Night Pleasures

"They like to live dangerously, don't they?"

  He laughed. "It takes a certain breed to do what they do. Flirting with disaster is pretty much a basic requirement."

  Nick got out of the boat first with a warning for her to stay put. He carefully walked along a narrow, old walkway that led from the makeshift dock to the cabin door, then motioned for her to join him.

  "Back off, Beth," he snapped as an alligator approached her.

  Amanda jumped back onto the boat.

  "It's okay," Nick assured her. "They protect Talon in the daylight. As long as you're with me, they're harmless."

  "I don't know about this," she said, reluctantly leaving the boat again.

  Four massively huge alligators kept a vicious eye on her and followed her all the way to the door. Amanda's throat constricted in fear as the largest alligator climbed up on the porch behind them and swished its tail.

  It hissed at them.

  "Shut up, Beth," Nick snapped. "Or I swear I'll make luggage out of you." Nick knocked on the faded old door.

  "It's not dark yet, Nick," Talon's thickly accented voice snapped from inside, making her wonder how he knew it was them. "What do you want?"

  "I need your srad for Kyrian before it gets dark."

  Amanda heard rustling on the other side of the door. A few seconds later, the lock clicked and the door opened the tiniest of cracks. Nick opened it wider and let them in.

  She tried to see in the darkness, but had no luck until Nick turned on a small desk lamp.

  Amanda froze as soon as she saw the interior. The walls were painted black and the place looked like a military control room. There were computers and electronic equipment everywhere. Though the location and-outside of the cabin would deny it, the man was a techno-junkie.

  When her gaze touched on Talon, her jaw dropped wide open. The man was completely naked.

  And he looked really good.

  She stared at his perfect body, which was covered with strange red and black Celtic tattoos over the left side of his torso, front and back, and all the way down his left arm. His large, dragon-headed torc gleamed in the dim light. And though the man was sinfully handsome, she was strangely unmoved by him.

  She appreciated him for the incredible picture he cut, but he didn't make her heart race like Kyrian did. Nor did she feel even a hint of sexual desire toward him.

  And Talon was totally unabashed by his state of undress.

  Nick gave her an amused grin. "I should have warned you, ancient warriors tend not to think much about nudity. Clothing is a modern hang-up none of them seem to have." He looked at Talon. "Celt, put some clothes on before you shock her."

  Talon growled at him. "Why? I'm going back to bed. Take what you need and lock the door behind you." He paused at his futon in the back corner and raked a hungry look over Amanda. "Of course, if you want to leave Amanda, I might be persuaded to stay up for a bit and be sociable."

  Nick scoffed. "Damn, Talon, can't you go an hour without a woman?"

  "One is no problem. It's when I get to two or three that I get antsy." Talon returned to lie down on the black futon. He rolled over on his side and closed his eyes.

  At least until his phone rang. Talon cursed, rolled over, and answered it while Nick went to the huge weapon cabinet and picked up two nasty-looking round dagger things.

  "Wulf, I'm not even awake yet," Talon growled. "And I don't really care, and why would you ask me something about ancient Greece anyway? Did I live there? The answer is hell no ... Don't know, don't care ... Hang on." He turned over and looked at Nick. "Nick, ever heard of Cult of Pollux?"

  Nick looked over at him. "You'd have to call Kyrian or one of the other Greeks."

  "Did you hear that?" Talon listened a sec, then turned back to Nick. "Ash is walkabout, Brax, Jayce, and Kyros are MIA, and Kyrian isn't answering his phone. Wulf says it's really important."

  The significance of that sentence seemed to hit both men at once.

  Talon spoke into the phone. "When did you last try to reach Kyrian?"

  Nick pulled his cell phone out and dialed.

  "He might be in the shower," Amanda suggested.

  Nick shook his head. "Even if he was, Rosa would answer."

  After a minute, Nick turned off the cell phone. "Something's seriously wrong."

  CHAPTER 10

  Kyrian woke up the instant his bedroom door opened.

  Not fully conscious, he sensed Rosa entering his room and wondered why she would disturb him. She'd never done so before.

  He rolled onto his back. "Is something..."

  The sentence died when a light, shimmering web covered him, pinning him to the bed. Kyrian froze as fury welled up inside him. He couldn't stand being trapped, especially flat on his back. Blood lust surged through him with a murderous frenzy.

  Until he saw Rosa.

  She stood by his bed, her brow covered in sweat as she stared at him with lost, dazed eyes. Over and over, she whispered the Spanish words, "Debe matarle, debe matarle."

  Must kill him, must kill him ...

  She raised the cleaver in her hand.

  "Rosa," Kyrian said as calmly as possible. "Put the cleaver down."

  "Debe matarle..." She stepped closer to the bed.

  "Rosa, no haga esto. Don't do this. Let me up. Dejeme para arriba, por favor."

  She was shaking so badly, Kyrian feared she'd have a stroke or coronary at any moment. Her frail body couldn't sustain this amount of stress.

  "Desiderius say you are bad, m'ijo. You must die."

  Kyrian tried to think of some way to reach through her hazy madness and bring her back to reality. "Rosa, you know me better than that."

  She lifted the cleaver higher.

  Helpless beneath the net, Kyrian stared at the shining steel, waiting for it to slice into him. He wanted to implore her, to shout at her until she listened, but he didn't dare for fear of what it might do to the older woman. She was under enough stress without his adding to it. He would die before he harmed her.

  His cell phone rang.

  "I know, Desiderius," she whispered in Spanish. "I know. He must die." She placed a hand on Kyrian's chest as if to keep him still. Not that he could move. The net held him completely immobile. "Must be cut into pieces."

  Kyrian tensed as she brought the cleaver down.

  It missed him by a hairsbreadth.

  "M'ijo," she whispered. Life returned to her eyes a second before they rolled back into her head.

  She fell to the floor.

  Terrified she was hurt, and panicking over his own vulnerability, Kyrian fought against the net with all his strength. It was no use. It was one of Artemis's nets, and once captured beneath it, any prey was completely trapped.

  How in the gods' names could Rosa have gotten hold of it? Not even Desiderius should have had access to it. Only a god or demigod could claim an immortal weapon from its sacred resting place, and Artemis in particular guarded her weapons well.

  And how could the Daimon reach out and control Rosa from a bolt-hole? No Daimon was that powerful.

  Just what the hell was going on here?

  Even though he knew it was futile, Kyrian fought against his confinement. As every minute passed, memories surged through him.

  "How does it feel, Commander?" Valerius's voice taunted him from the past. "You are completely under my control. Totally powerless. Defenseless." He could still see the evil smile on the Roman's face, feel the agony of his torture. "I'm going to enjoy watching you squirm for me. Hearing you beg for my mercy."

  Kyrian's sight dimmed as he relived every moment. He struggled to breathe. He would not be trapped again. Not like this.

  Like a man possessed, he fought the net with every shred of strength he had.

  *

  An hour after dark, Nick entered the house first with Amanda and Talon only one step behind.

  "Rosa?" Nick shouted, rushing through the kitchen and living room, toward the stairs. "Kyrian?"

  No one answere
d. The eerie silence rang in Amanda's ears as they ran up the stairs toward Kyrian's bedroom. Nick threw open the doors so forcefully that the breeze stirred the bed's sheers.

  The room was empty.

  Amanda hesitated in the doorway as she surveyed everything. Nothing was out of place, except for the bed's covers.

  Yet ...

  She felt something wrong. Something deep within her stirred her dormant powers and allowed her to connect with Kyrian. She sensed his concern. His fury.

  Talon moved to the bed and cursed as he lifted a shimmery, silver web. "This is unbelievable," he snarled, balling it up into his fist.

  "What is it?" Amanda asked.

  "A diktyon. One of Artemis's nets."

  Amanda had absolutely no idea what that was, but she could tell by Talon's face it wasn't good. Nor should it be in Kyrian's bed while Kyrian was nowhere to be found. Panic sliced through her even more ferociously than before. "Why is it here?"

  "I have no idea, but if Kyrian was under it, I would say he's been taken by whoever tossed it on top of him." Talon leaned over and picked a cleaver up from the floor.

  Amanda's panic increased, and against her will, her powers surged, searching for Kyrian. She hated the thought of letting her psychic abilities have control of her, but she needed to know he was all right. She had to know something.

  Closing her eyes, she saw him in a sterile environment. He was worried, but she didn't sense any danger from him. "Try calling his cell phone," she said to Talon.

  He gave her a "duh" stare. "I've tried a dozen times."

  "Try a dozen and one."

  His expression told her he didn't appreciate her commanding tone one iota. "All right," he reluctantly agreed. "What the hell? Futility has its purposes in life." Talon pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and dialed.

  "There's no sign of a struggle," Nick said, looking around.

  "Kyrian," Talon snapped, giving Amanda an odd look. "Where the hell are you?"

  Amanda took a step closer, her heart hammering as she realized that she had been right.

  "You stay put until we get there." Talon hung up and looked at Nick. "He's at the hospital. Rosa had a heart attack."

  "Oh, my God," Nick gasped. "Is she all right?"

  "He didn't go into it since he's not supposed to be on the cell phone in the hospital. Said he'd fill us in when we get there."

  *

  Kyrian paced the waiting room anxiously. Anger and fear warred inside him. He wanted Desiderius's head for this. One way or another, he would make the Daimon pay.

  "Just let Rosa be okay," he breathed for the millionth time.

  "Kyrian?"

  He turned at the sound of Amanda's soothing voice. An inexplicable joy and relief tore through him at the sight of her approaching him.

  Before he realized what he was doing, he pulled her into his arms and held her so tightly that she protested. But he couldn't help himself. His relief at seeing her alive and unhurt was too great. Now that he knew just how easily Desiderius could enter someone's home, nowhere was safe for her.

  Desiderius could reach her anywhere. Use anyone to kill her.

  That thought terrified him, and somewhere in the back of his mind was a little voice that warned him Desiderius might use her against him.

  If they gave him the chance.

  Kyrian cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. He was going to kill the Daimon. As soon as Desiderius emerged from his bolt-hole, the Daimon would live no more. And for the first time in his existence, he would relish taking a life.

  He looked up and caught Talon's censuring gaze and knew what thoughts were on the Celt's mind. Dark-Hunters weren't supposed to become romantically tied to anyone. It was the first, and most necessary rule of the Code. No one could ever think clearly when their heart was involved. Of all men, Kyrian knew that for fact.

  Still, it didn't change what he felt for her.

  "I need you to keep Amanda safe," Kyrian told Talon.

  Talon narrowed his eyes. "Tell me what happened."

  "Desiderius used Rosa to trap me. He had complete control of her. If he can do that to Rosa, he can do it to anyone."

  Talon let out a slow breath. "And you wonder why I live alone."

  Kyrian ignored his warning tone and the meaningful look Talon gave Amanda.

  Kyrian met Amanda's gaze and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Amanda, I need you to call your sister. Tell her to guard her back and to not be alone. Have one of your sisters raise a cone of protection or whatever it is they do to protect her from Desiderius. We've no idea what other powers he might have."

  He sensed her worry and fear. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

  "I take it these aren't normal Daimon powers?" she asked.

  "No. We've never encountered anything like it." He looked back at Talon. "I spoke to D'Alerian and he said Desiderius is messing with the human subconscious in order to weaken their resistance to his power. D'Alerian should be able to provide some help, but he can't guarantee absolute protection. Call Acheron and tell him I think we have a rogue god on the loose. One of them has to be helping Desiderius. There's no other explanation. And it would help if we knew who and why."

  Talon nodded. "What are you going to do?"

  "I'm going to do my damnedest to finish this tonight. If I can find his bolt-hole, I'm going into it."

  Talon's eyes were harsh. "Kyrian, you're not a Were-Hunter. If you go in, you won't be able to come back out. You'll kill yourself trying, or worse, you'll be stuck between dimensions forever. Let me call Kattalakis--"

  "I told you, we don't dare let a Were-Hunter near this guy. I'm more convinced of that now than ever. God help us all if Desiderius claims one of their souls. It's a risk we can't take." He glanced to Amanda and the concern on her face. He would protect her, no matter what. "Second rule of the Code, you've got to do what you've got to do. If I die, you're up next. And if you are, don't fail."

  Talon nodded even while Amanda grabbed Kyrian's arm. "Kyrian," she whispered, "I don't want you out there alone."

  "I know, Amanda. But he's too powerful and dangerous to go unchallenged. He almost killed Rosa." Kyrian left out the part about how she'd almost killed him. They didn't need to know that.

  Thank the gods D'Alerian had sensed Rosa's subconscious turmoil and come when he had. If not for the Dream-Hunter's intervention, Kyrian would still be trapped in his bed.

  And trapped in his bed without Amanda was not something he wanted.

  "Nick," he said, looking past her to his Squire. "Call me the instant you hear from the doctor." He started to leave, but Amanda stopped him.

  Before he realized what she intended, she pulled him to her lips and kissed him blind. Her lips tugged at his while her tongue stroked his. He felt her hands clutching the lapels of his coat. Felt her fear for him, and it scorched his wounded heart with pure bliss. "You be careful," she said in a stern voice.

  He touched her lightly on the chin. "I will."

  Amanda watched him walk off with a sick feeling in her stomach. "Talon, are you sure you can't help him?"

  "Believe me, I hate the 'no help' rule as much as you do. But if I tried to help, I'd only weaken him."

  Nick handed her his phone. "Call Tabitha and warn her."

  As Amanda dialed the first number another thought struck. "Who is D'Alerian and how can he guard our subconscious?"

  "He's one of the Dream-Hunters we told you about," Talon said.

  She frowned. "So do you guys get to pick which one you are?"

  Talon shook his head. "Dream-Hunters are a whole other species. They're born of the gods and not made from humans."

  "And the Were-Hunters? Where do they come from?"

  "They are half human, half Apollites who got a hold of some seriously bad mojo."

  She swallowed the fear that rose up to choke her. That didn't sound good at all. "I thought they were good guys."

  "Some of them are, but some of them are
slayers."

  "With the powers of a sorcerer who can walk through time and space," she said, her stomach knotting.

  "And occasionally dreams," Nick supplied.

  Amanda laughed nervously. "You know, I was a whole lot happier when I didn't know about any of this."

  "Which is why we do our best to keep this silent," Talon said. "Believe me, humans would never be able to sleep at night if they knew what was out there waiting for them."

  Amanda nodded, wondering if she'd ever be able to sleep again.

  Terrified, she finished dialing her sister's number. Now that she knew more about what they were dealing with, she needed to get her sister to watch out for Lord King Badass, and the Dark-Hunter who was their only hope.

  *

  Kyrian spent the entire night hunting the streets of New Orleans to no avail. Desiderius was still in his bolt-hole and there was no sign of him or any other Daimon anywhere. It may have been that his powers still weren't up to their full capacity or that the Daimon had some way of shielding his location. Whatever it was, Kyrian couldn't find a trace of him. Not even his electronic tracker helped.

  He cursed his luck.

  Never in his Dark-Hunter existence had he been so uncertain.

  He didn't like the feeling one bit. Especially not when Amanda's life balanced on whether or not he could find the fiend and stop him.

  Disgusted and weary, he made his way into his house. Everything was dark and silent. Amanda was upstairs in the house. He could feel her presence like a touch and it soothed him in a way he didn't want to contemplate.

  Just knowing she was here ...

  Happiness surged through him.

  But he didn't seek her out. He had too many things on his mind. Things he needed to sort out. Think through.

  He entered the billiard room and grabbed his glove and baseball, then went to pitch it. Focusing on the ball, he let his mind wander. Wander through his painful past, and to the doubts that still lingered.

  Why couldn't his wife have loved him?

  Since the day Theone had betrayed him, he had been suspicious of anyone who came near him. He had given his wife everything he had, and still it hadn't been enough. If he couldn't win her love, then he could win no one else's. He knew it.

  Over the centuries, Kyrian had convinced himself that it didn't matter. That he needed no one at all.

  Until Amanda. She had breached his defenses and now he felt naked before her.

  She, alone, had opened his heart and touched him deep inside it. He wanted her. Mind. Body. Soul. There was no part of her he didn't want to claim.