No Mercy (Dark-Hunter 18)

Just like he'd promised.

Focus, Sam. She had much more important things to think about than a past she couldn't change. Like why she was suddenly a Daimon magnet.

Were they planning on singling out each Dark-Hunter and taking them to Kalosis one on one to torture and kill them?

Or something worse?

Dev cocked his head as if he was listening to a sound only he could hear. When he looked back at her, he was scowling. "Nick Gautier is downstairs too."

"Nick?" He was the one she'd been moved into New Orleans to guard. Even though he was a Dark-Hunter, he was transitioning into something Acheron wouldn't elaborate on. All they'd been told was that Nick had to be guarded until he learned how to corral his powers. If they allowed the darker elements to get near him, it would corrupt him and they'd have something a lot more dangerous than the Daimons to worry about.

And no way to stop it.

Sam shook her head. "What's he doing here?"

"Don't know. He just head-popped me"--a Were-Hunter slang term that meant Nick had contacted him telepathically--"and said he needs to see you. You want him to come up here or you want to go down?"

Nick's telepathic power made her raise an eyebrow. When Acheron had briefed her on Nick's abilities, that one had been missing. Made her wonder if Acheron knew everything about him or if Nick's powers were growing even faster than their fearless leader knew. Or if it was another case of Acheron withholding pertinent information. "Gautier has telepathy?"

"Either that or I'm hallucinating. I'd hate to think I'm wasting a perfectly good hallucination on Nick Gautier, especially where you're involved."

Sam gave a short laugh at Dev's inability to take anything seriously. "Send him up."

The words had barely left her lips before Nick appeared in front of her. Sam didn't know why but something about the Cajun set her nerves on edge. Even though he'd never been anything but cordial to her, it was like he had a core of evil. Something about him made her nervous. Wary.

Not scared, just tense.

He's not right....

Tall and sinfully gorgeous, Nick was dressed all in black. The one thing that differentiated him from the rest of the Dark-Hunter crew was that where they usually had their bow-and-arrow marks hidden, his was right on his cheek and neck in a way that suggested Artemis had bitch-slapped him when she'd brought him over.

For the merest nanosecond, Sam could swear she saw his eyes flash red before he let out a short, sinister laugh.

"You're so screwed."

Sam glanced to Dev before she gave Nick a flat, emotionless stare. "How so?"

"You can't stay here," Nick said darkly. "The Daimons know where you are and they're gearing up for total war."

Dev scoffed. "Tell us something we don't know."

Nick shot a look at Dev that said he thought the bear was an idiot. "You really have no idea. You have kids here and Savitar isn't on your side right now. Stryker knows that and he's planning to take advantage of it."

Dev was less than convinced. "And how do you know what Stryker has planned?"

Nick didn't answer. "Look, you two can stay here and argue, or you can trust me."

Dev hesitated. Part of him still thought of Nick as the same snarky little kid who grew up downstairs hustling pool in their back room and watching over his mom when she'd worked as a waitress for his family.

But that Nick had vanished the night his mom had been murdered by a Daimon and Nick had killed himself in order to become a Dark-Hunter to get revenge on her killer. The boy hadn't been the same since.

More than that, Nick had powers that the average Dark-Hunter didn't. Freaky powers. Every animal instinct in him could feel it resonate. Those powers were extreme and intense. Even worse, they were malevolent and cold.

Corruptive. They came from something a lot darker than the goddess Artemis.

And today...

Dev picked up on something else inside him. Something about Nick was even more wrong than it'd been....

A shiver went down his spine.

Because of that, Dev gave him no quarter. Until he knew whose side Nick was on, he assumed him an enemy regardless of where he'd stood with them in the past. One thing he'd learned the hard way, people turned on each other. "We've shown we can handle anything thrown at us. I think she'll be all right here."

Nick scoffed. "You evaced your children last time. Got them out of the line of fire. They're back. You ready to put them in harm's way?"

Now that went over him like an acid wash. "Are you threatening our cubs?"

Nick's entire expression and stance was unreadable. "I'm trying to save all of you."

Dev wanted to believe him. He did. But something wasn't right and he couldn't put his finger on it. "Look--"

Nick's look turned thunderous and dark. "Why don't you take the hint, Bear, and leave?"

Dev stiffened. "You don't talk to me like that, boy. Not ever."

Sam pulled Dev away from Nick as something weird flashed through her mind. She saw Nick surrounded by Daimons. Saw...

It was gone before she could really get a fix on it. Crap. She hated whenever her powers did that.

Nick narrowed his gaze on her. "We should leave before anyone here gets hurt."

Suddenly, Sam realized what was wrong. Nick was here by himself. Alone. "Who's watching you right now?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Nick. Who has watch duty on you?"

He scoffed. "No one has watch duty over me. I told Acheron that. All of you are wasting your time. But what ever." He looked past her to where Dev watched them with a stern grimace. "If you don't want to leave. That's fine." His expression turned cold. "Stay. Get killed. No sweat off my balls. I was only doing this as a favor to Acheron anyway."

Sam screwed her face up in distaste. While the attitude was vintage Gautier, he wasn't normally quite so crass.

He dragged his thumb down the side of his face before he sneered, "They're all yours.

She scowled at his Greek that meant to eat until you were stuffed.

No sooner had Nick spoken those words than a bolt-hole opened in the center of the room and a dozen Daimons came out of it.