Page 21 of Dance With the Devil (Dark-Hunter 3)
"Why? Do I repulse you?"
Sasha growled. Loudly.
She stopped moving and glared at where she hoped his face was.
"Zarek," she said firmly. "You're hurting me. Let me go."
To her shock, he did. He moved back ever so slightly but his angry presence was still tangible. Oppressive. Frightening.
"Do something smart, princess," he growled in her ear. "Stay far away from me."
She heard him walk away from her.
"He's guilty" Sasha snapped. "Astrid. Judge him."
She couldn't. Not yet. Even though Zarek scared her. Even though at this moment he did seem unbalanced and terrifying.
He hadn't really hurt her. He'd only frightened her, and that wasn't something anyone should die for.
After this, she could well understand how he could have snapped one night and killed everyone in the village he had been entrusted to guard.
Would he snap like that with her?
Because she was immortal, he couldn't kill her, but he could hurt her.
A lesser judge might go ahead and render verdict based on his actions tonight alone. She was tempted herself, but she wouldn't. Not yet.
"Are you all right?" Sasha asked after she refused to respond to his demand for a verdict.
"Yes."
But she was lying and she had a feeling Sasha knew it. Zarek terrified her in a way no one ever had before.
Over the centuries, she had judged countless men and women. Murderers, traitors, blasphemers. You name it.
But none of them had ever scared her. None of them had ever made her want to go running to her sisters for protection.
Zarek did.
There was something about him that really wasn't sane. She was used to dealing with people who tried to hide their insanity. Men who could play gallant heroes while inside they were cold and cruel.
Zarek lashed out and yet he hadn't hurt her.
At least not yet.
But his bullying tactics were going to have to go.
She remembered Acheron's words to her: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly..."
What was inside Zarek's heart?
Expelling a long breath, Astrid reached out with her senses and tried to locate Zarek.
As before, she couldn't find him at all. It was as if he were so used to keeping himself hidden that he didn't register on anyone's radar. Not even her heightened one.
"Where is he?" she asked Sasha.
"In his room, I think."
"Where are you?"
Sasha came and sat at her feet. "Artemis is right. For the sake of mankind, he should be put down. There's something seriously wrong with that man."
Astrid rubbed his ears as she considered that. "I don't know. Acheron bartered with Artemis so that I could judge Zarek. He wouldn't have done that for no reason. Only a fool barters with Artemis for anything. And Acheron is far from foolish. There has to be something good in Zarek or else-"
"Acheron will always sacrifice for his men. It's what he does," Sasha scoffed.
"Perhaps..."
But she knew better. Acheron would always do whatever was the greater good for all involved. He had never before interfered when it was time to judge or execute a rogue Dark-Hunter, and yet he had asked her personally to judge this one...
He hadn't allowed Zarek to be killed nine hundred years ago for destroying his village and killing innocent humans.
If Zarek truly posed a danger, Acheron would never have bargained with them for a hearing or allowed the Dark-Hunter to live. There had to be more to this.
She had to believe Acheron.
She had to.
Zarek sat alone in his room, watching the snow fall outside through the open curtains. He was seated in the rocking chair, but remained motionless. After his "meltdown," he'd gone through the house replacing bulbs and picking up the broken pictures. Now everything was eerily quiet.
He had to get out of here before he snapped again. Why wouldn't the storm break?
The hall light came on, temporarily blinding him.
He frowned at that. Why did Astrid use lights when she was blind?
He heard her padding down the hallway toward the den. Part of him wanted to join her, to talk to her. But he had never been one for idle conversation.
He didn't know how to make small talk. No one had ever been interested in anything he had to say.
So he kept to himself and that suited him just fine.
"Sasha?"
The sound of her melodic voice went through him like shattered glass.
"Sit here while I make another fire."
He almost got up to help, but forced himself to stay in his chair. His days as a servant to the rich were over. If she wanted a fire, then she was just as able to make one as he was.
Of course he could see to light the kindling and his hands were rough from hard work.
Hers were soft. Delicate.
Fragile hands that could soothe...
Before he realized it, he was headed for the den.
He found Astrid kneeling before the hearth, trying to push new logs onto the iron grate. She was struggling with it and doing her best not to get burned in the process.
Without a word, he pulled her back.
She gasped in alarm.
"Move out of my way," he snarled.
"I wasn't in your way. You got into mine."
When she refused to move, he picked her up and dropped her into the dark green armchair.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her expression startled.
"Nothing." He returned to the hearth and made the fire. "I can't believe that with all the money you have, you don't have someone here to help you."
"I don't need anyone to help me."
He paused at her words. "No? How do you get around on your own?"
"I just do. I can't stand for anyone to treat me like I'm helpless. I happen to be just as capable as anyone else."
"Bully for you, princess." But he felt the swell of another wave of respect for her. In the world he'd grown up in, women like her never did anything for themselves. They'd bought people like him to serve their every whim.
"Why do you call me 'princess' all the time?"
"It's what you are, aren't you? Your parents' shining darling."
She frowned. "How do you know that?"
"I can smell it on you. You're one of those people who has never had a moment's worry in your life. Everything you've ever wanted, you've gotten."
"Not everything."
"No? What have you ever lacked?"
"My eyesight."
Zarek fell silent as her words rang in his ears. "Yeah, being blind sucks."
"How would you know?"
"Been there, done that."
