn white blond and fan out around her as lightning engulfed her and flew out of her fingertips. "I'm no longer human," she said in a demonic voice. "I'm the Atlantia Kedemonia Theony-the guardian of the Atlantean gods. And right now there's only one of them walking about and to save him from one more bad memory created by you, I'd bathe in your entrails, bitch. As for Kat, she's a big girl-I know, I used to live with her. She'll survive the death of her mother. Trust me, I have firsthand experience with the subject."

Artemis gaped at her. "You would destroy the entire world for him?"

"Yes, I would. Would you?"

Artemis looked away.

"And that is why you're going to wish him well and get out of our lives. The next time I see you, Goddess, you better be bringing presents that make me smile, otherwise the Greek pantheon will be looking around for a new goddess of the hunt. Do you understand me?"

"I understand." But her eyes said she was already plotting some way to get back at them.

So be it. Enemies were an unfortunate part of life. There was nothing Tory could do about that except make good her promise should Artemis ever discover enough backbone to come after her again.

No one took from her without a fight, and for Ash she'd lay down her life.

"Good-bye, Artemis, and for your own sake, should you ever find someone who loves you the way Ash once did, take better care of him."

With those words spoken, Tory returned to New Orleans where she found Ash waiting on the couch of his apartment. He shot to his feet before he inspected her body for damage-it was actually quite adorable. "Are you all right?"

"I told you I'd be fine."

His gaze was filled with doubt. "She didn't hurt you?"

"Nope." She held her hands up to show him exactly how undamaged she was. "I'm all hunky-dory."

The relief in his eyes touched her deeply as he bent down to place a light kiss on her lips. Oh how she loved this man.

"I'm so sorry for what I did to you," he breathed. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know, sweetie." She smiled up at him. "What was it Wulf quoted from you? Sometimes things have to go wrong in order to go right? Had you not fed on me, I wouldn't have the powers I need to be with you. So don't be sorry, Ash. I'm not."

He winced as if she'd struck him and that made her ache for him. "I never wanted you to see me like that."

"See you like what?"

"A monster. I despise my true form."

She shook her head at him as he put his arms around her waist. "I can't imagine why. Other than killing me, you were actually cute in a very Papa Smurf kind of way."

"Papa Smurf?" He made a sound of ultimate suffering and scowled at her. "I don't look like Papa Smurf."

"No, baby," she said in a feigned patronizing tone as she playfully patted his cheek, "you don't at all. You look like sex on a stick. Now is your ego all better?"

One eyebrow shot up at her words. At least until she reached down to cup him in her hand. Then he sucked his breath in sharply as she slowly unzipped his pants. "What are you doing?"

She licked her lips at the heat that pounded through her veins. "I'm still feeling rather… perky from that feeding. And honestly, Papa Smurf, you look good enough to eat."

Ash could barely breathe as she sank to the floor in front of him and opened his fly. She looked up at him, her eyes bright with love an instant before she took him into her mouth.

All reason flew out of his head as he watched her tease and lick. "You've been reading your book again, haven't you?"

She laughed and the sensation of her throat vibrating around him was more than he could stand. Before he could stop himself, his body released. Ash leaned back against the wall as his body spasmed. Honestly, it was one of the best he'd ever had and the fact that she didn't pull away from him only made it sweeter.

Until he realized what he'd done. Then he cursed at his stupidity while he waited for her to let him have it. "I didn't mean to, Tory. I should have warned you."

She scowled up at him as she zipped his pants. "Warned me about what?"

He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I normally have more control. I promise I'll give you time to pull away in the future."

Tory rose up and turned his chin until he met her gaze. "Ash, there is nothing about you that I find disgusting. Nothing. Not your eyes. Not your funky blue body. And especially not something that I initiated. In fact, I love the way you taste and I like it that you lost control. It means I'm doing it right."

Cupping her cheek, he nuzzled her cheek, delighting in the smoothness of her skin against his. "You're too good to be true."

"You only say that 'cause there's no hammer around."

He laughed and dipped his head to nuzzle her neck. "I'm so grateful you don't find me repulsive anymore."

She teased his ear with her fingers. "Just remember to always warn me before you drop fang on me again."

He looked at her with a frown. "Drop fang?"

She smiled playfully. "Yeah, it's a term from the vampire series L.A. Banks writes. You should read her books sometime. They're great."

"With an endorsement like that, how could I refuse? But first, I think we need to read more of this Tickle Pickle book of yours."

She laughed until pickles made her think of food. "Hey, does the blood thing mean I can't eat anymore?"

"No, Tory," he teased. "You just don't have to eat real food. You can taste it, but it won't quench the blood hunger. That you'll have to feed every couple of weeks."

"Or I turn into Mrs. Smurf?"

He laughed. "No. Only I do that. You'll just turn into…"

"What?"

"I was thinking of Simi's term. A bitch-goddess."

She punched playfully at his stomach. "Don't you ever call me that! You evil man."

Ash sobered as he realized the way they were playing and bantering. Not once in all of his life had he been so at ease with anyone. She knew everything about him.

Everything.

And none of it mattered to her. His past was nothing.

But she was his future.

Taking her hand, he led her to his bed where he intended to make love to her for the rest of the day. He kissed her as he dissolved their clothes and placed her in the bed. "I love you, Soteria."

Tory rolled him over, wrapped her long, lean body against his and held him close. "Sagapo, Achimou. Sagapo."

Her Greek warmed him as the hairs at the juncture of her thighs teased his stomach and made his body start to harden again. "Agapay, Sota."

Tory frowned up at him. "Agapay?"

He nodded. "Atlantean for I love you. Sota is the Atlantean endearment for your name."

Tory loved the sound of that, especially the way it rolled off his tongue in that sexy, lilting accent of his, and she loved most that he was sharing his language with her. "What would an endearment of your name be?"

"Acho."

"Agapay, Acho."

He toyed with her hair as he smiled down at her. "I always hated Atlantean, but not when you speak it."

She couldn't imagine why, given how beautiful it was. She could listen to him speak it all day and when he did-watch out. It made her extremely hot.

Nipping his shoulder made her wonder something else. "Out of curiosity, how many languages do you know?"

"I'm a god, Tory. I know all of them. And when you come into contact with them, you will too."

"Now that's impressive." She bit her lip in glee and then her eyes widened. "Ooo and I have another thought. You're omniscient, right?"

"For the most part, yes."

"Then you have to tell me this 'cause I have to know. What's at the end of everything?"

He shrugged. "That's easy enough."

"Then tell me."

"The letter G."

Groaning, Tory hit him in the head with a pillow. "You're rotten, Achimou. For that, you get a tongue lashing." She rolled him over until he was under her.

Ash sucked his breath in as she encircled his nipple with her tongue. Now this was the kind of tongue lashing a man could look forward to. "What else can I do to piss you off?"

She nipped at his ribs. "You can leave me."

He sobered with the thought. "I would never do that, Tory. No one can live without their heart and that's what you are to me."

Tory lay down over him and held him close. Until another horrible thought occurred to her. She tensed and pushed herself up so that she could meet his gaze. "Wait, Ash… doesn't Artemis own your soul?"

"No. I'm not really a Dark-Hunter. Unlike them, I didn't willingly give my soul to her. She used my powers to trick me and brought me back against my will. But because I'm a god, she couldn't take my soul from me. I've always had it"

"But you had the bow and arrow mark." Which wasn't on his body at present.

"Only because I didn't want the other Dark-Hunters to know I wasn't one of them. I just wanted them to treat me like I was normal. It's the same reason I have fangs whenever they're around even though they recede unless I'm about to feed."

She propped her head up in her hand and made circles over his chest. "You know you don't have to be normal around me, right?"

"I know."

"Good."

And for the rest of the night, Ash took his time making love to her. Showing her exactly how much she meant to him and how much he treasured her.

It was just after midnight when she finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. His body fully sated, Ash covered her with a blanket before he left the bed and dressed himself in black leather pants and a long VG Cat Rat Flail T-shirt. Pulling his long coat over it, he flashed himself from New Orleans to Mount Olympus.

For once he didn't go to see Artemis. Instead he made his way over to the temple of the Fates. The moment he set foot in the foyer, Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis appeared to block him from the rest of their domain. Not that they could. As the Final Fate, he ruled them and they knew it.

"What are you doing here?" Clotho asked, her voice high-pitched from her nervousness.

"I wanted to speak to you."

"About what?"

He looked at Atropos who was tall and blond and who absolutely hated him with a passion he'd never understood. In that moment, he allowed her to see every ounce of fury inside him. "You ever sever the thread for Soteria's life again and there's no power in existence that will keep me from tearing your throat out. The three of you have screwed me over for the last time. In all these centuries, I've left you alone. Now, I'm warning you to return the favor because the next time you tamper with my fate, I will end yours."

The fear on their faces told him that they understood and had taken his point to heart. Good.

He was through playing games. When it came to Soteria, he had no sense of humor whatsoever. Anyone who threatened her, ended their own life.

It was that simple.

She'd taught him to finally embrace who and what he was. Woe to the rest of them. Because he was now the Harbinger not just for his mother, but for a slip of a woman who held his heart.

For her, he'd do anything.

Even end the world.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Two weeks later

New Orleans

Even though Ash trusted Tory, his gut was in a knot as he followed her toward the lecture hall at Tulane where she was going to give another speech on Atlantis. "Why won't you tell me what you're planning to say?"

The obvious answer was she wanted to torture him, which she'd been doing for days.

Damn, she could give Artemis lessons on it.

She gave him that same, warm smile that only served to scare him more. "It's none of your business. But if you start in on me and my reputation like you did in Nashville, you're going to be living in your own apartment again. Alone. Remember, I get Simi custody. Right, Sim?"

"That's right." Simi grinned proudly as she skipped along beside him. "Relax, akri. Akra-Tory won't do nothing to make you angry. Only the Simi does that."

He laughed even though the knot in his stomach drew tighter with every step they took closer to the room.

"You still haven't answered my question," Tory said, returning to the topic she'd started on their way over here. "What was Julius Caesar really like?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "The man was brilliant, but he cheated at dice."

She let out an impressed breath as she tightened her shoulders dreamily. "I can't believe you met him and Alexander the Great."

"Well, Alex was an accident. I was chasing a Daimon who ran into the town where he was staying and after I killed it, he tried to get me to join his army. I told him I was leading my own and didn't have time to unite."

Tory never grew tired of hearing the memories of Ash's past. He'd done so many fascinating things and had witnessed the history that she'd only read about. He'd been there during the first sack of Rome. Had stood on the Wall of China just days after it'd been finished. He'd debated philosophy with Confucius and had eaten dinner with Kublai Khan and attended a feast with Buddha when he'd been just a young boy. He'd walked in Egypt when the Giza necropolis was being built. He'd played games with the dauphin when the boy had been a toddler and eaten dinner with the real King Arthur… it was just incredible the life he'd lived.

And he made her wonder what future historical events the two of them would share together.

"What about Jesus?" she asked, dying to know. "Did you ever meet him?"

"I heard him speak on several occasions. Again, he was brilliant and fascinating. There was just something about him that made you pay attention."

"But you didn't meet him?"

He shook his head.

"Why not?"

"For the same reason I never officially met Gandhi. I didn't feel worthy enough. I just liked to listen to them speak." Ash opened the door to the lecture hall.

Tory froze as she saw the gathered crowd.

Ash put his hand on her arm to steady her. "It'll be all right. Simi and I will eat anyone who so much as blinks at you in the wrong way."

Still she wasn't comforted. "I don't know about this."

"Then let's leave. My bike's outside, fully fueled."

She glared at him before she shook her head. "At least my pages are numbered this time." Taking a deep breath for courage, she forced herself to enter the room where the people looked more like sharks to her than historians, students and archaeologists.

But at least this time she had Ash with her. And Simi.

Ash stayed by her side until he reached the first row. He set his backpack down then took a seat. Simi flounced down beside him and smiled encouragingly.

Tory felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest as she approached the podium. The crowd here was almost as large as the one in Nashville.

God, how she hated speaking in public.

As she readied her pages, the door opened to admit Kim and Pam who waved at her before they came forward to sit beside Simi. Grateful for their support, Tory adjusted the microphone. And just as she was about to start her speech, Artemis opened the door.

She went cold at the sight and what it might mean. Not to mention, she saw the way Ash visibly tensed as if waiting for Armageddon to start.

Without a word to anyone or a glance to Ash, Artemis moved to sit in the back row, away from Ash and the crowd.

What the devil did she want?

Clearing her throat, Tory forced herself to ignore her. Artemis wasn't the important one here.

"Um, hi everyone," she said, speaking lightly into the mike. "I wanted to say thank you for coming today. I know some of you were there in Nashville to witness the debacle of my extreme humiliation…" she narrowed her gaze at Ash who had the good grace and sense to look sheepish and contrite, "but as you know, my team, a couple of weeks ago, excavated a large section of the underwater ruins we believed to be Atlantis."

A hand went up from a man she recognized as a historian, but she couldn't recall his name. She pointed at him.

"I heard that among the things found were conclusive artifacts that date back to 9,000 BC. If you can confirm this, you do know that you will have totally rewritten the historical record?"

Before she could respond the doors opened one more time to show her a UPS delivery man. Oblivious to the fact that he was interrupting her lecture, he headed straight for her. "Dr. Kafieri?"

"That would be me."

He handed her an electronic pad to sign.

Confused, she nervously looked around. "Please excuse me," she told the room as she signed her name, then took the small package from his hands. Frowning, she opened it to find Ryssa's final journal, the one that Artemis had had her men steal along with Ash's backpack.

It was the conclusive proof that would rewrite history and make not only her name but that of her father and uncle legends in their field.

This was the moment she'd always dreamed of. Ever since they'd laid her father to rest, her sole goal in life had been redeeming his name.

Her heart hammering, she looked at Ash whose face was now pale. He met her gaze and she saw his fear fade.

"Go ahead, baby. I know how much it means to you. Give your father back his reputation." Only she could hear Ash's deep voice in her head.

Those words brought tears to her eyes. She knew what that would do to Ash. The men and women he called friends would know exactly how ugly his past had been. While she was sure many of them wouldn't care, she knew enough about people to know that not all of them would feel that way. Some of them would never see him the same way again. They would laugh and they would mock.

Most of all, they would never forgive him for a truth that hadn't been his fault. They would make him feel the same way Artemis had for all these centuries.

And that would crush him.

"I'm sorry, Dad," she whispered under her breath before she put the book back into its envelope and returned to her speech. She cleared her throat. "Yes, we found quite a few items that are quite old. Unfortunately, none of them date back to what I believe to be the time of Atlantis. More than that, the ruins we found appear to be nothing more than a small Greek shipping village. I fear that the experts are correct. There is no Atlantis in the Aegean. After all these years, I've come to understand that my family and I have been on the wrong path.

"That being said, my team is currently heading to the Bahamas to rendezvous so that we can look more closely at the Bimini Road find. If there is an Atlantis, which I now doubt completely, that might be the key to it."

She swallowed as she looked around the room and saw the scowls on the faces of her peers. "I wish I had better news for everyone and you can all read my report on our findings in my upcoming paper, as well as on my Web site once I get it finished. In the end though, my quest for Atlantis did teach me something. In all our pasts lie our futures. By our own hands and decisions we will be damned and we will be saved. Whatever you do, put forth your best effort even if all you're doing is chasing a never-ending rainbow. You might never reach the end of it, but along the way you'll meet people who will mean the world to you and make memories that will keep you warm on even the coldest nights. Thank you all for coming."

Pushing her pages together, she met Ash's incredulous stare and smiled at him.

There were murmurs and whispers as the crowd quietly dispersed, including a few derogatory ones about her and her father. But for once, she didn't care. Words were nothing. It was the people in her life who mattered most.

As they left, Simi punched Ash in the arm. "See, akri. The Simi don't raise no fools. I told you my girl was a good one. Akra-Tory never do anything to hurt her Achimou."

Ash laughed.

Artemis, however, looked less than pleased as she made her way down to Tory.

Tory tightened her grip on the package that Artemis had sent to her, ready to fight to the end of time to keep the journal out of Artemis's hands again.

"I thought for sure you'd use that to save face."

Tory shrugged. "I loved my father more than anything. But as much as it pains me to admit it, I know he's dead. Ash isn't. Better everyone laugh at me than they laugh at him."

Artemis looked incredulous that she'd say such a thing. "You really do love him, don't you?"

"More than my life."

"And more than your dignity." There was a note of respect in her voice. Artemis turned to glance at Ash. When she looked back at Tory, there were tears in her eyes. "Take care of him, Soteria. Give him what I couldn't." She gave one light squeeze to her hand before she turned away.

Ash stood up as Artemis approached him. He saw the longing in her eyes as she started to touch him, but even now she couldn't bring herself to do so in public.

"I want you and your human to have a good life. But I do want you to remember one thing."

"And that is?"

"There will never be another Dark-Hunter who goes free. Your happiness comes at the expense of their freedom because there's no one else I want to barter with. No one else to pay the fee you set up centuries ago. Knowing that, I hope you sleep well at night."

Ash ground his teeth in rage of her coldness as she walked away. He started after her, but Tory stopped him.

"Let her go, Ash. We have the journal. Her Atlantikoinonia have been neutralized and my team is none the wiser about our search. They just think we've changed directions. All in all, we've done well."

"But what about the Dark-Hunters?"

She smiled with a newfound optimism. "The one thing I've learned most out of all this is that it's not over until all the cards are played. She laid down her ace, thinking we can't beat it. But there are fifty-one other cards in the deck and the game isn't over yet. We'll figure something out. Her little fit right now just shows that she's played her best hand. That was all she's capable of doing to hurt you which is exactly why she did it. Don't let her ruin your day, baby, and don't let her take from us what we have. We've gotten this far together. What's another bitter goddess to us? Like my papou always says, over, under, around or through. There's always a way and we'll find it."

By his features she could tell he was impressed. "How can a woman so young be so wise?"

"I'm an old soul."

"And I'm a lucky man to have you."

She smiled as she handed him Ryssa's journal. "Yes, you are. But that's okay. I'm a lucky woman to have you."

"I still say one of you people like people should let the Simi eat the heifer-goddess. She be good eats. The Simi would even share her with her sister."

Laughing, Ash took Tory's hand and once the room was cleared, he flashed her to Katoteros. Simi flounced off to watch TV.

Without a word, he pulled Tory through the throne room toward the ballroom that hadn't been used since his mother destroyed the Atlantean pantheon.

Tory frowned as Ash turned around and walked backwards while smiling at her. The doors opened at his approach and the minute he was inside the huge dark room his clothes changed to vintage 1978 punk, complete with black combat boots, ripped jeans, a torn Union Jack T-shirt and a black motorcycle jacket with chains and an anarchy symbol emblazoned on the back.

"What are you doing?" The words had barely left her lips before her own clothes changed to the same exact dress her mother had worn the night she'd met her father.

The doors closed, sealing them into darkness. An instant later a light came on to showcase a silver mirrored ball at the same time Donna Summer's "Last Dance" started playing. The floor under her feet lit up like a 1970s disco as Ash twirled her under his arm.

Smiling at her, he began to sing, "I need you. By me. Beside me… to guide me. To hold me. To scold me…"

She laughed even as tears of happiness stung her eyes. As the beat picked up, he danced with her until she was outright crying and laughing to the point she was sure she must look insane.

The fact that he'd recreate this memory for her even though he hated her music with a passion…

He was the best ever.

She laughed as he moved flawlessly around the dance floor with her. "You would give John Travolta a run for his money."

"Yeah and I'm sorry about my clothes. I tried, but I just couldn't bring myself to wear that. Hell, I couldn't do the disco look even when it was popular. I swear I'm allergic to polyester. Thank God for the punk movement. Otherwise I'd have been naked for a decade."

She laughed as she tried to imagine him in a green leisure suit. No, it definitely didn't work.

She much preferred thinking of him naked. But only when they were alone.

"So what would you have worn back in the days when you were human?"

"A bedsheet."

Tory nodded as she thought about it. "See I knew that's what they made chitons out of. Geary said I was crazy, but I always suspected as much."

Ash froze as he realized that she hadn't understood his reference to being a whore. She merely thought he was describing the fabric of his clothes. To her, he was a man. Nothing more and definitely nothing less.

Lifting her up and twirling around with her, he held her close, savoring the way that she never reminded him of his past.

And when he set her down, she was dressed as an Atlantean princess.

Tory gasped at her long, flowing gown. Bright blue, it fell in pleats from a deeper blue underbust bodice that was covered with pearls and sapphires. But what made her face flame bright was the sheer material that barely covered her breasts. Her nipples were plainly visible. "Oh no! Tell me they didn't wear this."

Nodding, he turned her to face a mirror that appeared out of nowhere so that she could see the entire outfit as they swayed together. Gold chains draped from her bare shoulders to her elbows and her hair, which was curled into ringlets, was covered with a gorgeous gold headpiece. Tory stared at herself, adoring the clothes but hating that she was too tall, too skinny and too plain to do them justice.

And as she looked at Ash over her shoulder, still dressed as a punk rocker, she wanted to weep. He was gorgeous and she looked like the booby prize.

"Ash," she said, her voice catching, "can you do one thing for me?"

"Anything, Sota. You name it and it's yours."

"Make me beautiful."

He turned her to face him and he laid a kiss on her lips that set fire to her blood. Pulling back, he smiled down at her. "There you go. You're the most beautiful woman in the world."

Tory spun back to the mirror, dying to see what she looked like.

As she saw herself, she scowled.

She hadn't changed. "Ash!"

"What?" he asked innocently, pulling her back against his front so that he could stare at her in the mirror.

"You didn't do anything."

His gaze met hers and the sincerity in those swirling silver eyes scorched her. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world, Soteria. This is the woman I fell in love with and there's nothing about you I'd ever change."

Leaning back against him, she reached up to touch his cheek. "Really?"

"Absolutely. And I hope that one day, we have a houseful of kids who look just like you."