"Yes, Bo-Peep. Chop chop. I have blood and entrails on my walls and it's staining the wallpaper."
Sam was stunned Ash let anyone talk to him like that.
Yet he seemed to take Nick's fit in stride. "I should have left you in the coma." He slammed his staff down and everything in the house went back to normal.
Nick licked at his fangs. "Thank you...Dick."
Ash ignored him as he moved to Sam.
She swallowed hard as Artemis and Apollo's words about him rang in her head. Acheron a whore...
In a weird way, she could see it. He did have the movements of a trained courtesan. Slow. Steady. A symphony of movement. Plus there was that unnatural sexual magnetism he put out. It was like a lion in the wild. Something so beautiful that you had an irresistible urge to pet it and yet you knew if you tried, it would tear off your arm.
Yeah, that was Acheron.
He picked up her hand and looked at her marked palm.
Dev moved to stand behind her.
Ash didn't speak for several long seconds. He met Sam's and then Dev's gazes. "How do you feel about this?"
Sam bit her lip. "I think it's more a question of how do you feel about it?"
Ash's hand actually trembled as he held hers. "I can't get your soul back, Sam. I can't. Artemis won't let me."
Her stomach hit the floor at his news. "You've done it for others."
He nodded. "I know, but things have changed and Artemis won't release anymore to me."
Fine, she didn't want to be human anyway. "Can't I be a Dark-Hunter and mated?"
Ash looked at Ethon and then Chi. "The rules were set in place for a reason. Artemis still owns you and she's a jealous goddess. If she finds out about this...you don't want to ever see her that angry. And honestly, I don't know what she'd do over this. But in the end, it's your decision. I can't make it for you."
Sam clenched her teeth. "You're sure you can't get my soul back?"
"I'm sure and I'm sorry."
Nick curled his lip at Ash. "You better be glad I'm a better friend to you than you ever were to me or I'd tell them exactly why you can't help her...Acheron. But I won't steal from you what you love. My mama raised me better."
Ash's swirling silver eyes blazed. "You know, Nick, but you don't understand. There's a big difference. You have no idea what the world is like when you're completely alone and unprotected in it. Pray to the gods that you never do. The one lesson I can't teach you...that neither Chi nor Takeshi can teach you is not to judge others so harshly. As you said, you're mama raised you better and you shame her memory every time you spit at me."
Nick bellowed in rage before he lunged for Ash.
Ash threw his arm out and held him back with an invisible force field. "One day, Cajun, you will have the power to destroy me. But that day isn't here yet." And with that, he vanished.
Nick was so angry, he shook from it. "You're all fools to blindly follow him when you don't know what he is."
Ethon shook his head. "You're wrong, Gautier. I know exactly what he is."
"Yeah?" Nick sneered. "And what is that?"
"My friend. That's all that matters to me."
Nick scoffed at him. "You're a fucking idiot, Stark. He was my friend too and he ruined me."
"For that I'm sorry. But until he betrays me, I owe him my loyalty." Ethon moved to stand by Sam. A sad smile hovered over his lips as he took her marked hand into his.
In that moment, she returned to the day she'd married Ioel. Ethon had been there then too. Standing by her side just as he was now.