Dream Warrior (29 page)

“For that, my goddess, I would worship you forever.”

Laughing, she got up and followed him to her room.

He looked around at all the white lace and other frilly things that made this room uniquely hers. “You know this place is
really
girly.”

She hesitated. “You want me to redecorate?”

“No,” he said, dissolving his clothes and concealing his wings into his back so that he could slide into bed. “I love the fact that everything in here smells like you.”

She picked up a corner of her comforter and sniffed it. “No, it doesn't. I don't smell.”

He smiled at her offended tone. “You don't stink, but your scent is all over everything, and that's why I don't want anything changed. I love the way you smell. It comforts me. Now come to bed and let me hold you.”

She stiffened and so did he. “Is that an order?”

“No,” he said with a tired yawn, “it's the sound of me begging.”

“You're really out of practice with that.”

He smiled. “True.”

Naked, Delphine snuggled up to his back and wrapped her arms around him. In all his life no one had ever held him like this. Even as tired as he was, he reveled in the comfort of her love.

“I'm scared, Jericho,” she whispered in his ear, “and I'm not used to coping with fear.”

“It's all right. I'm not used to coping with love and trust.” He took her hand into his and kissed her pale, unscarred knuckles. “We can be the blind leading the blind.”

Delphine squeezed his hand. “But as long as we're together…”

“Nothing will ever touch us. You are all that matters to me, my angel, and I would walk through hell just to touch your face.”

“And I would walk through hell just to bring you food.”

Jericho laughed. “Good, 'cause when I wake up, I'm going to be starving.”

“I'll have something waiting for you. What would you like?”

He rolled over and pulled her against him. “You naked in my bed. That's all the sustenance I'll ever need.”

CHAPTER 17

Jericho stood on top of the mountain where he'd once looked out, expecting to die. He remembered that day so clearly. The sunset was still the same shade of fire opal.

For Delphine, he'd laid down his arms and resigned himself to Zeus's punishment. Today, he could think of no better place to declare himself hers than here where it had all begun.

He turned to find her by his side, dressed in a white flowing gown with flowers in her pale hair. Even though gods and goddesses didn't have weddings the way humans did, he wanted to do something special for her.

“You have given me my life back,” he said as he took her hand.

She kissed his scarred knuckles. “It seems only fair since I wouldn't have had one at all had you not found your heart and spared me.”

Who would have ever thought that one single act of kindness would lead him to this path?

Lead him to her?

Unable to tell her what was inside him, he went down on one knee.

Delphine was stunned by Jericho's actions. Dressed in his black armor, he looked up at her with those dual-colored eyes. His white hair ruffled by the breeze, he was breathtakingly handsome.

“I haven't much to offer you, my lady. But I pledge myself to you. Always.”

Tears clouded her eyes. “That's not true, Jericho. You have a lot to offer.”

“And that is?”

“All that is good in my life is because of you. And I swear by your mother Styx, that I will
never
harm you. That I will
never
betray you.”

“And I swear on my mother that every day you live you will know just how much you mean to me.”

Delphine smiled. “Good, because it was hard enough to survive this courtship. I shudder at what I'd have to endure to fall in love with someone else.”

He arched a brow at that. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” She knelt down in front of him. “Now give me a kiss and show me your sincerity.”

He laughed deep in his throat. “Lady, take me to your bed and I'll show you a lot more than just my sincerity.”

“Well, in that case…” She flashed them back to her room where they could lie naked in her bed.

After all, vows meant nothing without consummation.

*   *   *

Nike paused as she entered Madoc's office. The Oneroi was alone, staring out the windows, to the sea.

“Is there something you need?” he asked without turning toward her.

“Yes. I remembered something that I heard while I was in Azmodea.”

That succeeded in making him swivel around to face her. “And that was?”

“One of our gods feeding Noir information about us.”

“Your brother Zelos.”

“No,” she said with conviction. “I know his voice and I know the one I heard. But I couldn't place it.”

“Then how do you know it's one of us?”

“Because he wanted to take Zeus's place and have Aphrodite as his bride.”

Madoc frowned. “But you can't recall who it was?”

“No, and I've tried repeatedly. Noir isn't giving up on us, and I can't shake this terrible feeling that something bad is headed our way.”

Madoc laughed. “Something bad is always headed our way.” He offered her a kind smile. “Don't worry, Nike. We have victory on our side.”

A chill went down her spine at that. Madoc was hiding something. She could feel it. “Then I'll leave you to your duties.”

Madoc watched as she left him alone. They had won this round. The Skoti and Zeth were returned to their fold. He was freed and they had Jared once again in their corner and Jericho hadn't been turned.

But like Nike, he felt the rift and it chilled him. They had established a new order, but for how long?

Zeus and the others would be plotting along with Noir and Azura.

Sighing, he looked back out at the raging sea. Right now, he had no doubt it was going to get bloodier before all the wounds were healed. His only question was who, if any of them, would survive?

CHAPTER 18

Jericho paused on the corner of St. Ann and Royal as he and Delphine waited for Acheron to join them. What the hell was going on?

It'd been eerily quiet for days now as they waited for Noir's next attack. They knew it was coming, and it hung over all of them like a pall.

But even so, he took comfort in knowing that Delphine was willing to stand by his side and meet whatever came his way.

“What are you doing here?”

He turned at the sound of Jared's voice, surprised to see him in New Orleans. It'd been the first time he'd seen the Sephiroth since they left Kalosis.

“We're waiting on Ash,” Delphine answered. “What are
you
doing here?”

Jared indicated a couple over his shoulder. “Demon-sitting.”

Delphine frowned as she saw a Charonte female with long black hair dressed as a human goth in a short skirt, corset and striped leggings, with another demon dressed as a steampunk. The female would almost pass for human except for the small pair of red horns on top of her head.

Like the Charonte, the male demon's hair was black—a mop of dreads with a pair of goggles buried deep in them. He had a small goatee and black fingerless gloves that jutted out from the sleeves of his oversized coat. But the most peculiar thing was a pink bunny strapped to one hip by his belt and a mutated teddy bear strapped to the other.

Yeah, they were odd-looking, no doubt.

And they were eating double-scoop ice cream and window shopping like two college students who didn't have a care in the world. At least until the male got a dab of ice cream on his nose. Laughing, the female wiped it off, then licked her fingers.

“Do I want to know?” Delphine asked.

“Not really. But as long as they're not eating the tourists or natives, it's a good thing and I'm not complaining.” Jared inclined his head to the street behind them. “There's Ash.”

Delphine turned to see him striding alone down the dark street with a black leather backpack slung over his shoulder. His long black coat billowed out from his black jeans and “Raised by Bats” T-shirt to show off his burgundy Doc Martens. Yes, Delphine was in love with her husband and considered him the best-looking man in the universe, but there was something about Ash that made a woman take note.

Ash pulled a pocket watch out to check the time as he joined them.

“What are we doing here?” Jericho asked.

Ash tucked the watch back into his pocket. “We're waiting.”

That didn't seem to appease Jericho. “For?”

A liquid-silver Jaguar XKR came flying up the street to make a sharp turn. It slammed on the brakes and skidded into a parking space behind a black truck on the side of the street a few feet in front of them.

Now that was impressive. It landed in a perfect position, just inches off the truck's bumper. The only way Delphine could have duplicated that would have been to use her powers.

As if on cue, the door opened. A tall, insanely handsome dark-haired man with jet-black eyes rolled out of the car into the street. But that wasn't what made her take notice of him. It was the double bow and arrow mark on his cheek.

That was the sign of a Dark-Hunter.

And as the man joined them, Delphine felt the power and the hatred that was ingrained in him. Rarely had she felt its equal. This man … held some of the rawest abilities she'd ever come across.

He cast a barely tolerant glare at Acheron before he gave Jared a nasty once-over.

“Why am I here, Rex?” His voice thick with a Cajun drawl, he rolled the last word out like a barbed insult.

Ignoring it, Acheron scowled at the car. “Damn, boy, how lazy are you? Why didn't you walk? We're only a few blocks from your house.”

He rolled his shoulders in a casual, yet irritating, shrug. “I like my car.”

Ash rolled his eyes. “Jericho. Delphine. I thought you might want to meet the asshole you're helping to protect. Nick Gautier, this is Jericho and his wife, Delphine.”

Jericho choked in surprise. “
This
is the Malachai?”

Ash grinned wickedly. “In all his pain in the ass glory.”

Nick glowered at Ash. “Are we through now, Dad? Can I go play with my friends if I promise to be a good boy? I'll even try and make it home by curfew.”

Ash laughed evilly. “Oh, absolutely, son. In fact, here come your new playmates now.”

Delphine turned as a deep-throated Hayabusa roared down the street with a sound that was all power and speed. It parked just in front of the truck, blocking it in, followed by a Lamborghini Muerciélago, and another Gixxer Hayabusa parked in front of it.

Delphine crossed her arms over her chest as the helmets came off to show one incredibly sexy woman with insanely curly brown hair. Granted, Delphine wasn't attracted to other women, but she had to admit the woman was absolutely stunning. Her biker outfit only accentuated her long, slender limbs, and she had a walk that said she'd kick the ass of anyone dumb enough to cross her path in the wrong direction.

After unzipping her jacket to show off her blood-red tank top, she put on a pair of opaque Versace sunglasses.

The other bike was ridden by a man with short black hair and a thin beard trimmed in sharp angles that reminded Delphine of Tony Stark's in
Iron Man.
Bulging with muscles, he had a swagger that said he took no shit from anyone over anything. A small row of hoops ran up his left ear and his arms were covered with colorful tattoos.

The Lamborghini was driven by a lethal-looking man with long, straight blond hair that he wore scraped back into a ponytail. Much leaner than the brunette, he still had an aura that said he was willing to take out anyone he viewed as an enemy.

Delphine had been around warriors and gods all of her life, but never had she seen anything to equal the badass attitudes of this group.

They joined rank like a pack of feral lions ready to patrol the jungle. No, not patrol …

Conquer.

Ash introduced them as they joined their small group. “Guys, meet Samia, the fiercest Amazon warrior in her tribe.”

The woman inclined her head to them.

“The huge mountain is Blade. He was the most bloodthirsty warlord in Mercia.”

Blade didn't acknowledge them in the least. He looked more like he was sizing them up for body bags.

Ash indicated the tall blond. “Ethon is from ancient Athens. He single-handedly fought off an entire Spartan brigade. For a thousand years after he died, his name was the equivalent to the bogeyman in ancient Sparta.”

Ethon flashed a charming smile. “All in a good day's work. So who am I here to kill now?”

“Down, boy. I have other plans for you.”

Ethon curled his lip as if he were in pain. “Damn it, Acheron. Don't tell me you've finally released me from hell to not kill something. That's just wrong.”

Ash patted him on the arm. “Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get your chance to maim and slay soon.” He jerked his chin toward another man headed their way.

Delphine turned and sucked her breath in sharply at the latest warrior to join them. A bit shorter than the others, he was Asian and every bit as devastating and lethal.

“Raden,” Ash said as he joined them. “A trained Shinobi who never quite learned how to come down from a blood high.”

“Why should I? Blood always tastes best when it's warm.”

Delphine arched her brow at that. By his tone and the way he licked his fangs, she didn't think he was joking.

Ash ignored his comment. “Tafari, Roman, Cabeza and Kalidas will be joining us later.”

“Roman,” Samia spat. “Are you out of your mind?”

Ash went cold and cast a look at her that was even deadlier than the assembled crew. “You will play nice and stay back from him or so help me, Sam … you won't like the repercussion.”