Aiden pulled the housecoat around her waist as she approached the door, shaking away the feeling of déjà vu that ran through her. She peeked out the small hole in the door, the feeling growing as she eyed the young man on the other side. 1
Pulling open the door, she looked at him expectantly. 2
“Really sorry to bug you,” Nick said. “But…you never gave me a key to the door.” He motioned to the door just down the hall from him. “And, well, I kind of locked myself out.” 3
Aiden blinked. Key? Were-Hunters usually used magick to gain entry through a locked door, and she hadn’t really thought of needing a key. “Umm… I think there’s one in the kitchen.” She darkened the room for him, and then waved him in as she turned for the kitchen.4
Nick stepped just inside the door and politely waited while she checked. He heard a noise and turned in time to see the door to her bedroom open and a person walk in to the living room from it. His mouth opened in shock when he recognized the immortal. 5
Completely ignoring the Dark-Hunter, Savitar entered the kitchen area and ran a hand over Aiden’s backside in a gentle caress as he went past her. He opened the fridge, grabbed something out of it, and headed back to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. 6
Nick was still staring at the hallway with his mouth open in shock when Aiden walked up to him with a key. She waved it in front of his face, causing him to jump slightly and look at her. 7
“Uhhhh…” he said, his eyes flicking back to the hallway. He shook himself. “Yeah, okay, thanks.” He took the key and backed out of the door, clipping his shoulder on the way out. 8
Aiden closed the door with an amused sigh, and turned to the god that had appeared directly behind her. “You sure that was a wise move?”9
“Questioning my motives?” Savitar raised an eyebrow at her. “That is completely punishable, you know.”10
“Bring it.”11
~~~~~~~~~~~~12
Nick could barely believe it, and he’d seen it with his own eyes. Savitar and Aiden? No way. The surfer had an undeniable rule regarding sexual relations… unattached, inconspicuous, and usually with some concubine that he would select from some seemingly endless cosmic harem. 13
Nick had seen a few of them at different times on Neratiti during his stay, but it was never the same female twice, and they lived to serve. Aiden seemed like the antithesis of the woman Savitar banged. She was opinionated and could lash out when threatened… and Savitar didn’t, as a rule, like it when people disagreed with him. 14
Well, it did explain how she was under his complete protection, and certainly explained Savitar’s ‘nun-ya’ response in Nick’s dream. Mr. Bad-Ass-Surfer-god had himself a girlfriend. Who woulda thunk?15
Tossing the key on the small table by the door, Nick kicked his boots off and walked down the hall to the bedroom. Thick drapes covered the windows to keep the sun out, and although he didn’t really need it, he went along with the pretence. 16
He sat on the bed wearily and yawned. He wouldn’t have thought that killing another Dark-Hunter would be so tiring, but it was. The disappointing part was that he didn’t even get any information out of the man. Keegen knew the whereabouts of a weapon that was rumored to be able to kill anything it pierced, and Nick wanted it.17
Similar to the Atlantean dagger that Ash had owned, then destroyed, this specific weapon was rumored to be one of four magic arrows that had belonged to Pikoi on the island of Kauai. In his previous life, Keegan had stolen the arrow and hidden it before being brutally slaughtered by those he stole it for. Having no honor among thieves, Keegan took revenge on them, but the arrow had never been recovered. 18
Although Stryker had promised Nick the means to kill Ash, he didn’t trust the Spathi leader as far as he could throw him. Nick needed to find other means to fall back on, and other ways to kill his onetime friend. 19
Since he had been the one to place a lot of the Dark-Hunter information on the Internet, Nick knew a lot of things about his ‘co-workers’ that he could use against them. There was no way a man like Keegan would have just abandoned the thing he died for, and Nick still might be able to find Pikoi’s Arrow if he could get into Keegan’s account on dark-hunter.com, and check his e-mail and personal records. 20
Sighing as he laid on the bed, Nick made his mind blank so that Stryker couldn’t read his mind and use any of the information while he was sleeping. The last thing that went through his mind was the image of Keegan as he dissolved.21
~~~~~~~~~~22
“He’s missing.”23
Ash looked at Keegan’s squire, noting the panic that lay just under the concerned professionalism. “How long?”24
“He didn’t come back this morning, but that’s not really new with him,” the squire explained. “He’s stayed out all day before. But, he’s usually always back after sunset, or at least calls for me to pick him up.”25
Ash checked his watch, grimacing when he saw it was just before midnight. The squire had called him earlier, leaving a voice message, and Ash had arrived immediately after hearing it. 26
“The other Hunters are out looking for him, in case he had to hold up in some warehouse or something for awhile,” the squire said. “He’s not answering his cell, or pager, and no one at the bar he frequents has seen him since last night.”27
“Good, good.” Ash headed for the door, his long black jacket trailing behind him. “I’ll check a few places.” He tried to fight the sick feeling in his stomach that told him he knew where he would find Keegan.28
As soon as the door shut behind him, Ash teleported to Mount Olympus and the one person who would know for certain whether she held an empty soul or not.29
“I wondered how long it would take you to get here,” Artemis said as soon as she saw him.30
Ash was so not in the mood for her today. He wasn’t in the mood for her on any day actually, but especially today. “Artie,” he started calmly, pushing away the desire to rip her head off, “when a Dark-Hunter dies, you’re suppose to contact me immediately.” He steeled himself for what was to come. “I’ll require his soul, please and thank you.”31
She gave him a lazy smile. “You know it doesn’t work that way, Acheron.”32
I said please and thank you, you selfish bitch. “You no longer have use for that soul.”33
“And yet, you do.” She stood in one fluid motion and approached. Artemis really was a thing of beauty, with porcelain skin, red hair, and a body that would inspire a thousand artists. She also had the coldest eyes he had ever seen, and the so-called compassion to match. 34
“How did he die?” Ash asked, ignoring her as she circled around behind him, trailing a finger over his bicep and on to his back.35
“Sunlight,” she said as she continued tracing to the other side. “Connected to a fence, actually.”36
“If you knew he was in danger, why didn’t you contact me?” It was getting harder and harder to resist tearing her head off.37
“What could you have done?” she asked, knowing full well that he could have saved the man. 38
Ash closed his eyes and counted to ten, four times before he looked at her again. Getting angry would only prolong the humiliation she was about to bestow upon him, and he had far too many things to do for that to happen.39
“Keegan’s soul,” Ash said through clenched teeth. 40
“On your knees,” she ordered, dissolving his shirt at the same time a cat o’ nine tails appeared in her hand. She eyed his back and its multiple crisscrossing scars that she had inflicted over the millenniums.41
Ash placed his hands on his thighs as he got to his knees and focused his thoughts. The multi-tailed whipping device whistled through the air, and was followed by a stinging so intense that his eyes clenched shut to keep him from yelling out. He had never, not even once, made a sound when she collected payment for any soul he came seeking, and he saw no reason to start now. 42
The only good thing about this was that Artemis wasn’t the type to work up a sweat, so the lashes never went past fifteen or twenty. Ash flinched once, and only barely, when one of the tassels wrapped around the top of his arm, hitting flesh that was ‘virgin’ to Artemis’ floggings.43
Artemis took a step back, the whip vanishing from her hand, then held out her other hand presenting a small box to Ash. “His soul.”44
Ash stood easily, his face passive as he took it from her hands, then vanished. He appeared in his bedroom in Katoteros, placed the box on the large ornate bed, then fell to his knees at the pain in his back.45
He could easily heal the cuts and welts, but Artemis didn’t like it when he did that, and instead of allowing her to dream up something even more vicious for his next time, he suffered. 46
All in the name of the ‘greater good’. 47
His eyes traveled to the box on his bed, and he knew the pain had been worth it. Right now, Keegan was stuck wandering the Earth as a shade. He had no corporeal form, and was completely invisible to all around him. He could see all, but not be seen. Hunger and thirst would be with him forever, and anything Ash had to endure to get him out of that was worth it. Ash had been there, done that, and really didn’t fell like subjecting good people to that fate. 48
Anyone that plotted against him could rot in eternity as a shade for all he cared, but any Dark-Hunter that followed the rules usually ended up as a sort of a shade, but had their own little heaven where they were free from pain. 49
Still on his knees, Ash reached for the box, took a pendant out, and used his magick to whisk Keegan out of his agony, and place him in shade heaven. With that done and the temptation to just crawl into the bed and sleep beckoning to him, Ash forced himself to his feet and walked out of the bedroom. 50
~~~~~~~~~~51
“I have to go,” Savitar said as he sat up in bed. “Much as I would like to stay…”52
Aiden smiled at his back. “So much for not seeing each other anymore.”53
He looked over his shoulder at her. “Things change.” He smiled slightly. 54
That smile made her start to worry. “What?” She sat up and stared at him. “Why do I have the feeling that I’ve been used?”55
“You have been,” he admitted. “But not in the way you think.” He gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Honestly though, I did want to see you.” Sensing her disappointment and annoyance, he cupped her cheek with his hand and gently rubbed his thumb just under her eye. 56
“What do you want from me?” she whispered. 57
He stared into her eyes as the thoughts ran through his mind. I want you to be mine for the rest of eternity. “I want you to be you,” he told her. 58
“I see.”59
“And if you being you includes me visiting sometimes, then…”60
“I see.”61
Reading her thoughts, he sighed. “No, Aiden. I’m not just using you for sex. Excellent as it is, there’s so much more to you than that.” His brows drew together as she continued to stare at him. “Both you and I know that it can’t last. Love destroys. It takes something…nice, and chips away at it until it’s something ugly and not worth a damn thing.” 62
He sighed. “I’ve spent my existence refusing to acknowledge that the emotion causes anything but pain. But… I met you, and I’m starting to look at things differently, and I can’t afford for that to happen. The universe can’t afford for that to happen. I just want to be with you when I can, and-“ 63
She cut him off with a kiss. 64
When she finally pulled back, she gave him a hard stare. 65
“Were-Hunters don’t get ‘love’… we get stuck with someone out of fates’ spite because of something that happened too long ago for most of us to recall.” She smiled slightly. “Yeah, some of us actually find love, but as a whole, those are far and few between, and extremely rare to actually find love and a mate in one.” She put a finger over his lips when he started to talk. “Shush. I’m not done.”66
Shush? Shush?! Savitar gave her a brief nod. “By all means, continue. I’ll be here, shushing.”67
She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, and then continued. “Okay. Yes. I know it’s not going to work between us, or, if it does then it won’t last because I don’t need the guilt of possibly being the one who results in the universe spinning out of control. 68
I’m not asking you for anything beyond the present. I’m not asking for a grand declaration of love, or even a ‘I really dig you, baby’. I’m content, for now, to spend time with someone who treats me with respect.”69
Savitar stared at her as he worked her words through his mind. With all his knowledge and wisdom, she had been able to put it into a better perspective than he had. And damn it if he didn’t actually like her more now than he had five minutes ago. Oh, hell! This is going to screw up things so frigging badly. “Can I stop shushing now?”70
“Yeah.”71
“Thank you. Please don’t shush me again. It’s rather annoying.”72
She arched an eyebrow at him. “I could just tell you to shut up instead.”73
“Shush it is, then.” He gave her a kiss. “Last person who told me to shut up met with a rather unpleasant death...for him. Me, I kind of enjoyed toasting him, and well, I’d rather not turn you into a pile of ashes.”74
Sometimes she forgot just how powerful he was. “You have to work on that attitude, you know?”75
He nodded in agreement. “Yes. I’m too soft at times and I need to omit that.”76
~~~~~~~~~~~77
During the daylight hours, Nick had been rather busy. He located the Internet cable that ran to Aiden’s computer, and by making a small hole under the carpet, he was able to pull up some of the cable and splice into it.78
Now, he had internet access and would be able to log into certain areas of dark-hunter.com, and search for the information he needed. If he did it fast enough, he should be in and out before anyone realized that he was there.79
Nick pulled his laptop out of his backpack, and booted it up. While waiting, he walked through the sunlit room, grabbed himself something to eat, and went back to the bedroom. 80
“Okay,” he said as he sat on the floor and pulled the computer on to his legs. “Keegan…password…hmmm…Pikoi?” He typed in the words, blinking when he gained access to the deceased Dark-Hunter’s accounts. “Idiot,” he whispered, then started to look around. 81
Odds were that the arrow was at Keegan’s house, and Nick needed to find the address, as well as the one belonging to his squire, in case they didn’t live together. Usually, the Hunter lived with the squire, with the human handling the house and all its needs so the Hunter could concentrate on Daimons. But, sometimes, they held different abodes, yet both would be in the squire’s name.82
Quickly writing down the information, Nick then took a quick look through other areas, stopping in interest when he saw that the squire had several safety deposit boxes. Those would be hard to access, but not impossible. Daimons had people who worked in all levels of the government and in various high position jobs. One would most likely be able to grant him access to those boxes. 83
He logged himself out of Keegan’s account, and with luck, no one would ever know that he had even been there. Besides, any Internet Provider search would lead to a certain Were-eagle, not him. Even if it did lead to him, no one would ever be able to prove it.84
Nick pulled out his cell phone and called Kalosis. 85
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~86
Stryker hated it when his agents decided to branch out to different activities without his consent. Not that he minded the death of a Dark-Hunter, but Nick obviously had some agenda that he was managing to hide from the Spathi Leader. 87
The phone call he had just concluded with Nick left him with more questions than answers, and Stryker didn’t like that. So far, the eagle was putting up with the acerbic Nick, although she had moved him to one of the spare condos that she owned. 88
He had to give her credit. One day with Nick as a guest before moving him was longer than he thought she would last. 89
It intrigued Stryker to find out that Savitar still had a personal relationship with the eagle. That on its own was valuable information in that it moved a few of Stryker’s plans around, bringing alternate methods of hurting Ash to the foreground, while pushing others to the back.90
With Savitar somewhat occupied, there stood a chance that he wouldn’t catch on to a few of those plans too early. And if he did, well, what was he going to do, kill him? 91
Stryker smiled slightly. Acheron had stopped Savitar from killing him, and Stryker looked upon that as a sign that he was to die at a certain time…no sooner, no later. 92
So, why not cause all the heartache and mayhem that he could until that unspecified time? Then again… Savitar was an annoying, sneaky, mean bastard, and maybe the worse thing he could think of for the Spathi leader was to send him back beaten and in shame time and time again.93
Stryker sighed, annoyed at Nick Gautier, and his alternate plans that he refused to fill him in on. 94
~~~~~~~~~~~~95
Nick knocked on the door, and waited until it was opened. “Hi,” he gave her a brief smile. “Do you have internet access?”96
Aiden raised an eyebrow at that. “Yes.”97
“Could I use your computer for about thirty minutes?” he asked. “Even Dark-Hunters need to check their e-mail.”98
Aiden took a step back. “You know where the computer is.” She smiled slightly as he entered. “Just…no porn sites.”99
Nick stopped walking, and was ready to blast her when he realized she was joking. “I’ll try to refrain.”100
Aiden watched as he walked down the hall, then into the spare bedroom that he had used the first night, then she went back to the couch and the late night news.101
Nick spent the half hour searched through her hard drive, taking mental notes of certain files and looking for personal account information. He perused her tax records for the past few years, surprised to find that she was fairly loaded. Her occupation was listed as ‘retired’, and her net income from real estate and investments was over three million dollars.102
No wonder she can sit on her ass, passing judgment. He shook his head in annoyance. Living a cushy life like she did, she had no idea of the hardships someone like him had grown up with.103
His mother had been a stripper, and his father a career felon. Nick had grown up in the back rooms of clubs until his mother broke away from that life. The teen years consisted of a few more arrests than necessary, and running with a gang.104
A chance meeting with a Dark-Hunter who saved his life had changed Nick completely. He was able to take care of his mother for a change, and moved her into a large house. He went to college, and was working for something great and noble when it was all snatched away from him by Ash.105
His searching was interrupted when he realized that his time was almost up. He quickly logged on to the Internet, checked his e-mail, and surfed though a few random sites in case she actually checked on what he had been doing. 106
Aiden looked up as Nick walked out of the hallway. 107
“Thanks,” he said. He looked around. “So, you own this place?”108
“Yes.”109
“How about the building?”110
“The Patria owns it,” she replied, referring to her eagle family. “I inherited four of the condos about fifty years ago from my mother’s father.”111
Nick nodded. “So, what do you do, anyway?”112
She took a slight offence to the way he said that. “I’m not sure where that’s any of your business.”113
“What the hell makes your kind so special?” he asked. “I don’t think I’ve met a Were that wasn’t loaded up the wazoo.” 114
“Do you think that you might be able to have one conversation with me that doesn’t sink to the level of you insulting me over nothing?” She asked. “You have some unresolved issues with, well, everything.” She moved her head in an eagle-like way, and studied him. “Maybe if you let all that anger go, then you might be able to talk without sounding like a twit.”115
He raised his hand, ready to shoot electricity at her, but stopped when her eyes flashed as bright red.116
“You best rethink any threats against me, buddy.” Her voice was colder than ice. “If you could talk to me in a civil tone, then I might be able to help you accept your new life.”117
“Really.” He obviously didn’t believe or trust her. “Do I have fucking idiot printed on my forehead?” he asked in the same cool voice.118
Aiden motioned, then gave him a smirk. “Now you do.”119
Nick turned to look in the glass of the bookcase. He sighed as he had to project an image of himself so he could see it, then snarled at the words fucking idiot that were on his forehead.120
“I suppose you think that’s funny?!” he growled.121
“No, I don’t. And I don’t think your attitude is overly amusing, either.” Aiden crossed her arms over her chest. The man was an extremely complex character with highly volatile emotions, and she’d had more than enough of his pissy attitude. 122
Ash? She waited for him to acknowledge her. When he didn’t, she tried again. Acheron Parthenopaeus! You talk to me this instant, or, I swear on Simi’s credit cards that I’ll hunt you down and kick your butt for asking me to take this snotty little brat in.123
Don’t threaten me, Aiden. Ever. His cool voice replied, the Atlantean accent pronounced. That alone was a hint that he was angry. 124
I can’t handle this, Ash. I don’t want to handle this!125
He sighed deeply. The diner on the corner from your place…meet me there in five minutes.
Ash? Ash! Oh, hell. She looked at Nick as he tried to rub the words off his forehead. She motioned, making them vanish, then headed for the door. “I’m going out for a walk,” she told him. “You use the time to settle down and stop being such a brat.”126
Nick waited a few minutes after the door shut before he followed. He waited while she crossed the street, and watched as she headed in to the diner on the corner. 127
Aiden walked to the booth in the very back, and slid in the seat across from the head Dark-Hunter. “Nick is following me.”128
“I know,” Ash replied in a hard voice. His eyes were covered by dark sunglasses, which gave him a completely sinister appearance. 129
“I’m just going to get right to the point,” she said. “If Nick Gautier is not removed from my place, immediately, then I am going to kill him…immediately.”130
“Why?”131
“Beyond spreading lovely little rumors about you?” Aiden asked. “Let’s see, there’s the threatening me, shooting electricity at me, which I do not appreciate, by the way, the snotty attitude-“132
“What rumors?” Ash interrupted.133
“One, you’re a god,” Aiden said, ticking them off on her fingers, “two, you cursed him to die…which, hell, sounds like a cop-out to me…three, Simi’s parentage, four-“134
“Stop.” His face was getting red with anger.135
Unsure if it was directed at her or not, Aiden swallowed her annoyance. “Ash,” she said in a gentle voice, “I know you’re a god… heck, most the Were’s do. And unless you killed him yourself, I don’t buy into the curse deal. As for Simi… I don’t really care. The two of you are too important to me to insult you by asking.”136
Ash nodded slightly. “Thanks.” He inhaled, then exhaled, trying to get rid of the anger at Nick. The Cajun was really pushing it this time.
Author notes
Pikoi's Arrow http://www.nativehawaii.com/legends/pikoi_magicarrows.php
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Comments
1 - 7 of 7
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Nick is such an ASS!
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This was really good. I read the start and despite myself I kept reading. (I was just browsing and didn't mean to stay read any)
I hadn't actually read the first parts, so it was a bit hard to understand. It had a good plot and was enjouable, so well done!
Very good, well done
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"the antithesis of the woman Savitar banged" the most awesome line ever!
sweet i was wondering if you made up the arrow or not. really good chapter though im wishing that ash would just let her kick nicks ass. i get that there is a bigger plot for him to unfold before that can happen... but urg! -
In the sixth section, second paragraph, first sentence- I don't think it was a typo, but it confused me. Here's the sentence:
"The phone call he had just concluded with Nick left him with more answers than questions, and Stryker didn't like that."
He's angry because he has more answers and not more questions? It seems to me that he would be happy that he has more answers... I don't know...
Any who, on with the story!!
This is getting really good. So exciting.
Hope your days are bright.
MoonNight
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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Questions than answers
At least I think I got the from and form down....
Glad you're still enjoying it!!!!!
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Great
but spacing is fun Barbara i swear...anyway i still love the novel so far....keep it up and have a ShurFine Day...
Love
Emily Rose
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the spacing is driving me crazy!
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