CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Simone and Xypher turned and there on the sheet behind them stood three extremely tall, well-built men. One was lean with jet-black hair that was short in back, but longer in front where it fell over his eyes. The other two were auburn haired and built like weight lifters. But for the orangelike scent of their skin and their strangely do wins eves, they would have appeared human.
The dark-haired one drew closer. "Misafy... "he hissed dangerously as he raked them with a hostile glare. "What brings you here?"
Simone leaned closer to Xypher. "Did he just insult us?"
"Depends on whether or not being called 'half-blood' offends you." He locked gazes with the Charonte. "I saw what the gallu did to one of your people. I was looking for you to find out why."
The Charonte moved closer to them with an impressively lethal gait.
"Xedrix," the one on her left said in warning. "We know nothing of them or their powers."
Xedrix ignored him as he drew closer to Simone. Leaning down, he took a deep breath in her hair.
Xypher shoved him back.
Xedrix's eyes flashed dangerously as he refused to back off. "Katika?" he asked Xypher.
"Yes."
Xedrix went down on one knee before her.
Completely baffled by what had happened, Simone looked to Xypher for an explanation. "Katika? What is that?"
The demon rose up. "You are his owner."
Both of her brows shot up in surprise. She owned Xypher? In what alternate universe would that ever happen? "I am?"
Xypher gave her a look of warning not to say anything else before he turned his attention back to Xedrix. "Pieryol akati. We come without war. Neither of us has an alliance with the gallu."
Xedrix scoffed. "No? You reek of our worst enemies. Greek and gallu. And you expect me to believe that you mean us no harm?"
The demon on Simone's right stepped forward. "My brother lies dead. I say we kill the male to retaliate."
Xedrix cast a glare that was malevolent enough to be felt over his shoulder at the demon who had spoken. "You know the laws of our people. He's owned by one who hasn't declared herself our enemy."
"I will not serve a human-gallu misafy!"
Xedrix threw his hand out and the demon came flying toward him to land in his fist. "You have forgotten yourself, Tyris. The female comes to talk peace, we will listen. We may be brutal but we are not savage." He looked back at Xypher before he released Tyris. "One war like move from you and, Katika or not, we will kill you."
Xypher folded his hands together and held them up to his eyes for the Charoute to see. "No war so long as my Katika isn't threatened."
"Then we have an accord." Xedrix stepped aside and swung his arm out so that they could pass. "Pieryol akati."
Simone scowled. "What does that mean?"
"Peace is our journey, my lady." Xedrix fell ill behind her. "If you'll follow Tyris."
Tyris led them toward the building on the left where a small door opened on the other side of a Dumpster.
Simone blinked from the heavy darkness as they entered what appeared to be the backstage area of a club. Everything back here was painted black, including the floor. Gathered black curtains separated the area where they stood from a stage that had the sign CLUB VAMPYRE hanging above it.
The irony wasn't lost on her. "Nice name."
Xedrix's eyes flashed red in the dark, "I may not be human, my lady. It doesn't mean I don't know sarcasm when I hear it."
"Sorry."
As Xedrix led them to the other side of the curtain, Simone gasped. There were at least two dozen more Charonte, and unlike Xedrix and his two companions, these looked like demons. With horns coming out of their heads, their skin was a myriad of colors, usually two per creature, that were marbled in such way as to actually be attractive. Their eyes ran from yellow to white to red or black. Likewise their hair colors ranged from black to brown or auburn. Large, brightly colored wings jutted out of their backs, giving them a strange angelic appearance that was belied by their fangs and battle-honed physiques.
Simone stepped back and bumped into Xypher, who appeared to find what they were walking into totally copasetic. "I think I left my keys outside."
"Relax," Xypher said, wrapping his ami around her waist to keep her from fanning. "You're not the one in danger."
"How you figure?"
He indicated the group with a tilt of his chin. "By nature the Charonte are an extremely matriarchal race. The males are always subservient to females, which is why I told them you were my owner. That's the world they understand. And luckily for us, the males usually aren't as warring in nature as their females are."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Since there's no female present, I'm thinking we're relatively safe. Unlike a female Charonte, the males will only attack when ordered to or threatened." One corner of his mouth lifted. "Word to the wise, don't threaten them. I'm good, but they seriously outnumber me right now."
"Don't worry. I'm not about to taunt the entire pride in its den." Xypher released her. "Where is your Katika?" he asked Xedris.
Xedrix crossed his arms over his chest. "We are without."
"Did she die?" He shook his head. "We are Dikoniai."
"Male warriors," Xypher whispered in Simone's ear so that she'd understand.
"A few human years back our Katika was under attack. There was a Greek"-he spat the word out as if it were the most disgusting thing he could imagine-"god who sought to release her from her captivity. She sent us to protect her child and to fight the Greeks who wanted to harm him. We came and we fought. Many of us died and before we few survivors could return home, the portal closed, locking us here in this realm,"
Tyris curled his lip. "And now we're being assaulted by the gallu. May they all burn and perish in the ashes of a dragon's scaly ass."
"Oookay," Simone breathed, but she had to give them credit, it was a good curse to give someone you didn't like. The imagery said it all.
"Why are the gallu attacking you?" Xypher asked. The males refused to answer.
Xypher shook his head at them. So, they knew, they just weren't willing to share it with him. Perfect. Just perfect. "Let me try this again. What do you have that they want?"
The males moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with their arms crossed. A unified wall of staunch machismo.
Simone shook her head at the sight. "Is it just me or is anyone else getting a case of testosterone poisoning?"
Xypher grimaced "What?"
She held her hand out. "Look at them. Ready to fight to the death rather than answer a simple question . . . you know there's only one thing I can think of that would make men, especially those who are from a highly matriarchal society, willing to lay down their lives without speaking."
"And that would be?"
"A woman."
Xypher paused as he realized that she was right. It would be the one thing that they'd die to protect. But who was it?
"Where's the female?" Xypher asked.
Xedrix stepped forward to glare at them. "Get out!"
"It's all right, Xedrix." The voice was gentle and quiet, and named with the most lilting song-like tone. "I'm not afraid of them."
The male demons began parting as a tiny figure pressed through their center.
When she finally broke through, Simone gasped at the fragile beauty dressed in jeans and a large green sweater-it was the same woman who'd moved into a condo near hers a few weeks back.
Barely five feet tall, she looked like one of the china dolls Liza made. Her skin and lips were so pale as to be luminescent. Long, silvery white hair flowed around her tiny, yet voluptuous body. The only color she had was her silver-gray eyes that glowed against a thick fringe of jet-black lashes.