Kiss of the Night

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Chapter 9

 

  For three solid weeks, Wulf kept Chris and Cassandra under house arrest. But as time went by and no Daimons showed, he began to wonder if maybe he wasn't overreacting a bit.

  Thor knew Chris accused him of it at least five times an hour.

  Cassandra had withdrawn from school entirely even though she hated to. She was only about three weeks along, but looked more like three months. Her stomach was rounding out, letting them all know that there really was a child inside her.

  It was the most beautiful thing Wulf had seen, even as he struggled to keep himself emotionally distant from her.

  But it was hard. Especially as they spent so much of their time together taping her for their baby. Most of the time, she was perfectly calm as she told the baby about her past, her mother and sisters. Her father. With every fond memory she shared with the baby, he felt himself growing closer to her.

  "See, this," she said, as she showed her hand with the signet ring on it to the small camcorder he held. Wulf focused the lens on it. "My mother told me that this was the actual wedding ring the Atlantean kings used when they married. "

  Cassandra looked at it sadly. "I'm not sure how it survived all these centuries. My mother gave it to my father so that he could give it to me. I'll make sure your father has it to give to you too. "

  Whenever she talked about the baby's future without her, it killed a part of him. The injustice of it tore his heart into pieces.

  The pain in her eyes, the regret.

  And whenever she cried, it hurt him even more. He would soothe her as best he could, but in the end they both knew what the outcome of all this would be.

  There was no way to stop it.

  Her father came often during the daylight hours to meet with her. Cassandra didn't have her father meet Wulf since her father wouldn't remember him anyway.

  For that he was truly grateful.

  Instead, Cassandra introduced her father to Chris and they made plans for the two of them to stay in touch after the baby came.

  Acheron had called on Mardi Gras night and put Wulf on an immediate leave from his Dark-Hunter duties to watch over Cassandra and protect the baby. Two more Dark-Hunters had been transferred to St. Paul to take over Wulf's usual patrols and to help keep watch should Stryker or the others come after them.

  Ash had also given him the name of an Apollite Dark-Hunter named Spawn who might be able to help them with what Cassandra needed for her pregnancy. Wulf had called every night to leave a message at Spawn's house, but Spawn had yet to respond.

  Nor had he been able to reach Acheron again.

  His phone rang.

  Cassandra watched as Wulf pulled his phone out of his pocket and answered it. She knew he was worried and not just about her and Chris. His best friend, Talon, had vanished and none of the Dark-Hunters had had any contact with him in weeks.

  Even more concerning, Acheron had also gone MIA. Wulf kept telling her it was a bad omen, even though Kat told them not to worry about it. Apparently Acheron was rather famous for having times when no one could reach him.

  Kat had assured them that Artemis would never allow anyone to hurt Acheron. If he had been harmed, they would all know it.

  Cassandra sat on the floor with Chris and Kat, playing Life. They had tried to play Trivial Pursuit earlier only to learn that a Dark-Hunter and an immortal handmaiden to a goddess had a decidedly unfair advantage over Cassandra and Chris.

  In Life, the only thing that mattered was luck.

  "Well, I'll be damned," Wulf said a few minutes later after he hung up the phone and rejoined the game.

  "Something happen?" Cassandra asked as she moved her piece.

  "Talon got his soul back. "

  "No friggin' way," Chris blurted out, sitting back on the floor in shock. "How'd he do that?"

  Wulf's face was impassive, but Cassandra had grown to know him well enough to see the tenseness of his features. He was happy for his friend, but she could tell he was also a bit envious. Not that she blamed him.

  "He met an artist and they fell in love," Wulf said as he sat back down beside her and adjusted his play money. "On Mardi Gras, she got his soul back and freed him. "

  Chris made a disgusted noise at Wulf's announcement. "Oh man, that sucks. Now he's going to have to join Kyrian on the geriatric patrol. "

  "Chris!" Cassandra gasped with an inappropriate laugh. "That's a horrible thing to say. "

  "Yeah but it's true. I can't imagine trading immortality for a woman. No offense, ladies, but something ain't right with that. "

  Wulf kept his attention on the game board. "Talon didn't trade his immortality. Unlike Kyrian, he got to keep his. "

  "Oh," Chris said. "That's cool then. Good for him. Man, must be nice to have your cake and eat it, huh?"

  Chris's face flushed as he looked back and forth between them and realized what he'd just said. "I mean-"

  "It's okay, Chris," Wulf said charitably. But his eyes betrayed the hurt he felt.

  Kat took her turn.

  Cassandra reached over and laced her fingers with Wulf's. "I didn't know Dark-Hunters could go free. "

  "It's rare," Wulf said, tightening his grip on her hand. "At least it was up until this last year. Talon and Kyrian make two we know. "

  "Three," Kat added as she moved her piece on the board.

  "Three?" Wulf asked. He looked shocked.

  Kat nodded. "Three Dark-Hunters have been freed. I heard the other handmaidens talking about it last night when I went to check in with Artemis. "

  "I thought you didn't get a chance to talk to her," Cassandra said, remembering what Kat had told them after her return last night.

  "Oh, I didn't. She has the big Do Not Disturb sign on her temple door. There are definite times when no one but Apollo dares to barge into her domain. But I did hear the other Icons gossiping about it. Apparently, Artemis wasn't real happy over the matter. "

  "Hmm. . . " Cassandra said as she thought about that.

  "Who else was freed?" Wulf asked.

  "Zarek of Moesia. "

  Wulf's jaw went slack as Chris looked at Kat as if she'd sprouted a new head.

  Chris snorted. "Now I know you're full of it, Kat. Zarek is marked for death. There's no way. "

  Kat looked over at him. "Yeah, well, he didn't die and ended up going free instead. Artemis has threatened everyone's head if she loses another Hunter. "

  Those words weren't comforting to Cassandra. She could only imagine how much less so they were for Wulf.

  "I never thought I'd see the day when they would set Zarek free," Wulf said under his breath. "He's so psychotic they've had him under exile for almost as long as I've been a Dark-Hunter. "

  Cassandra took a deep breath at that. It didn't seem right that someone like this Zarek could be free while Wulf was cursed the way he was.

  "I wonder what Nick'll be doing for a Dark-Hunter now that Talon's free," Chris said as he grabbed the canister of Pringles from Kat. "I can't imagine he'd ever serve Valerius. "

  "No doubt," Wulf said. He explained to Cassandra that Valerius was the grandson of the man who had ruined Kyrian's family and crucified the Greek general. Since Nick was Kyrian's former Squire and a personal friend, Nick would never serve the man whose family had done that to Kyrian.

  Wulf, Kat, and Chris continued to discuss the Dark-Hunters, while Cassandra thought over what she'd learned tonight.

  "Could I free you?" Cassandra asked Wulf.

  A strange look darkened his eyes. "No. Unlike the other Dark-Hunters, I don't have an out-clause. "

  "Why?"

  Wulf let out a tired breath as he spun the wheel for his turn. "I was tricked into serving Artemis. Everyone else volunteered. "

  "Tricked how?"

  "That was you?" Kat interrupted before Wulf could answer her question.

  Cassandra turned toward Kat. "You know about it?"
/>
  "Well, yeah, there was a big brouhaha at the time it happened. Artemis is still steamed that Morginne beat her out. The goddess doesn't like anyone getting the better of her and most especially not when it's a mortal she owns. "

  "How did she do it?" Cassandra asked.

  Kat took the Pringles back from Chris before he could polish them off. That boy liked to eat. They had yet to figure out how he managed to stay so skinny eating the way he did.

  Grousing, he got up and headed to the kitchen, no doubt to get more snacks.

  Kat set the canister down by her leg. "Morginne made a pact with the Norse god Loki. He used a thistle from the Norns that is said to be able to let someone swap places with someone else for a day. "

  Wulf frowned at her words. "Then how did they make it last?"

  "Loki's blood. The Norse gods have some weird rules and he wanted Morginne for himself, so he swapped her soul for yours in order to keep her. Artemis didn't feel like going to war with him to get Morginne back. She figured you would be a better Hunter anyway. "

  Wulf's eyes narrowed.

  Kat gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm. "If it makes you feel any better, he's still torturing Morginne for it and with him she has no out-clause either. Even if she did, Artemis would kill her. The only reason she hasn't is because Loki still protects her. "

  "It doesn't make me feel any better. "

  "No. I guess it wouldn't. "

  Stryker paced the floor of the dimly lit banquet hall, wanting blood. For three weeks now they hadn't been able to find a trace of Wulf or Cassandra.

  They couldn't even get to her father to help draw her out.

  Damn it all.

  He had his son Urian working on it now, but it seemed useless.

  "How hard can it be to find where a Dark-Hunter lives?"

  "They are crafty, kyrios," Zolan said, using the respectful Atlantean term for "lord. "

  Zolan was his third in command and one of Stryker's most trusted soldiers. He'd been promoted through the Spathi ranks for his ability to murder ruthlessly and show no mercy to anyone. He'd reached the coveted "general" status more than ten thousand years ago.

  Like Stryker, he chose to dye his hair black and wore the Spathi symbol of a yellow sun with a dragon in its center-the emblem of the Destroyer.

  "If they weren't," Zolan continued, "we'd be able to track and kill them through our servants while they slept. "

  Stryker turned on Zolan with a glare so malevolent that the Daimon shrank away from him. Only his son held enough courage to not flinch from his anger. Urian's bravery knew no equal.

  The demon Xedrix appeared before him in the hall. Unlike the Daimons, Xedrix didn't bow or acknowledge Stryker's elevated stature in their world. Most of the time, Xedrix treated him as more of a servant than a master. It was something that angered Stryker even more.

  No doubt the demon thought his place in the Destroyer's esteem was enough to protect him, but Stryker knew the truth. His mother loved him absolutely.

  "Her Benevolent Grace wishes a word with you," the demon said in a low, even tone.

  Benevolent Grace. Every time Stryker heard that title, he wanted to laugh, but knew better. His mother didn't really have a sense of humor.

  He pushed himself up from his throne and willed himself into her private chambers.

  His mother stood over a pool where water flowed backward up a glittering pipe from this world into the human realm. There was a fine rainbow mist and vapors around the water. It was here the goddess could scry so that she knew what was happening on earth.

  "She is pregnant," the goddess announced without turning around.

  Stryker knew the "she" that the goddess referred to was Cassandra.

  "How can that be?"

  The goddess lifted her hands and drew a circle in the air. Water from the pool formed like a crystal ball. Even though nothing but air held it, it swirled about until it held an image of the woman they both wanted dead. There was nothing in the ball to give him any indication of how to find Cassandra.

  Apollymi dragged one fingernail through the image, causing it to shake and distort. "Artemis is interfering with us. "

  "There is still time to kill both mother and child. "

  She smiled at that. "Yes, there is. " She opened her hands and the water arced from the ball, back into her pool. "Now is the time to strike. The Elekti is being held by Artemis. He can't stop you. He won't even know when you attack. "

  Stryker flinched at the mention of the Elekti. Like the Abadonna, Stryker was forbidden to attack him.

  He hated restrictions.

  "We don't know where to attack," he told his mother. "We've been searching-"

  "Take one of the ceredons. My pets can find them. "

  "I thought they were forbidden to leave this realm. "

  A cruel half-smile curved his mother's lips. "Artemis broke the rules; so shall I. Now go, m'gios, and do me proud. "

  Stryker nodded and turned about sharply. He took three steps before the Destroyer's voice made him pause.

  "Remember, Strykerius, kill the heiress before the Elekti returns. You are not to engage him. Ever. "

  He stopped but didn't look back. "Why have I always been forbidden to touch him?"

  "Ours is not to question why. Ours is but to live or to die. "

  He ground his teeth as she gave him the distorted human quote.

  When she spoke again, the coldness in her tone only angered him more. "The answer to that is how much do you value your life, Strykerius? I have kept you close all these centuries and I have no desire to see you dead. "

  "The Elekti can't kill me. I am a god. "

  "And greater gods than you have fallen. Many of them to my wrath. Heed my words, boy. Heed them well. "

  Stryker continued on his way, pausing only long enough to unleash Kyklonas, whose name meant "tornado. " Once unleashed, the ceredon was a deadly menace. Much like Stryker.

  It was close to midnight when Wulf's phone rang again. Answering it, he heard a gruff Greek accent that he didn't recognize.

  "This is Spawn, Viking. You rang a few hundred times while I was gone?"

  Wulf ignored the man's aggravated tone. "Where have you been?"

  Spawn's response came out as a low growling challenge. "Since when the hell do I answer to you? I don't even know you, hence it's none of your damned business. "

  Well, someone hadn't taken his personality pills for the night. "Look, I don't personally have a beef with you, Daimon-"

  "I'm an Apollite, Viking. Big difference. "

  Yeah, right. "Sorry. Didn't mean to offend. "

  "To quote you, Viking, yeah, right. "

  Holy shit!

  "And yes, I heard that too. "

  Wulf tamped down his anger and blanked out his mind. The last thing he wanted was to betray himself to a stranger who could be every bit as lethal as the Daimons after Cassandra. "If you know so much, then you should know why I was calling. "

  Silence answered him.

  After a brief pause, Spawn laughed deep in his throat.

  "You can't blank your thoughts from me, Wulf. There's no way to shield yourself from me so long as I have direct contact with you, such as the phone you're holding. But don't worry. I'm not your problem. I'm just surprised Apollo really does have an heiress to protect. Congratulations on the baby. "

  "Thanks," Wulf said less than sincerely.

  "And to answer your question, I don't know. "

  "Know what?"

  "If halflings live past twenty-seven. But then anything is possible. I say in a few months we should pop us some Orville Redenbacher's, then sit back and enjoy the show. "

  It enraged him that the Apollite would make light of something so tragic. "Shut up, Spawn. I don't find you funny at all. "

  "More's the pity then. I happen to think I'm quite the comedian. "

  Wulf wanted nothing more
than to tear the Apollite Dark-Hunter apart.

  "Then it's a good thing I live in Alaska where you can't reach me, huh?"

  "How can you do that?"

  "I'm a telepath. I know your thoughts even before you do. "

  "Then why are you being such an asshole?"

  "Because I'm a telepath, not an empath. I couldn't care less how you feel, only what you think. But since I also had a message from Ash telling me to help you two, I suppose I will. "

  "Mighty big of you," Wulf said sarcastically.

  "Yes, it is, especially given how much I detest most of you. But since Cassandra is one of my people, I'll try and play nice. If I were you, I'd go find her an Apollite midwife to help birth your son. "

  Wulf's heart clenched at his words. "It's a boy?"

  "Not quite yet, but he will be when he forms a little more. "

  Wulf smiled at the thought, though to be honest, a small part of him wished for a daughter. One who could remind him of her mother once Cassandra was gone.

  Squelching that thought before it led him somewhere he didn't need to go, he listened to Spawn's list of things Cassandra would require.

  "My people are a little different from humans. There are special dietary concerns and environmental changes. "

  "I know Cassandra needs a transfusion," Wulf said, thinking of how pale she'd looked for the last two days. "She told me earlier she was feeling weak. "

  "Trust me, she needs more than that. "

  "Such as?"

  Spawn ignored the question. "I'll make a few calls and see if I can find someone who is willing to help you two. If we're lucky, there might even be a colony to take you in. I can't make any promises. Since I'm now batting for the other team, my people have a bad tendency to hate my guts and want to kill me whenever I try to contact them. "

  "I appreciate it, Spawn. "

  "Yeah, and I appreciate your lying to me for the sake of politeness when we both know better. The only reason you're tolerating me right now is Cassandra. Good night, Wulf. "

  The phone went dead.

  "I take it that didn't go well. "

  He looked over his shoulder to see Cassandra standing in the doorway of his room. His thoughts had been focused on Spawn's caustic personality, and he hadn't heard her come in. "About like walking into a bear cave coated in honey. "

  She smiled at that as she drew near him. "Interesting image. "

  He thought over what Spawn had said about her needs. She'd been pregnant for almost a month now. Was she okay? "How are you feeling?"

  "Very, very tired. I came down to go to bed early. "

  He gave a halfhearted laugh at that. "Only in our world would midnight be considered early. " He pulled her gently into his lap.

  She settled across him easily and he realized just how comfortable he'd become with her.

  "Yeah, I know," she said as she tucked her head under his chin and leaned against his chest. "The joys of being nocturnal. "

  She sighed. "When I was a little girl, I used to try and bring sunshine to my mother. I felt so bad that she had never really seen or felt it. So I would try and catch it in jars. When that failed, I captured jars and jars of lightning bugs and told her that if we could catch enough of them, then it would look like the sun. She'd laugh, hug me, and then set them free and tell me that nothing should have to live its life in a cage. "

  Wulf smiled. He could just imagine her bringing her jars to her mother. "I'm sure it pleased her. "

  She ran her hand over his forearm, raising chills on his entire body as she idly stroked his skin. "My older sister was like her. She couldn't tolerate the sun at all. If she was in it any more than three minutes, she would burn to a crisp. "

  "I'm sorry. "

  The two of them fell silent while Wulf closed his eyes and let her scent of roses permeate him. She was so soft against him. Her curves lush and full from her pregnancy.

  All he wanted was to taste her.

  "Do you think dying hurts?" she asked, her voice nothing more than a breathless whisper.

  Pain lacerated him at the thought. "Baby, why do you do this to yourself?"

  "I try not to," she whispered. "I really do, but I can't seem to stop myself from thinking about the fact that in seven months I will never see the sunshine again. " She looked up at him with her eyes bright and shining from unshed tears. "Never see you. Kat. This ratty old cellar. "

  "My rooms are not ratty. "

  She gave him a bittersweet, winsome smile. "I know. I guess I should count my blessings. At least I have the benefit of knowing when I'll die. This way I can put everything in order. "

  No, she couldn't, because as he spent more and more time with her, he was drawn closer to her.

  These last three weeks had been so incredible. He'd learned to feel almost normal. It was so nice to walk upstairs and not have to introduce himself to her and Kat.

  To wake up at dusk and find her lying beside him, knowing him, his touch. . .

  Sighing, she pushed herself out of his lap and headed toward the bed.

  She took a step and stumbled.

  Wulf moved with lightning speed to scoop her up into his arms before she fell. "You okay?"

  "Dizzy spell. "

  She'd been having those for the last week. "Do I need to send for blood?"

  "No. I think that one was pregnancy related. "

  He carried her to the bed and laid her down gently.

  Cassandra smiled at the sight of her Viking warrior and his care. Whatever she needed or wanted, he sent someone for it or he went and got it himself.

  As he started to pull away, she kissed his lips. His reaction startled her as he kissed her back desperately. He was like a wild animal as he explored every inch of her mouth. His tongue danced with hers, and when she brushed against his fangs, she shivered.

  She felt the predator inside him, the barbarian. He tasted of bloodlust and mercy. Growling, he lifted her shirt up so that he could cup her breast in his hand.

  Cassandra sighed at his demanding touch. He was normally so tender but tonight his touch was feral. He pulled her pants and panties off together so quickly that she barely felt the denim and silk leave her.

  He didn't even bother removing his pants all the way. Instead, he shoved them down just below his hips, enough so that he could enter her.

  Cassandra moaned as he filled her with such sweet bliss that she wanted to weep. He was so wild as he thrust himself against her, and she took delight in every deep, penetrating stroke.

  Wulf couldn't breathe. He had no business with her. No business letting her inside his defenses when he had no choice except to let her go, but he couldn't help himself.

  He needed to feel her in his arms. Needed to feel her body under him.

  She sank her nails into his skin as she arched her back and came for him. He waited until she had finished shuddering before he joined her in that blissful place.

  He laid himself carefully down over her body so as not to hurt her or the baby. All he wanted was to feel her entwined with him, her bare legs cradling his body.

  "Are you all right?" she asked quietly. "It's not like you to be in such a hurry. "

  Wulf closed his eyes as her words tore through him.

  Only Cassandra had ever known him. His habits. His likes and dislikes. And she remembered them. In all these centuries, she was the only lover who had learned those things.

  What was he going to do without her?

  A knock sounded on the door.

  "Hey, Cass?" Chris called. "If you're still up, I ordered a pizza for you since you said you wanted one. It should be here in a few minutes. "

  She giggled at that as Wulf frowned at her. Their bodies were still joined. "I told him after you came down here that I would kill for one slice of pepperoni pizza," she explained. Raising her voice, she said, "Thanks, Chris. I'll be back up in a few minutes. "

  Wulf's
frown deepened. "If you need to rest. . . "

  "Are you kidding? I meant it when I said I'd kill for pizza. "

  "You should have said something earlier. Chris would have had the cook make you one. "

  "I know, but by the time I went upstairs, Marie had already started on the chicken and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She's a really nice lady. "

  "I know. "

  She saw the stricken look on Wulf's face.

  Marie had been working there for almost eight years and she mistakenly thought Chris was her boss. Marie had given Cassandra the whole story of how Chris's father had hired her and then three years ago, after Chris's father's heart attack in the living room, Chris's mother had moved to a new home across town so that she wouldn't have to relive her husband's death every time she walked through the house.

  His mother had tried to get Chris to leave as well, but for an obvious reason, he'd stayed behind with Wulf. The house had been left in trust to Chris by his father, so Chris's mother couldn't sell it and force him to move.

  There was no telling how many times in the last eight years Wulf had met Marie.

  "I'm sorry, Wulf. "

  "Don't be, I'm used to it. "

  He withdrew from her and dressed, then helped her back into her clothes. But he wouldn't let her walk back up the stairs for fear of her stumbling.

  Instead, he carried her to the sofa and made her lie down while he fetched a pillow and blanket for her.

  Cassandra smiled at his kindness as he returned and tucked the blanket around her, then snatched the remote from Chris.

  "Hey!" Chris snapped indignantly.

  "You're not pregnant, Chris. " He handed it to Cassandra.

  "Fine," Chris said sullenly. "See if I ever have a baby for you. "

  "Yeah, right. By the time you get around to it, my child will have grandchildren. "

  Chris was aghast. "Oh, oh, oh, I don't want to hear it from you, hornhead. " That was a familiar insult Chris used to nettle Wulf. Cassandra hadn't understood it until Chris explained that it stemmed from the mistaken belief that Vikings wore horned helmets in the Middle Ages.

  "That's it," Chris continued, "I'm switching schools to Stanford. I'm tired of all this snow anyway. I might not get laid there either, but at least the women in class won't be dressed in parkas. "

  Kat entered the room and rolled her eyes. "Is it just me or do these two argue like two little kids every time they get together?"

  "They argue like kids," Cassandra said. "I think they're trying to make needling other people an Olympic sport. "

  Chris opened his mouth at the same time the door buzzed. "Pizza," he said, getting up.

  A strange tremor went through Cassandra. Rubbing the back of her neck, she looked around.

  "You okay?" Kat asked.

  "I think so. " She just felt. . . odd. . .

  She leaned her head back against the sofa to see Chris with the pizza in his hand and the delivery guy outside. Chris paid him.

  "Hey," the guy said as Chris pulled back. "Do you mind if I come in for a sec and use the phone? I need to call the store about the next delivery. "

  Chris cocked his head. "How about I bring you a cell phone for the porch?"

  "C'mon, man, it's cold out here. Can't I come in to make a call?"

  Wulf was on his feet, quickly heading for the door, as Chris pulled back even more.

  "Sorry, dude," Chris said more sternly. "No one unknown comes into this house, capische?"

  "Chris," Wulf snapped, his voice low and steely. "Get back. "

  For once Chris didn't argue.

  Wulf grabbed a sword from the wall at the same time the Daimon on the porch pulled two huge daggers out from the insulated pizza bag.

  The Daimon tossed one dagger at Chris, then turned to engage Wulf. Chris staggered back, his face pale as he fell to the floor.

  Cassandra was on her feet headed for Chris when Kat caught her. "Think of the baby. Stay put. "

  She nodded as Kat jumped the couch to go help Chris.

  Cassandra grabbed another sword off the wall, ready for battle, just in case.

  Luckily, Chris was back on his feet unharmed by the time Kat reached him. The pizza, on the other hand, was DOA. Thank God the box had deflected the dagger.

  Wulf and the Daimon continued to fight on the porch.

  "Holy shit," Chris breathed, running toward Cassandra with Kat behind him. "There are a shitload more of them headed for the house. "

  "What?" Cassandra asked, her knees going weak with the thought of it.

  Wulf killed the one on the porch and slammed the door shut.

  "Dammit to hell, Chris, are you all right?"

  Chris nodded.

  Wulf crossed the room and inspected him anyway, then pulled him into his arms and held him fiercely.

  "Hey, get off me, you homo. " Chris bristled. "You're grossing me out. If you want to hug something, hug Cassandra. "

  She saw Wulf clench his teeth an instant before he mostly let go. He kept one hand fiercely locked on Chris's shoulder as he lowered himself to look the boy eye to eye. "You ever answer that door again, Christopher Lars Eriksson, and I'll rip your fool head off. " He shoved Chris toward the hallway. "Go lower the shields. "

  "What is this, the Enterprise!" Kat asked as Chris sprinted to do Wulf's bidding.

  "No, we have bulletproof metal security shutters. I don't know what the Daimons are up to, but I don't want them to be able to toss a Molotov cocktail or anything else through a window. "

  "Good thinking," Kat breathed.

  The whole house shook as Chris lowered the steel shutters.

  Wulf was quaking in anger as he called security to check on them.

  "Hello?" The voice was not only unfamiliar, but heavily accented. Granted, the guards never remembered him, but Wulf knew each member of the security force that the Council had sent to protect Chris.

  Wulf had a bad feeling. "Who is this?"

  "Who do you think it is, Dark-Hunter? My compliments to whomever sent out for pizza. We enjoyed the midnight snack. "

  Wulf tightened his grip on the phone. "Where are my guards?"

  "Oh, one is right here, but he's not feeling very talkative. Death has a way of making even the chattiest of people rather quiet. As for the other. . . he's. . . oh, wait, dead now. My boys just finished him off!"

  "You are going to pay for that. "

  "Well, then, why don't you come out here and hand me the bill?"

  "I'm on my way. " Wulf hung up and headed for the door, intent on skewering Stryker.

  Kat caught him before he could reach the door. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked indignantly.

  He glared angrily at her. "I'm going to finish this. "

  She gave him an arch look. "You can't. He'll kill you the minute you leave here. "

  "Then what do you want me to do?"

  "Guard Chris and Cassandra. I'll be right back. "

  Kat flashed out of the house.

  Kat honed into Stryker's energy and found him in the guardhouse. She winced as she saw the two dead men on the floor. There were at least a dozen Daimons outside, opening boxes and preparing for an attack.

  Only four Daimons were inside the guardhouse. Stryker, Urian, Icarus, and Trates.

  Trates looked up from the monitors and went pale.

  "How did you get in here?" Kat demanded.

  Stryker turned slowly, methodically, around to face her with a sardonic grin. There was no fear in him, only wry amusement. "The guards came outside when we ate the pizza deliveryman and tried to stop us. We dragged them inside after they were dead. "

  His words and lack of regard for what they'd done sickened her, but not half as much as when she caught sight of the ceredon with them on one of the monitors.

  So Apollymi had changed the rules on her. Damn.

  "You are so evil," she said between c
lenched teeth.

  He smiled as if her words complimented him. "Thank you, love, I pride myself on that. "

  Kat opened the portal back to Kalosis. "It's time for you to all go home. "

  Stryker looked at the opening, then laughed. " 'Fraid not, sweetie. Mama likes me better at the moment. So you can shove that portal up your very attractive ass. Me and my boys have work to do. Either join us or leave. "

  For the first time in her life, Kat felt a tremor of fear. "You have to go. Those are the rules. The portal opens and you have to walk through it. "

  Stryker came forward, his eyes sinister and cold. "No, we don't. "

  The portal closed.

  She gasped as realization dawned. The Destroyer had given him a key, too, and placed him in control.

  Stryker stood so close to her that it sent a shiver over her. He cupped her face with his hand. "It's a pity she protects you so. Otherwise I would have had a taste of you centuries ago. "

  She glared at him in fury. "Get your hand off me or lose it. "

  To her surprise, he obeyed, but not before he kissed her rudely.

  Kat shrieked and slapped him.

  He laughed. "Go home, little girl. If you stay here, you might get hurt. "

  Her body shaking, Kat flashed back into the house. Cassandra was in the center of the living room while Wulf was arming himself from a cabinet against the wall.

  "What do you have that I can use?" Kat asked, joining him at the armoire.

  Wulf looked at her drolly. "I take it things didn't go well. "

  "No. In fact, we need to batten down the hatches. Things are about to get really ugly. "

  Chris came running into the room, his head covered by a football helmet.

  "What the hell is wrong with you?" Kat asked as she caught sight of him.

  Wulf looked over and frowned. "Now you wear the helmet?"

  "Yes," Chris said as he stuffed a pillow down the front of his sweatpants. "Now I wear the helmet. In case neither of you have been paying attention, our little Daimons are busy on the lawn. "

  "We know. "

  "Ah," Chris said as he went to the armoire and pulled out a flak jacket. "So I have one question. I know the shutters can withstand fire and bullets. How are they against a LAWS rocket and dynamite?"

  Before Wulf could answer, an explosion rocked the house.