Jericho dressed himself and Delphine immediately. He started to launch himself at the gallu, but Delphine caught him and pulled him back. "You can't. One scratch or bite where your blood mingles with their spit or blood and you're under their control. Think about it."
But it wasn't in him not to fight.
Growling with rage, he covered himself in black body armor. "They better be able to penetrate Kevlar."
Delphine was stunned as he went for them. He caught the first one with a punch so hard, it lifted the gallu three feet into the air and sent him slamming into the wall behind him. The second one tried to take a bite out of Jericho, but he caught the gallu by his shirt and flipped him over his shoulder. In one swift move, he pulled his dagger out and went for the third.
Delphine gasped as the one on the floor got up and rushed toward her. Without armor or her powers, she was defenseless. She looked around but there was nowhere to go. No way to outrun him.
She was trapped.
Just as the gallu would have reached her, he rebounded off an invisible wall. It took her a second to realize what had happened.
"Ha!" she said triumphantly as he smacked it with his fist. Jericho must have used his powers to shield her.
The gallu wasn't happy as it opened its mouth to show her two rows of serrated fangs. She lifted her chin and gave him her best "neener, neener" smile.
"Sooner or later, you're mine," he promised.
She scoffed at him. "Careful, baby, I bite back." Just not today and not without her powers. Lucky for him because when it came to fighting, she seldom had an equal.
Jericho, on the other hand, was in his glory as he beat them down. She'd never seen anyone enjoy a fight more. At least not until five more joined the first three. Undaunted, he kept going, but she wasn't so audacious.
Even the strongest of the strong could be overrun and killed when this badly outnumbered.
One bite. One scratch. He would be gone forever.
"Jericho, please!" she begged as they attacked him at once. "It's not worth the chance. I don't want you to get hurt. Please stop."
Jericho hesitated at the anguish he heard in Del-phine's voice. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the concern on her face as he punched one gallu and then scissor-kicked another. Her hand was splayed against the invisible wall he had around her. Her brow was taut as her eyes begged him to listen. She looked so upset.
Most of all, she cared...
For him.
Such a simple, unbelievable thing. Only Nike had ever shown that to him and never with the kind of passion that Delphine was showing now. It gave him pause.
A shadow crossed in front of him. It was Noir.
Noir looked around at the gallu with a disgusted sneer. "Do I have to do everything for you bastards? Stupid, worthless dogs. Hold him down and bite him. How hard is that?" Noir sent a blast straight at Jericho's chest.
There was no way to avoid or deflect it. Jericho cursed as it sent him reeling and skidding across the floor. The pain of it caused him to drop the shield around Delphine.
She kicked the gallu back as it ran for her.
Jericho rolled to his feet. His instincts were to attack the gallu in front of him and then go after Noir. Instead he dodged the gallu and went for Delphine, who had no way to protect herself.
The moment he touched her, he teleported them out of the room and back to his apartment to keep her safe.
Or so he thought.
Noir and the gallu followed them and flashed into the room right behind them.
Jericho looked at Delphine's panicked expression. And he knew what he had to do. There was no other way.
Delphine's heart sank at the number of gallu at Noir's command. Where had they come from? They didn't stand a chance against them.
But she didn't have time to think about that as Jericho faced her. She was waiting for him to right them. Instead, he pulled her closer to him. Before she could ask him what he was doing, he reached for her neck.
And pulled her collar off.
Stunned, it took her a minute to realize what he'd done and why. He didn't want her hurt. He was putting her safety above his own.
Warmth spread through her.
"Go," he said, his eyes tormented. "Get to safety."
"What about you?"
"They're just going to follow me wherever I go." He kissed her lightly on the lips. "Leave." He gently pushed her away, then turned to confront the demons.
Nothing had ever touched her more than what he was doing.
For her.
She met Noir's gaze and saw his next intent plainly. He was going to use her to get at Jericho. Every part of her wanted to stay and fight, but she knew she couldn't. She was a liability he couldn't afford to have.
There was no way to win this.
But she wasn't going to leave Jericho at their mercy. Not like this. He was way too outnumbered and even with armor, he wouldn't be able to hold them for more than a few minutes.
Rushing Jericho from behind, she wrapped her arms around his taut, muscular body and teleported him out of the room and to Olympus.
The moment he realized where he was, he turned on her, his face a mask of fury. She could tell he'd rather be eaten by the gallu than spend one second in the Oneroi hall. "'What did you do?"
"I saved you."
His expression was furious. "Saved me. my ass. I can't be here. I don't want to be here."
"I know." she said, trying to soothe him, "but it gives us a breather from Noir. He can't come here and he damn sure can't bring the gallu into our domain."
Jericho growled at her. It was true, and he knew it. However, it didn't change the fact that this place brought back vivid memories that he wanted to keep buried.
He hated it here.
Delphine cupped his face in her hands. "It's all right. Jericho. Forget the past. Things have changed."
Had they? "We're in the hall of the Oneroi. It looks the same now as it did then."
"It might look it, but there are no Oneroi here now. It's just us."
And Phobos, who came through the door looking astonished. "I can't believe it. You're back here... together. I was sure I would never see you again. What the hell did you do?"
"Don't ask," Delphine said sheepishly, making Jericho wonder if she hadn't known Phobos would be here.
Jericho's open hostility didn't bother the god at all as he came forward to stop in front of Delphine. "Did you see Deimos?"
Jericho was going to refuse to answer, but he knew how close the two of them were. And while he had a grudge against Deimos, it was no reason to be a total dickhead to Phobos. "He's in bad shape, but alive."
The relief on Phobos's face was tangible. "Is there any way to get him out?"
Delphine shook her head. "I don't know. We barely made it out. And now we have gallu after us. Along with Noir."
Phobos's expression was total astonishment. "The Sumerian gallu demons?" She nodded.
He let out a disgusted sound as he turned his attention to Jericho. "Damn, Cratus, do you have to piss off everyone you meet?"
Intending to thoroughly trounce the bastard, Jericho took a step toward him only to find Delphine in his way.
"You're not going to hurt him."
"Wanna bet?"
She planted herself firmly in his path, hands on both of his shoulders. "Yes, I do. And I will win."
Jericho looked down and paused. Anyone else would have been hammered for daring to stop him. The fact that she was so tiny in comparison to him just made it all the more laughable. He could crush her and not even feel it.
And yet, he wasn't about to take her on, which was probably the funniest part of all. What was wrong with him that he had no will when it came to her?
Stepping back, he narrowed his gaze at Phobos. "Say thank you to her, Dolophonos. She just kept you from getting your ass handed to you."
Phobos arched a brow and stepped forward.
"Stop it!" Delphine snapped, turning on Phobos and forcing him back a step. "One more round of Grand Testosterone and I swear I'll geld you both where you stand."
Phobos held his hands up in surrender, which made Jericho feel somewhat better. He wasn't the only one intimidated by a Chihuahua.
The Dolophonos looked over her head to meet Jericho's gaze. "Any idea how to get my brother out of there?"
"Dynamite. With any luck it might blow the bastard up, too."
Phobos wasn't amused.
Delphine let out an exasperated breath before she answered him. "Jaden told us to find someone named Acheron Parthenopaeus. Do you know him?"
Phobos choked. "Yeah, I do. I'm surprised you don't."
"Why?"
"He's an Atlantean god, known as Apostolos. He used to spend a lot of time with Artemis, but we don't talk about that. Tends to make the sour redhead even surlier than normal, and it sends Apollo off into a screaming fit."
From where Jericho stood, that could be entertaining. He wouldn't mind beating the shit out of Apollo for a few rounds.
Delphine scowled. "I don't spend much time in the hall of the gods or with Artemis. I try to avoid any nuclear fallout that comes from that entire crew."
"Yeah, well, at six foot eight, Acheron's a hard man to miss. Anyway, he's a major badass. But I don't know if even he can take on Noir and win."
Jericho shrugged. "Jaden thinks he can."
"Then let's go see my buddy and see what he thinks."
Jericho crossed his arms over his chest as Phobos took them to a small shotgun house in the French Quarter. Oddly enough, it was only a few blocks away from where he had been working at Landry's.
Delphine frowned at the well-kept, unassuming place that had pretty, white lacework trim. It blended in perfectly with all the other houses on the street. Nothing marked it as anything special. More than that, she didn't sense anything out of the ordinary. No powers or anything else. "A god lives here?"
Phobos laughed at her tone. "Believe it or not. And this is a much nicer and bigger place than the apartment he used to have here in Nawlin's."
Still, she was skeptical. She just couldn't imagine an all-powerful entity calling this... home.
"If you say so," she said in a singsong tone.
Phobos smiled. "And I do. I also say follow me." He walked up to the door and knocked.
"Why didn't we just pop in?" Jericho asked as he allowed Delphine to ascend the stairs first.
Phobos made an amused choking sound. "You can't. He has it shielded. Besides, he's a god and can be a nasty one if you upset him. You try popping into any place where his beloved wife is and you'll get fried faster than chicken at KFC. He doesn't have a sense of humor when it comes to her. So wipe the frown off your face before you hurt her feelings and get gutted for it."
Given that extensive warning and the passion in Phobos's voice, Delphine was expecting a goddess to answer the door. Someone who would make Aphrodite tremble in fear and shame.
So when the door opened to show her a very average-looking woman with nondescript brown hair that was pulled into pigtails, she was confused. The only thing the woman had in common with most goddesses was her tall height and beautiful hair. The rest of her appeared completely human.
Dressed in a long, beige skirt and green sweater, she gave them a bright, friendly smile. "Hey, Phobos, what are you doing here?"
Phobos returned her smile. "Hi, Tory. We're here to see the big guy. Is he around?"
"Sure." She stepped back and opened the door for them to enter.
Phobos walked in first, with Delphine two steps behind and Jericho pulling up the rear. The house was very normal. Quaint and orderly, it was decorated in neutral tones: dark browns, golds and a little rust. Again it was nothing out of the ordinary, except for maybe the Greek artifacts and statues of the Olympian gods that were sprinkled throughout nooks and crannies. There were also happy family photos scattered about and a small Bengal cat in the corner napping on the floor while a sunbeam warmed its exposed belly.
Delphine's gaze stopped dead on one picture in particular. It was a younger Tory in the ruins of an ancient Greek temple with a blond woman and a dark-haired man.... A man Delphine knew very well.
"Arik?" she said in stunned surprise.
Tory cocked a brow. "You know my cousin's husband?"
"I'm not sure... He looks like someone I used to know."
"It's the same Arik." That had to be the deepest voice Delphine had ever heard, and it was tinged with an accent she hadn't heard in centuries.
Atlantean.
Turning in the direction it came from, she saw an extremely tall man sitting in an armchair with a black electric guitar in his lap.
His hair was dyed a deep purple shade and his eyes were a peculiar swirling silver color. Dressed as a human goth, he didn't look any older than his early twenties. But the aura of power that enveloped him set off every warning bell in her body. This wasn't a human being.
This was an extremely powerful immortal.
One who looked to be the complete polar opposite of the woman who smiled at him. And when he returned the smile to her, the look in his eyes said that Tory was his entire world.
Gods, what she wouldn't give to have a man look at her like that.
Tory moved to stand behind him with one hand on his shoulder. The god appeared relaxed, and yet Delphine had no doubt that if they made a single move he didn't like, he would snap them down to burnt toast in a heartbeat.
"What's up, Pho?" he asked Phobos.
Phobos laughed. "Like you didn't know before I knocked on the door." He turned to indicate them. "Delphine and..." Phobos hesitated on what he should call him.
"Jericho," Jericho said from between clenched teeth.
Phobos didn't respond to the anger in his tone. "Jericho and Delphine, meet Ash Parthenopaeus and his wife, Soteria. Tory for short."
Delphine was surprised by the introduction, especially since she knew this wasn't the same Soteria from Olympus. "You're named for the Greek goddess of safety?"
Soteria's face lit up, then quickly turned into a concerned "oh." "You're one of them, aren't you?"
"One of whom?" Delphine asked.
"Ash's"-Tory made quotes in the air with her fingers-"special friends. No one else ever knows who I'm named after. It's too obscure." She looked down at her husband and shook her head. "No wonder she knew Arik. Makes total sense now. Do all the Greek gods know each other?"
Ash laced his fingers with hers on his shoulder. "Not always and definitely not intimately. It's a rather large pantheon. Delphine is an Oneroi. Hence her acquaintance with your cousin Geary's husband. Jericho you would know better as the god Cratus."
Both of Tory's brows shot up. "Prometheus Unbound Cratus?"
Ash nodded.
"Oh," Tory said slowly, looking Jericho up and down with a gaze of appreciation and fear. "I'm sure you're still a very nice . b. . god, right?"
Jericho wasn't amused, but he wasn't about to pick a fight with her over it. He wasn't afraid of Ash, but he knew a god this powerful wouldn't be an easy one to fight. Win, lose or draw, it would be bloody.
And long.
Tory looked down at Ash. "Why are they here?"
"Noir is after them." The fact that Acheron knew that without them having to tell him said it all about his powers.
But it didn't answer Jericho's main question. "Why would Jaden send us to you?"
Ash grinned roguishly. "'Cause I'm a genuinely nice guy who plays a mean guitar."
Tory laughed. "Spoken only by someone who doesn't know what a grump you are in the morning."
Unamused, Jericho gave them a droll stare. "You know, that might be funny if the situation wasn't so dire. You do realize Noir could be here any minute."
Ash let go of Tory's hand to idly strum a chord as if he didn't have a care in the universe. "No, he can't. I mean, yes, he could in theory. But it would get bloody fast and while he may or may not be stronger than I am, he won't risk the repercussions of taking me on."
"Why not?"
"He might have the gallu. But I command the Charonte demons. If he wants a battle, I can give it to him, and in numbers that would ruin his best day."
Jericho was adequately impressed. "I thought the Charonte vanished with Atlantis."
"You were mistaken. They're alive and well, and more than eager to feast on gallu meat. For that matter, there's an entire club of them here in town."
Jericho cocked one brow. "Are you serious?"
"Like the grave."
For the first time, Jericho let out a relieved breath. Things were starting to look up for them. The Charonte were natural enemies to the gallu and best of all, they were immune to the gallu's bites. With them at their side, they at least stood a fighting chance.
At least until Ash spoke again. "The other reason Jaden sent you to me... I'm training the Malachai."
Jericho couldn't have been more stunned had Ash stood up and hit him with the guitar. "Are you out of your mind? Why would you train an instrument of destruction?"
Ash shrugged. "We all choose our destinies. Our birth doesn't dictate our future unless we allow it."
Jericho rolled his eyes at the laissez-faire attitude. "How naive can one god be?"
Tory smiled indulgently. "Acheron is the Harbinger for the Atlantean Destroyer. Prophecy said he would be the one to destroy the world, and yet he's one of its fiercest protectors. Even though he was conceived to be the tool his mother would use for annihilation, he's never once given in to his destiny." She looked down at him and shook her head. "And the gods know he's had more cause to wish the world to end than anyone else I know."
Acheron kissed her hand. "So you see, I know a thing or two about training a destroyer and teaching him how to fight his natural urges. We're only in trouble if we leave the Malachai on his own and then Noir gets his hands on him."
Jericho still had his doubts about that. "So say you. You have no way of knowing if, once he's trained, he'll follow you or Noir."
"True. But then again, you're here when just a few hours ago you were willing to fight to the death at Noir's side."
"The bastard betrayed and attacked me. No one turns me into a mindless supplicant. He should have known better than to try."
"And I believe when the time comes, Nick will make the same decision. He might hate me, but he doesn't follow anyone too blindly."
Since Jericho didn't know the Malachai personally, he wasn't willing to put that much faith in him. "Do you know that for sure?"
"Call me optimistic, but I'm going to say yes." Ash held his hand out to indicate the chairs behind them. "To quote my wife, cop a squat. We need to figure out a way to rescue the Oneroi and Skoti before Noir turns them into gallu."
Delphine went cold at the thought. If that were to happen. . .
Mankind would be completely doomed.
"Do you think we can free Jaden, too?" she asked as she sat down on the couch next to Jericho. Phobos sat on the other side of her.
Acheron shook his head. "Unfortunately, Jaden's lost to us, but he's still an ally when he can be."
Tory frowned as she continued to stand behind Acheron. "What about Jared?"
Delphine duplicated the expression. "Who's Jared?"
Ash's answer amazed her. "The last Sephiroth." The Sephirii had been created to fight Noir and his army of Malachai back in the time before man and recorded history.
Delphine was extremely confused. "I thought after Noir and the Source had their war that all of the Malachai and Sephirii were put down."
"They were," Ash explained. "All except for the one Sephiroth who betrayed his brethren. He was damned to an eternity of slavery. Since the universe is real big on balance, one Malachai was spared to rain death on the Sephiroth should he ever go free. That Malachai still holds all the power needed to realign the entire universe that would put Noir at the top of the food chain."
Jericho glanced at Delphine before he turned back to Acheron. "Why is the Malachai not with Noir?"
"Nick's father had a break with him. No one knows why. Centuries ago, the elder Malachai went into hiding with Noir and Azura chasing him every step of the way. A couple of decades ago, he decided to lay an egg and our current Malachai was born. As soon as Nick reached an age to replace his father, the old Malachai died."
Delphine still didn't quite understand. "So why has Noir been unable to find this Nick?"
"Nick's powers were bound to protect and shield him from Noir and give him a chance to be turned from his original purpose. It wasn't until a Source god attacked him that those powers were unlocked so that he could defend himself. I've been attempting to train him ever since."
Tory gave a scoffing laugh. " 'Attempting' is right."
Jericho narrowed his gaze as he honed in on that one word and its implications. The last thing they needed was a trained Malachai at their throats. "He's resistant to it?"
Ash shook his head. "Not to the training or his destiny. The problem is, he hates my guts. It's a personal problem we have to resolve."
Tory let out an undignified snort. "They're working on it. . . slowly."
"Great." Jericho sighed. "So where does that leave us with the Sephiroth?"
"Well, the biggest problem is his current master just happens to be the Daimon queen. Since I and my Dark-Hunter brethren hunt and execute her Daimons, she's not really inclined to be on our side or do us any favors. But who knows? We might catch her on a really good day."
Yeah, right. "Not bloody likely."
"My thoughts, too."
Delphine let out a tired breath. "We're completely ruined. My brethren are in the hands of evil, about to be turned into mindless predators, and the only hope we have is an untrained Malachai who might leave us to fight for them and a Sephiroth in the hands of the Daimons."
Daimons were a vampiric race who lived by stealing and destroying human souls. Best of all, they adamantly hated the Greek gods since Apollo was the one who'd cursed them to drink blood and die painfully and horribly at the age of twenty-seven. The only way to survive beyond that was to take human souls.
As a result, the Daimons weren't big on helping anyone except themselves. Not that she blamed them. They had been royally screwed by her pantheon.
Delphine was ill with their predicament. "It's not a good day to be human, is it?"
"It's not a good day to be us, either," Phobos added sarcastically.
Delphine couldn't agree more. "You think Noir will team up with the Daimons?"
Ash shook his head. "Stryker, while screwed up, won't fight with them. They have no code. Stryker and his people aren't fighting to kill, they're fighting to survive. We're lucky in that. He only allows his people to take the lives they need to... and that of any Dark-Hunter they can find since we're his biggest predators. While I'm sure he wouldn't shirk at world domination, his priority is the survival of his people. Noir, on the other hand, kills for pleasure and wants to overthrow all pantheons and take over. Neither Stryker nor his wife are big into following other people. They will fight him until they're dead."
Jericho scratched his cheek. "Maybe we ought to let the two of them fight it out."
Phobos snorted. "That's got pay-per-view all over it. Unfortunately, we'd get caught in the crossfire."
"I still think they might team up with Noir," Delphine insisted. It would make sense. The Daimons could take the humans while the gallu took the rest of them.
"No," Ash said adamantly. "I know Stryker, and besides, the gallu were with him up until a few months ago when they tried to eat him, his wife and his daughter. Being the most unforgiving of souls, he's not going to welcome them in any time soon. As a result, the Daimons are having open season on them. For now, we're safe in terms of that. "
Jericho still wasn't fully convinced. "But screwed in terms of everything else."
"Not entirely." Ash looked at Phobos. "How many of your people do you have left?"
"Couple dozen... maybe."
Ash nodded thoughtfully. "We can work with that."
"What about the gallu?" Jericho asked.
"I can get the Charonte to help with them. It just leaves one thing .. ."
"The Sephiroth," Jericho said. Even though he was a Source god, Jericho couldn't handle Azura, Noir, the Skoti, and the gallu alone. They needed help. "I think we need to talk to the Daimons."
Ash inclined his head. "I couldn't agree more."