They were seriously batting absolute zero with no pinch hitter in sight. Danger sighed heavily as they returned to her house. They'd spent the last few hours seeking out the Dark-Hunters in the area only to find out that most of them had an ax to grind with Acheron.

Granted, there were times she got a little annoyed with his vagueness too, but this was ridiculous.

They blamed him for being stuck in Mississippi (which she personally loved). It really wasn't a bad place to live. Granted it was hot in the summer, but there was a lot of beauty to be found here.

They also blamed him for not making their immortality better. Blamed him for all kinds of stuff that was basically their decision, not his.

Worse was the fact that she knew Acheron could read their minds. No wonder he didn't visit here more often. How could he continue to let Artemis use the Dark-Hunters against him while they cursed everything about him? That man had more fortitude than anyone she'd ever known.

Personally, she'd tell them all adios, and go find her own private paradise.

The fact that he didn't...

He was either a saint or a masochist.

Perhaps a little of both.

"I can't believe their gall," she said to Alexion as he shut her back door. "Who knew Squid had a death wish?"

Unlike her, he took it all with nihilistic stoicism. It was true, around others he was ice-cold and without any emotion at all. Their words didn't anger him the way they did her. He just stood there and listened while they railed.

Alexion shrugged as he turned the hall light on for her. "It happens more than you'd think. If I can save ten percent, it's a good night."

She didn't want a ten percent survival rate. She wanted one hundred percent. But Squid had thrown them out the minute they'd started talking about Acheron.

Thank God she'd been able to convince Alexion not to wear his white coat over there. There was no telling what the angry ex-pirate would have done to them if he'd suspected Alexion was the destroyer Kyros prophesied him to be.

Squid had completely refused to listen. Damn him for his stubbornness.

"You know, I think we need to work on your speech."

Alexion arched a brow. "What's wrong with my speech?"

She led the way into her living room. "Well, I think it was the 'or else' part that lost us Tyrell. Have you ever noticed that Dark-Hunters aren't exactly the 'or else' kind of guys? They're the kind who will do the opposite of what you want or bust a gut trying. They'll doom themselves just to spite you because you told them not to."

He frowned. "What would you have me say to them? 'Hi, I'm here to be your friend? Let's sit, have a cup of coffee, and chat?'"

She laughed at that image. Yeah, Alexion was definitely not the type to sit and "chat."

Then again, neither were the others. For the most part, the Dark-Hunters were beer-drinking, bar-brawling kind of men. They were far more likely to slug it out than talk.

"No," she said, sobering. "But you could try to be nicer to them."

That familiar droll look came over his face. "I don't need to be nicer to them. I just need to feel them out to see what side of the fence they're going to fall on. The only ones we need to worry about are the ones who are undecided. Tyrell may yet come around."

"I don't know. He had some very creative use of the language as he told you to go blow."

"Then again, he might be a tough sell."

She shook her head at him as she went upstairs to the media room to find Xirena asleep on the couch. There was no sign of Keller.

Danger pulled the cell phone out of her pocket and called him only to discover that he'd left a couple of hours ago and gone home to bed.

"Sorry to wake you. I was just worried. Night, Keller."

He wished her good night, then hung up.

Alexion moved to stand behind her. He leaned down ever so slightly so that he could just inhale her scent of magnolias and woman. His body jerked and fired in reaction, but then he tended to keep an erection in her presence. Everything about her fired his hormones.

And it wasn't just because he was horny.

There was more to his attraction to her than that. He liked her. But more than that, he respected her. She was an intelligent, courageous woman.

In short, she was a gem.

She stepped back, into his embrace, and leaned her head against his shoulder so that she could look up at him. Her eyes were dark and searching. Something in that look tore through him, making his heart pound.

Was she his savior or his downfall?

The thought of that terrified him. But she had made him live again when nothing else had. She had reawakened his emotions, made him care...

Most of all she'd made him crave.

In more than nine thousand years nothing had ever come so close to making him feel human. There were times when he was around her when he swore he could almost taste again. He wanted her to distract him.

Most of all, he wanted her to touch him.

He placed his hand against her cheek before he dipped his head down to kiss her. She moaned deep in her throat and sank her hand in his hair as she turned in his arms.

Alexion growled at the sweetness of her kiss as his heart raced out of control. Breaking away, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his bed.

He shouldn't be doing this again. Everything was going completely wrong with this mission and yet she made it all bearable. Somehow it didn't seem so bad with her here.

Danger sighed as he laid her down on the bed, then joined her. What was it about him that made her sizzle? Tonight had been a disaster, in more ways than one, and yet here with him it was okay.

It didn't make sense. She just wanted to be held by him, to have him chase away the entire world until there was nothing but the two of them. She'd never felt like this before.

She rose up to capture his lips as he began unbuttoning her shirt. He kneaded her breast with his hand, slow and gently. She nuzzled her cheek to his, loving the way his whiskers pricked her skin. It sent chills through her.

Unable to stand it, she jerked his turtleneck over his head so that she could run her hands over the taut muscles. She wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed him tight.

He laughed in her ear.

"You okay?" he whispered.

"Yes. But I want to eat you up."

He laughed again. "It's a good thing you're not a Charonte. Otherwise, I might be scared."

"Yeah, but I do have fangs..."

His answer was another deep, passionate kiss as he unfastened her bra. He pulled back to take her breast into his mouth. Danger arched her back as she delighted in the feel of his tongue pleasing her.

Wanting to taste him too, she rolled over and pinned him to the bed.

He looked at her quizzically as she pulled back and crawled down his body.

Alexion ground his teeth at the sight of Danger making love to him. She looked predatorial and wild, and it went through him like a hot lance. She smiled wickedly as she pulled his boots and socks off.

He started to sit up, only to have her push him back.

He'd never really liked for a woman to take control, but with Danger it was different. He enjoyed the way she looked as she reached for his fly. Lying back, he watched as she undid his pants and his cock sprang forward.

She hissed at the sight of him before she ran her smooth, cool palm from his base to his tip. It was an effort not to come from the sheer beauty of that alone.

Biting her lip, she slowly pulled his pants down his legs. Still she wouldn't let him sit up. She pushed him back again. "I want to look at you," she said insistently as she pulled the rest of her clothes off.

His heart pounded at the sight of her pale beauty. She was exquisite. She picked his foot up to rub the sole of it with tender care. Ripples of pleasure went through him, until she took a nip of the flesh there.

"You're killing me, Danger," he breathed raggedly.

"There's a reason why my people call it la petite mort."

Alexion was beginning to understand it exactly, especially when she took him into her mouth. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had touched him like this. But one thing was certain, he'd never enjoyed it as much as he did now.

Growling in satisfaction, he cupped her face with his hand as she gave him complete satisfaction.

Danger groaned at the salty taste of him. She really did want to devour him, but she had to be careful not to hurt him with her fangs. She craved the scent and taste of this man and she didn't even know why.

But she had to have more of him.

He sat up suddenly and withdrew from her. She was confused until he rolled her over, onto her back. He positioned himself with his knees at her shoulders, then spread her legs so that he could taste her as well.

Danger dug her heels into the bed as pleasure consumed her. There was something incredible about this mutual sharing. It touched her that Alexion wasn't content to just receive pleasure. He took his time making sure that she was every bit as satisfied as he was.

There were far too many men out there who couldn't care less about a woman. She was grateful he wasn't one of them.

Alexion wished he could taste her fully. He hated having his senses dulled. But even so there was no way to get around the fact that he adored this woman. Her hands clutched his buttocks while her tongue worked magic on him.

He wanted more of her. Pulling away, he switched positions again so that he could sink himself deep inside her. She hissed the instant he did and scoured his back with her nails.

He'd barely started thrusting before she came so fiercely that she almost threw him out. Alexion laughed in her ear as he took joy in the sound of her pleasured cries. It sounded as if she were singing.

Danger wrapped her body around his as he continued to thrust against her. Each thrust went through her, heightening her orgasm even more. She pulled his lips to hers and kissed him fiercely as he moved even faster. She loved the sensation of having him inside her. The intimacy of holding him like this. He was incredible.

She felt him tense an instant before he drove himself in deep then shuddered in her arms. Smiling, she held him close as his climax claimed him. When it was over, he collapsed on top of her and held her tight.

Danger brushed his hair back from his face as they lay there lost in the aftermath of their passion. It was quiet and still in the house. But her heart ached with the thought of his leaving her. All too soon he would be gone and her life would go on for eternity without him.

"Is there any way you'll ever be able to visit me after this assignment?"

He tensed. "No." She heard the regret in his tone.

"Why not?"

"Because even if I did, you wouldn't remember me." He pulled back to look down at her. "It's the way it has to be."

Tears gathered in her throat, but she refused to let him see them. "That's not fair to you. You can never make any friends."

"No, I can't. This is all I have." He sighed wearily. "It's all we have."

"I don't understand how you can be so nonchalant about it. Don't you ever get mad over these stupid rules?"

He looked away and yet she saw the hurt in his eyes. "No, Danger. I don't. Believe me, this is far better than the alternative. At least this way I have moments of muted happiness."

She turned his head so that he could look at her. "Tell me the truth, Ias."

He sighed wearily. "Yes, there are times when I would give anything to be able to have one chance at being normal again. To have one moment when I was human and could eat and feel. But I'm just grateful that I have this time with you right now. You make me feel almost human. At least closer to it than I have been in a long time."

She kissed his whiskered cheek, savoring the feel of his rough shadow against her lips. "I wish this could last."

"I know, but it reminds me of a term Acheron uses a lot."

"And that is?"

" 'Regret management'. You try to mitigate the regrets with the pleasure the moment brought to you."

"Does it work?"

Alexion snorted. "Not really. At least not for me. Although Acheron seems to do well with it. At least he appears to cope with his regrets most days."

She frowned. "What does Ash have to regret?"

"You'd be amazed."

"And what about you?" she asked, needing to know the answer. "What is your greatest regret?"

His gaze burned her with its intensity. "That you weren't born nine thousand years ago."

Tears welled in her eyes at words she'd never thought to hear from him or from any man. "I wish we'd met when we were both human," she whispered.

"Yeah, but you would have probably killed me then."

Huffing at him, she was offended by that. "How do you figure?"

His green eyes teased her. "You've stabbed me twice since we first met. That seems to be a bad record with me." He shook his head. "There must be something really wrong with me that all the women I love want to kill me."

Danger wasn't sure which of the two of them was most stunned by his words. "What?"

He pulled away immediately and started to get out of the bed.

Danger stopped him. "Talk to me, Ias."

"Don't call me, Ias, Danger. I'm not that man anymore."

"No, you're the man I let into my bed, and believe me, that's some feat. There haven't been many who've made it past my front door." She held him to her side even though he was trying to pull away. "Now you finish what you started."

"It doesn't matter what I feel. Or even what I think. Time is limited for both of us."

"No, Alexion, it matters to me. I want the truth from you. I deserve it."

Misery knitted his brow. "What good is the truth? Really? What good does it do us?"

But she didn't agree. She needed to know if he'd meant what he said. "Do you love me?"

He looked away and she had her answer.

Releasing him, Danger sat there with a knot in her throat as emotions swirled through her. She'd never thought to have another man say that to her. Never.

But what surprised her most was what she felt for him in return. It was warm and overwhelming and it filled her with both joy and fear.

She pulled him against her and laid her head on his shoulder. "I love you, too, Alexion."

She felt his jaw tic against her scalp.

"This is an impossible relationship. You know that, right?"

"I know," she breathed. "And when the time comes, I will kiss you on the cheek and bid you good-bye. I won't beg you to stay and I won't make this hard on you. I promise."

Alexion ground his teeth at her words. But that wasn't what he wanted.

He wanted...

Damn you, Acheron.

Most of all, he damned himself. Had he not been so stupid as to go to his wife so soon after making a pact with Artemis, he would still have a chance to be human again.

Acheron would be able to barter for his soul back...

Then again, had he not wanted to return to his wife so desperately, Acheron wouldn't have made the pact with Artemis that allowed Dark-Hunters to go free.

None of them would have a chance for freedom from her service. His life and soul had been sacrificed for a much greater good.

One day, Danger might be free again.

Without me...

It was true. For him there was no way out. No future that included Danger or any woman. Not that he wanted any other woman. She was the only one he would ever love. He knew it.

"I shouldn't have come here to save Kyros," he said in a hoarse tone. "Kyros is as good as dead and all I've done is make memories that can only serve to hurt in the centuries to come." But at least she wouldn't know regret. She wouldn't feel his pain.

He clenched his hand in her hair. "I'll be able to see you, I could even pass you on the street and you'll never know who or what I am. I'll be a stranger."

Tears swam in her dark eyes. "I don't want to forget you, Alexion. Ever."

"You have no choice. You know too much about Acheron now. He'll never allow you to keep your memories intact."

Anger snapped beneath her tears. "I don't care what he does. I won't forget you. Somehow I'm going to remember you, I know it. I don't care how powerful he is, he won't make me forget you."

He wished he could believe that, but he knew better.

"You need to get some sleep, Danger. We have a long night ahead of us."

She nodded. "Are you going to sleep too?"

"In a little while. You rest."

She released him to lie back on the bed. Alexion got up and dressed while thoughts and regrets whispered through him.

Pushing them aside, he went to see Xirena, who was still asleep on the sofa.

Her feet were propped up over the back while her head dangled off the side of it. One arm was flung over her head and lay against the floor while the other was crossed over her chest. Smiling at the Simi-like pose, he grabbed the blanket off the armchair and covered her up.

His time here in Mississippi had definitely been his oddest assignment.

But at least time was on his side. Stryker would think he still had the soul within him and that it was incapacitating him.

Until the time that Stryker expected the soul to die, the Daimon should leave them alone. It gave him a few days to make contact with the other Dark-Hunters to feel them out.

He would call the Dark-Hunter meeting in three days and then the fate of them all would be decided.

His thoughts drifted back to Kyros and he wanted to curse out loud at the injustice. Kyros was lost to him.

But I found Danger.

And in the end, he would lose them both.

Life did, indeed, suck.

"Keep an eye on Dangereuse."

Alexion froze as the soft, feminine voice whispered through his head. If he didn't know better, he would swear it was...

"Artemis?"

"The Daimon wants you dead. If he can't take you, he will take someone else."

Alexion swallowed at her dire tone. "Why are you helping me, Artie? I know you hate me."

"I'm not Artemis. I'm just a friend who doesn't want to see Stryker hurt anyone else."

"Then how do I defeat him?"

"To defeat the invincible you can never strike at them. You must always strike at their heart."

"I've tried striking at his heart. He's a little swift on his feet."

The voice said nothing.

"Hello?" Alexion asked, but she was gone.

"Great," he said, clenching his teeth.

Stryker was going to make a move on Danger and the only way to save her would be to strike at a god who had no heart whatsoever.

"Shit, we're screwed."