But it was Valerius who laughed hardest as he kicked the Daimon back and shrugged off his pain.
He caught Desiderius and slung him against the wall where he rebounded with a thud. "The question isn't what are you going to do with me. It's what I'm going to do to you."
Tabitha couldn't stand waiting any longer. But she wasn't completely stupid, either. Pulling out her cell phone, she called Acheron, who answered on the first ring.
"Hey, Tabby," he said with a laugh, "Valerius's cell is 204-555-6239."
"I really hate it when you do that, Ash."
"You know what you're going to hate even more?"
"I can't imagine."
"Turn around."
She did and found him standing on the other side of the bar. At six feet eight and wearing a pair of tall Goth boots that added a good three inches to his height, he was impossible to miss.
In spite of what he said, she felt a wave of relief at seeing him there. Hanging up her phone, she crossed the room to meet him. "What are you doing here?"
"I knew you were going to head off after Valerius and I'm here to go with you."
"Then you think he's in trouble, too."
"I know he is. Let's go."
Tabitha didn't ask him to elaborate. She knew him better than that. Acheron Parthenopaeus seldom ever answered anything. He lived life on his own terms and was eerily secretive about everything.
Ash led the way out of the club and into the street. Tabitha didn't know where they were headed, but he seemed to know instinctively.
"I have a really bad feeling," she said to Ash as they practically ran down the street.
"So do I," he said, ducking into an open gate. Tabitha followed him inside, then skidded to a halt as she caught sight of the most incredible thing she'd ever seen in her life.
Valerius fighting. He held a sword in each hand as he fought off four Daimons who lunged and parried with consummate skill of their own. It was fluid, violent, and morbidly beautiful.
Spinning about, Valerius caught one of the blond Daimons with an uppercut that tore through his chest, piercing the dark spot over their hearts where the human souls gathered. It caused the Daimon to explode into a golden powder.
Ash joined the fight by catching two of the Daimons with a staff. He drove them away from Valerius, allowing the Roman to concentrate on the other Daimon.
Tabitha took a step forward only to feel something cold and evil brush up against her.
"Predictable," came that sinister, haunting voice again.
A flash of something sizzled past her, heading toward Acheron.
One moment Ash was piercing a Daimon with his staff and in the next, he was on his knees as Valerius killed his own Daimon.
The second Daimon Ash had been fighting moved to stab Ash, only to have his blow intercepted by Valerius, who kicked the Daimon back, then killed him.
Tabitha ran to Ash, who was on the ground, hissing as he held his arm as if it were broken.
"Simi," he panted. "Human form. Now!"
The large dragon tattoo on Ash's forearm peeled itself off his skin into a dark red shadow that quickly transformed into the demon Tabitha knew so well.
"Akri?" Simi asked as she caught Ash's head. "Akri, what hurts?"
Tabitha knelt down beside them and tried to see Ash's arm. It was literally turning into stone, only it wasn't growing hard. His skin was turning a grayish-white color and it was spreading up his arm, toward his shoulder.