He shrugged. "Believe it or not, you get used to it. You know you're going to get slapped for something so you don't even react when it comes. Besides, the slaps didn't hurt all that much. I preferred those to being lashed by his tongue."
She couldn't imagine being hit over something she'd been born with. Something she couldn't help.
Something so beautiful and unusual.
"You know, Ren, I think you're the most fascinating person alive."
She could plant corn in the furrows his frown created on his forehead, they were so deep.
"Why?"
If there hadn't been so much doubt and confusion in that one single word, she'd have laughed. But he really, truly didn't see it.
"You're born of two entirely different ancient cultures. Your mother was a goddess, Ren. An actual Greek goddess who loved you so much, she sent another goddess to watch over you. You said you understood Apollymi. While your mother didn't try to destroy the world over you, you were her world. She loved you so much that the worst punishment Zeus could give her was to cast her into the sky as a comet so that she would never see the baby she loved so much. And yes, your father was definitely a dick, but he was also the chief of a tribe of legendary fighters. You were one of those warriors that our people still talk about in hushed and reverent tones. You led an army ... okay, it was an evil army, but you led an army of demons-you have demon blood and powers. And you fought my father for a year and a day. Gracious, Ren, you're the most fascinating man I've ever met. You draw power from three different cultures. How many people can do that? Seriously? That's impressive. You're impressive."
Those words made his heart race.
No, not the words. The passion behind them. She meant every one of them. They weren't spoken out of flattery because she wanted something from him. She meant every word she spoke.
"I love how you see the world, Kateri." Most of all, he loved how she saw him.
As she soaped his chest, she paused at the necklace. "Where did this come from? You didn't have it earlier."
Ren hesitated. He didn't want to lie to her, but he damn sure couldn't tell her the truth. "It came with the armor."
"Oh. It's very cute."
"Thanks," he said drily. "That was so the look I was going for."
She laughed at his sarcasm. "Sorry. It looks all hot and manly on you."
If she only knew ...
He could never remove it, and with it, Grizzly could summon him anywhere. Anytime.
So long as you wear it, Kateri's safe. That thought was the only thing that made his slavery bearable.
"Hey, Ren?" Sundown called from the hallway. "You in there?"
"Yeah."
"Have you seen Kateri lately?"
He gave her a lopsided grin. "Um ... yeah."
"Where is she?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to embarrass her. Most likely, she didn't want them to know she was sleeping with him.
But before he could think up an answer, she called out to Jess. "I'm in the shower with Ren."
"Oh dear lord, I am so sorry. I most certainly did not mean to disturb either one of you. As you were. This can definitely wait for later. Y'all take your time. Whatever you need. We'll ... uh ... hold down the fort. And I am so out of the hallway."
Ren felt terrible as he heard Sundown's footsteps retreating. "I'm sorry, Kateri. I didn't mean to embarrass you."
She arched a brow at his statement as she sank her hand down to cup him. "You didn't embarrass me, sweetie. I don't care if he knows. We can shout it from the rooftop if you want."
That was something he'd never get used to.
She took her time bathing him and was very thorough as she did so. By the time they were finished, there was no hot water left and it was pitch dark outside. He hated to get dressed and leave her, but the end of the world respected no one.
Toweling his hair dry, he went into the living room to find that Urian, Sundown, and Cabeza had been joined by Acheron. But it took him a second to recognize their fearless leader with his short hair.
Now there was something terrifying. "What happened to you? You get into a losing argument with a pair of scissors?"
Acheron rolled his eyes. "Damn, all of you are going to make this hard on me until it grows back. I swear. What's more important? Armageddon or my haircut?"
* * *
Kateri paused in the hallway as she heard that deep, rumbling voice that spoke in an accent the likes of which she'd never heard before. So this was the mysterious Acheron who led the Dark-Hunters.
The son of a goddess who'd almost ended the world over what had been done to him.
Curious, she stepped into the living room and froze. She wasn't sure what she'd expected to find, but it certainly wasn't ... this.
Yeah, okay, Lord King Badass had just entered the building. Her jaw went slack as she skimmed the ridiculous height of the latest man to join their party. Just shy of seven feet, he had short black hair framing a face that appeared to have been flawlessly chiseled from granite. He held an aura so dark and powerful that it made the hair on the back of her neck and arms rise.
Out of all the scary things in the room, he definitely put the others to shame, and that was not an easy thing to do.
Pinning her with a gaze that left her completely immobile, Acheron strode forward with the most predacious walk she'd ever seen. Something not easy to carry off when you considered the fact that he was physically very pretty and surprisingly young.