Stygian (Dark-Hunter #27)

Scowling, Urian didn’t comment as he teleported Styxx to a small room where everyone had gathered to plot out what they wanted to do.

Ash was already there with Savitar. Every bit as tall as they were, Savitar had dark hair and a perfect goatee. His eyes were an iridescent lavender. He hadn’t changed much since the last time Urian had seen him.

His jaw slack, Savitar looked back and forth between Acheron and Styxx. “Holy Were-shit. This messes with my head.”

Acheron glared at Styxx, then Urian. “What is he doing here?”

Urian shrugged unapologetically. “You can’t go in. Styxx can.”

“No.” Acheron was emphatic.

“Stop,” Savitar snapped. “The kid has a point. Think about it. You can get Tory out of there and not end the world. Win-win.”

The hatred in Acheron’s eyes was searing. “I’m not leaving him alone with Tory. I don’t trust him with her.”

Styxx was aghast. “What do you think I’m going to do?”

“Rape her, kill her … with you there’s no telling.”

Urian’s jaw dropped at the severity of that particular allegation. Where the hell had that come from? Yet the vim of it said it was deep rooted.

“With me? Really?” He shoved Acheron.

Acheron ran at Styxx, but Savitar caught him and pushed him back a step. “Stop thinking with your emotions. Calm down.” Then Savitar turned to glare at Styxx. “And you, punk, lay off him or I’ll fry your greasy ass where it stands. I know I can kill you and not kill Acheron. So don’t push me.”

Styxx snorted in derision. “That is not the way to motivate me to leave him alone, Chthonian. But it’s a hell of a way to make me attack.” He met Acheron’s swirling silver gaze.

Instead, he snatched his sleeve back to show his brother his forearm. “I know what it’s like to lose the only thing you love, and to be forced to live without her for eternity. As bad as I want to cut your throat and watch you bleed out at my feet for the insult you just dealt me, I won’t see your woman dead for it. Unlike your fucking whore mother, I don’t kill innocents.”

Both Savitar and Acheron blasted him for that comment. Styxx hit the wall behind him so hard, he broke through part of it.

Stunned, Urian teleported to him.

This was bullshit! Furious at them for their unwarranted and unreasonable attack, Urian glared at them both. “What are you doing? I asked him here to help you and you kill him? Good job. Both of you. Congrats, you stupid assholes!”

“He insulted my mother,” Acheron roared.

Urian scoffed. “No offense, boss, your mother killed his wife and his son. Instead of putting him through a wall, I want you both to take one second and imagine his loss. I have buried almost every member of my family. And the one thing that truly tore my heart out was losing Phoebe. You mourn your sister, Ash? So did I. Trust me, it ain’t shit till you lose your wife, especially when you know you should have been at home protecting her, and not leaving her to die brutally by the hand of your enemies.” He turned and helped Styxx extricate himself from the wall.

In that moment, he actually hated Acheron.

And he didn’t think much more of Savitar. What kind of Chthonian could do this?

Styxx had come here to help them. To hell with it.

“I’m sorry,” Urian said. “I shouldn’t have asked you to come.”

Styxx spat the blood in his mouth on the floor, then wiped his hand over his lips. “Trust me, they’re pussies compared to the real Atlanteans I fought.”

They went to blast him again.

Holding his arms out, Urian shielded Styxx with his body.

Styxx stepped around Urian, then patted him on the shoulder. “I’m not afraid of them. Hits, I can take. After all, I was slapped on the ass the minute I was born, and not a damn thing has changed since.”

Acheron curled his lip. “Don’t listen to him, Urian. He’s a liar and a thief. He was never married. He was only engaged, and he didn’t have a son.”

The pain in Styxx’s eyes refuted those words and left no doubt in Urian’s mind. His pain was too real to be faked. “You know nothing about me, brother. After all, I’m just a liar and a thief to you.”

Styxx swallowed. “By the way, tell Artie thanks for the memories. ’Cause now I not only know everything about what really happened to you, I know what you really think of me. I would say that one day I would love to return the favor, but honestly the only person I hate that much is your putrid mother.”

Styxx wiped his hand across his face. “Now either use me or send me home. I’m in no mood to play.”

Urian winced at the tremor in his friend’s voice.

Savitar took a deep breath as he faced Acheron. “Urian’s right. Styxx is the best shot we have at getting her out alive. We don’t know what going into Kalosis will do to you, Ash. It could rip out your human soul and leave you nothing but your mother’s tool for destruction. If that happens, you’re as likely to kill Tory as they are.”

Acheron shook his head. “It’ll never work. His voice is hoarser than mine. And no one’s going to believe I cut my hair off and bleached it blond.”

Savitar snapped his fingers. Instantly, Styxx’s hair was an exact copy of Acheron’s. He even had fangs and matching clothes. “I can’t mess with his voice. But they can assume you’ve been screaming insults at them. It would account for the difference.”

Urian ran his gaze up and down Styxx’s body and then Acheron’s. “That is creepy. Really creepy.”

“He still doesn’t move like me.”

Styxx scoffed. “People aren’t that observant. As you saw in New Orleans.”

He was right about that. Urian remembered when Styxx had easily passed himself off as Acheron. And that had been to Acheron’s fellow Dark-Hunters, who should have known better.

Savitar inclined his head to Urian and Styxx. “Let’s do this, ladies. And Styxx … for the record, you let anything happen to Tory and I will hand-deliver you to Apollymi for her eternal enjoyment.”

Styxx laughed out loud at the impotent threat, which made both Acheron and Savitar scowl at him. “What’s she going to do, Savitar? Drag me out into an arena butt-ass naked, make me fight elite Atlantean champions until I can barely stand, set her starving dogs or leopards on me, and then have me publicly fucked for her entertainment? Or better yet, gut me on the floor … or how about this … murder my wife and child, and make me live with that for eternity in a dark hole by my self? Sure … threaten me. Go ahead and make me live in total fear and terror.” Flipping Savitar off, he turned to Urian. “Get me out of here.”

Urian scowled at him as he digested details that were a little too specific to not be real. Yeah … holy shit. None of that had been listed in a history book, and it explained a lot about Styxx’s personality.

“You’re really not sane, are you?”

“No, Urian. I’m not. A sane man would have told you to go to hell and meant it.”

Sick to his stomach that he’d even asked him to join them for this when he should have left him alone and at peace, Urian opened the portal to Kalosis. I’ve got your back, brother. Because obviously, no one else ever had.

With a sharp nod to his friend, he made a promise to himself that no one was going to hurt Styxx again. “Walk this way.” Urian stepped into it and vanished.

Without so much as glancing at Savitar or Acheron, Styxx followed.

When they finally stopped falling, they were inside a main room that was filled with Daimons and demons.

Beautiful …

Styxx let out a severely annoyed groan. “Great location, Uri,” he said under his breath. “Think one of them is willing to sell us a summer home here?”

Urian grinned at him. “You can always ask.”

Every demon and Daimon was frozen into place by their sudden appearance in the middle of the hall where Urian had grown up. Ah, it was good to be back.

Styxx cut a sideways glance to Urian. “What are they waiting for?”

Urian winked at him because he knew exactly why they were nervous. Every Daimon here had been told that if Acheron ever stepped foot into their domain, Kalosis would splinter. That Apollymi would be free and the worlds would tear themselves apart.