Acheron (Dark-Hunter #15)(66)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

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."