Page 76 of Dance With the Devil (Dark-Hunter 3)
Zarek laughed.
"What is so funny?"
Zarek lay in the snow, freezing and bleeding but continuing to laugh. "You. Me. Life in general, and the fact that I'm freezing my ass off as usual."
Thanatos viciously kicked his side. "You are psychotic."
Yes, he was. But most of all he was weary. Too tired to get up and move. Too tired to fight anymore.
He thought of Astrid.
Fight for her...
For once in his life, he had something to live for. A reason to pick his blind ass up and fight.
Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to summon up some of his faltering powers to use against the creature.
Zarek heard the sound of a dagger leaving its sheath.
"Zarek..." Ash's voice whispered in his mind.
Zarek flinched as his eyesight came back unexpectedly. "What the hell?"
Five shining claws appeared on his left hand.
Zarek smiled at the sight of them as he balled his hand into a fist and felt the sharp ends of his finger caps biting into his palm.
Ash had always known him just a little too well.
"There's a crescent moon between Thanatos's shoulder blades," Ash's voice whispered. "Stab it and he's dead. Artemis never creates anything without an off switch."
Zarek flipped himself up to stand.
Thanatos arched a surprised brow. "So you do have more fight in you."
"Looks like the devil just hiked his ass up to Alaska to see the snow. C'mon, punk, let's dance."
Zarek hit him, and Thanatos flew back.
It appeared Ash had given him more than his claws. Strength and power surged through him unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.
Zarek took a deep breath as all the pain he felt vanished.
Thanatos struck him across the face.
Zarek laughed as the pain came and went. It didn't even faze him.
Thanatos paled.
"Yeah, you should be scared." He knocked him back. "It sucks when you're not the baddest thing out here, huh?"
Zarek picked him up and tossed him.
Thanatos rolled in the snow. He tried to get up and fell back.
Zarek stalked him.
It was time to put an end to this.
He placed his foot on Thanatos's back to hold him down and ripped open his coat and shirt to reveal the crescent sign.
So Ash hadn't lied.
"You can kill me, Dark-Hunter, but it won't take away the fact you should die for killing Dirce. She was innocent and you slaughtered her."
Zarek hesitated. "Dirce?"
"Do you not even remember her?" Thanatos tensed in rage as he twisted to look up at him accusingly. "She was only twenty years old when you cut her down."
Zarek's thoughts flashed to what Simi had shown him in her eyes...
The blond woman Thanatos had impaled on his sword.
"She was yours?"
"My wife, you bastard."
Zarek stared at Thanatos's mark.
He should kill him.
But he couldn't.
Both of them had been screwed by the same person. Artemis.
And it wasn't fair that he should kill Thanatos for wanting revenge.
Vengeance was something he understood all too well. Hell, he'd sold his own soul for it. How could he fault Thanatos for doing the same?
Zarek heard the sound of a snowmachine headed back toward him.
He knew without looking that it was Astrid. No doubt she'd turned around the instant he'd been distracted by the fight.
He used the powers Ash had given him to bind Thanatos to the ground.
The Daimon screamed for release.
He screamed for death.
Zarek knew the sound of both. Many nights he'd lain awake doing the same thing.
If he were merciful, he would kill him. But that wasn't his job.
He was a Dark-Hunter, and Thanatos...
Zarek would leave him for Acheron to deal with.
Astrid parked the snowmachine and came running up to him.
Her eyes were a deeper blue now that she could see.
"Is he contained?"
He nodded.
She threw herself into his arms. Zarek stumbled backward.
"Easy, princess. The only reason I'm standing and not sitting is mere strength of will."
Astrid looked past Zarek and saw Thanatos on the ground, cursing both of them. "Why didn't you kill him?"
"Not my place. Besides, I'm through being Artemis's lapdog. It's time I told the 'heifer goddess' to get lost."
Astrid went pale. "You can't just leave, Zarek. She'll kill you."
He smiled grimly. "Let her try. I'm in the mood to fight." He snorted at that. "Then again, I'm always in the mood to fight."
Astrid held her breath at his words. They gave her hope.
"What about us?" she asked.
For the first time she could see the anguish on his face as he looked at her, see the pain in his midnight eyes. "There is no us, princess. There never was."
Astrid opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, her mother appeared with Sasha, who was in his human form.
Astrid gave her a droll look. "You're a little late, Mom."
"Blame your sisters. Atty told me to stay put. I came as soon as she would let me."
Sasha curled his lip at Zarek who glared back at him.
"Sorry, Scooby, I'm all out of LivaSnaps."
Sasha curled his lips. "I really hate you."
Zarek gave him a matching sneer. "Feeling's entirely mutual."
Themis ignored the men as she addressed Astrid. "Have you judged him, daughter?"
"He's innocent." She pointed to Thanatos, who was still cursing them. "There's the proof of his mercy and humanity."
An ear-piercing shriek sounded. It was followed by total silence.
"What the hell was that?" Zarek asked.
"Artemis," Astrid said in unison with her mother and Sasha.
Themis sighed. "I wouldn't want to be in Acheron's place tonight."
"Why?" Zarek asked.
It was Sasha who answered. "Never piss off a goddess. There's no telling what she'll do to him for getting you off the hook."
