She frowned at him as he stepped away from her. "What are you doing?"
"I was going to head back."
"Don't leave me, Val. Please."
He brushed a tender hand down her cold cheek and nodded. He kept his hands on her shoulders and in truth she needed to feel his touch as she knocked on the door.
Her father answered it, his face grim. His dour look lightened and tears filled his eyes as he saw her and pulled her up into a rib-crushing embrace. "Thank God at least you're all right. Your mother has been out of her mind with fear for you."
She hugged him back. "I'm okay, Daddy, so's Amanda and Kyrian."
Her father released her, then narrowed his eyes on Valerius. "Who are you?"
"He's my boyfriend, Daddy, please be nice to him."
Kindness was the last thing Valerius expected, so when her father held a hand out to him, he was stunned.
Valerius shook it and then was led into a house that was packed full of the Devereaux clan.
And as he stepped into the living room, Valerius felt something he'd never felt in all his life.
He felt like he'd come home.
Ash entered Artemis's temple on Olympus without any preamble. In the middle of the large main room, which was surrounded by columns, she reclined on a white throne that looked more like a chaise longue.
Her koris, who had been singing and playing lutes, immediately rushed from the room and as one rather tall blond kori ran past him, he paused and turned to look after her.
"What are you doing here?" Artemis asked, and for once her tone was hesitant.
He turned back toward her and shifted the backpack on his shoulder. "I wanted to thank you for what you did tonight, but as I considered that, it dawned on me that you have never once in eleven thousand years done anything for me for free. The sheer fear factor of that realization alone has made me come seeking you. So what gives?"
Artemis wrapped her arms around herself as she sat on her white throne. "I was worried about you."
He laughed bitterly at that. "You never worry about me."
"I do, too. I called and you didn't answer me."
"I almost never answer you."
She looked away, reminding him of a cringing child who had been caught doing something wrong.
"Spill it, Artemis. I have a lot of crap to clean up tonight and don't want you on top of it."
She took a deep breath. "Very well, it's not like I can keep it from you."
"Keep what from me?"
"A new Dark-Hunter was born tonight."
His blood ran cold at that. Literally. "Damn you, Artemis! How could you do this?"
She came off her throne ready to battle. "I had no choice."
"Yeah, right."
"No, Acheron. I had no choice."
As she spoke, his mind connected with hers and the images of her and Nick went through him.