Nick scoffed at his dire tone. “No offense, but your father doesn’t scare me, especially given how bad I want a piece of his hide. Come get some.”
Urian looked less than impressed. “I know you think you share powers with him, Nick, but trust me, he didn’t give you anything but the leftovers. Not to mention one small thing. No one gets a piece of him until after I do.”
Acheron let out a shrill whistle. “Down, children. We have more things to do than just save your machismo.”
Acheron leveled his glare at Nick. “We have a battle to prepare for. I’m not letting Stryker take Nick.”
Nick laughed bitterly. “I don’t need your fucking help. I can fight on my own.”
Acheron didn’t flinch at the hatred in his tone. “I know why you hate me, Nick. I get it. But your mother wouldn’t want you to kill yourself again. Hate me tomorrow. Tonight, tolerate me as a necessary evil.”
Nick shoved Acheron away from him. “This doesn’t make us friends.”
Acheron held his hands up. “I know.” He turned back to Tory and took her hand in a tight grip. Indecision hung there before he spoke and shocked Styxx to the core of his being. “Styxx, take her out of here. Keep her safe.”
Tory gaped as she skimmed Styxx with a horrified expression.
Stryker came through a portal and his gaze went straight to Urian. “You’ve betrayed me for the last time.” Flicking his wrist, he sent a leaf-shaped dagger right at Urian’s heart.
Before it could reach its target, Acheron caught it in his hand. “Take your girls, scream, and run away now, Stryker. It’ll save you time later. Believe me, you don’t want a taste of me in the mood I’m in.”
Stryker took that with flippant disregard. He ran his tongue over his fangs as if he were savoring the idea of feeding on Acheron. “There’s nothing I crave more than the taste of blood.” He looked around at the men who stood with Acheron and laughed in derision. “Tonight we feast, Spathi. Attack!”
More than ready to battle, Urian pulled Tory behind their group as the Daimons swarmed them.
“Stab them in the heart,” Urian said to Styxx before he demonstrated how to kill the Daimons.
Another blast of light in the room left them with a huge group of enemy reinforcements.
Styxx stabbed the first one to reach him. Only he didn’t explode into dust like the Daimon had. “Urian? A little instruction, please.”
“Demons … eyes.” Urian stabbed a demon between the eyes to show him what he meant, before he turned and ducked the fangs of a Daimon. “And whatever you do, don’t let the demons bite you or they can control you.”
Styxx disarmed a Daimon who held a sword, then spun around and caught him with his dagger. The Daimon exploded all over Styxx.
Stryker went for Nick, but Acheron caught him and the two of them went to the ground, punching with a fury Styxx knew all too well.Glad I’m not the only one you hate that much.
More men arrived. Since they were neither Daimons nor demons, Styxx pulled back until he could determine if they were friends or foes.
A demon launched itself at Soteria. She tried to kick him back but failed epically. Just as it would have reached her, Julian of Macedon, a longtime friend of Acheron’s, was there with a xiphos. He severed the demon’s head with one well-placed swing. Balancing the leaf-shaped blade on his shoulder, Julian turned to face her. “Can you handle a sword?”
“Yes.”
“Kyrian!” Julian shouted to his best friend, another blond Greek. “My kingdom for a sword.”
Kyrian tossed what appeared to be only a hilt. In one fluid move, Julian caught it and pressed a button on the cross hilt. The blade shot out to just under three feet in length. He handed it over to Soteria. “Daimons have to be stabbed through their hearts. Demons between their eyes, and if you cut the heads off any of us, we all die.”
“How do I tell the difference?”
“Most of the Daimons are blond and they explode into dust when you pierce their hearts. Hit the heart and if that doesn’t work, try the eyes. If you stab someone who whimpers, then hits the ground, you attacked a good guy. Just FYI.”
One of the demons made for Urian’s back. Styxx pulled a smaller knife out of the demon body closest to him and used it to pin the new demon between his eyes.
Urian turned to fight as the demon fell to his feet. He met Styxx’s gaze and inclined his head to him.
Styxx whirled and, forgetting he didn’t have a hoplon, raised his arm to catch a sword down across it. Hissing, he stumbled back, then lunged with the sword in his right hand. His opponent spun, then came back immediately with another blow. Styxx narrowly jerked his head away in time.
Urian tried to reach him to help, but he was swarmed with his own Daimons and couldn’t get to him at all.
