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 I really don t want to go inside that house. Hex began pacing,
his fingers clenching and relaxing at his sides.
Echo stepped in front of the alpha to halt him.  I think it s time for
some go-go juice.
It didn t take long for Echo to go around the group, recycling and
redoubling the demons powers. He reached Syx last, unsure what to
do. Maybe he should give Syx some of the others powers?
Syx chuckled and kissed his forehead.  Don t worry about me,
sweetheart.
Echo shrugged. Right. Like he wasn t going to worry.
 Hey. Syx slipped his fingers under Echo s chin and tilted his
head up.  Look at me.
Echo did and yawned immediately.  I feel sleepy.
The Hunger 69
Chapter Eight
 Why am I sleeping? Echo glared at the goddess, Athena.  This
is bullshit! Send me back!
 I did not do this to you, young one.
 Syx, Echo snarled. He should have known. Just wait until he got
his hands on the asshole!  You can still send me back. They need my
help.
 Yes, they do. More than they realize.
 You can say that again, Echo scoffed.  If I ask you some
questions, are you going to be all mystical and vague?
Athena arched an eyebrow at him and smirked.  It would depend
on what questions you ask.
Echo shrugged. As long as he had the goddess there, he might as
well try and get some answers.  Why did I die?
 To fulfill your purpose, she responded immediately.
Yep, they were going to play solve-the-puzzle.  And what
purpose would that be?
 To win the war.
Echo growled. Maybe if he changed the wording a bit, he d get
better results.  So, you knew I would die? Why did Ares kill me?
 So that you would not fulfill your purpose.
Echo had never wanted to throttle anyone more in his life.  Why
doesn t Ares just strike us all down and be done with it?
 He cannot. Athena actually laughed at this.  Father has bound
his powers.
 So, he s not a god anymore?
70 Gabrielle Evans
 Oh, he is still very much a god and will not be easily defeated.
He may materialize wherever he chooses, or switch forms between
man and wolf. No more.
 That explains why he s building an army and why he d need to
steal the money to fund it. Echo tapped his chin as he thought it over.
Things were finally starting to come together. He still felt like he was
missing something, though. Something dangling just outside of his
reach.  Why does he want to go to war in the first place?
 To prove himself and regain Father s favor.
 I thought he hated Zeus and vice versa.
 You should not put so much faith in human fairytales of the
gods.
 Fair enough. Echo paced in the grass.  What part does Hades
play in this war? We ve all agreed that it doesn t make sense that he
would be the one to issue these challenges.
Something flashed across Athena s face too quickly for Echo to
identify it.  You will have the answers you seek when the time is
right.
 What about their eyes? Why are my mates eyes changing
color?
 The eyes are the windows to the soul, and only love will set you
free.
 Did you really just quote clichés at me?
Athena laughed, the same tinkling laugh she d had when Echo
knew her only as the Oracle.  It is time to wake up, my dear Echo. I
do enjoy our visits, but your warriors need you. Remember, she said
as she began to fade away,  true evil lurks in the shadows, too afraid
to face the light. Then she was gone, and Echo was slammed back
into his body.
With a quiet snarl, he flipped his eyelids open and bolted upright
into a sitting position. Scanning his surroundings, he found Mac
passed out on the ground beside him, but no one else in sight. Surely
his men hadn t just left them there, asleep and defenseless.
The Hunger 71
 Damn it, a voice growled to his left, and Echo jerked around
just in time to see two huge men step through the trees. He jumped to
his feet, positioning himself between Mac and the newcomers,
preparing to fight in their defense.
 I thought Syx said they d sleep for a few hours? the other guy
asked.
 He did. This fucking blows.
 Who are you? Echo demanded.
 Echo, calm down, the first guy said.  You don t remember me
from your party? I m Jason.
Flipping through his mental Rolodex, Echo tried to drudge up a
memory of the man.  This is your mate, Oliver, he answered slowly.
 You re from the coyote pack, right?
Jason smiled and nodded.  We re supposed to keep an eye on you
two until your mates come back.
 Well, I m sorry, but I don t intend to make your job easy. Echo
tilted his head to the side.  Is the rest of the pack here?
 Just the sentinels, Oliver answered.  We came to recover our
alpha.
 Well, I came to recover my friends and make sure that my men
don t end up dead. Echo looked over his shoulder at Mac.  Keep him
safe. Before either man could argue with him, he turned and sprinted
through the trees, using his newfound strength to push him faster than
he d ever run before.
They called after him, but no footsteps followed, so Echo slowed
when he burst through the tree line. A large, two-story house sat in the
middle of the clearing. Craze was right. It did look very similar to
their home.
Keeping close to the trees, Echo crept around to the back of the
house, searching for a way inside. He didn t know how long he d
been asleep, but judging from the sun s position in the sky, it had
been at least half an hour. How far would his mates have made it in
72 Gabrielle Evans
that time? Was it enough time for them to find the others and get out?
If so, where were they?
He didn t have to wait long for answers. He d taken two steps
away from the shadows when the double doors of the cellar burst
open, banging loudly against the cement surrounding them. Gage had
Sony thrown over his shoulder when he appeared, and Echo breathed
a sigh of relief. The werewolf sprinted toward him, Jet and Pax
following closely behind, both carrying identical bundles in their
arms.
Jason and Oliver raced into view just as Gage reached Echo. The
werewolf only spared him a passing glance as he rushed past him to
deposit Sony in Jason s arms.  Keep him safe, Gage ordered then
turned back toward the house.
Echo shoved past the shifters and ran with Gage.  Where are my
mates?
 Fighting, Gage bit out.  Go back, Echo.
Echo didn t waste his breath by arguing. He turned on a burst of
speed, flying past the ex-guard and reaching the cellar entrance
several steps ahead of him. He leapt down the stairs, taking them two
at a time into the dimly lit cavern below.
The noise level was deafening. Snarls, growls, roars, and grunts
rang out, bouncing off the concrete walls. The warriors were locked in
battle with what looked to be at least thirty vampires. There was so
much movement Echo couldn t tell, and he didn t bother wasting time
to take an accurate head count.
He hurdled the bottom step just as a man came flying through the
air at him. He side-stepped easily, watching in horror as the guy s
skin began to blacken and smolder before his eyes when he landed in
the patch of sunlight shining through the open cellar doors. The
vampire screamed, a bloodcurdling cry that left Echo feeling sick and
cold down to his bones.
Pushing away his shock and revulsion, Echo ducked and dodged
bodies, working his way to the center of the fight. There were coyotes
The Hunger 73
here, but he couldn t distinguish them from the vampires. Dropping
quickly as a large man raced toward him, Echo swept his foot out,
sending the guy to the floor where he rolled into the sunlight. The guy
screamed just as his fallen comrade had and began to smoke and
gurgle.
Well, that was one way to figure out who the bad guys were. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]