That didn't make sense to her. He was real. He had flesh and form. "But you-"
"I'm not in a human body, Danger." He looked down at himself with an anguished grimace. "This form that you see, that you touch, has an expiration date on it. In a few days, I have to return to my realm or perish completely. Acheron is afraid that if the Dark-Hunters ever learned that they could be spared the torment, they would become more reckless and not fear death. But believe me when I say there are things out there far worse than dying."
"Such as?"
The misery in his eyes singed her, and when he spoke, she knew it was from personal experience. "Living out eternity alone with no hope of release. You have no idea how lucky you Dark-Hunters are that in the back of your mind is always the knowledge that one day you might go free again. You still have your hope."
Danger's throat drew tight at his words. He had been one of them once. He was the whole reason they had an out clause at all. If not for him, Artemis would never have made provisions for the rest of them. How awful to know that you had given such an incredible gift to others that was now forbidden to you. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you."
He looked confused by her apology.
"You should have told me you were a former Dark-Hunter."
"Why does it matter?"
"It matters," she said, lightly stroking his arm. "If you're telling me the truth and I'm sure that you are, then I know Stryker was lying."
His face went pale at the mention of the Daimon's name. "Stryker? The Daimon?"
"You know him?"
Alexion cursed. He looked up at the ceiling. "Acheron! If you can hear me at all, get your ass here right now, boss. We've got a serious problem."
When nothing happened, he cursed again. "Acheron!"
"What is going on?" Danger asked.
Alexion looked ill. "I don't even know where to begin explaining to you how fucked we are if Stryker is here and Acheron isn't."
"He's just a Daimon."
"No," he said, in a deep warning tone, "he's a god, a very vicious one who hates Acheron with an unreasoning mind."
Now that didn't sound promising at all. Fear swelled inside her. If someone as powerful as Alexion was afraid of this guy, then there was definitely something to fear. "Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?"
No, he looked all too earnest and that left her cursing too.
Alexion shook his head like someone trying to shake off an annoying insect. "Simi," he snapped. "Stop watching me and go get akri. I need him."
Barely five seconds later, Danger heard a voice that made her sigh in relief.
"Danger? Alexion?" Acheron said from her hallway.
"Thank goodness," she said, moving toward the door.
"No!" Alexion snapped as she reached for the knob. He ran at her and knocked her back at the same time the door splintered. Pieces of it rained all over the room.
Danger's eyes widened in numbed terror as she saw what appeared to be a demon of some sort entering the room. Completely bare except for a small black loincloth, it had deep, dark green skin marbled with black. Probably no taller than four feet, it flew into the room with a pair of large black, oily-looking wings. It held glowing yellow eyes that stared at them with open hatred. The dual set of fangs flashed as it hissed at Alexion.
Danger gulped. "Please tell me that's the Simi person you've been calling."
The creature arced toward the ceiling as if it were preparing to swoop down and attack them.
Alexion's green gaze mirrored the horror she felt. When he spoke, the words went through her like hot shrapnel. "It's definitely not Simi."
Alexion stared in complete stupefaction of the Charonte demon as it flew at them. Where the hell had it come from? Simi was supposed to be the last of her kind, and yet there was no denying that this demon was a Charonte. Nothing else on this earth or beyond looked like that.