Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter 11)

Powerful and bold, he bent to her will only when she forced him to it by blood and bone. And even then, he did so grudgingly and defiantly. He really was like a wild beast that no one could tame.

For that matter, he bit and snarled at anyone who tried to pet him.

And the gods knew she'd tried for centuries to either win him over or beat him into submission. But nothing worked. He was ever near and ever unattainable. It infuriated her.

She pouted at him. "You'd like for him to kill me, wouldn't you?"

He let out a small laugh. "Hell, no. I want that honor myself."

How dare he! "You wretched-"

"Don't insult me, Artie," he said, cutting her words off with an irritable tone, "when we both know you don't mean it. I get really tired of the lip service."

A shiver went over her at his choice of words. "Strange. I never get tired of yours." She reached to touch his lips. They were the only part of his body that was soft-like the petals of a rose-and she was ever fascinated by them. "You have the most beautiful mouth, Acheron, especially when it's on my body."

Ash groaned as he recognized the heat in her emerald eyes as she fingered his lips. It made his skin crawl. "Aren't you ever satisfied? I swear if I were mortal, I'd be limping from our last go-round. If not dead. We really need to find you a hobby other than jumping on top of me."

But it was too late, she was already pushing his knee down and straddling his thighs.

Grinding his teeth, Ash leaned his head back as she began to nibble his throat. He tilted his head, knowing what was coming while she lightly tongued his skin. Her heartbeat was already pounding as she slid herself closer to him.

And then he felt her sharp incisors piercing his skin an instant before she began drinking his blood...

"Katra!"

Kat Agrotera sat bolt upright in her bed at the shrill call in her head. "What did I do?" she asked, trying to figure out why Artemis would be angry at her now.

"Were you asleep?"

She blinked as Artemis appeared in the room beside her bed. The room was completely dark except for the eerie glowing blue light that radiated out of Artemis's body.

Kat glanced down at the bed where she sat in her pink sock monkey pajamas with rumpled sheets and hair, then decided sarcasm was not the better part of sanity. "I'm awake now."

"Good. I have a mission for you."

Kat had to bite back a sharp laugh. "I hate to be the bearer of reminders, but you traded my service to Apollymi, remember? Now the big evil of Atlantis that you fear forbids me to do anything you say. She kind of finds it funny that she can irritate you that way."

Artemis's eyes narrowed on her. "Katra..."

"Matisera..." she said, imitating Artemis's agitated tone."I didn't ask for this. You're the one who made the bargain with Apollymi that I have to live with. Personally, it irks the shit out of me to be traded like some Yu-Gi-Oh! card you got tired of having around the house. But trade me you did. So sorry, I'm playing for the other team now. "

Artemis came forward then, and for the first time Kat realized she was actually afraid.

"Is something wrong?"

Artemis nodded before she whispered, "He's going to kill me."

"Acheron?" He was the most likely candidate.

"No," she said sharply, "Acheron would never hurt me. He just threatens it. Do you remember when you were a young woman?"

Well, given the fact that was about eleven to ten thousand years ago, it was a bit of a stretch for her. "I try not to, but some things are still crystal. Why?"

Artemis sat down on her bed before she took Kat's stuffed tiger and pulled it to her. "Do you remember the Sumerian god Sin?"

Kat frowned. "The one who broke into your temple eons ago and tried to take your powers and kill you?"

Artemis's hand tightened on the tiger. "Yes. He's back and he's trying to kill me again."

How was that possible? Kat had personally taken care of that enemy. "I thought he was dead."

"No, Acheron saved him before he could die and made him a Dark-Hunter. Sin thinks I'm the one who drained him of his powers and left him for dead." The terror in Artemis's eyes scorched her. "He's going to kill me, Katra, I know it. The entire world is going to end. We are coming up on the Sumerian apokalypsi-"

"I don't think they use that word."

"Who cares what word they use?" she screeched. "End of the world is end of the world regardless of whatever term you use for it. The point is, Sin is now going to try to overthrow me again and take my place. Do you know what that means?"

"There will be much rejoicing?"

"Katra!"

She sobered. "Sorry. I get it. He wants revenge."

"Yes, for something I didn't do. I need your help, Katra. Please."

Kat sat there for a moment, contemplating. It wasn't like Artemis to ask for anything. She always demanded it-that only told Kat how much Artemis feared Sin. But even though it was obvious the goddess was scared, Kat suspected there was more to this story than Artemis was letting on. There always was. "What aren't you telling me?"

Artemis gave her a blank stare. "I don't know what you mean."

"Of course you do." Artemis never told the whole truth about anything. "And before I commit myself to some disaster, I want to know everything about it."

Artemis's face hardened. "Are you telling me that you refuse to help me after all I've done to you?"

That actually summarized it well. "I think you mean 'for me', Matisera, not 'to me'."

"As if I care. Now answer me."

Wow. For a woman asking for help, Artemis had a wonderful way of expressing it. But then that was her nature, and Kat would be suspicious if Artemis was anything less than authoritative. "What do you want me to do?"

"What do you think? Kill him."

Kat was aghast. "Matisera! What are you asking?"

"I'm asking for you to save my life," she snarled, "which is the very least you could do for me. Especially after all I've given you. He will kill me if he gets a chance and take all my powers. Who knows what he'll do to mankind once his godhood is restored. How he'll make them suffer. I've already gone to Acheron and he has refused to help me in any way. You're the only hope I have."

"Then why don't you kill him yourself? I know you're capable of it."

Artemis sat back in a huff. "He has the Tuppi Shimati. You do remember what that is, don't you?"

"The Sumerian Tablet of Destiny, yeah, I remember it." Whoever held possession of it could render another god powerless. It could also used to strip a god of their powers entirely thereby allow the possessor to kill any god they chose. Not exactly something the gods wanted in the wrong hands.

Artemis swallowed. "Who do you think Sin will come after now that he has it?"

No-brainer there. Artemis. "And with that you have my undivided attention. Don't worry, Matisera. I'll get it from him."

Artemis actually looked relieved. "I don't want anyone to know our past. You of all people understand how important it is that it remain hidden. Don't fail me this time, Katra. I need you to fulfill your word to me."

Kat flinched at the reminder of the one and only time in her life she'd failed in her mission to Artemis. "I will."

Artemis inclined her head before she vanished.

Kat lay back in bed, thinking of what had just transpired. On the one hand, she had no doubt that Artemis was telling the truth about the Tablet of Destiny. Sin's pantheon had been the one who'd created it. If anyone knew how to find and wield it, Sin would be he.

But Artemis was still Artemis.

Which meant some important parts of this story were most likely missing and before Kat went traipsing off after another god, even a fallen one, she wanted to know as much about him as she could.

Reaching for her cell phone on the nightstand, she flipped it open and noted the time. It was one A.M. for her, but in Minneapolis it would be midnight. She pressed the 6 button and waited until she heard a soft, feminine voice answer.

Kat smiled at the sound of her friend's greeting. "Hi, Cassandra, how ya doing?" At one time, she'd been Cassandra's protector for Artemis. But since Cassandra had become immortal and was married to the ex-Dark-Hunter Wulf, Kat had been reassigned... and then traded off to the Atlantean goddess Apollymi.

Even so, Kat was still close friends with Cassandra and made it a habit of visiting her friend whenever she could.

"Hey, baby girl," Cassandra said with a laugh. "We're fine. We were just finishing up a movie. But I can tell by the tone of your voice and the time of this call that you've got something more on your mind than checking in with me."

Kat smiled at her friend's intuition. "Okay, I'm busted. There was a point to this call. Can you put the big guy on the phone for me? I have a couple of Dark-Hunter questions for him."

"Sure. Hang on a sec."

Kat raked her hand through her tousled curls as Wulf came to the phone. When she'd first met him, he'd been a Dark-Hunter. They were immortal protectors who'd sworn their service to Artemis in exchange for an Act of Vengeance. Their job was to kill the Daimons who preyed on human souls and to spend eternity in Artemis's service protecting mankind.

But Wulf had been granted his freedom and now he lived happily with his son and daughter and wife in Minneapolis. And he policed the Daimons only when the Dark-Hunters in his area needed an extra hand.

"Hey, Kat. You wanted to speak to me?" Even after all these centuries, his voice still held its thick Nordic accent.

"Yeah. Do you happen to know the Dark-Hunter named Sin?"

"I know a couple who have that name. Which one are you referring to?"