Stryker shrieked louder as if frustrated by her actions. Fire blew across the prow of the boat, making Phoebe duck. The Dark-Hunter didn’t slow down at all. He pulled his gun out and fired up at the beast.
Still in dragon form, Stryker dove straight for them, screaming as he came. When the bullets struck him, the dragon recoiled. Yet those wounds didn’t faze his animal form at all.
Stryker continued toward them with a single-minded determination.
Closer.
Closer …
If anything, it just seemed to piss the creature off.
The Dark-Hunter reloaded his clip and fired more rounds.
Then just as Phoebe was sure they’d be toast, Stryker vanished.
For a full ten seconds, no one moved.
Chris popped his head up like a scared meerkat. “What happened?”
“He must have been recalled,” Kat answered. “It’s the only thing that could have stopped him like that.”
The Dark-Hunter finally slowed a degree. “Recalled by whom?”
“The Destroyer,” Phoebe said. “She won’t let him hurt Kat.” For reasons no one knew, she was more sacred to Apollymi than anyone.
“And just why is that, Kat?” the Dark-Hunter asked.
Kat appeared uncomfortable with that question. “Like Stryker, I’m one of her servants.”
Cassie frowned. “I thought you served Artemis.”
“I serve them both.”
Phoebe scoffed at that. No one could serve two pantheons. She knew better.
Cassandra tilted her head. “Question? What happens when you have a conflict of interest? Which one of them will you follow then, Kat?”
*
Dawn was coming. Since neither Phoebe nor her enemy was immune to the sun, they had switched the boat for a custom-built, heavily modified Land Rover that Urian had left for them to use. Chris was asleep in the backseat, sitting between her and Kat with his head on Kat’s shoulder, while Kat looked out the window.
They had left the boat behind well over an hour ago and were now racing for Elysia.
How weird to be in this stupid car without Uri. She’d always thought it odd that he wanted it. He’d never bothered with the human world at all.
Until her.
But since they’d been married, he’d tried to make himself a bit more “human” to placate her. And though Braden had insisted she never leave the compound, Shanus had relaxed those orders once he’d taken over as their leader.
So six years ago, Urian had bought this silly car so that the two of them could go on “dates” because she’d made him watch a couple of John Hughes movies with her and had told him that the only thing she really missed about her old life was “dating.”
They’d actually fought over the car.
“Uri, it’s stupid!”
“No, Phee. I’ve been doing research. It’s not a date unless you drive somewhere.”
She’d snorted at the very thought. “What? You learned to drive?”
“Yeah, kind of. Don’t you trust me?”
“With driving? Hell, no!”
“C’mon, I paid a lot of money for a fake license. Took lessons and everything. Besides it’s more a tank than a car. Nothing can hurt you in it. It’s shielded and everything. I made sure of it. I promise you’ll have fun. It’ll be your best birthday ever.”
And it had been. God, she loved that man more than her life. If anything happened to him because of her …
She was sick with worry. There was no telling what was going on right now in Kalosis. The anger and fury Stryker would have over failing this mission. And Urian as his prime commander would bear the brunt of his wrath.
Had she chosen her sister’s life for her husband’s? Had she repaid Urian’s kindness in saving her life by demanding his own?
All he’d ever known from women was betrayal. Now she might have just given him the worst one yet.
Cassandra turned around in the front seat to look at her. “How much longer?”
“Not much farther.” She hoped.
Cassie had to the nerve to take Sasquatch’s hand. “Will we make it before sunrise?”
Phoebe looked away before she slapped them both, which would be a suicidal thing to do since Sasquatch was driving. “It’s going to be close.” Then under her breath, she mumbled, “Real close.”
Then, when her sister started making goo-goo eyes at Sasquatch, she really feared she might hurl.
Luckily, they were nearing the next turn, so she took the opportunity to sit forward in the seat and break that shit up. Wedging herself between them, she pointed to the small trail where there was no road. “Turn right there.”
Sasquatch didn’t question it. She’d give him bonus points for that.
They crashed through the woods with relative ease, which was something Urian always loved to do. As he so often said about his SUV—Drive it like you stole it. The armor plating made it relatively easy to plow straight through smaller trees and travel over the snow, ice, and debris. The only thing missing was her gorgeous Daimon’s laughter and that wicked grin as he blasted some obnoxious metal music while he slung them all over the woods.
Gah, the weird things her husband did for fun.
She sat back and buckled herself in as Sasquatch cut the lights off so that he could see better. While she trusted Urian’s driving, she didn’t trust Sasquatch at all. The Land Rover bounced over the uneven terrain like a bucking bronco.
Chris came awake with a curse. “Is Stryker back?”
“No,” Kat snorted. “We had to leave the road.”
Sasquatch slowed a bit so as not to throw one of the tank tracks that replaced the SUV’s tires. They were a lot sturdier in this climate but were still a fair cry from being infallible, and the last thing they needed was to be stranded out in the open with daylight so close.
Just as the sun peeked over the mountains, they broke through the trees and came to the concealed entrance for Elysia. Phoebe let out a relieved breath as she saw Shanus and two counselors standing outside it. Waiting.
Cassandra hissed and released his hand.
“It’s okay.” Phoebe opened her door and ran over to them. She lifted the hood on her jacket to protect herself from the rising sun.
Tall and blond, Shanus stood in the shadows with his companions. “Cutting it close, aren’t you?”
“Don’t even. It’s been a rough night.”
“Where’s Urian?”
She bit back her tears. “He’s not with us.”
“He let someone else drive his truck?”
“‘Let’ is a word for it.” She gestured at the SUV. “He’ll die when he finds out it’s a Dark-Hunter.”
Shanus’s eyes bugged out, along with those of the two men with him. “Are you out of your fucking mind? You can’t bring one of them here! You know better!”
“We have to let him in.”
“No! And I mean no! No, no, no! All kinds of no!”
“Shanus—”
“No, Phoebe, no!”
“I’ll tell Urian. You don’t want me to make that call.”
A tic started in his jaw. “You’re making it really hard to like you right now.”
“I know, and I swear if he does anything wrong you can kill him. Urian will help.”
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, but only because it’s dawn and I don’t want to burst into flames.” He glared at her. “Damn you!”
“Believe me, I know.”
Of all the crappy timing, Sasquatch and Kat picked then to get out of the SUV and head for them. If that weren’t bad enough, Sasquatch had his hand on his sword as if they were the problem here.
Yeah, right. Gah … Dark-Hunters and their arrogance!
Phoebe glared at Sasquatch. “Do you mind, Dark-Hunter?” She gestured at the sun. “We’re running out of time. Don’t need your attitude right now. But if you hand over your weapons instead of preening like a peacock, it sure would help facilitate things and go a long way in helping me convince my guys that you’re not here to kill anyone. And it would allow Cassandra to get to the Apollite doctor who’s inside waiting, and one who actually knows how to tend an expectant mother in her unique condition.”
Sasquatch looked over his shoulder at her sister before he gave a subtle nod. His face unreadable, he finally handed over all his weapons without protesting.
Grateful to the gods, Phoebe finally let out a relieved breath. “Thank you!”
“You’re not welcome.”