Chapter 5
At the end of the hallway on her upper floor, Danger pushed open the door to the guest room to find Alexion studying one of the Faberge eggs that she collected. She'd started the collection about forty years ago because they reminded her of the Malowanki eggs her father always brought back for her from his annual trips to Prussia to visit his grandmother. Until the year she died, Babcia would always make sure that she'd created the Malowanki eggs for all of them to remind them of their Prussian heritage and the beauty of Easter.
None of those precious, colored eggs that Danger had guarded so carefully as a human had survived. Calling them the frivolous waste of the aristocracy, her husband had taken great pleasure in destroying them after she'd died.
How she hated that man. But most of all, she hated herself for putting her trust in someone and allowing him to deceive her so completely.
She would never be so stupid again.
Narrowing her eyes on Alexion, she opened the door wider to watch him. His modern clothes looked rather out of place in a room she had fashioned into an exact copy of the one she'd grown up in. The hand-carved Baroque bed had been imported from Paris and was decked out in bloodred and gold pillows and comforter. Gold draperies fell from the padded half-tester. She'd spent a lot of time choosing the antiques for this room.
It was the last of her world and in many ways a time capsule. In here she sometimes thought that she could glimpse sight of her father. . . hear the faint laughter of her siblings.
Mon Dieu, how she missed them all.
Grief swelled inside her, but she held it back. There was no need in crying. She'd shed enough tears over the centuries to fill the Atlantic.
The past was the past and this was the present. Tears would not bring her family back and they would not alter her life in any way. All she could do was move onward and upward, and make sure that no one ever deceived her again.
For now, Alexion was the present and he was her enemy.
He stood before the small Neoclassical-style dressing table, holding the egg carefully in his large hand as if he understood how much she loved her collectibles. In spite of herself, she was struck by the gentleness of his touch as he closed it and returned it to its stand.
He was incredibly handsome standing there and her body reacted to him with an intensity that surprised her. It wasn't like her to be attracted to someone she had just met. Hot Hollywood actors in movies and magazines notwithstanding, she normally had to be around a guy a long time before she felt such a strong, potent desire for his body. If she ever felt desire for him. Most of the time, she could take or leave any man.
But she actually wanted to reach out and touch him. And that never happened.
Alexion felt her presence like a sizzling caress. It was as if she made contact with his soul every time she drew near him. Something that was completely impossible since he hadn't owned a soul in more than nine thousand years.
He didn't know what it was about her, but his body reacted wildly to her presence. Turning, he found her in the doorway, watching him with a wary, almost angry expression.
She was afraid of him and pissed at herself for that fear, he could feel it deep inside himself. But she was trying hard to disguise it.
He could respect her for that.
In the end, she was wise to fear him. He could kill her as easily as he blinked. Yet he didn't want to hurt her.
For some strange reason, he didn't even want her to fear him, and that was something he'd never experienced before. Usually when he was in human form, he used that fear to his advantage to intimidate the Dark-Hunters and bring them back in line. He had the powers of a full god within him. The ability to take any life he chose. . .
He could hear and see things that were far beyond the comprehension of man, Apollite, or Dark-Hunter.
And yet as he stood there, only one thing echoed in his head-the sound of her laughter. He'd heard her laughing earlier this very evening as she fought with the Daimons. It was a lush, musical sound that rolled out from her. Hearty.
He wanted to hear it again.
"I mean you no harm, Dangereuse. "
She stiffened defiantly. "The name's Danger," she corrected. "I haven't gone by Dangereuse in a long time. "
He inclined his head to her. He knew from his research into her background that she'd been named for the grandmother of Eleanor of Aquitaine whom her mother had adored. A great duchess who'd lived life solely on her own terms and who had flouted societal rules. It was a name that suited the petite woman in front of him. "Forgive me. "
His apology did nothing to soothe her. "And just so you know, I'm not afraid of you. "
He smiled at her brave words. She was a tough, no-nonsense woman and he wondered if she had been like that as a human. But he somehow doubted it. The world she had been born into wouldn't have tolerated such a whirlwind personality from the fairer sex.
No doubt they would have quashed her rebelliousness, not embraced it.
She took a step into the room. Her dark eyes were piercing as they searched him for some weakness.
Good luck, ma petite. I haven't any.
"So, what's your story?" she asked. "You say you're Ash's Squire. Are you a Blue Blood, Blood Rites, or what?"
Alexion bit back a smile at her question. Blue Bloods were Squires who came from long generations of Squires. Blood Rites were the Squires who were charged with assuring that the rules of their world were followed. They protected the Dark-Hunters and were a police force for other Squires. Of course, he had been serving Acheron since before the Squires' Council had existed. He wasn't a true Squire. He was Acheron's Alexion, an Atlantean term that had no real translation into English.
Basically, he would do whatever was necessary to protect Acheron and Simi. And he truly meant "whatever. "
He had no conscience. No morals. In his world, the only right was Acheron's will. It governed everything about him. Yes, he could and did argue with Acheron at times, but at the end of it all, he was Acheron's protector. He would always do what was in Acheron's best interest no matter the personal or physical cost to himself.
Yet he couldn't tell her the truth of his status. Only he, Simi, Artemis, and Acheron would ever know of his real relationship to the boss.
"I'm a barnacle chip," he answered in Squire slang, meaning that Acheron had recruited him to be his Squire. In a way, it was almost true.
"How long have you served him?"
He gave a short laugh at that. "It seems like forever most days. "
Her dark eyes flashed suspicion and intelligence at him. She was far too bright for her own good. And far too sexy for his.
She still wasn't through interrogating him as she moved closer to him. . . so close he could now smell her. Her sweet scent permeated his head and created images of her naked and pliant in his bed.
"How is it that you did that little trick with the dagger where you reappeared after I stabbed you?"
One side of his mouth quirked up at her question and he leaned even closer so that he could smell the fragrance of her hair and skin. It went through him like a warm whiskey, shocking and invigorating.
It made his blood hot, his cock hard.
"Ask me what's really on your mind, Danger," he said, his voice deepened by his lust. "I don't like to play games. We both know that I'm not human so let's not do the polite song and dance while you tiptoe around me trying to figure me out. "
Danger seemed to appreciate his frankness even as she shivered at his nearness. She looked up at him from under her lashes. That look made him feel things that he hadn't felt in a long time. He actually cared that she was confused and uncertain. He wanted to soothe her and that was beyond shocking to him.
"Are you here to spy for Acheron?"
He laughed at the very thought. "No. Trust me, he doesn't need anyone to spy for him. If he wants to know something, he does. "
"
How so?"
It took all of his willpower not to reach out and touch her cheek to see if it was as soft as it appeared. Her skin was flawless and tempting. No doubt it would be even softer against his tongue. . .
"I meant what I said, Danger. Acheron is able to find things out on his own. Spying is the last thing he needs me for. "
Danger was getting extremely irritated by her attraction to this man and his own inability to answer her questions. She wasn't sure if she should kiss him or kick him.
The heat of his look was searing. Unnerving. It was so intense that she could almost feel his hands on her.
She had the most inexplicable desire to nuzzle him. Breathless, she decided to use his own hunger against him. She stood up on her tiptoes and moved so close to him that their cheeks were almost touching. She watched as he closed his eyes and drew in a sharp breath.
When he didn't pull back, she whispered in his ear. "Why are you really here?"
His voice was deep and thick when he answered. "To protect you. "
Danger couldn't have been more surprised had he come right out and admitted to being Acheron's destroyer. She moved away from him to put more distance between them. It was hard to think straight while a man was staring at her as if he were picturing her naked. "Protect me from what?"
Still those eerie green eyes pierced her with their intense hunger. "Those who would see you dead. You are in a precarious place, Danger. The one who has gone Rogue will kill you instantly if he learns you have betrayed him. "
Funny, Kyros had been remarkably understanding about that.
"He can't kill me and you know it. No Dark-Hunter can harm another. "
He arched a brow at her. "You really believe that? There's nothing that says a Dark-Hunter couldn't handcuff another to a gate, car, or anything else, and leave them outside for the sunrise. You can't hurt each other, true. But there are many ways to expose your enemy to the day without endangering yourself. "
Oh, now there was one hell of a loophole she'd never thought about. But obviously he had.
"And how did you acquire this information? How many Dark-Hunters have you exposed to daylight after they trusted you?"
He laughed bitterly. "If I wanted you or anyone else dead, Danger, I hardly have to wait for the sun. "
"Then what do you want to protect me from?"
He looked away from her. "I can't tell you that. "
"Try me. "
"No," he said from between gritted teeth. "Even if I did, you wouldn't believe me. "
They were at an impasse. She wasn't about to trust him until he gave her a reason to-and probably not even then-and the last thing she wanted was a guy in her house she couldn't trust. "In that case, you'll understand if I ask you to stay in a hotel while you're here spying for Acheron?"
His expression amused, he gave a short, sinister laugh. "You met with Kyros tonight and he tried to sway you to his rebellious cause. Did you believe him?"
How did he know that? That wasn't exactly something she had broadcast. Sheez. He seemed every bit as omniscient as Acheron and it was starting to piss her off. "I don't know what you're talking about. "
He closed the distance between them. His presence was mammoth in the room, overpowering and yet strangely comforting. It was as if something inside him was putting off soothing vibes. Not to mention he had pheromones that should be bottled and sold. He was extremely compelling in a most sexual way. Acheron was the only other person she knew who had that strange "do me" factor that enticed everyone who came near him to strip his clothes off and throw him down for a wicked night of play.
What is wrong with me?
She'd never felt lust like this.
"You know," Alexion said in a deep tone that actually made her shiver, "for an actress you certainly can't lie worth a damn. "
She stiffened at his words. "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me. So what lie did Kyros tell you? I hope he was at least more creative than the 'old Acheron is a Daimon' standby. "
She didn't know what surprised her more. The fact that he knew what they'd said about Acheron or the fact that he spoke of Kyros as if he knew the man personally. "How do you know about Kyros?"
"Believe me, I know everything about him. "
Danger was even more confused now. Was Alexion telling her the truth? Or was he using the truth about Acheron being a Daimon to distract her? What better way to throw her off than to ridicule what could very well be fact.
Who did she believe? Kyros who seemed delusional or the man before her who seemed homicidal.
She crossed her arms over her chest and watched him closely. "So tell me, is Acheron a Daimon?"
Those eerie green hazel eyes narrowed on her. "What do you think?"
"I don't know. " And that was the honest truth. "It makes sense. He is from Atlantis and we all know that the Daimons are from there originally. "
Alexion scoffed at her. "Acheron was born in Greece and grew up in Atlantis. That hardly makes him a Daimon or an Apollite. "
Still, there was more evidence to be considered. "He never eats food. "
"Are you sure?" he taunted. "Just because he doesn't eat in front of you, doesn't mean he doesn't eat at all. "
Okay, so he made her own point for her. It made her feel somewhat better to know that Kyros might be an idiot.
But there was still one piece in all this that didn't make sense. One piece Alexion had yet to explain. "Then what about you? If Kyros is so wrong, how did he know that you were going to come in here wearing your white coat and trying to pass judgment on all of us, huh?"
Alexion froze at her question. It went through him like shards of glass. "Pardon?"
A smug look came over her face. "You have no answer for that one, do you?"
No, he didn't. It was impossible that Kyros had learned of him. "How could he know about me? No one knows I exist. "
"Then he's right," she said accusingly. "You are lying to me about your purpose. You're here to kill us all. You are Acheron's assassin. "
Alexion couldn't breathe as her words went through him. How could anyone know that? It wasn't possible. Acheron had taken great care to make sure no one knew he existed. "No I'm not. I'm here to save as many of you as I can. "
"And I'm supposed to believe you, why?"
"Because I'm telling you the truth. "
Doubt stared out from the dark depths of her eyes. "Then prove it. "
That was easier said than done. "Prove it how? The only way to prove to you that I'm not out to kill you is to not kill you. Last I checked you were the one throwing daggers, not me. "
Danger gave him a hostile glare. "What was I supposed to think? I come into my house to see my normally ebullient Squire cowed on my couch, looking beat up, and my TV blown to kingdom come. Then this blond man, and I use the term 'man' loosely, who I was told would come to kill me, stands up wearing the exact white coat that I was told he'd have on. What would you have done?"
"I would have said, hello, can I help you?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Sure, you would. "
Actually, he would have, but then he had one distinct advantage over her. He couldn't die. At least not from something born of this earth.
"Look, Danger, I know you have absolutely no reason to trust me. Before tonight you'd never even heard of me. But you know Acheron. Have you ever seen him hurt a Dark-Hunter? Think about it. If Ash really were a Daimon, why would he be helping and protecting the Dark-Hunters?"
"Because he uses us to fight his own kind so that his mother doesn't kill him. "
Alexion went cold at that. Where the hell had these lies come from?
Acheron would lose his mind if he heard those words. More to the point, there would be no salvation for any Dark-Hunter here. Acheron would destroy them all without blinking. When it came to the existence of his mother, Acheron didn't take chances.
And he showed no mercy.
"What do you know of his supposed mother?" he asked, and hoped that Acheron didn't choose this particular moment to spy on him.
"That she cast him out of the Daimon realm and now he uses us to get back at her and his people. "
He snorted in derision. "Now that has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, and believe me, I've heard a lot of bullshit in my existence. Trust me, it's a complete lie. "
She duplicated his snort. "The problem is, I don't trust you. At all. "
"But do you trust Kyros?"
He saw the answer in her dark eyes. No, she didn't. But it spoke a lot for her that she hadn't turned on her Dark-Hunter brother. She was still protecting Kyros. He could admire her for that.
"Look, Danger. Open your heart and listen with your feelings. What does your gut tell you to do?"
"Run for the hills with my Squire and let you guys duke it out for yourselves. "
He laughed darkly at that.
Danger only wished she could laugh about it too, but it wasn't funny in the least to her. "However, I can't do that, can I? So I don't know who to believe and I'm woman enough to admit it. There are great gaping holes in both your stories. So the question I have to answer is, who is leaving out the 'I serve evil' part. "
Alexion was amused. "Then let me put it to you this way. There is seldom black and white in our world. Sometimes the things we perceive as good have moments of profound evil, but profound evil will always tell you that it's always good. It never admits that it could, in any way, be evil. "
Danger cocked her head. He sounded just like Father Anthony, her priest when she was a young woman in Paris. "So if I were to ask you if you are on the good side?"
"I am. But I won't hesitate to do whatever is necessary to protect the humans and Acheron. I'm here to save those of you who can be saved. "
"And the rest?"
He looked away from her.
"You will kill us. " It was a statement of fact.
His gaze met hers and this time his eyes were glowing a deep, vibrant green. They were unearthly, chilling, and in no way appeared human. "No. You damn yourselves by your own stupidity. I admit that I could not care less who lives or dies-that really isn't my concern. I'm here to do what must be done to protect the order of things. "
"The order of what things?"
"Our existence. Our universe. Call it whatever you want, but in the end, those who turn on Acheron and who prey on humanity will die and yes, it will be by my hand. "
This was unbelievable. He was admitting that he was, indeed, the one who would kill them all. "So you are our judge?"
His face was grim, sincere. "Judge, jury, and executioner. "
Those words set fire to her temper as she moved to stand toe to toe with him. "What makes you so wise that you can blithely decide who lives and who dies? How do you know what's right?"
He scoffed. "All of you know what's right. You don't need me for that. On the night you became Dark-Hunters you pledged your eternal oath to serve Artemis and to combat the Daimons for her. Every one of you was given wealth, privilege, and servants. All you have to do in return for it is to protect the humans and stay alive. So long as you keep your mandate, you're left alone to find whatever happiness you can. You all know the rules. I'm just here to enforce them whenever one of your kind thinks that he or she is immune to them. "
That did it. She didn't want anyone or anything this callous in her home. He truly didn't care who he killed. The Dark-Hunters were nothing to him. But her brethren were everything to her.
He would kill or die to protect Acheron and she would kill or die to protect her Dark-Hunter family.
It was that simple and that complicated.
"Then you can get out of my house. "
He shook his head. "That's not how this works. When Acheron sends me in, he places me with a Dark-Hunter he would like to see saved. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way, but in theory, if you cooperate, you should survive this latest uprising. I use you as a friendly, trustworthy face to introduce me to the traitors so that I can decide who among them is worth saving. "
"And if I refuse?"
"You die. " There was no more emotion in his tone than there was in his face. He really didn't care if he killed her or not.
Danger glared at him as her heart pounded in rage. "Then I hope you come with an army because it's going to take more than you to kill me. "
She lunged at him only to run into what appeared to be an invisible wall that surrounded him. She struck out at it, but it didn't budge.
"I can't die, Danger," he said ominously as he watched her from behind his force field. "But you can, and believe me when I say that dying as a Dark-Hunter seriously sucks. "
She slammed her hand against the invisible wall, curling her lip at him. "You're asking me to betray my brethren for personal salvation? Forget it. Fuck you and Acheron. "
"No," he said in a sincere tone as he shook his head. "I'm asking you to save them. If we can convince them to trust you and believe me, and accept that Kyros is lying, then they can go home and all of this will be nothing more than a bad dream. "
"And if we don't?"
"They're history. "
Disgusted with him, she pulled back. "You know, you could show a little more compassion when you say that. Don't we mean anything to you? To Acheron?"
She felt a slight shift in the air, as if the wall were gone now. Alexion stared at her with those eerie green eyes.
"Acheron most definitely cares. If he didn't, I wouldn't be here now, and all of you would be dead already. He doesn't need me to kill them. He can do it without breaking a sweat. Believe me, I gain no personal pleasure in the killing either. Likewise, I'm ambivalent as to who survives and who doesn't. This isn't a game to me. Nor is it the end of the world. "
She swallowed against the painful lump in her throat that had appeared at the thought of her friends dying. "They are all worth saving. All of them. You have no idea how hard it is to be one of us. We are created and then abandoned. Some of us go decades, even longer, without a single word from Acheron. None of us ever see Artemis again-"
He snorted evilly, interrupting her. "Count your blessings there. "
She paused at his rancor as Stryker's words about Artemis's death came back to her. "Artemis is still alive?"
"Oh, yeah. Believe me, she's alive and well and in Acheron's face daily. "
For some reason, that made her feel better-provided Alexion wasn't lying. "Then she does care about us. "
"No," he said bitterly. "She cares about Acheron. The rest of you are here so that she can control him. It's why she continues to create new Dark-Hunters to replace those who go free. The day Acheron stops caring about the lot of you is the day Artemis will turn her back on you and most likely you'll all drop. So don't ever tell me that Acheron doesn't give a damn about you, when I see the toll the lot of you take on him every day. "
His words hung in her mind. Could it be true?
Knowing Ash, it seemed a lot more plausible than him being a Daimon.
Well, sort of. But then again the Daimon theory was remarkably sound too.
If only she knew who to trust.
Alexion moved to stand just before her, so close that she could feel his breath falling against her cheek. "You have a decision to make, Danger. Are you going to help me save a few Dark-Hunters or do I kill them all now and go home?"