All characters (except Maya) are the property of Sherrilyn Kenyon. Written for fun, not profit.

The buzz that came from the small corner speaker wasn't strident or loud. It utterly silenced the three men as though an air raid siren had gone off.

Acheron came to his feet with the lazy grace of a natural predator uncoiling in readiness to defend his territory. "I take it that's your new perimeter alarm," he commented dryly as Nick dashed for a huge antique bureau, jerking it open and yanking out weapons.

Kyrian had also leapt to his feet at the soft buzzing. "Yes," he said shortly. He spared one glance for his wife Amanda, who had skidded to a halt in the doorway cradling their newborn daughter Marissa in her arms. "Time for you to get to the basement, love, and don't open it for anyone but Ash or me." She fled at once and he waited only for the sound of the reinforced titanium door slamming and bolting before flipping on the computer.

For someone who was on the shady side of two thousand years old, Kyrian knew his way around a computer. A few keystrokes brought up the outside video feeds, showing every view of the house and perimeter fence for three hundred sixty degrees. The cause of the alarm was immediately visible as one view showed the heavy steel gate at the end of the drive twisted and hanging from its hinges. Red tail-lights glowed erratically up the drive.

Kyrian frowned at the screen. "Who the hell is that? That gate's supposed to be strong enough to withstand being rammed by a semi!"

A green Blazer crawled slowly along the drive, the grill-guard twisted from plowing through the gate and the engine stuttering as if damaged by the impact with the reinforced steel and just managing to still run. The head lights, amazingly unharmed, blazed so brightly the cameras couldn't make out the driver. Acheron looked over Kyrian's shoulder. "I'm not familiar with it—it's not one of ours," he said. "How many Daimons you think could fit in one of those things?"

Nick turned, a crossbow in each hand. "Daimons coming here? Surely they're not that stupid—oh, wait, we are talking about Daimons." He headed over to the monitor as Acheron and Kyrian watched the Blazer rolling straight toward Ash's Buell motorcycle as its engine died at last.

"They are about to seriously piss me off," Acheron growled. The bike was custom built for his six foot eight inch height and was his baby.

Both men spun around as a crash came from behind them. Nick stared in shock at the screen, the dropped crossbows lying forgotten on the floor at his feet. "Oh shit," he breathed, then bolted from the room and straight out the front door. Kyrian and Acheron exchanged one puzzled look before following the Squire at top speed.

Nick raced to the door of the Blazer, jerking it open without hesitation and slamming his foot down on the parking brake. It just kissed the back tire of Ash's motorcycle, rocking it gently on its springs. "Damn it, Maya,I told you never to come here—" Nick was almost moaning as he stopped the heavy vehicle from running down the bike.

And then he broke off, only to burst out with a stream of vicious curses. Only the words, "That rat bastard," and "die for this!" were clearly audible in the tirade.

Acheron reached Nick first. "What the hell is this, Nick?" he demanded.

Nick spun around, filling the open door with his body and blocking Acheron from seeing into the Blazer. "Give me a leave of absence," he demanded, looking past Acheron at Kyrian. "Let me leave right now."

Kyrian crossed to the front of the Blazer and stepped up on the bumper to look through the windshield. Nick held the side of his jacket out, blocking the driver from Kyrian's view without budging to let Ash look past him.

Kyrian frowned. "Not until you tell us what's going on here. This came to my house, Nick. You owe me an explanation." Nick set his jaw stubbornly and Kyrian knew that look. He glared back just as adamantly. "I can have you chained in the attic, you know," he pointed out. "I might be minus black eyes and fangs but I still have all my parlor tricks intact and I guarantee I can take you down, boy. Don't try me."

Acheron crossed his arms over his chest. "Forget Kyrian," he said sharply. "He's no longer a Hunter and no longer your boss. You answer to me now, Nick. Move now or I guarantee I'll move you."

Nick looked up at Acheron and swallowed hard but didn't budge. "She doesn't know anything," he said persistently. "Let's keep it that way, okay? Let me go, Ash. I'm just going to kill someone and come right back."

"Oh, well, now that makes it all okay then," Kyrian said brightly from the front of the Blazer. "Sure, Nick, run along now and commit your murder. Not."

Acheron didn't waste time on words. He simply reached out a hand, caught Nick by the shoulder, and lifted him bodily out of the way, ignoring Nick's struggles to fight his way back between the ancient Atlantean and the driver of the Blazer.

Whatever he'd expected, it wasn't the sight that met his eyes. A young woman was slumped in the seat, unconscious or worse, he couldn't tell. Her hair obscured her face and her clothes—not to mention her hair, the seat, steering wheel, and seatbelt—were covered with blood. Ash swore and roughly shoved Nick at Kyrian who caught the Squire and restrained him from rushing back at the Blazer. "Don't, Ash, please! She doesn't know anything!" Nick yelled as Acheron reached into the Blazer.

"I'm not going to hurt her," Acheron snapped as he unbuckled the seatbelt and gently lifted the injured woman from the vehicle. She lay bonelessly in his arms, arousing protective instincts far more potent than his usual determination to protect mortals. He was actually enraged at the sight of her blood. Ash dismissed the strange emotion—he would examine that later—and turned a scathing glance on the Squire. "And I'm disappointed the thought would cross your mind that I'd slay her even if she knew everything about us! I'm not a Daimon, Nick."

Nick had the decency to look ashamed. "She's my sister," he said, shaking his arms free of Kyrian's bruising grasp and rushing back to Acheron's side. He brushed the blood-soaked hair back from the young woman's face with a shaking hand. "My half-sister through my worthless father." He looked up at Acheron with agonized eyes. "Maybe I'm a little overprotective, but—I'm all she's got, Ash. "

He had to grit his teeth at the anger that wanted to come at the thought of this woman being alone in the world. "It's clear she came here for help," Ash said, turning back to the huge house. "Let's be sure she gets it." It was a struggle to keep the rage from his voice.

What the hell was this feeling?

Nick followed Acheron back into the house and up the stairs as Kyrian ran down to the basement to get Amanda. "You know who did this," Ash said. It wasn't a question.

Nick's face hardened. "I have a pretty good idea," he growled, his fists clenching. "I intend to teach that worthless bastard a lesson he'll never forget."

Ash ignored that. "And why would she come here instead of going to a hospital, you have an answer for that one too?"

Nick ground his teeth. "My guess? The asshole's probably trolling around the ERs in town right now, looking to finish her off."

Acheron pushed open the door of the guest bedroom beside Marissa's nursery and placed Nick's sister on the bed. He studied her for a moment, swallowing a red rage at the sight of her numerous injuries, before just brushing her with his powers. He felt something unexpected and glanced at Nick. Why hadn't he mentioned this? "Well," Ash said, turning back to his patient, "she's had the living crap beaten out of her, but you'll be relieved to know that her baby is unharmed."

There was a thump and he turned to see Nick standing rigid by the wall, rubbing his fist, his face black as a thunder-cloud. "Hmm. I take it you didn't know you're going to be an uncle?" Acheron asked with that damnable calm that made Nick want to throttle him.

"No." The single word was spat from between clenched teeth.

Acheron's eyes narrowed. "The same one who did this?"

Nick nodded sharply. Ash sighed and shook his head, hiding a fresh surge of overprotective rage. "Why do women put up with that garbage?" he asked the ceiling.

Nick took a threatening step toward him before he remembered who he was dealing with and stopped short. No one attacked Acheron and lived. "Maya's not like that," he snapped, jamming his hands into his pockets. "She left him the first time he ever touched her in anger, and he's lucky she didn't kill him. He's been stalking her ever since. That's why she's in New Orleans—she'd been living in Los Angeles." His eyes burned. "Let me kill him, Ash. Let me do my sister and the world a favor and exterminate this bastard!"

"You're not killing anyone," Acheron said shortly, sitting on the edge of the bed and preparing to summon his healing powers. "You're a mortal and you can go to jail. The Squire's Council has little patience with revenge."

Nick said something very rude about what the Squire's Council could do with their rules.

Acheron lifted Maya's hand and paused as he examined it, ignoring the fuming Squire. "Good for her," he commented, seeing the scraped knuckles that only came from fighting and landing punches. He heard Kyrian and Amanda enter behind him, heard Amanda's gasp of dismay. "Looks like she got in a few of her own back."

Nick raised his chin. "Maya's a fighter," he said with heated pride. "I told you, she's not the type to roll over and take it."

"I'm going to heal the worst of it now," Ash said. "Nick, be ready in case she wakes up. I don't intend to wake her, but if it happens, I'm not exactly warm and cuddly to look at." He looked over the top of his sunglasses and met the Squire's eyes. "If I heal everything it'll raise questions in her mind. I want you to know that's the only reason I'm not doing it. Understand?"

Nick swallowed, remembering his behavior in the driveway. "Thanks," he said awkwardly. "Sorry, man."

Acheron didn't reply. He sent a wave of power through her body, carefully investigating the baby first, making sure the tiny life was as completely unharmed as he had first thought. Only when he was sure did he move on, knitting together her ruptured spleen, erasing the deep bruises on her liver and kidneys, mending cracked ribs and loosened teeth. She'd lost a lot of blood, both from her internal injuries and from the multiple lacerations covering her body. One arm was broken in three places, a spiral fracture that only occurred when a limb was violently twisted.

She'd taken one hell of a beating. It was beyond extraordinary that the baby was unharmed.

But by far the most severe injury was the deep laceration at the back of her head that accounted for most of the blood that covered her. She had a skull fracture and an expanding brain bleed that could have easily killed her even with hospital care. Acheron eased it into a mere concussion, fighting the desire to reverse it altogether. She'd be hurting when she awakened, no doubt, but there was only so much he could do about it without arousing her suspicions. The amount of damage she'd sustained was incredible, especially considering she'd still managed to drive herself here. He could hardly believe she'd been able to do it, her injuries were that severe. Only the exterior bruises he left untouched, remembering that she'd expect to awaken with them. But it was difficult.

When he was finished he completely understood Nick's burning desire for bloody revenge. Men who used their fists on women didn't deserve to live, he had to agree with the Squire there. But Nick was a Blood Rite Squire and Ash couldn't have him using his strength and rage for revenge on a human. That was a dangerous precedent to set, no matter how justified it seemed.

But the desire for retribution had also been sparked in his own heart, and Acheron had no intention whatsoever of letting this crime go unpunished.

How he wished he could do it himself.

"Amanda," Acheron said. "Would you fetch Nick's sister something to sleep in and help her to change?"

"Of course," Amanda said, running from the room to grab a nightgown for her.

"Nick, go down to her Blazer and make sure she didn't leave anything she'll need in it," Acheron ordered.

"But—"

Ash fixed him with a stare Nick felt even through the sunglasses. "Now, Nick." Nick finally left, grumbling and complaining, but he left.

Only when both were gone did Ash rise and turn to Kyrian. "You seem like the perfect man for this job," he said softly. "Nick's sister is pregnant and the man who beat her was most likely by the baby's father. I have no intention of telling Nick this but I'm not sure a hospital would have done her much good in the state she was in. I'm of the opinion that society doesn't need this particular asshole. How about you?"

Kyrian's eyes burned as he thought of Amanda and Marissa. If any man dared to even touch either of them, much less beat them this brutally… "I'll take care of it. Give me a name or a face," he growled.

Acheron's mouth twisted in an expression that in no way resembled a smile and would have sent shivers down a serial killer's spine. "You'll have to wait for her to awaken for that," he said. "Nick thinks the guy's waiting for her in New Orleans to finish the job. You're not a Hunter any longer; you can take in and protect anyone you want. Any details that particular person lets slip, I don't know about. Anything you choose to do about it, you know how to clean up."

Kyrian grinned in perfect understanding. "I love the way your mind works sometimes, Acheron," he said.

Amanda and Nick arrived back almost simultaneously. "So what did you kick me out of the room for?" Nick demanded, glaring from one to the other.

Acheron crossed his arms over his chest, back to his usual unreadable self, and Kyrian looked angelic. Amanda glanced suspiciously at her husband out of the corners of her eyes. She knew that look. "What are you up to, Kyrian?"

He held his hands out. "What? I was just talking to Ash about taking Nick's sister in until she's well enough to get back on her feet—making sure there's no problem," he said innocently. "Since I'm not in the business anymore, it's cool. She'll stay with us until this is sorted out."

Amanda beamed at him and went up on tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "You're a sweetheart," she murmured in his ear. Nick rolled his eyes. "Of course she'll stay. Nick, you too. I know you'll want to be with your sister until she's back on her feet again, and I for one want to know what happened to her!" Her sorceress's eyes were snapping with magic and fury.

Nick threw up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, we'll stay, I know when I've been out-maneuvered," he grumbled. "Until I serve that bastard his heart on a platter, that is," he added under his breath.

Ash pointed a warning finger at Nick. "If I have to confine you I will," he said evenly. "Understand me in this, Nick. I won't take kindly to a Squire going up on murder charges. Got it?"

Nick glared but didn't dare voice direct disobedience to Acheron's face. "Yeah, whatever," he said in completely unenthusiastic agreement. Then he spoiled even that by muttering, "Murder charges only happen if you get caught."

Acheron shook his head. "Now, now, Uncle Nicky," he chided, "don't you want to be present for your little nephew's birth? Because if the cops don't get you, you can rest assured I will."

Amanda's eyes went wide. "She's pregnant?" she echoed in disbelief. Her eyes raked over Maya's bloody clothes. "Oh my God! Is the baby—"

"Fine, Amanda, don't upset yourself," Ash reassured her. "She's carrying a perfectly healthy boy, not a scratch on him even before I intervened, and no sign that she's in any danger of miscarrying. She's almost four months along, if you want to know. You can have your sister check her over, but right now she's fine." Then he turned back to Nick. "I want a better promise from you than yeah, whatever."

Nick sighed harshly and ran both hands through his hair in utter exasperation. "Damn it, Acheron, she's my sister!" he protested. "Look what he did to her!"

Acheron rose to his full height. "I know exactly what he did to her. I healed her, remember? But I can't touch the mental and emotional wounds. She needs you for that and you can't do it from prison—or from where I would send you, which would make prison look like day camp. Think of serving Zarek in Alaska. Now give me your word or I'll chain you in your room."

Nick spat several words that had nothing to do with agreement, but finally gave Acheron a promise he'd accept.

Ash sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Good, that's settled. I'll be staying elsewhere until this is over, I think. She knows nothing and it's to stay that way. She is to be prevented from meeting any Dark-Hunters at any cost. A pregnant woman with knowledge of us would be too sweet a treat for the Daimons should they catch her scent, and I don't exactly 'blend.' Keep me updated by email, Kyrian."

Kyrian nodded once but Amanda frowned. "Ash, this place is huge and you already have your own wing," she protested. "Don't put yourself out. You're nocturnal and she'll be in the bed for a day or two at the very least, right? I don't see that it has to be a problem. Stay with us, where you're comfortable."

It was still strange to him for anyone to be concerned about him even though he'd lived, off and on, with Kyrian and Amanda for a year now. It still touched his heart. Acheron shrugged nonchalantly so she wouldn't realize just how much it meant to him. His emotions, his weaknesses, were deeply hidden and ruthlessly protected. "We'll play it by ear," he said noncommittally.

Amanda made shooing motions with her hands. "All right, now you men get out and let me get her out of these awful things," she said, moving to the bed and untying Maya's shoes. Kyrian closed the door behind them as Amanda gently eased the unconscious woman out of her bloodstained jeans and blouse. With every bruise she revealed, her fury grew. "You poor girl," she whispered, fighting the urge to use her own powers to erase every trace of the wicked beating Nick's sister had suffered. "We won't let anything happen to you here. You and your baby have a safe place for as long as you need it, and that's a promise."