Tory ground her teeth at the indignity of her stance. Her hands were chained over her head to a board. Her legs had a degree more freedom, but they too were chained into a wide stance and she hated it. It was so degrading to be held like this and to not be able to get free. She couldn't even scratch the itch on her nose and it was making her crazy.

More than that, this gave her an understanding of Acheron that made her want to kill over the way he'd been treated. How many times had he been tied like this? Savagely beaten while those around him cheered and jeered? Or worse, took sexual pleasure from his degradation?

Today they finally carried out Acheron's castration for a crime I know he'd never commit. I can still hear his screams of unbearable pain. His cries for mercy and for death. The way he sobbed like I'd never heard him cry before. I don't think he knows how the sound of his misery echoed through the halls. How those screams scarred my soul. And I doubt if I will ever be able to silence them from my heart.

Ryssa's words spoke to her. Now she fully understood what Ash had endured as a human being. A pawn to his enemies. A pawn to the brutal machinations of people who had no regard for his life or feelings. Assaulted, betrayed and abused. It was a wonder the man was even sane. That he wasn't as merciless and callous toward the world that had been that way to him. The fact that he could find even a modicum of compassion astounded her. And she wasn't going to let these assholes use her to hurt him.

Growling in rage and determination, she pulled at the chains on her hands as hard as she could.

Laughter rang out. "You might as well stop that. All you're going to do is hurt yourself. Even if you get free, you'll never survive the Daimons and demons who'll eat you the minute you leave this room."

Tory paused to see Satara standing a few feet from her dressed in a black pantsuit, her hair a deep burgundy color this time-what was it with these god people that they constantly played with their hair?

She narrowed her gaze on Satara. "You know, my whole life I've taken pride in the fact that I'm Greek. But I have to say that after you and Artemis, I'm seriously beginning to hate some of my heritage. Is it congenital or is there something else that has made you such a bitch?"

Satara hissed at her like a cat who'd just had its tail crushed. "Don't insult me, human. I'm not supposed to harm you. At least in theory. Though now that I think about it, a little ruffling of your feathers might not be such a bad thing."

Maybe that should scare her, but for some reason she couldn't fathom, it didn't. "Seriously, why do you want to kill your aunt so badly?"

Satara scoffed. "You serve her spoiled rotten ass for eleven thousand years and let's see to what extremes you'd go to free yourself. I offered a deal to Acheron centuries ago to free us both and the bastard refused. He deserves the hell she gives him and then some. But I don't. Unlike him, I didn't bind myself willingly to her. I was forced into this and one way or another, I'm going to get free."

"And when Ash comes for me-"

She laughed, cutting off Tory's words. "He won't come here, sweetie. He can't. You're in the Atlantean hell realm. If your lover sets one foot down here after you, his mother goes free and the world ends. He thinks too much of humanity to let that happen. So you are mine for a bit. And personally, I think we should have some play time."

Ash summoned Simi off his body.

Cocking her head, she studied him like a small child. "What's the matter, akri? You look very sad."

He didn't answer her question since it would most likely upset her and that was the last thing he wanted. "I'm leaving you here at Sanctuary while I do something."

"What are you doing?"

Going to commit suicide most likely, but that didn't matter. Only Tory's welfare did. However if he was to enter a fight, which he was about to, Simi would come off his body to battle by his side and he couldn't let her be hurt because of him.

"Humor me, Simykee. I'm going where you can't."

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "You going to see that heifer, aren't you? Fine. The Simi will stay so she don't gots to hear no huffing and puffing or anything else that turns a demon's stomach. Akri, have you any idea what it's like to be sick as a tattoo? It's not fun, believe your Simi when she tells you that."

He shook his head at her, amazed that she could make him smile while he felt so bad. "I believe you, Sim. Now stay put." He took her downstairs to where Dev, Angel, Kyle and the rest of the bears were having a powwow of some sort. Some customer must have made a pass at Aimee and they were contemplating making him tomorrow's daily special.

"I'm going to leave Simi here for a bit," he told Dev. "Will you guys watch her?" It was a rhetorical question.

At least that's what he thought until Dev shook his head. "We're going with you."

Ash scowled. "What are you talking about?"

"We know what you're planning," Angel said, "and we're going with you."

He was completely stunned. And when he saw Valerius, Talon, Kyrian, Julian, Zarek, Sin, Vane, Kyl, Katra, Fang, Tabitha and Fury walking in, all he could do was scowl in confusion.

Why would all of them be here?

"What's going on?" Ash asked them.

Kyrian gave him a droll stare. "There's not one of us here that you haven't put your ass on the line for-most of us more than once. Alexion told us what happened with Tory and we're here to watch your back no matter what you have planned."

Talon nodded. "Wulf is on his way, too. He'll be here as soon as the plane lands and Otto can speed him over. And Otto plans to stand with us too."

Valerius pulled Tabitha back. "Tabitha won't be fighting. She'll be going home very shortly, but she wanted to let you know she's here in spirit."

Tabitha made a face. "But for the baby, I'd be busting balls for you, Ash. You know that."

He smiled at her. "I know, Tabby."

"The other Dark-Hunters wanted to be here," Talon said, "but since the sun hasn't quite set yet, they couldn't. However, once the blazing ball goes down, they're here if we need them."

Ash was amazed by their willingness to bleed for him. It touched him on a level he hadn't realized existed. It was why he wanted to keep his past a secret so much. Would they be this willing to stand by him if they knew the truth of his past? Or would they be like everyone else and step on him?

Just like Merus . . .

But even so, this meant everything to him.

He looked at Kat. "I don't want you in this fight."

She growled at him. "Dad-"

"No arguments," he said, cutting her off. "If Simi stays out of the fight, so do you."

Sin gave a low, evil laugh. "I'm so glad he's your father. And that for once we see eye to eye."

Kat held her finger up to Sin. "You are out of my bedroom tonight. And you . . ." She turned to Ash. "Just irritate me. Tory is a good friend of mine. If anything goes wrong and you need me, you guys better call. Otherwise, you're all in the dog house." She looked back at her husband. "And you're in it regardless."

Sin shrugged her ire off good-naturedly.

Zarek ignored them with his habitual sneer. "This still doesn't mean I like you, Acheron. But I owe you for my wife and son. I would lay my life down for yours because without you, I wouldn't have shit and I know it."

That was probably the closest thing to a declaration of love the man could muster and it honestly touched him.

"I wasn't expecting any of you to stand with me. We're not fighting just the Daimons in this. We're fighting demons too."

Sin snorted. "I live to tear demons apart. Bring the bastards on."

Zarek nodded. "Agreed . . . bring on the rain. The one thing I learned from Astrid is that life isn't about finding shelter in a storm. It's about learning to dance in the rain. I don't care what I kill as long as I get bloody while doing it."

Talon smiled. "We're here for you, T-Rex. Just like you've always been here for us."

And to think he'd always thought of himself as alone. While he'd trained the Dark-Hunters and had fought with the Were-Hunters to help them, he'd never expected them to return the favor. "Thanks guys. I'm not used to people standing at my back." They'd always handed him over to his enemies or screwed him hard. It felt good to know he wasn't alone. "I know you all have families who love you so if you want to leave-"

Vane scoffed. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't want to. You and Val fought to save my sister when no one else would have bothered. I haven't forgotten it."

"And I haven't forgotten what the Dark-Hunters did for me and Maggie," Wren said sternly.

Fury nodded. "Yeah, we're family. Psychotic, bizarre and a hodgepodge of personalities that should probably never be blended, but here we are. Now let's go kick some ass."

Satara smiled cruelly at Nick as she faced him toward Tory. "Think about it, love. It's the perfect revenge, isn't it?"

Tory glared at the woman who had to be the most heartless of creatures. Someone really needed to give her a beating.

Satara left him to return to Tory's side. "I know she's not much to look at. But you can pretend you're screwing me." She stood directly behind Tory and reached around her to cup Tory's breasts for Nick's inspection. "Think of how much it'll kill Acheron to know you raped his woman while he was powerless to stop you. Think of the guilt and agony he'll live with every day, thinking of her crying and begging for mercy while there was no one to help her. Of her calling out for him when he couldn't be with her. It's the perfect revenge."

Tory shoved herself back against Satara and slammed her head into the woman's face. "You better be glad I'm tied up, you bitch."

Satara buried her hand in Tory's hair and snatched her head back. "It's time to gag you."

A cloth tie appeared around Tory's face.

Satara cut her shirt open with a gold-handled dagger. She trailed it against Tory's skin until she hooked the blade underneath Tory's bra. "C'mon, Nick. The little whore humiliated you in Sanctuary. Take your revenge on her and on Acheron."

He approached them slowly. Methodically.

Tory tried to scream through her gag, but no sound came. Terrified, she jerked on the chains and hated that she was so powerless to defend herself.

Satara sliced open her bra, spilling her breasts out. "She's all yours."

Nick took the knife from her hand.

Tory felt the tears of frustration stinging her eyes. How could any man worthy of the name do this to a woman? She would never hurt another being like this. The fact that Satara as a woman would orchestrate the rape of another made her the most repugnant of creatures.

And they better kill her after this, because once she had her freedom, she would kill them.

His features completely stoic, Nick fingered the edge of blade.

Satara was all but glowing with satisfaction. "Go on, love. Make me proud."

Nick paused his hand and looked up at her. "You know what, Satara? There's only one person I've ever given a shit about making proud." He gripped the knife tight in his fist. Pulling his sunglasses off, Tory gasped as she realized he had the same silver eyes as Acheron.

He met her gaze before he looked back at Satara who was smirking in pride.

"And that person was never you." The moment those words left his lips, he buried the dagger deep in Satara's stomach.

Satara stumbled back, gasping as she covered the wound. Blood flowed between her fingers. Her face was a mask of pain and disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"I'm embracing my fate." He snatched the keys from her pocket. Spinning around, he removed the thick silver bracelet from Tory's arm and let it fall to the floor where it landed with a loud thud.

Satara let out a shout for her brother as she ran for the door.

Nick threw the dagger at her fleeing form with a lethal aim. It slammed into her lower back and sent her straight to the ground.

Tory was too stunned to move as Nick opened the chains that held her arms in place. "Why would you help me?"

When he straightened up from freeing her feet, he pulled her shirt closed over her chest. Then he shrugged his jacket off and handed it to her. "Don't get me wrong, I hate Ash with every part of me and I will kill him one day, mark my words. But I don't have to imagine the pain he would feel if I tortured you. I live with that pain every fucking day because of him. I hear my mother's voice crying out for me to help her. To save her life while she was tortured and killed. And because of her, I'm a better man than Ash is. I won't let an innocent die to get back at him. You don't deserve to die any more than my mother did."

Tory shook her head, trying to understand him. "But you threatened me at Sanctuary."

"No, I only wanted to rattle him. I would never hurt a woman. My mama raised me better."

She looked to Satara's lifeless body.

Nick scoffed at the pity on her face. "She wasn't a woman, trust me. She more than deserved what I did and she's done a lot worse to others, including me. I ain't ever going to be a pawn to no one else again." He left her to pull the dagger out of Satara's back.

Tory followed him. "That's Atlantean, isn't it?"

He smiled evilly. "You make sure you tell Ash I have it."

Then he took her arm and hauled her toward the door.

The instant he cracked it open, she realized that they were in a room that led out into a great hall filled with demons and Daimons.

She shrank back as Nick gave a low curse.

"We can't go that way, can we?"

He shook his head. "Not unless you want to be eaten." He was just about to pull back when the impossible happened. The bolt hole in the center of the room opened.

It flared bright and gold.

And when it dulled Acheron and Urian stood there, defiantly facing the Daimons.

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