The Dark-Hunters, page 421
No sooner had he felt it than his eyelids sank down as if lead weights were pulling them. He tried to fight the darkness, but he couldn’t.
Artemis moved back and licked the blood from her lips as she felt Acheron pass out. She’d never tasted human blood before … it was incredible. No wonder her brother sought it out so often. There was a vitality to it that immortals lacked. It was so intoxicating that it took all her strength not to drink more. But that might kill him.
It was the last thing she wanted. Acheron fascinated her. He didn’t flinch or fawn. Even though he was a mortal, he met her as an equal.
Delighted with her newest pet, she lay down by his side and snuggled up against him.
This was definitely the beginning of a great friendship …
DECEMBER 14, 9529 BC
Acheron woke up to a pounding ache in his head. Opening his eyes, he found himself naked in his bed. It wasn’t until he moved and felt no pain that he remembered everything that had happened the day before.
Everything.
His breath catching, he reached to his neck to find a small trace of dried blood where Artemis had bitten him. But that was the only mark on his body. All signs of his beatings were gone.
What was a little bite when compared to that?
He glanced around his room. “How did I get here?” He couldn’t remember that part. The last thing in his memory was Artemis biting him in her bed and a sense of exhaustion overtaking him.
Someone knocked on his door before pushing it open. He knew before he saw the small blond woman coming inside that it was Ryssa. No one else knocked on his doors.
He quickly brushed the blood away and covered his neck with his hair before she drew close enough to see it.
Her cheeks were flushed and her body was obscured by thick purple robes. It was the first time he’d seen her since Apollo had claimed her.
Before he could speak, she threw herself into his arms and wept.
Acheron held her close as he rocked her. “What happened? Did he hurt you?”
“He was gentle,” she said between sobs. “But he scared me and it hurt occasionally.” Her grip on him tightened. “How do you stand it?”
There had been many times when he’d wondered the same thing himself. “It’ll be all right, Ryssa.”
“Will it?” She pulled back to stare at him as if she was trying to see whether or not she should believe him. “What if he wants me back?”
Acheron cupped her face in his hands. “You’ll endure it and you’ll survive.”
Ryssa ground her teeth at words she knew Acheron understood all too well. “I don’t want to go back to him. I feel so naked and exposed even though he wasn’t particularly mean or unkind. But you were right. He didn’t care what I thought or felt. All that mattered was his pleasure.” She shook her head as she held a new understanding of her brother that she’d never had before.
Her shame was but one instance. Acheron’s was many. It was awful to be at someone else’s mercy. To have no say in what was done to your body. She felt so used …
“I want to run away from this.”
He took her hand into his. “I know. But you’ll be all right. Really. You will get used to it.”
It didn’t feel that way. She was terribly sore and still bleeding from Apollo’s intrusion into her body. He’d taken care of her and yet he’d been callous, too. The last thing she wanted was to be at his mercy again.
“Ryssa!”
She jumped at her father’s shout.
Acheron tensed. “You should go.”
She didn’t want to but she was afraid of getting Acheron into trouble. Sniffing back her tears, she pulled away and saw the raw sympathy in his swirling silver eyes. “I love you, Acheron.”
Acheron cherished those words. Ryssa was the only person who’d ever loved him. At times he hated that love because it made her do things to hurt him, but unlike with others he knew her actions were motivated out of kindness.
She scooted from his bed and ran across the room, to the hallway.
He heard their father’s angry curse through the walls. “What were you doing in there?”
Acheron winced. At least Ryssa didn’t have to fear being beaten. To his knowledge their father had never once struck her.
“You are the mistress of a god now. You’re not to keep company with the likes of him ever again. Do you understand? What would Apollo think? He’d throw you out and spit on you.”
He couldn’t hear Ryssa’s soft reply.
But his father’s words tore through him. So he wasn’t worthy of being in Ryssa’s presence, but he could keep company with Artemis. He wondered how his father would deal with that knowledge. If it would make his father look at him with something other than derision in his eyes.
Most likely not.
His doors swung open so forcefully they echoed. The king strode into the room with fury punctuating every step. Acheron looked away and forced all emotion from his face …
Fuck it. If his father wanted to hate him, let him. He was tired of hiding and cringing. Beatings and insults he could take.
His nostrils flaring, Acheron met his father’s angry glare without flinching. “Good morning, Father.”
He backhanded him so hard, Acheron tasted blood as pain erupted through his skull. Gasping, he shook his head to clear it, then he met the king’s furious glower.
“I am not your father.”
Acheron wiped the blood away with the back of his hand. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Father, please,” Ryssa begged, running across the room. She took his arm before he could advance on Acheron again. “I went to him on my arrival. Acheron did nothing wrong. It’s my fault, not his.”
The king leveled one bony finger in a condemning gesture at Acheron. “You are to stay away from my daughter. Do you hear me? If I catch you near her again, I’ll make you wish you’d never been born.”
Acheron laughed bitterly. “That would be different from a normal day, how?”
Ryssa put herself in front of their father as he started for Acheron. “Stop it, Father. Please. You had questions about Apollo. Should we not focus on that?”
He cast a superior, condemning sneer at Acheron. “You’re not worth my time.”
With that, he hauled Ryssa out of the room. “Seal his door shut. He can go without food this day.”
Acheron leaned back against the wall and shook his head. If his father wanted to control him with food, he should have spent more time with Estes. That bastard had known how to hold food over him.
His gut tightened at the memory of his begging Estes for even a drop of water to slake his thirst.
“You’ve earned nothing and nothing is what you’ll have … Now get on your knees and please me, then we’ll see if you’re worthy of salt.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, he forced the images away. He hated begging and crawling. But the only thing that would make it go away was the memory of the goddess who’d claimed him.
“Artemis?” He whispered her name in fear that someone might actually hear him call her. Honestly he expected her to ignore him as everyone else did.
She didn’t.
She appeared before him. Acheron’s jaw opened ever so slightly in shock. Her long red hair appeared to glisten in the dim light. Her eyes were vibrant and warm and welcoming. There was nothing about her demeanor that condemned or mocked him. “How do you feel?” she asked.
“Better with you here.”
A small smile toyed at the edges of her lips. “Really?”
He nodded.
Her smile widened as she approached his bed and crawled across him.
Acheron closed his eyes as the sweet smell of her skin filled his head. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and just inhale it. Straddling his hips, she brushed the hair back from his neck before she fingered the skin she’d bitten.
“You’re very strong for a human.”
“They trained me for stamina.”
Ignoring his comment, she frowned. “You’re still not looking at me.”
“I see you, Artemis.” And he did. He saw every single line of her face, every curve of her luscious body.
She took his face in her hands and turned his chin until he was facing her squarely. Still Acheron kept his gaze on her knees that poked out from underneath her dress. “Look at me.”
Acheron wanted to run. He’d spent his entire life never looking directly at anyone except for those times when he wanted them to see his defiance. And anytime he dared that, he’d been brutalized for it.
“Acheron … Look. At. Me.”
Bracing himself for her attack, he obeyed. His heart stilled as every part of his body tensed in expectation of being hurt.
Artemis sat back on his groin with a pleased expression. “There now. That wasn’t so hard was it?”
Harder than she could ever imagine, but as each second passed and she didn’t slap him for looking at her, he relaxed a bit more.
She smiled. “I like your eyes. They’re strange, but very pretty.”
Pretty? His eyes? They were disgusting. Everyone, including Ryssa, was afraid of them. “You don’t mind my looking at you?”
“Not at all. At least this way I know you’re paying attention to me. I don’t like the way your eyes dance around the room as if you’re distracted.”
That was a first for him. “How could anything ever distract me while you’re with me? I assure you, whenever you’re around, all I see is you.”
She beamed in satisfaction. “Now why did you call me?”
“I’m not sure. Truthfully, I didn’t think you’d come. I only whispered your name, hoping you might answer.”
“You’re such a silly human. Are you stuck inside again today?”
He nodded.
“We can’t have that. Come.” The word had barely left her lips before they were once more in her bedroom.
Acheron was again dressed in red, which was odd given that everything else was white or gold. “Why do you always put me in crimson?”
She bit her lip as she walked around him, dragging her finger over his body. “I like the way you look in it.” She paused before him so that she could lift herself on her toes and kiss him.
Acheron gave her what she wanted. It was always in his training to please whoever he was with. To take nothing for himself. His needs never mattered. He was only a tool to be used and then forgotten.
But with Artemis he didn’t feel like that. As with Ryssa, she made him feel like he was a person—that he could have his own thoughts and it wasn’t wrong. He could look at her and she didn’t curse him.
Artemis sighed as Acheron pulled her close. She loved the way he held her. The way his muscles rippled around her body. He was so handsome and strong. So seductive. All she wanted was to be alone with him like this. To feel his heart beating against her breasts.
His breath mixed with hers. She could feel her teeth growing as her hunger for him increased even more …
She pulled back and met his gaze so that he could see the real her. He didn’t even blink at her fangs. Instead, he tilted his head and offered her what she wanted most. No one had ever been so accommodating before. Normally she fed from her brother or one of her maidens. But they didn’t care for it.
Her heart racing, she brushed her hands over his neck before she sank her teeth deep.
Acheron hissed as pain spread through his body. But it was quickly replaced by a pleasure so profound that it made his cock harden. Weakened by it, he staggered back. Artemis followed, gripping him even tighter.
His head swam as everything around him became sharp and clear. He felt her breath on his skin, heard her blood pumping through her veins. Every part of him seemed alive. So strong and yet so weak. He staggered again, falling against the wall behind him.
“Acheron?”
He heard her voice, but he couldn’t respond to it.
Artemis licked the blood from her lips as she saw the bluish tint to his skin. His breathing was so shallow that she half expected him to die. “Acheron?”
His eyes were half open. There was no recognition in his gaze that he saw or heard her.
Afraid she might have hurt him, she transported him to her bed and laid him down gently. She took his hand into hers and rubbed it. “Acheron, please say something.”
He whispered something in Atlantean, but she couldn’t understand it. With one last expulsion of breath, he passed out. Artemis jerked back as his entire body flashed to a vibrant blue while his lips, nails and hair turned black. An instant later, he appeared normal.
What on Olympus? Never had she seen such. Had her feeding caused it?
Swallowing, she crawled closer to him and poked him with one finger. He was completely unconscious.
Manifesting a warm fur, she covered him and watched as he drew shallow breaths. While he slept, she traced the shape of his lips, the length of his nose. His features were sharp and flawless. Like his body. She didn’t understand why he compelled her so. Afraid of being dominated, she’d asked her father when she was a child to make her immune to love and to give her eternal virginity. Zeus had granted that request. Yet as she looked at Acheron resting, she wondered at the emotions she felt for him. They were unlike anything she’d ever felt before.
She liked the way he talked to her. The way he held her and made her scream in pleasure with his touches and licks. Most of all, she loved the way he tasted when she fed from him.
He’s just a pet.
Yes, that was it. She didn’t have any real feelings for him. He was merely like the deer that lived in her forest. Beautiful to watch and to touch. They licked and brushed up against her, too. And like them she was sure he’d come to bore her in time. Everything did.
But for now she intended to enjoy her pet for as long as possible.
* * *
Acheron woke up starving. The hunger pain was so fierce that at first he thought he was again in the dark hole underneath his father’s palace. But as he opened his eyes and saw the gold ceiling above him, he remembered being with Artemis.
He sat up slowly to find himself alone in her bed. There were voices outside. He started to get up and head toward them, then thought better of it. Artemis had left him here for a reason. No good could come of his opening those doors.
So he sat in bed, his stomach aching while he listened to words that had no real form. They were muffled through the gold and stone. He had no idea what time it was or how long he’d slept.
It seemed like forever before Artemis appeared. She drew up short and smiled. “You’re awake.”
He nodded. “I didn’t want to disturb you. You sounded busy.”
She closed the distance between them to cup his cheek. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
She spread her arm out and a table covered with food appeared beside the bed.
Acheron gaped at the feast.
“If you’d like something else, tell me.”
“No, this is wonderful.” He left the bed to tear into a loaf of bread. His eyes widened at the taste of it. Coated in honey and warm, it was the best he’d ever had.
Artemis poured him a cup of wine. “Goodness, you were hungry.”
He took the cup gratefully then drank deep of the rich flavor. “Thank you, Artie.”
She arched a brow at his unintended nickname. “Artie?”
Acheron cringed as he realized his slip of the tongue. “Artemis. I meant to say Artemis.”
She nuzzled him. “I think I like Artie. No one’s ever called me that before.”
Acheron leaned his head down to kiss her hand.
Artemis couldn’t breathe as that simple touch electrified her. What was it about this man that set fire to her entire being? She wanted to hold and protect him. More than that, she wanted to devour every inch of his lush body.
Closing her eyes, she leaned into him and inhaled that intoxicating scent that was all male and all him. “Eat, Acheron,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to be hungry.”
He stepped away from her and she felt the sudden cold left in the wake of his heat like a punch against her stomach. She watched as he dipped the bread in a small dish of honey before he took a bite and smiled a smile so handsome it made her heart lift.
He dipped another piece, then turned toward her. “Would you like some?”
She nodded. He held it for her to take a bite. Artemis opened her mouth. As he set the bread on her tongue, she licked his fingers that were delicious. Salty and sweet, they whetted her appetite for more.
His eyes darkened, causing a wave of desire to flare deep inside her. He dipped his fingertip in the honey, then outlined her lips before he pulled her close for a blistering kiss. The taste of him combined with honey was more than she could stand.
Pulling him toward the bed, she lay down and tugged his hand until he was on top of her.
Acheron growled at the sight of Artemis underneath him. “You are so incredibly beautiful.”
Artemis couldn’t respond verbally. She was completely captivated by the look of tenderness on his face. No one had ever looked at her like this. And when he buried his lips against her throat all rational thought was lost to the fire inside her.
She’d never been completely naked with anyone. But as he unfastened her gown, she didn’t protest. With an excruciating slowness, he slid the cloth down her body until she was bare to him. He made no move to remove his own clothes.
Instead, he lifted her foot to nibble her instep. Biting her lip at the exquisite torture, she watched him as he worked his way up her body.
He paused as he gently licked the inside of her thigh. “Do you want me to stop?”
Artemis shook her head. “I love for you to touch me.”
His look scorched her before he nudged her thighs farther apart and touched the part of her that ached the most for him. She sank her fingers in his hair and fisted her hands.
Acheron pulled back with a hiss as if she’d hurt him.
She frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“Please don’t grab and pull my hair. I hate it when people do that.”
“Why?”
“It makes me feel like I’m garbage.”
