Thorn narrowed his gaze. “Careful, punkin’, you know what they say about those who live in glass houses.”
“They get a lot of sunshine?”
Thorn sneered at his sarcasm. “I was thinking they get covered in a lot of bug shit, myself. But tomato, tamahto.”
Savitar twisted his jaw in a way that said he was barely restraining the urge to punch him. “You really make it hard not to gut you some days.”
“Ditto.”
“Well, I should have known.…”
Cameron gaped as a man appeared next to her and Kalder who was equal in height to Savitar. Which was to say, he was gigantic. Only instead of being muscular, he was lean, yet every bit as lethal and mysterious. There was no mistaking his power that said he could easily match the rest of them.
And then some.
The only difference was that he had exceptionally long black hair and eyes of mercury silver that swirled like the sea during a storm. Aged eyes that said he’d seen more than his fair share of trouble and misery.
And he wore a plain black woolen coat more akin to the captain’s than the ornate style favored by Thorn, Bart, or Will.
At his approach, Thorn and Savitar stepped apart like two errant children who’d been caught squabbling by their parents and wanted to hide their misbehavior before a grand spanking ensued.
“He started it.” Savitar jerked his chin at Thorn.
“Acheron!” Janice shouted in happiness. “Get me away from these idiots!”
Cameron’s eyes widened as she realized that this was the mysterious Acheron Parthenopaeus who led the Dark-Hunters—the group of warriors charged with protecting mankind from theDaimons who preyed on them and their souls. Unlike Thorn’s Hellchasers, who sent demons back to their dimensions after they escaped or broke whatever rule had allowed them a temporary reprieve, or the Necrodemians such as her brother, who killed the dark demons who refused to go or were too dangerous to be corralled without risking danger to the world or to humanity, the Dark-Hunters were more akin to assassins for the gods.
Pausing in front of Savitar, Acheron arched a quizzical brow. “Question. Who locked my Huntress in a cave?”
Kalder raised his hand. “That would be me, but she’s free to leave at any time. I only did it to protect her from the sunlight.”
“Then I won’t kill you.” Acheron made a sharp turn back toward Savitar and Thorn. “And you two idiots… Seriously? We have a major demon infestation, buckling gates,anda Malachai on the loose, and you two are fighting like infants right in the middle of it all?”
With a perturbed sneer, Savitar crossed his arms over his chest. “You know, you’re not so old, or so big, that I can’t spank you.”
Sancha raised her hand to volunteer. “Might I have the honor of it? Or I could hold him down if you’d like. If he struggles, all the better, I say.”
Acheron scoffed at her offer. “Careful, love. My bite is much worse than my bark.”
She flashed an inviting grin. “Counting on that, love. Definitely counting on that.” She gave him an inviting wink.
Now it was Thorn’s turn to smirk. “What can I say, old Ack? They were damned for a reason. And some more so than others.”
Acheron shook his head. “Makes me glad I just have to wrangleDark-Hunters. And a few stray Dream-Hunters and Were-Hunters.”
“And I have to wrangle morons.” Savitar gestured at Thorn. “With the lord king of them standing right there in front of us. So I dare you to ask him about the Cyphnian he knowingly sent down to Vine to play with and her friends. Go ahead. I dare you.”
Acheron went still for about a heartbeat and a half. His eyes rippled red as his black hair fanned out.
Yet unlike Savitar, he didn’t react.
Instead, he pressed one finger to his temple as if suppressing a migraine. “Thorn… tell me you had a good reason for what you did.”
He gestured toward Kalder. “Have you met said Cyphnian? He’s a hard-headed bastard. Reminds me of someone.” He glanced pointedly at Savitar. “Only he’s a lot more likable. I knew when I sent him there that he wouldn’t stay—that I’d be able to get him out without too much of a fight from the others. Since his kind is so rare, I didn’t think they’d be able to identify his breed. Worst case, was hoping he’d drain the bitch should she be dumb enough to get near him in the interim. Sadly, I miscalculated how long it’d take me to get to him, and Vine’s resourcefulness in finding his brother and using the wanker against us. For that, I apologize.” Thorn cleared his throat pointedly. “To you, Ash. Not to surf-bum.”
Thorn sighed heavily. “Hindsight, stupid plan. But given that I was in battle at the time, with Michael and Gabriel breathing down my throat and all manner of hell breaking loose, it was the best I could come up with.”
Savitar finally calmed down. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?”
