Ash inclined his head to him and stepped away as he cuddled the baby demon to his chest.
Wulf went back to the car to get Kat, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Kat?" he called. "Kat?"
"What's wrong?" Talon asked as he and the others joined Wulf by the car.
"Did you see the woman I was with?"
They shook their heads.
"What woman?" Talon asked.
Wulf frowned. "She's six feet four and blond. She couldn't have just van-" He paused as he rethought that statement. "Never mind, she's one of the few people who could have just gone poof."
"Is she your wife?" Kyrian asked.
"No, she's one of Artemis's handmaidens who's been helping us."
Ash scowled at that. "Artemis doesn't have a kori taller than her. Believe me. She doesn't let any woman look down on her. Literally."
Wulf looked at him as a feeling of dread went through him. "I hope you're wrong. Because if you're not, then Kat was working with Stryker all this time and is most likely off to tell him about our surprise party."
Ash cocked his head slightly as if listening for something. "I don't even sense her. It's as if she doesn't exist."
"So what do you think?" Kyrian asked.
Ash picked his baby up as she started kicking him in the groin and moved her to his hip. The baby played with his braid, then started chewing it.
Wulf furrowed his brow. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that baby had fangs.
"I don't know what to think," Ash said, pulling his hair away from the baby, "Kat bears the description of an Apollite or Daimon."
"But she walks in daylight," Wulf added.
Zarek cursed. "Don't tell me there's another Day-Slayer loose."
"No," Acheron said firmly. "I know for a fact Artemis hasn't created one. She wouldn't dare. At least not at the moment."
"What's a Day-Slayer?" Talon asked.
"You don't ever want to know," Julian answered.
"Yeah," Zarek concurred. "What he said, times a hundred."
"All right, then," Wulf said, heading for his house. "Let me get my things and we'll be on our way."
As he walked off, he saw Talon move to stand beside Ash. "This is the part where you normally say if everyone does what they're supposed to, everything will work out as it's meant to. Right?"
Acheron's face was impassive. "Normally, yes."
"But?"
"We're dealing with something greater than the Fates tonight. All I can honestly say is it's going to be one hell of a fight."
Wulf laughed at that as he left hearing range. That was okay by him. Fighting was the one thing he and his people excelled at.
They arrived at the Inferno just before midnight. Oddly enough, the bar was completely empty of patrons.
Dante met them at the door, dressed in black leather. He didn't have his vampire teeth in, and he looked extremely angry.