"Yeah well, that particular curiosity is likely to get you cold-cocked."
His features softened as if the thought amused him. "I suppose even painful contact with that area is better than none at all."
Her jaw dropped in disbelief. "What?"
He gave her a wicked grin to let her know that he was teasing her again. "You have to forgive me if my social skills are a bit rusty. I don't interact with others much."
"No?"
"No."
She considered all of his disclosures. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who confided in others easily and that made her wonder how she got to be so lucky. "So you don't eat. You don't interact. What do you do?"
Once again, he didn't answer-an action that reminded her much of Acheron and his vagueness whenever someone asked him a personal question.
Instead, Alexion walked away from her.
Danger wasn't willing to let this go. She followed him down the hallway.
Halfway down, he stopped. He had his eyes closed and his head tilted as if he were listening to something. It was a very Ash-like pose.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Do you hear that?"
She listened for a few seconds, but all she could hear was her own heart beating. "Hear what?"
He didn't respond. "Someone's watching us."
Danger went cold with dread as she turned around slowly, searching every corner of her house with her gaze. "Who? Where?"
"I don't know. But I can feel it."
He could feel it. Well, that just explained it all, didn't it?
Danger let out a tired breath. "Maybe you're just overworked."
"Acheron?" he called out loud.
Danger frowned, half expecting Acheron to make one of his surprising appearances in her house.
He didn't.
It was just the two of them, standing there in her hallway, looking for ghosts in the shadows. Oh yeah, this was so comforting. Like a porcupine in a condom factory. She fully expected something to jump out of the walls at them.
Alexion swore under his breath before he walked away from her, into her living room. He stood in the center and looked around.
"Artemis," he growled, "I summon you to human form."
Part of her waited expectantly to see if Artemis would really show. After a few minutes and no miraculous goddess appearance, she realized he was full of crap. "Artemis can't come here. Remember? I have no soul and the gods won't come near us because of that."
"No," he said from between clenched teeth. "The Greek gods can be around you if they want to, they just don't because most of them are assholes. As for Artemis, she won't come because she's getting back at me by not responding."
"Back at you for what?"
"Oh, there's a multitude of reasons for why she hates me." He glowered up at the ceiling. "I swear, Artemis, this isn't the way to endear yourself to me." He shook his head in disgust. "Simi's right, you really are a heifer-goddess."
"Who is Simi?" she asked again.