Ash let out a rare laugh at that.
Zarek passed an equally amused, knowing look at Acheron. "I don't want to hear it from you, O Great Ash. You're the one who got me into this in the first place." Then Zarek did the most surprising thing of all; he bent down and chucked the baby on the chin.
"How you doing, little Simi?"
The baby jumped happily up and down in the harness."Fine. You got any more frozen beans for me? I miss being in Alaska with you. It was fun."
"No time for food, Sim," Ash answered.
The baby blew him a raspberry. "Can I eat the Daimons then?"
"If you can catch them," Ash promised, making Wulf wonder what the man knew about the Daimons that he wasn't sharing.
"What's that mean?" Zarek asked for him."You being vague again?" Ash looked at him archly."Always."
Zarek let out a sound of disgust. "Personally, I think we should get together and beat the hell out of you until you come clean."
Kyrian scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You know—"
"Don't even go there," Acheron said irritably. He turned to Wulf. "Go get your weapons. You have an appointment to keep."
Wulf paused by Ash's side. "Thanks for coming."
Ash inclined his head to him and stepped away as he cuddled the baby demon to his chest. Wulf went back to the car to get Kat, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Kat?" he called.
"Kat?"
"What's wrong?" Talon asked as he and the others joined Wulf by the car.
"Did you see the woman I was with?"
They shook their heads.
"What woman?" Talon asked.
Wulf frowned. "She's six feet four and blond. She couldn't have just van—" He paused as he rethought that statement. "Never mind, she's one of the few people who could have just gone poof."
"Is she your wife?" Kyrian asked.
"No, she's one of Artemis's handmaidens who's been helping us."
Ash scowled at that. "Artemis doesn't have akori taller than her. Believe me. She doesn't let any woman look down on her. Literally."
Wulf looked at him as a feeling of dread went through him. "I hope you're wrong. Because if you're not, then Kat was working with Stryker all this time and is most likely off to tell him about our surprise party."
Ash cocked his head slightly as if listening for something. "I don't even sense her. It's as if she doesn't exist."
"So what do you think?" Kyrian asked.
Ash picked his baby up as she started kicking him in the groin and moved her to his hip. The baby played with his braid, then started chewing it. Wulf furrowed his brow. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that baby had fangs.
"I don't know what to think," Ash said, pulling his hair away from the baby, "Kat bears the description of an Apollite or Daimon."
"But she walks in daylight," Wulf added.
Zarek cursed. "Don't tell me there's another Day-Slayer loose."
"No," Acheron said firmly. "I know for a fact Artemis hasn't created one. She wouldn't dare. At least not at the moment."
"What's a Day-Slayer?" Talon asked.
"You don't ever want to know," Julian answered.
"Yeah," Zarek concurred. "What he said, times a hundred."
"All right, then," Wulf said, heading for his house. "Let me get my things and we'll be on our way."
As he walked off, he saw Talon move to stand beside Ash. "This is the part where you normally say if everyone does what they're supposed to, everything will work out as it's meant to. Right?"
Acheron's face was impassive. "Normally, yes."
"But?"
"We're dealing with something greater than the Fates tonight. All I can honestly say is it's going to be one hell of a fight."
Wulf laughed at that as he left hearing range. That was okay by him. Fighting was the one thing he and his people excelled at. They arrived at the Inferno just before midnight. Oddly enough, the bar was completely empty of patrons. Dante met them at the door, dressed in black leather. He didn't have his vampire teeth in, and he looked extremely angry.
"Ash," he said, greeting the Atlantean. "Been a long time since you've darkened my door."
"Dante." Ash shook his hand.
Dante looked down at the baby with a knitted brow. "Simi?" The baby smiled.
Dante let out a low whistle and stepped back. "Damn, Ash, I wish you would warn me when you're planning on bringing your demon here. Do I need to warn the guys the feeding machine has come visiting?"
"No," Ash said, swinging the baby lightly. "She's only here to munch Daimons."
"Where is everyone?" Wulf asked.
Dante glanced to the wall to his right. "I caught wind of what was going down tonight so we closed the place."
Wulf followed his line of vision and saw the pelt of a panther mounted there. He recognized the hide by the streak of red in it. "Your brother?"
Fury darkening his eyes, Dante shrugged. "The bastard was working with the Daimons. Feeding them information about us and you."