Talon smiled. "We're here for you, T-Rex. Just like you've always been here for us."

And to think he'd always thought of himself as alone. While he'd trained the Dark-Hunters and had fought with the Were-Hunters to help them, he'd never expected them to return the favor. "Thanks guys. I'm not used to people standing at my back." They'd always handed him over to his enemies or screwed him hard. It felt good to know he wasn't alone. "I know you all have families who love you so if you want to leave-"

Vane scoffed. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't want to. You and Val fought to save my sister when no one else would have bothered. I haven't forgotten it."

"And I haven't forgotten what the Dark-Hunters did for me and Maggie," Wren said sternly.

Fury nodded. "Yeah, we're family. Psychotic, bizarre and a hodgepodge of personalities that should probably never be blended, but here we are. Now let's go kick some ass."

Satara smiled cruelly at Nick as she faced him toward Tory. "Think about it, love. It's the perfect revenge, isn't it?"

Tory glared at the woman who had to be the most heartless of creatures. Someone really needed to give her a beating.

Satara left him to return to Tory's side. "I know she's not much to look at. But you can pretend you're screwing me." She stood directly behind Tory and reached around her to cup Tory's breasts for Nick's inspection. "Think of how much it'll kill Acheron to know you raped his woman while he was powerless to stop you. Think of the guilt and agony he'll live with every day, thinking of her crying and begging for mercy while there was no one to help her. Of her calling out for him when he couldn't be with her. It's the perfect revenge."

Tory shoved herself back against Satara and slammed her head into the woman's face. "You better be glad I'm tied up, you bitch."

Satara buried her hand in Tory's hair and snatched her head back. "It's time to gag you."

A cloth tie appeared around Tory's face.

Satara cut her shirt open with a gold-handled dagger. She trailed it against Tory's skin until she hooked the blade underneath Tory's bra. "C'mon, Nick. The little whore humiliated you in Sanctuary. Take your revenge on her and on Acheron."

He approached them slowly. Methodically.

Tory tried to scream through her gag, but no sound came. Terrified, she jerked on the chains and hated that she was so powerless to defend herself.

Satara sliced open her bra, spilling her breasts out. "She's all yours."

Nick took the knife from her hand.

Tory felt the tears of frustration stinging her eyes. How could any man worthy of the name do this to a woman? She would never hurt another being like this. The fact that Satara as a woman would orchestrate the rape of another made her the most repugnant of creatures.

And they better kill her after this, because once she had her freedom, she would kill them.

His features completely stoic, Nick fingered the edge of blade.

Satara was all but glowing with satisfaction. "Go on, love. Make me proud."

Nick paused his hand and looked up at her. "You know what, Satara? There's only one person I've ever given a shit about making proud." He gripped the knife tight in his fist. Pulling his sunglasses off, Tory gasped as she realized he had the same silver eyes as Acheron.

He met her gaze before he looked back at Satara who was smirking in pride.

"And that person was never you." The moment those words left his lips, he buried the dagger deep in Satara's stomach.

Satara stumbled back, gasping as she covered the wound. Blood flowed between her fingers. Her face was a mask of pain and disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"I'm embracing my fate." He snatched the keys from her pocket. Spinning around, he removed the thick silver bracelet from Tory's arm and let it fall to the floor where it landed with a loud thud.

Satara let out a shout for her brother as she ran for the door.

Nick threw the dagger at her fleeing form with a lethal aim. It slammed into her lower back and sent her straight to the ground.

Tory was too stunned to move as Nick opened the chains that held her arms in place. "Why would you help me?"

When he straightened up from freeing her feet, he pulled her shirt closed over her chest. Then he shrugged his jacket off and handed it to her. "Don't get me wrong, I hate Ash with every part of me and I will kill him one day, mark my words. But I don't have to imagine the pain he would feel if I tortured you. I live with that pain every fucking day because of him. I hear my mother's voice crying out for me to help her. To save her life while she was tortured and killed. And because of her, I'm a better man than Ash is. I won't let an innocent die to get back at him. You don't deserve to die any more than my mother did."

Tory shook her head, trying to understand him. "But you threatened me at Sanctuary."

"No, I only wanted to rattle him. I would never hurt a woman. My mama raised me better."

She looked to Satara's lifeless body.

Nick scoffed at the pity on her face. "She wasn't a woman, trust me. She more than deserved what I did and she's done a lot worse to others, including me. I ain't ever going to be a pawn to no one else again." He left her to pull the dagger out of Satara's back.

Tory followed him. "That's Atlantean, isn't it?"

He smiled evilly. "You make sure you tell Ash I have it."

Then he took her arm and hauled her toward the door.

The instant he cracked it open, she realized that they were in a room that led out into a great hall filled with demons and Daimons.

She shrank back as Nick gave a low curse.

"We can't go that way, can we?"

He shook his head. "Not unless you want to be eaten." He was just about to pull back when the impossible happened. The bolt hole in the center of the room opened.

It flared bright and gold.

And when it dulled Acheron and Urian stood there, defiantly facing the Daimons.

Still hidden behind the door with Nick, Tory blinked, then smiled at the sight of Ash standing tough and large in the middle of the Daimons. His stance said it all, I'm here to clean your house and I won't be merciful while doing it. Fuck with me and you'll be nothing more than your mama's bad memory.

His black hair was streaked through with dark red. The hem of his long, pirate style double breasted coat swung around those cherry red Doc Martens that he'd worn the night they first met. The ruby stud was back in his nose and for once she adored the sight of the sunglasses perched on his face.

Man, Acheron was hot and her heart raced in gratitude that he'd come for her.

The tall, blond man beside him was much more sedate in appearance. With a black button down shirt that was rolled back at his wrists and jeans, his clothes were plain in comparison. But he was almost as handsome with perfect features and white blond hair that he wore pulled back into a ponytail. She also didn't miss the fact that but for the blond hair, the man bore a remarkable resemblance to Stryker.

Like Stryker, he had a deadly air that was only surpassed by the one enveloping Ash.

"I thought Ash couldn't come here," she whispered to Nick.

"Apparently he's willing to end the world for you. You should be impressed. I am."

Her eyes widening, she definitely was. Why would Ash take such a risk?

And every demon and Daimon was frozen into place by his presence. Not a single word was said by the crowd outside. It was as if they were all holding a collective breath as they waited for Armageddon to begin.

All except Stryker who glared at the blond man beside Ash with an expression that was best defined as pained hatred. "You dare to stand with my enemy?"

"Against you, Father, I'd stand with Mickey Mouse."