Until his aunt Artemis had created her damned DarkHunters.
One by one, his sons, her blood nephews, had been destroyed by the DarkHunters she sanctioned.
Except for Urian…
The pain of that thought was enough to drive him insane. He wanted his son back with a need and grief so strong that it was crippling.
Now it was just him. He, alone, was left. So much for his dreams of eternity spent with his family.
But life seldom turned out the way one planned.
"Akri?" Trates said again, drawing Stryker's attention back to his second-in-command.
Stryker focused his gaze on the tall Daimon. "I want you to gather together the Illuminati." They were the strongest and bravest of the warrior Spathi Daimons. "Tell them they are going to have a treat."
Trates looked confused by that. "A treat?"
He nodded. "If I know the Alexion, and I do, he will pull all the DarkHunters together to deliver his ultimatum before he dies. I think we should have a little surprise waiting for him when he does."
"But if all the DarkHunters are together… they'll kill us."
Stryker laughed evilly as he patted Trates on the shoulder. The poor fool was not half the strategist Urian had been. "You forget, Trates, that when they are together, the DarkHunters weaken each other. In that form, they will be easy pickings for us."
Still Trates didn't join his humor. "What if the Alexion doesn't kill himself? He has the power to kill us even without Artemis's servants."
Stryker clenched the hand on Trates's shoulder, digging his fingers into the Daimon's flesh.
Trates pulled away with a hiss.
"Don't you think I've thought of that?" he asked Trates, who stood rubbing his bruised shoulder. "The Alexion has one major weakness."
"And that is?"
"The Dark-Huntress he travels with. She is our key to destroying him."
He looked horrified. "She's a DarkHunter, she'll kick our ass."
"I don't think so."
"And why is that?"
Stryker went to his desk where a black wooden box sat. He opened the box and pulled out the deep red stone medallion, then cradled it in his palm. "Because I have something I think she'll want returned to her."
The Daimon's eyes widened at the sight of what should never have fallen into Stryker's hands. "How did you get her soul?"
"I have my ways." Stryker laughed again. "If she interferes or if the Alexion refuses to do the right thing, then they can both suffer eternal torment."
Chapter 20
It was one of the most incredible nights of Alexion's extremely long life—but then all of his time with Danger was special.
Even so, he'd never seen anything like this. To be sitting in the middle of people as if he were no different from them… there were no words that could describe that miracle. He'd heard them laugh at the movie, take a deep breath at tense parts, and even talk around him. Unlike the other moviegoers, the talking hadn't bothered him in the least.
For a time, he'd been one of them.
No wonder Acheron sought this out. Now he understood completely.
Hell, he even liked his feet sticking to the floor of the theater. But the best part was when Danger pulled the armrest up so that they could share her tub of popcorn. She'd leaned her head against his chest and there in the dark they had cuddled.
"So this is what being normal feels like, huh?" he asked as they left the theater in the middle of the crowd.
"Yeah. Kind of nice, isn't it?"
Alexion nodded as he watched groups of young adults and teenagers veer off together. He draped his arm over Danger's shoulders. A touch of magnolias filled his head—he adored this woman's scent.
"Do you see a lot of movies at the theater?" he asked her.
She wrapped her arm around his waist as they left the building. There was something unbelievably intimate about this. "Not too many. I spend most nights at home when I'm not culling the Daimon herd."
He couldn't understand such forced solitude when she, unlike him, had a choice in the matter. "Why?"
"It makes me lonely to come out." She indicated a couple to the side of the building who were kissing in the parking lot. "It reminds me of what I don't have anymore, and what I won't have again after you leave."
Alexion pulled her to a stop and held her close. He cradled her body with his and closed his eyes, wishing both their lives were different. "If I could, I would give you what you want."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
He tilted her chin up so that she was looking at him. "I will always be with you, Danger."
Danger could see the sincerity of his words in his eyes. That meant a lot to her. Yet it wasn't enough. "But I won't know it, will I?" His eyes darkened with remorse, making her regret her words. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. "It's okay, Alexion. I didn't mean to bring the moment down. I'm just grateful we had tonight."