Free Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page B

was starting to wear on his nerves. “Would you stop acting like a third-rate Oracle and spit everything out so that it makes sense.” ’Cause right now, he had no idea why Zarek had her bound up like a Christmas goose, and he was too tired to keep chasing answers.
    “Glad to. In order to set everything back to normal and stop the hell to come, Choo Co La Tah has to go to the Valley and offer up a sacrifice of the one who killed Old Bear.” He passed a wry grin to the woman. “That’d be you, sweet cheeks.”

 
     
    6
     
    Jess gaped while Abigail backed away at Zarek’s dire words, but she couldn’t go far. Zarek threw up his hand to hold her in the hallway next to them. Even before he’d married a goddess, Zarek had held some impressive telekinetic powers. Nowadays, they were downright sick.
    He gave Zarek a disbelieving stare as he digested his orders to kill her. “You’re telling me that Acheron, my boss, the really tall Atlantean pain in most of our asses, actually authorized the killing of a human?”
    Zarek shrugged. “I can see your confusion. It is highly out of character for him. But since she’s been killing off Hunters  … I guess he figures it’s tit for tat. Or maybe he’s just having a really bad day.”
    “You’re seriously not joking?”
    Zarek let out an irritated growl. “Really? How many more times are you going to ask me that? I could be on a beach right now with my wife, son, and daughter, baking in the sun while they frolic and play. Am I? No. I’m here, and I want nothing more than to yank you around with bullshit ’cause this gets me off more than my wife running in a bikini.”
    Jess counted to ten before he let Z rile him. That was the thing about Zarek. The man had a short fuse, and Jess’s wasn’t all that far behind his. Not that he blamed Z for it. As bad as Jess’s childhood had been, it was a picnic in paradise compared to what Z had suffered.
    Still, those orders were so contrary to what they normally were that he couldn’t wrap his head around it. Acheron profaned hurting humans in any way. Why would he be okay with it now?
    That alone told him just how scary this whole thing was. Playtime was over.
    Jess removed the gag from Abigail’s lips. No need in making this worse on her. He expected her to shriek and curse. At the very least, head-butt him again and fight.
    Instead, she was remarkably calm, given the fact she’d just heard Zarek call for her death. “You are not sacrificing me  … to anything,” she said between clenched teeth.
    Zarek scoffed. “You started this, babe. The choice is simple. Either you die alone, nobly like a good sport, or the entire world dies with you, which I don’t think they’d appreciate much. So put on your big-girl pants and own up to what you and your stupidity caused. It’s Joe Versus the Volcano time.”
    He folded his arms over his chest. “But in the end, I don’t give a shit what you do. With the exception of the cowboy there and my family, I hate people with a passion that makes your feelings for Jess look like a schoolgirl crush. Lovely thing about my current situation, I’m truly immortal. You annihilate humanity and the world  … I’m still good. So whatever you decide, it won’t affect me personally. I would say you’re the one who’ll have to live with the guilt. But either way, you’re dead. Whatever. I delivered my message. My job here is done, and I need to get back to the one that I’m still not sure how I let them talk me into doing—which is even weirder and scarier than the Dark-Hunter gig.” He turned his attention to Sundown. “Jess, call me if she wusses, and I’ll make sure you survive the holocaust.” He vanished.
    “Thanks, Z,” Jess called after him. “Always nice chatting with you.”
    Now what should he do? Really  … it was the kind of thing that even his vast and varied experiences had never prepared him for. Yes, he’d dealt with Daimon outbreaks galore. A run-amok