Chapter 15
Valerius was torn between his loyalties and his duties. The Dark-Hunter in him wanted to find Acheron, but the man inside refused to leave Tabitha, who was keeping vigil in her sister's store until the coroner, Tate, arrived.
One by one, she'd contacted her family and assured herself that they were safe.
She hesitated on the last number to be called. "I can't call my mama and tell her," she said, her tears welling. "I can't."
The phone rang.
By the look on her face as she saw the caller ID, he had a good idea of who it was.
Valerius pried the cell phone from her hand and flipped it open. "Tabitha Devereaux," he said quietly.
"Who is this?" the woman sounded a bit frantic.
"I'm..." He hesitated at giving her his full name since she would no doubt register it as the name of an enemy and panic even more. "Val," he said firmly. "I'm a friend of Tabitha's."
"This is her mother. I need to know she's okay."
"Tabitha," he said, gentling his voice as he offered her the phone. "Your mother wants to know if you're okay."
She cleared her throat, but didn't take the phone from his hand. "I'm fine, Mama. Don't worry."
Valerius put the phone back up to his ear. "Mrs. Devereaux-"
"Don't say it," she said, her voice breaking. "I already know and I need my baby girl home with me. I don't want her to be alone. Could you please bring Tabitha here?"
"Yes."
She hung up.
Valerius ended the call, then returned the phone to Tabitha, who slipped it into her pocket.
He felt completely helpless against her grief, and he hated that most of all. It seemed like there should be something that he could say at such a moment and yet he knew from personal experience that there wasn't.
All he could do was hold her.
"Hey, everyone?" Otto's voice called out over the Nextel intercom. "I'm at Nick's house. The front gate was open and something really bad went down here. I need a head count immediately."
Kyr came back right away, as did Talon and Janice. Julian answered in next, followed by Zoe and then Valerius.
They all waited for the next one to check in.
No one did.
"Nick?" Otto called. "You out there, Cajun? Come on, buddy, answer me with something smart-ass."
No answer.
Valerius went cold.
"Jean-Luc?" Otto asked.
Again, nothing.
"Acheron?"
A feeling of severe dread ran through Valerius as Tabitha gave him a panicked look.
They knew the next name before Otto spoke it. "Kyrian? Kassim?" Only static filled the line.
Valerius pulled the Nextel off his belt and pushed for Otto alone. "What happened at Nick's?"
"Cherise is dead and there's no sign of him. I found his gun lying in a pool of blood by his mother's body with one round missing, but it's not what killed Cherise."
Valerius ground his teeth as he understood Otto's meaning. "Daimon attack?"
"Yeah."
Tabitha cursed, then bolted off her stool. "I have to get to Amanda."
"Otto, meet us at Kyrian's." He opened the line back out to the group. "Janice? Talon? Zoe? Can you start searching for Jean-Luc?"
"Who left you in charge, Roman?" Zoe sneered. Valerius wasn't in the mood for this bullshit as he went after Tabitha. "Stow it, Amazon. This isn't about my heritage. This is about your brothers-in-arms and their lives."
Julian came back at him. "I'll meet you at Kyrian's."
"No, please. Stay with your wife and children. Make sure they're safe."
"All right. Let me know what you find out." Tabitha was already in the driver's seat of her Mini Cooper. Valerius got inside and slammed the door shut.
She threw it in reverse and didn't bother to open the wooden gate. She crashed through it as she squealed off into the street.
Valerius braced himself against the dashboard while she careened them through traffic at a deadly pace, toward her sister's house.
Once they reached it, she didn't stop at Amanda's tall iron gate, either. Valerius held his arm up to shield his face as she drove straight through it and tore the iron posts off their stone facings.
Tabitha skidded to a stop just in front of the door and launched herself from the car without even turning it off.
Valerius didn't hesitate to follow.
From the outside of the house, everything looked normal. The lights were on, and as Tabitha kicked open the front door, they could hear a television somewhere upstairs.
"Mandy?" Tabitha screamed out in a shrill tone.
Her sister didn't answer her.
"Hey, Dad?" someone called from upstairs. "Your dessert's here."
Artemis paused outside the cemetery where she sensed Acheron's presence. She shivered in revulsion. She'd always hated such places, while he seemed to prefer them.
"Acheron?" she called as she walked through the stone wall.
The dark ground was uneven, making it hard for her to walk. So she floated through the area.
"Acheron?"
A flash of fire shot near her head.
Artemis ducked and moved to return the blast until she caught sight of Acheron's pet. She curled her lip at the demon until she saw Acheron lying in its arms. He looked terrible as he writhed there as if in the throes of torture.
"What have you done to him?" Artemis demanded of the creature.
The demon hissed at her. "The Simi did nothing, you heifer-goddess. You the one who hurts my akri. Not me."
Any other time, Artemis might argue with it, but Acheron lay there as if he were in excruciating pain.
"What happened to him?"
"It's the souls them Daimons are eating. They scream when they die and there are too many of them tonight. The Simi can't make it go away."
"Acheron?" Artemis tried again as she knelt beside him. "Can you hear me?"
He recoiled from her.
She tried to reach for him only to have the demon lunge at her.
"Don't you touch my akri!"
Damn the Charontes! The only one who could control them was...
No, there were two people alive who could control them.
"Apollymi?" she spoke to the mist around her. "Can you hear me?"
Evil laughter echoed on the breeze. The Atlantean goddess couldn't come out of her prison in form, but her powers were so great that she could extend her will and voice even through her limitations. "So, you speak to me, bitch. Why should I listen?"
Artemis clamped her temper down before she answered insult with insult and drove the older goddess away. "I can't help Acheron. His demon won't let me. I need your help."
"And why should I care?"
"Because I..." Artemis ground her teeth together before she spoke the most difficult word of all for her. "Please. Please, help me."
"What will you give me for this service? Will you return my baby to me?"
Artemis curled her lip at the thought. There was no way she'd ever release him. "I can't do that and you know it."
She felt Apollymi pulling away.
"No!" she said hurriedly. "Do me this favor and I'll release Katra from my service. She'll be yours alone to command and will no longer have torn loyalties between me and you."
Once more she heard the ancient Atlantean goddess laughing at her.
The laughter ended on a short note. "I would have helped him anyway, you gullible chit. But I thank you for the gift."
A red, eerie haze fell over the area as the Destroyer withdrew her voice. It formed the shape of a hand that then cradled Acheron's body. Acheron cried out as if the pain were more than he could bear. His whole body turned rigid and strained.
"Akri?" the demon wailed, its face terrified.
Then suddenly, Acheron went completely limp as the mist evaporated.