Acheron (Dark-Hunter #15)(73)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

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&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 f**k 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."