Ash shook his head. "Discretion is easy. It's finding the courage to forgive yourself and others that is hard."

Callyx thought about that in silence for several minutes. "You're a wise man."

Ash gave a half-laugh at that. "Not really. So, have you decided?"

Callyx's gaze burned into his before he spoke the answer Ash knew he would. "There's no choice. How can I know paradise without Dirce? I want to go toCincinnati ."

"I thought you might feel that way."

Stepping back, Ash granted Callyx his wish.

Alone in Thanatos's cell, Ash glanced around the dark, dank walls and fought down his own demons. Artemis had had no right to condemn him to this.

One day she was going to get her comeuppance.

But first there was the matter of Dionysus to attend to. The next time the god of wine wanted to let loose one of Artemis's pets on Ash's men, he would think twice.

He also had a few other people to take care of. There was still the small matter of deleting from Jess, Syra, and the Squires the information about the bow-and- arrow mark.

No doubt he should delete it from Zarek as well, but he'd done enough damage to him.

Zarek wouldn't tell anyone and he had more important things to occupy himself with.

Besides, if everything turned out the way Ash knew it would, Zarek would learn a lot more interesting things about him and the Dark-Hunters than just the secret of their mark.

Artemis sat alone on her throne, toying with her pillows. Acheron had been gone a long time now and she was beginning to worry.

He couldn't leaveOlympus , but he could do other things...

Things that could get her into a great deal of trouble if Zeus ever learned of them.

Maybe she had been foolish to let him have an afternoon of freedom on her mountain.

Just as she was ready to go find him, the doors of her temple opened.

She smiled at the sight of Acheron striding through them.

Her Acheron was gorgeous.

His long blond hair flowed around his shoulders and the black leather pants hugged a body that had been created for seduction. A body made to please others.

The doors closed behind him. Her body warm, she pushed herself up in sweet expectation. She recognized the feral look in his eyes.

The raw, unadulterated hunger.

Desire flowed thick and heavy through her veins as she felt the moisture suddenly pooling between her legs.

This was the Acheron she loved best.

The predator. The one who took what he wanted and didn't negotiate.

His clothes dissolved from his body as he neared her.

So did her own.

She shivered at the magnitude of his powers. Powers that made a mockery of hers.

He'd gone too long without feeding. They both knew it. Whenever he reached a certain point, his compassion died and he became amoral and unfeeling.

He'd reached that point.

She moaned as he grabbed her and pulled her close to his hard, muscular body.

His erection burned against her hip.

"What do you want, Acheron?" she asked, but her breathlessness betrayed her affected nonchalance.

His hot gaze swept her naked body, making her burn even more. "You know what I want," he said hoarsely in Atlantean. "After all I'm the top of the Food Chain and you... you're the Food."

His eyes flashed to red as he parted her thighs.

Artemis groaned and came as soon as he masterfully entered her. Her head swimming, she held him close, running her hands over his smooth, muscled back as he thrust himself deep inside her over and over again in a pounding rhythm that made her dizzy.

Yes, this was what she wanted. This was the Acheron she had fallen in love with. The man she would defy even the very gods to keep.

The man for whom she had broken every rule so that she could bind him to her forever.

He made love to her furiously, his hunger building and firing her own.

Artemis leaned her head to the side waiting for what she knew was coming.

Acheron's eyes swirled like red fire an instant before he lowered himself and sank his teeth into her neck so that he could feed from her.

Artemis cried out as they came in unison. As his powers coursed through her, blinding her to everything except the powerful feel of him inside her.

She could pretend to rule him all she wanted to, but at the end of the day she knew the truth.

He ruled her.

And she hated him for that.

Epilogue BORA BORA Zarek lay on the beach letting the sun and hot wind sear his skin. Oh, the feel of it!

They had been here for close to a month now and still he couldn't get enough of being on the beach.

Of being with Astrid, night and day.

He felt something cold fall on his chest.

Opening his eyes, he saw Astrid above him, smiling down as she watched him.

She held a small bowl in one hand and a glass in the other.

"Careful, princess, you know I hate it whenever something cold touches me."

She knelt down beside him, and set the bowl aside before wiping the drop of water off his chest, her touch more searing than the sun.

Her gaze traveled over his body, down to his swim shorts that now had a rather large bump in them.

She smiled wickedly at that. "You know, I remember watching a movie once..."

He was suspicious of the gleam in her eye. "Yeah?"

She pulled an ice cube from her glass and placed it in her mouth.

Zarek watched, transfixed by the sight of her licking it.

She pulled it out, then placed it on his skin.

"Astrid..."

"Shh," she said, circling his nipple until it was hard and firm. She blew her hot breath across it, causing him to swell even more. "You know what the best part is about being cold, don't you?"

"What?"

"Thawing you out."

Zarek moaned as she lowered her mouth to him and flicked her tongue back and forth over his nipple.

When she pulled back, he whimpered a small protest.

She ignored it and dodged his hands.

"Before I forget-" she said, playfully pushing his hands aside, "and if I keep doing this, I will forget-I have something for you."

Zarek leaned up on his elbows. "Please don't tell me Scooby's coming to visit."

She rolled her eyes at him. "No. Sasha is staying at Sanctuary inNew Orleans for the time being. Since we've been staying at the beach he refuses to come 'see your naked ass' lest he go blind from it."

Zarek looked less than amused. "So what is it then?"

She handed him her bowl.

Zarek looked at the contents, which reminded him a bit of lemon Jell-O. "What is that?"

"Ambrosia. One bite of it and I can take you home with me toOlympus .

Otherwise I have to leave you here in three days and go home alone."

"Why?"

She smoothed the frown from his forehead with her fingertips. "You know I can't live here on earth. I can only stay for a brief time. If you want to, you can stay and I'll come back when I can, but-"

He stopped her words with a kiss.

Zarek pulled back. "What will the others say when you show up with a slave by your side?"

"You're not a slave, Zarek, and I don't care what they say. Do you?"

He snorted at that. "Not at all."

She held the ambrosia up to his lips.

Zarek gave her a quick kiss, then ate the ambrosia and drank her nectar. He expected it to hurt or burn, but it went down just like the cotton candy she once gave him. The sweet, sugary taste dissolved instantly in his mouth. "Is that it?" he asked suspiciously.

She nodded. "That's it. What? Were you expecting fireworks or something?"

"No, I only expect those when I make love to you."

"Aww," she breathed, rubbing her nose against his. "I love it when you talk nice to me."

Zarek kissed her hand, then started laughing as he thought over everything that had happened since he met her.

"What's so funny?" Astrid asked.

"I'm just thinking, here I am a slave who touched a star who then made him a demigod. I have to be the luckiest bastard who ever lived."

Her blue eyes burned into his. "Yes, you are, Prince Charming, and don't you ever forget it."

"Believe me, princess. I won't."