Sherrilyn Kenyon - Dance With The Devil

Artemis.

Her long auburn hair curled around her lithe, beautiful body. She wore a long, white dress and her green eyes glittered ominously in the dim light of the tunnel.

He held his breath, half-expecting her to kill him. No Dark-Hunter was ever allowed to be in the presence of a god.

Simi saw her and let out a terrible shriek. "Not her! The heifer goddess is going to kill me!"

"Shut up," Artemis snapped. "Believe me, I'd love to see you dead but if you die, I'll never hear the end of it."

Artemis picked her up in spite of her struggles.

She looked at Astrid and Zarek. "Have you judged him yet?"

Before Astrid could answer, the trapdoor behind them burst open.

Zarek cursed as he saw Thanatos coming through it.

He turned to order Artemis to take Astrid with Simi, but she'd already vanished.

He, alone, had to protect her.

Damn Artemis for this!

"Run!" he shouted at Astrid. He urged her toward the trapdoor that led into his cabin.

"What's happening?"

"Thanatos is here so unless you've got some god power that can kill him, run!"

"Where's Artemis?"

"She vaporized."

Astrid gave a disgusted look, then did as he said.

As Zarek helped her up, Thanatos reached them.

Zarek kicked him back.

"You're not going to escape me, Dark-Hunter. But then, it's not really you I'm after."

His blood running cold at those words, Zarek glanced down to see Thanatos's gaze locked on Astrid.

Thanatos licked his lips. "Vengeance is a dish best served cold."

Once Astrid was clear of the basement, Zarek dropped back down the ladder and began to pummel Thanatos. "We're in Alaska, dickhead. Here everything is cold."

Zarek slammed him back into the wall, then made a dash for the trapdoor.

Once he was in the cabin, he shut and locked the trapdoor. Zarek slid the wood-burning stove over it, then reached inside to remove the mink and her kits. The mother bit the crap out of him, but he didn't flinch.

As gently as he could, he put them in his backpack and rushed from the cabin.

Astrid was just outside his door.

"Zarek, is that you?"

He kissed her.

"That better be you."

He snorted at that.

With no time to waste, he raced over to Thanatos's snowmachine and ripped a hose from it. He led Astrid to his vehicle. "You have to get out of here, princess. My powers can't contain him for long."

"I can't see to drive this thing."

Zarek stared at her, memorizing her face. Memorizing the way she looked up under the moonlight that was spilling through the clouds.

She was beautiful, his star.

Unlike any in all the universe.

He heard Thanatos breaking free.

Then he did something he had never done before. It was a power Ash had shown him centuries before, but one he'd never had a use for.

Tonight he did.

He kissed her passionately.

Astrid felt the warmth of Zarek's lips. As his tongue danced with hers, her eyes started to burn.

She pulled back from him, hissing, only to realize that she could see everything around her.

Her heart stopped.

Zarek stood in front of her, his eyes the pale, pale blue hers were whenever she lost her vision. His lips were swollen and bruised, one of his eyes was black and blue.

Dried blood was crusted around his nose and ear. His clothes were also torn and bloodied.

He had been beaten to a pulp and had never uttered a word to her about it.

She choked as she saw the blood that was still pouring down his arm from where Thanatos had stabbed him.

He handed her his backpack, then fumbled with the snowmachine until he had it started.

"Go, Astrid. Fairbanks is straight that way." He pointed down a pathway through the woods. "Don't stop until you get there."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me."

"Zarek!" she snapped. "I won't leave you here to die."

He offered her a sad smile as he cupped her face in his hands. "It's okay, princess. I don't mind dying for you."

He kissed her lightly on the lips.

Thanatos burst through the cabin door.

"Get on the snowmachine, Zarek. Now!"

He shook his head. "It's better this way, Astrid. If I'm dead he won't have a reason to hurt you."

Her heart shattered at his words. At the sacrifice he was willing to make for her.

She started to protest, but the snowmachine took off. She tried to brake it, but Zarek must have been using his powers to keep the gas on.

The last thing she saw was a blind Zarek turning around to face Thanatos.

Ash grabbed Simi from Artemis the instant she materialized in front of him.

He cradled his "baby" gently in his arms as he took her to Artemis's bed.

"Akri!" Simi wailed, nuzzling against his chest. "The Simi is hurt. You told me I couldn't get hurt."

"I know, Sim, I know." He held her close, half-afraid to pull back her makeshift bandage and see the damage done to her.

Her tears fell down her cheeks, making his own eyes well up. Out of habit, he started singing to her, an ancient Atlantean lullaby he used to sing to her when she was barely more than a hatchling.

She calmed a bit.

Ash wiped the tears from her cold cheeks, then pulled the cloth away.

His dagger had sliced through her, narrowly missing her heart, but the wound was clean and the blood flow had slowed. Thanks to Zarek, no doubt.

He owed the man more than he could ever repay.

Summoning his powers, Ash laid his hand over her wound and healed her injury.

Simi glanced around, then she looked at him. "Simi better?'

He nodded and smiled. "Simi all better."

Simi looked at her chest. She pulled her shirt up and looked underneath it, too, as if to verify to herself that she was okay.

Laughing, she threw herself into his arms.

Ash held her, grateful beyond measure that she hadn't died.

He held her close until she whined for him to let her go.

Kissing her brow, he released her. "Return to me, Simi."

For once, she didn't argue. In dragon form, she placed herself over his heart.

It was where she belonged.

Turning slowly, Ash faced Artemis.

In a pique, she stood with her hands on her hips and her body tensed. "Oh, come on, you're not still mad. I did the right thing. I brought it back to you."

"Her!" he barked, making her jump. "Simi isn't an it, Artemis. She's a her and I want for once to hear you say her name."

She stuck her chin out defiantly. Narrowing her green eyes, she forced herself to say, "Simi."

He inclined his head in approval. "As for the right thing… no, Artie. The right thing would have been to not steal from me. The right thing would have been to listen to me when I told you not to create another Thanatos. What you did today was the smart thing. Because of that, I'm not going to do the wrong thing and kill you. But Thanatos is another matter."

"You can't leave here to kill him."

"I don't have to leave here to kill him."

"You bastard!" Thanatos roared as he knocked Zarek aside.

Zarek tried to push himself to his feet, but his body no longer responded.

There was no part of him that didn't hurt. Didn't ache.

He was still using his powers to keep the snowmachine going in the right direction.

Depleted, he had nothing left to fight with. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't see Thanatos anyway.

The blows seemed to come at him from every direction.

Just as they had when he'd been human.

Zarek laughed.

"What is so funny?"

Zarek lay in the snow, freezing and bleeding but continuing to laugh. "You. Me. Life in general, and the fact that I'm freezing my ass off as usual."

Thanatos viciously kicked his side. "You are psychotic."

Yes, he was. But most of all he was weary. Too tired to get up and move. Too tired to fight anymore.