The faint sounds of people screaming.
The fury inside his heart that demanded blood...
He winced as pain lacerated him. He hated his memories almost as much as he hated himself.
"One day someone needs to teach you some civility." Astrid turned and headed back toward the den.
"Yeah," he said, curling his lip. "Go tend your dog, princess. He needs you."
Zarek, on the other hand, didn't need anyone.
He never had.
With that thought in mind, he went to the room where he'd awakened.
Storm or no storm, it was time for him to leave.
He pulled his coat on over his bare chest and buttoned it. It too had been damaged by the gunshot and would leave his healing back exposed to the weather. So be it.
It wasn't as if he could freeze to death anyway. There were some advantages to immortality.
The hole would just make for a nice cool breeze to run down his spine until he could find more clothes.
After he was dressed, he headed for the door and did his best not to notice Astrid, who was on her knees in front of the warm fire, soothing and consoling her pet as she tended him.
The sight made him ache in a way he wouldn't have thought possible.
Yeah, it was time he got the hell out of here.
"He's leaving."
Astrid started at the sound of Sasha in her head. "What do you mean, he's leaving?"
"He's behind you right now, dressed and headed outside."
"Zarek?"
She was answered by the slamming of her door.
Zarek froze outside the door. Literally and figuratively. The bite of the wind was so harsh that it took his breath and sent a fierce shiver down his entire body.
It was so cold outside that he could barely move. The snow was falling fast and furiously, and was so dense that he couldn't see more than about an inch from the tip of his nose. Even his goggles had frozen.
No one sane would be out tonight.
So it was a good thing he was insane.
Grinding his teeth, he headed north. Damn, but it was going to be one long, miserable walk home. He only hoped he could make it to some kind of shelter before dawn.
If not, Artemis and Dionysus were going to be two happy gods in a few hours and old Acheron would have one less headache in his life.
"Zarek?"
He cursed as he heard Astrid's voice over the howling winds.
Don't answer.
Don't look.