Part II CHAPTER 18
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."