He recalled Sunshine Runningwolf in the warehouse room with him as he told Dionysus and Camulus to shove their orders up their sphincter, and then the next thing he remembered was leaving Acheron on the crowded street.

A flash of lightning went through his head. He saw something...

Was it Acheron?

Was it himself he saw?

Zarek struggled to put the memories straight.

Ah, screw it. The only memory he needed was this one.

He kneed Thanatos in the groin.

The Daimon doubled over.

"Dead or alive, the balls still hurt when kicked, huh?"

The Daimon hissed and cursed in response.

Zarek slammed his combined fists down across Thanatos's back. "If anyone has any suggestion on how to kill this guy, I'm open to it."

Jess shook his head. "I'm out of dynamite. You got any grenades?"

"Not on me."

Thanatos righted himself. "Say die, Dark-Hunter."

"Fine. Die, why don't you?" Zarek lowered his head and charged him. They locked arms and hit the ground.

Thanatos rose up from him and ripped open his shirt. From the way he moved his hands, Zarek could tell he was looking for the bow-and-arrow mark Jess had mentioned.

"Surprise, dickhead, Mama forgot to tell you a few things about me."

In the distance, Zarek heard the approach of an engine. He heard its drone over the sound of Jess urging Astrid to leave and Astrid's refusal while Sasha barked and pushed at her.

Suddenly, a snowmachine came flying up at the same time Zarek broke from Thanatos.

"Duck!"

Zarek didn't recognize the voice, and ordinarily, he wouldn't have obeyed, but what the hell? He was tired of getting his butt kicked by this Daimon.

He hit the ground and rolled out of the way while the dark green snowmachine flew over him. The man on it was dressed all in black with a black helmet. The newcomer skidded to a stop and pulled out a gun.

A bright flash of light cut through the darkness. The flare hit Thanatos in the center of his chest and knocked the Daimon flying.

Thanatos roared. "How dare you betray me! You're one of us."

The man slung a long leg over the snowmachine and reloaded his flare gun as he headed over to where Zarek was still lying on the ground.

"Yeah," he said bitterly. "You should have thought of that before you took out Bjorn." The newcomer fired his gun and knocked Thanatos back. "He was the only one of them I could ever stand."

The stranger reached down and helped Zarek to his feet. He pulled his helmet off and gave it to Zarek. "Get the woman and get out. Hurry."

The minute Zarek met the stranger's eyes, he knew him.

This was the only Dark-Hunter he'd ever known who was even more hated than he was. "Spawn?"

The blond Apollite Dark-Hunter nodded. "Go," he said, reloading. "I'm the only one who can hold him off, but I can't kill him. For Apollo's sake, someone get a hold of Acheron and tell him the Dayslayer is out."

Zarek ran for Astrid.

"No!" Thanatos roared.

Zarek saw the blast before it left Thanatos's hand. Acting on instinct, he cut back toward Spawn. The blast missed him, but hit Astrid's wolf.

The animal yelped, then changed from wolf to man, back to wolf.

Zarek drew up short as he realized Astrid's pet was a Katagari Were-Hunter.

Now why would a blind woman with a Katagari companion take in a rogue Dark-Hunter?

"Sasha?" Astrid called.

Jess ran to the Katagari to keep him covered while Zarek went to Astrid.

"Your were-buddy got zapped, princess."

Fear lined her brow. "Is he okay?"

He picked her up, and brought her over to Jess, then cursed as he realized Jess couldn't get both her and the wolf to safety. After an energy blast, the Katagaria tended to flash in and out of their forms for a while.

Jess struggled to get the wolf-man to the safety of his Bronco. As soon as he could, Jess left. Zarek put the helmet on Astrid's head. "Looks like it's just you and me, princess.

No doubt you're going to wish I'd left you here with the Daimon."

Astrid hesitated at the anger and hatred she heard in Zarek's tone of voice. "I trust you, Zarek."

"Then you're a fool."

He took her arm and led her away so she couldn't hear Spawn and Thanatos.

Roughly, he helped her onto a snowmachine.

She expected him to lead her away from the sound of fighting. Instead, they headed toward it.

She covered her face instinctively as something crashed close to them.

"Get on," Zarek snapped. "Hurry."

She felt the seat dip, then they were rushing away from all the noise. Astrid's heart pounded as she waited for something else to happen.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, Zarek stopped the snowmachine.

Again she felt motion on the seat as someone got off. Since Zarek's arms were still around her, she assumed it must be Spawn.

"Thanks," Spawn said. "I never expected Zarek of Moesia to come to my rescue."

"Ditto, Spawn. Since when do Daimons fight their own kind?"

Spawn's voice dripped with venom. "I was never a Daimon, Roman."

"And I was never a fucking Roman."

Spawn gave a short, bitter laugh. "Truce, then?"

She felt Zarek shift behind her.

"Truce." Zarek seemed to turn around and look in the direction they had come from. "You have any idea what that thing after me is?"

"Think Terminator. The only difference is that he has the sanction of Artemis."

"What do you mean?"

"My people have a legend of the Dayslayer. It says that Artemis chose one of our own to be her personal guard. More beloved than any of her people, the Dayslayer has no known vulnerability. Once he's unleashed, his goal is to destroy Dark-Hunters." "So you're telling me he's the Bogeyman?"

"You doubt me?"

"No. Not after what I've seen."

She heard Spawn let out a long breath. "I heard that Artemis had called out a blood hunt for you. I figured it would be Acheron who killed you."

"Yeah, well, trust me, I'm not executed yet. It'll take more than that thing to expire me." Zarek paused. "Just out of curiosity, what are all of you doing up here anyway? Did Acheron call for a reunion and not invite me?"

"Bjorn came because he was chasing a group of Daimons. I came because I felt the Summoning."

"The Summoning?" Astrid asked. In all honesty, she knew very little about the Apollites and Daimons. That was the domain of Apollo and Artemis.

"It's like a homing beacon," Spawn explained, "and it's irresistible to anyone with Apollite blood. I can feel Thanatos even now calling out to me. I think the only reason I can resist it is because I'm a Dark-Hunter. If I weren't... Let's just say you're in for one hell of a scary time."

Zarek snorted. "Doubtful. So how do I kill him?"

"You don't. Artemis made him so that he could track and kill us. He has no known vulnerability. Not even daylight. Worse, he will destroy anyone who tries to shelter you."

Shelter you...

Again, Zarek's mind flashed to his village.

To the old woman who'd died in his arms...

What was his brain trying to tell him?

"Has Thanatos ever come after me before?" he asked Spawn.

Spawn scoffed. "You're still living so obviously the answer is no."

Still...

Zarek got off the snowmachine. "Here, take Astrid and-"

"Did you not hear me, Zarek? I can't take her. Thanatos will kill her for sheltering you. She's dead if you leave her."

"She's dead if she stays with me."

"We all got problems and she happens to be yours. Not mine." Astrid had the distinct feeling Zarek was flipping Spawn off.

"Not on your best day, Greek," Spawn said, confirming her suspicion.

Zarek sat back down on the snowmachine.

"Hey, Zarek?" Spawn asked. "Do you have a cell phone with you?"

"No, it went down with her house."

She heard Spawn's footsteps crunching in the snow as he returned to them.

"Take this and call Acheron when you're safe. Maybe he can help you with the woman."

"Thanks." The word was more inflected with belligerence than gratitude. "But what are you going to do without a phone or the snowmachine?"

"Freeze my ass off." There was a small pause. "Don't worry about me. I assure you, I'll be fine."

Zarek's arms surrounded her again. She heard him turn the snowmachine back on.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"Up Shit Creek sans the paddles."

Chapter 11

"Well," Astrid said, her tone every bit as sarcastic as his, "I hope you have a map. I've never been there before."