Zarek looked up as a shadow fell over them.
It was a face he hadn't seen since the day he'd become a Dark-Hunter.
Artemis.
Her long auburn hair curled around her lithe, beautiful body. She wore a long, white dress and her green eyes glittered ominously in the dim light of the tunnel.
He held his breath, half-expecting her to kill him. No Dark-Hunter was ever allowed to be in the presence of a god.
Simi saw her and let out a terrible shriek. "Not her! The heifer goddess is going to kill me!"
"Shut up," Artemis snapped. "Believe me, I'd love to see you dead but if you die, I'll never hear the end of it."
Artemis picked her up in spite of her struggles.
She looked at Astrid and Zarek. "Have you judged him yet?"
Before Astrid could answer, the trapdoor behind them burst open.
Zarek cursed as he saw Thanatos coming through it.
He turned to order Artemis to take Astrid with Simi, but she'd already vanished.
He, alone, had to protect her.
Damn Artemis for this!
"Run!" he shouted at Astrid. He urged her toward the trapdoor that led into his cabin.
"What's happening?"
"Thanatos is here so unless you've got some god power that can kill him, run!"
"Where's Artemis?"
"She vaporized."
Astrid gave a disgusted look, then did as he said.
As Zarek helped her up, Thanatos reached them.
Zarek kicked him back.
"You're not going to escape me, Dark-Hunter. But then, it's not really you I'm after."
His blood running cold at those words, Zarek glanced down to see Thanatos's gaze locked on Astrid.
Thanatos licked his lips. "Vengeance is a dish best served cold."
Once Astrid was clear of the basement, Zarek dropped back down the ladder and began to pummel Thanatos. "We're in Alaska, dickhead. Here everything is cold."
Zarek slammed him back into the wall, then made a dash for the trapdoor.
Once he was in the cabin, he shut and locked the trapdoor. Zarek slid the wood-burning stove over it, then reached inside to remove the mink and her kits. The mother bit the crap out of him, but he didn't flinch.
As gently as he could, he put them in his backpack and rushed from the cabin.
Astrid was just outside his door.