“Not if you eat one of them first.” Davyn flashed him a grin. “You get all kinds of perks, we learned. Ability to walk in daylight. And a freaky immunity to their bites.”
Xander scowled. “So it’s like a cure?”
“If we have enough gallu to go around, yeah. That’s why we’ve been leaving Dark-Hunters alone these last few years. You’re not our primary targets anymore. The gallu are.”
Xander gaped and turned toward Urian. “Did you know that?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t everyone?”
“No, they don’t.” Xander’s phone started ringing. The shocked expression on his face was quite comic. “There’s cell service in hell?”
Davyn laughed. “We have cable and Internet, too. Hell would not be complete without reality TV and telemarketers.”
Snorting at his sarcasm, Xander answered his phone. And the soft, tender way the tough guy spoke made them all stop and stare at him.
“Hey, baby. No, I’m sorry. I should have left a note, but it was Ash and it came up suddenly. Yeah, I’m a thoughtless ass, you know that.” He paused to glare at them. “Be back soon … you, too. Bye.” In a huff, he hung it up and slid it into his pocket. “What, you jackals?”
Davyn’s eyes widened. “Thought Dark-Hunters couldn’t have a girlfriend?”
“Could be my boyfriend, you don’t know.” Xander pushed past him.
Davyn let out an evil laugh. “Actually,Ido. And if you were family, brother, I’d be all overthat—” He glanced down to Xander’s ass. “Believe you me. Anytime you’re ready to turn, give me a shout.”
Rolling his eyes, Xander cast his gaze around at the lot of them. “It’s none of anyone’s business.”
Urian passed a knowing look to Xyn. He knew that level of pissed off. That was a man who had a serious relationship with someone he wasn’t supposed to and didn’t want to discuss it.
Wow …
And he thoughthehad problems.
Which he did, hence this trip through hell.
“Where exactly are we?” Blaise asked.
“A dark and bitter forest.”
He snorted at Xyn’s answer. “Ha ha, sis. Ha ha. Not what I meant. What is this place used for?”
“This is a no-man’s-land.” Urian pointed toward the dark wall to their left that was covered with steeled thorns. “What you want to avoid is crossing to the barrier lands where the souls of the damned reside. Those are some nasty bastards. Back in the day, some of the stronger Apollites tried to feed off their souls.”
“Did not go well for them.” Davyn shuddered.
“Yeah. We had a huge problem with trelos outbreaks. But when you’re desperate enough … you do dumb shit.”
Xander stopped dead in his tracks to stare at them. “So what? Your people ate the souls that were here?”
Urian nodded. “Not like we had a lot of choice.” He jerked his chin toward the barrier. “My father, with Apollymi’s help, erected that barrier when we were teens to help confine the most corrupt souls that he feared our people couldn’t handle.”
A strange glow came over Xander’s body. He turned a slow circle.
“Not all the gods are dead here.”
Shadow drew up short. “He’s right. I feel it, too.”
Urian sensed nothing. He turned toward Xyn.
“I’ve got nothing. It feels the same as it always has.”
