Acheron (Dark-Hunter #14)

Acheron (Dark-Hunter #14) Page 20

He must be drunk. "You're to stay here."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of fucking up your party." Yet . . . Of course had his original plan worked out, the king would be mourning his beloved son right now.

I should have the bastard beaten, except it would cast a pall on Styxx's party. That smug prick . . . The king withdrew and closed his door.

Acheron shook his head, trying to clear it of the king's thoughts. He picked up Ryssa's gift to study it. How ironic that she would give him this tonight. It was as if his mother had somehow guided her to it.

"Apostolos?"

He froze at the hesitant female voice he'd heard so many times in his life and thought himself mad. "Matera?"

"My baby. I swear I will avenge you. But we must be careful. Xiamara will return and show you how to use your powers. Leave them alone for now so that Archon can't find you. Stay hidden and when the others have ceased their machinations, she will lead you to me and I will make sure no one ever hurts you again. I swear it on my life."

He felt the lightest whisper of air against his cheek . . . like a small caress before the air was still again.

Clenching his teeth, he felt the pain overwhelm him. His mother loved him . . . His real mother.

He wanted to see her desperately. To know, just once, what it felt like to have a parent look on him the way the king looked at Styxx or Ryssa. With pride. With love.

I'm wanted.

More than that, Artemis would no longer have to be ashamed of him. While it was unseemly for a goddess to be with a whore, there was nothing shameful about being with another god.

She could love him openly . . .

He wanted to shout in joy. Holding Ryssa's bracelet to his chest, he smiled at the thought of telling Artemis what had happened to him. Surely she'd be thrilled.

How could she not?

Yet he still had a strange sense of foreboding that warned him he should be afraid of what tomorrow would bring.

June 24, 9527 BC

Acheron paced the floor, desperate for Artemis to appear so that he could surprise her with his newfound role. The morning had been interesting as he discovered new things about himself. He could move objects with nothing more than a thought. Like Artemis, he could teleport outside and back in. Granted his mother had told him not to use these powers, but honestly he couldn't help it. They were much more in control of him than the other way around.

And still he heard the voices from the people around him and even off in far lands. Sometimes so loud the pain of it drove him to his knees. Every single thought. The entire world was laid bare at his feet.

The only peace he had was around Apollodorus whose desires were simple. Eat, sleep and be held and loved. There was so much solace in simply holding his nephew that it eased all the other voices screaming at him and allowed Acheron to focus and ground himself.

"Acheron?"

He turned around as Ryssa exploded into his room in a flurry with Apollodorus in her arms. Apollo is such an ass. I'm so tired of being his plaything or food. He thinks I have no purpose but to come to him the moment he snaps his fingers. "I have to go for a little bit. Could you please watch Apollodorus? His nurse can't get him to stop fussing and I can't tend him right now." His father is a selfish pig who thinks I'm his trained bitch. "I hope you don't mind."

Acheron shook his head in an effort to determine what he heard with his ears versus his mind. It was extremely disconcerting. "I don't mind." He took Apollodorus from her arms.

Mama? Hold me . . .

Acheron tightened his grip on his nephew. "I have him. Don't worry."

"Thank you." I don't know what I'd do without you, akribos. You're the only one I can depend on. The rest of them are worthless. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She placed a quick kiss on Apollodorus's head, then ran out of the room, cursing Apollo with every step.

He looked at his nephew who was watching him curiously. "I had no idea your mother knew such language."

Apollodorus laughed as if he understood. Theo play with me?

"Absolutely." Acheron knelt on the floor and put him on his feet so that Apollodorus could hold onto him and walk.

Appie love theo.

Acheron smiled at the boy's nickname for himself. Appie loves his uncle. He treasured those words. Closing his eyes, he tried to see the man his nephew would grow into, but as with Ryssa, he saw nothing. It was so odd. Everyone who came near him, he saw their future with utmost clarity.

Why not those closest to him?

Apollodorus fell back on his rump to suck his thumb.

"So what shall the two of us do while your mama is away?"

Tickle belly.

Acheron laughed. "All right." He obliged and Apollodorus squealed in delight. He rolled onto his back and kicked his legs while he held Acheron's hand to his stomach.

The pure simplicity of his nephew's joy and love touched him so deep inside that he wanted to hold the child for the rest of eternity and keep him safe. There was nothing he loved more than this one tiny being. He prayed it would always be like this between them. That no hurtful words or actions would drive them apart.

What would the child think when he grew older and Styxx and his father told him what Acheron had been? Would it matter to the child that all of it had been against Acheron's will? That he would never have done it had there been any choice?

Or worse, would he be like Maia . . .

His gut tightened with the thought. Picking up the boy, Acheron held him against his chest as tightly as he could without hurting him. "Please don't ever hate me, Appie. I couldn't take that from you."

Appie loves theo.

Acheron cherished every syllable.

"How touching."

He opened his eyes to find Artemis standing in front of them. "Have you ever seen Apollodorus?"

She shrugged. "Not really. Apollo has bastards aplenty. But he is cute enough I suppose for a smelly small human."

Acheron tried to hear her thoughts. But unlike the humans, it wasn't easy. He had to strain for it and then he could only get pieces of them.

Put the child down. I wanted to be with you. "Where's its mother?"

"With Apollo."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Doesn't that thing have a keeper?"

"Yes and at the moment, the keeper would be me."

She put her hands on her hips.

"Sit down, Artie and meet your nephew. His bites don't hurt." Unlike hers.

Her entire demeanor showed her agitation as she sat down beside them. "Is it wet?"

"He's not wet."

Apollodorus held one hand in his mouth as he stared curiously at Artemis. She's not right, theo . . .

Acheron laughed at the thought.

Artemis glared at them. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he said, wondering why she couldn't hear the boy's thoughts too. It made him curious how much the powers of the gods differed from each other-maybe there were a lot of things he could do that she couldn't . . . "As a god, do you ever hear what other people are thinking?"

She rolled her eyes. "I do my best not to. They're always boring. Either they're scheming to hurt someone or begging for something. People are insects."

Her rabid hostility caught him off guard. Although some of the people he'd known in his life were so low, he wouldn't insult an insect by linking them to the cretins who'd abused him. "Including me?"

She brushed her hand through his hair. "No. You're quiet to me. I never hear your thoughts. It's why I like being with you."

He found it disconcerting that he couldn't hear what she was thinking.

Still, as a god, shouldn't she know when she was sitting next to another one? How could she not know what had happened to him last night? "Do you sense anything different about me?"

"Other than the fact you're cuddling a smelly boy, no." She dropped her hand. "I know you humans put a lot of stock in the anniversaries of your birth, but really all it marks is one year closer to death. Who'd want to celebrate that?"

Acheron snorted at her answer. So she couldn't sense his unlocked godhood. Fascinating. "I wasn't talking about my age."

"Then what? You haven't cut your hair and I can tell by the way the small thing is climbing on you and you're not wincing that you haven't been beaten. What else has happened?"

The fact that she could be so cavalier about his beatings set his anger off. The bitch should have to suffer through the pain and humiliation of one to understand it wasn't something to be taken so lightly. "Nothing."

She waved his hostile answer away dismissively. "You're such an odd man."

Apollodorus crawled over to Artemis. They stared at each other for a full minute before he smiled and put his wet hand on her arm.

"Ow! Disgusting." She wiped it away.

Acheron held his arms out and Apollodorus returned to him.

"How do you stand that?" Artemis shivered as he picked the boy up and Apollodorus gave him a wet kiss on his cheek.

"I love him, Artie. There's nothing disgusting about him."

She shivered even harder as if it were the most repulsive thing she could imagine. "You want your own child, don't you?" Her accusatory tone amazed him. It was as if she thought him an imbecile for wanting something like that.

Acheron held his nephew close as he considered a question that had never crossed his mind. "Since I can't have any, I've never thought about it really."

"But if you could?"

He looked at his nephew and smiled. He'd give anything to be able to create something so precious. "I can think of no greater gift than to have my own child look at me the way Appie does."

"Then we should find a baby for you."

He scoffed at the thought before he changed the subject to one that really mattered and was a lot more feasible. "Tell me something, Artie. If I were a god, would you acknowledge our friendship to other people?"

She made a sound of utter disgust in the back of her throat. "You're not a god, Acheron."

"But if I were . . ."

"Why do you ponder such ridiculous thoughts?"

"Why do you avoid answering me?"

"Because it doesn't matter. You're not a god. I told you, your eyes are a deformity. Nothing more."

How could a god be so blind as not to see another of its kind? Or was his mother really so powerful that she'd managed to shield him so completely from all gods? "And you've never known a god to have eyes like mine?"

"No."

Maybe it wasn't his godhood . . . maybe it was because they were from different pantheons. "Have you ever met an Atlantean god?"

Exasperated, she flicked her hands at him so hard that her nails actually made a popping sound. "Why are you so inquisitive today?"

"Why are you getting angry over such simple questions?"

"Because I want to spend time with you without that thing attached to you. Could we put him in a cage?"

Acheron was aghast. "Artemis!"

"What? He'd be safe there."

"He'd cry and be scared."

"Fine." She pushed herself to her feet and glared at them. "I'll come back when you're free of him." She vanished instantly.

Apollodorus stared up at him curiously. Acheron patted the boy on the back as he shook his head.

"Well Appie, that was your Aunt Artemis in all her glory."

Art-ee-miss.

He smiled at the boy's attempt to pronounce it in his head. "Close enough. Not that it really matters. I don't think she's going to be around much for you."

Ackee be with Appie.

His smile widened at the way Apollodorus pronounced his name. "Ackee will always be with you."

Giggling, Apollodorus curled up in his lap and laid his head down. Acheron stroked his small back and before he knew it, the baby was asleep.

He picked him up and held him against his shoulder where the sound of the baby's soft snore kept the rest of the world away from his head. He was at peace with the universe right now and wondered if his mother would have held him like this.

For the first time in his life, he thought that she might. At least his real mother.

Apollymi.

Apollymi continued to pace as Xiamara stood, watching her. "That Greek goddess keeps seeing my son. Do you think we could use her to protect him?"

Xiamara hesitated. Perhaps she shouldn't have kept everything from her friend, but if Apollymi knew the full extent of Apostolos's human life there was no telling what she might do. "I don't know, akra. The Greeks aren't like us and Artemis isn't all that powerful within their pantheon. She would be afraid I think to protect him."

Apollymi growled in frustration. "We have to do something."

"I can bring him here, but the moment I do, Archon and the others will descend on us and attack."

"I have no fear. Once I'm free, I can defeat them, plus we have your army. But with Apostolos . . . they would attack him and one of them might kill him while we're occupied with others."

That had been the only reason Apollymi had run from them while pregnant. Fear for the baby had kept her from battling. One stray strike and it could have ended her son's life. It was a risk she'd never take.

"Should I summon a Chthonian?"

Apollymi paused at the question and her heart wrenched. Though the Chthonians were usually human in birth, they possessed the powers of the gods and functioned as a sort of police unit for the various pantheons. They kept order and prevented all-out war between the gods. Even so, they had their own agendas which weren't always in the best interest of the universe and definitely not in her best interest. "I don't trust them. They're as likely to kill Apostolos to keep peace as save him. I won't take that chance." Frustration welled inside her. So long as Apostolos was in human form, he was vulnerable. He could be killed so easily right now . . . How could she get her son to her without jeopardizing his life?

Jaden . . .

She turned to look at Xiamara.

"Akra," she said in a chiding tone. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

"Jaden could be bartered with to bring Apostolos here. But I would need a demon to summon him." She gave Xiamara a knowing look.

Jaden was a broker who made deals between demons and the primary source of the universe. His power equaled if not excelled that of a god. If ever there was a being who could protect and return her son to her, he was it.

"You know there is nothing I wouldn't do for you, Apollymi. But Jaden is unpredictable. Even if he takes the bargain, we'd have to offer him something supreme for this."

Honestly, she didn't care. She'd give anything for her son. "What would he take in exchange for his services?"

"There's no telling."

Apollymi stalked toward her pond where she could spy on the universe through its waters. She could have even used it to check in on Apostolos as he grew to manhood, but her fear for his safety had kept her from it. If Archon knew when she was watching her son, he'd have been able to use the pond to find Apostolos himself. Even now she didn't dare use it to see her son. It was a risk she refused to take.

She raised the water from the pond to form an iridescent ball in the air. There in the center, she focused her powers to find Jaden and see what it was he wanted most.

Dark shadows swirled and twisted. Then they began to take form . . .

Just as it would have been recognizable, it dissolved. Apollymi cursed. The power that owned him wouldn't allow her to see how to control him.

Damn it!

Anger and sorrow mixed inside her. Fine then. "Summon him and offer him my powers and life if he will give me five minutes alone with my son before I die. And if he promises to protect Apostolos for the rest of his life."

Xiamara gaped as she let out a nervous laugh punctuated by disbelief. "Apollymi, you can't."

She met her friend's gaze levelly. "If this were Xedrix, Xirena or Simi?"

Xiamara cursed as she realized she'd do the same exact thing to protect her children. "Are you sure?"

"He's my son, Xi. The only part of me that's worth living. Whatever it takes to save his life, make the bargain. I just want to hold him one time before I die."

Xiamara pulled her into a hug and held her close. "You are the bravest woman I've ever known, akra. I will do as you ask even though I don't want to."

"And will you bond with him when I'm gone?"

"You know I will. After all we've been through together, I'd give my life for you and for your son."

Apollymi choked on her tears. "Then you are the best friend anyone could ever have."

Xiamara tightened her hug before she stepped back. "I will return as quickly as possible."

Despondent and yet hopeful, Apollymi watched as Xiamara left her. She looked at the pond, desperate to check on her son, but knew better than to try. The moment Xiamara had unlocked Apostolos's powers, it had put the others on notice.

The day of reckoning was here. By all the gods of the universe, she would make them pay for what they'd done to her baby and for every day they'd made her live without him.

June 24, 9527 BC

Acheron walked through the center of the city, feeling the power of life moving through his veins. It was as if he were now truly part of the universe. Colors were more vibrant, every sound . . . he could hear heartbeats and blood rushing through veins. Every person he passed, he knew their names instantly. Their past, their present and their futures.

Nothing was hidden from him. He could feel the power of the ages. He felt invincible . . .

Mmmm, I'd love to have a sample of that.

He turned toward the woman whose thoughts were in his mind. She immediately glanced away as if embarrassed by her wantonness.

Acheron stopped dead as he realized something.

With his powers unlocked, the others didn't pounce on him the way they'd done before. Testing his theory since he now knew he could teleport himself away from them with nothing more than a thought, he lowered his cowl. The familiar tremor went through those who saw him, but for the first time in his life, they kept their distance. It was as if they could sense the powers within him and knew better than to approach.

Amazed, he jerked the cloak off and handed it to a beggar as he continued walking through the streets uncovered. Exposed. So this was what it felt like to be normal. It was incredible to live without fear. Without being mauled and hurt.

Wanting to laugh in relief and excitement, he headed toward Artemis's temple and fearlessly strode inside.

The temple was empty this time of day. Emboldened by his powers, he approached her statue.

"What are you doing here?"

He saw Artemis in the shadows. "I wanted to see you."

"You know better than to come here," she growled in a low, fierce tone. "What if someone saw you?"

He tsked at her. "What's the matter, Artie? Why can't I make an offering to a goddess? Am I really that offensive to you?"

Artemis scowled. There was something different about Acheron today. An essence of power rippled . . . like the presence of a god, and yet she knew better. "Are you drunk?"

His grin was actually charming. "I can't get drunk anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." He approached her like a feral beast stalking its prey. Slow. Sensual. Seductive. She was mesmerized by the beauty of his fluid movements that oozed an unnatural sexuality. Before she could move, he pulled her forcefully against him and kissed her lips.

Fire spread through her as she forgot all about being in the open with him. He hadn't kissed her like this in a long time. The next thing she knew, they were in her bedroom on Olympus.

Strange, she didn't remember bringing them here . . . But that thought was lost the instant he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. She loved whenever he carried her. It made her feel so feminine.

Acheron didn't know where his sudden surge of desire came from. It was overwhelming and exhilarating. He couldn't remember ever wanting to be with someone as much as he wanted Artemis just then. It was as if he had to have her right now.

As if something from deep within him was driving him to possess and dominate her.

Her fangs grew in as she made their clothes vanish. "You are so beautiful," she said with the slightest of lisps. "I want you inside me while I feed."

But he wasn't in the mood for that. He pulled her up to meet his lips so that he could kiss her with the fury and strength that boiled deep inside him. It was as if there was no humanity left there. Growling low in his throat, he rolled her over onto her stomach, spread her thighs wide and entered her from behind.

Artemis gasped as unimaginable pleasure tore through her body. Acheron had never been so forceful with her before. But even so, he was gentle. The mixture of the two blinded her with ecstasy. His strokes were so deep and strong. Powerful. It felt as if he were touching a part of her immortal soul.

"Tell me who you hunger for, Artemis," he growled in her ear.

She sucked her breath in sharply as he punctuated each word with a deep thrust. "You."

"And who do you crave?"

"Only you."

"Then say my name. I want you to use it while I'm inside of you. While I possess you."

"Acheron," she cried in pleasure.

He pulled out of her then and rolled her over to face him. His breathing ragged, he stared down at her with a desire so hot, it scalded her. There was nothing subservient about him now. He met her as an equal.

No, he was more than that.

His kiss burned her before he entered her again. Artemis arched her back, drawing him in even deeper.

He pulled back and cupped her face while he rode her deep and hard. His silver eyes flashed red. "Look at me while I'm inside you and say my name again."

"Acheron."

"And who commands you, Goddess? Who is the only man who makes you wet with desire?"

She cried out on the verge of an orgasm.

He froze as if he knew and the frustration of it was almost enough to make her slap him.

"Answer me, Artemis. If you want to come, tell me who you answer to."

She lifted her body and wrapped her legs around his lean hips. "You, Acheron. Only you."

He descended on her lips with another scorching kiss before he returned to thrusting against her. Unable to stand it, she brushed his hair back from his neck and sank her teeth in deep.

The moment she did he drove himself in all the way to his hilt as they both came. Artemis screamed out as she shook in unrivaled bliss.

Acheron felt paralyzed by the spasms in his body. It was so rare for him to actually come inside her that the novelty of it temporarily blinded him. She clamped her body around his before she rolled him over onto his back so that she could feed.

Fully sated, he lay there while she drank her fill of his blood. For once there was no weakness from it.

With a shocked expression on her beautiful face, Artemis pulled back to stare down at him. Her eyes were now silver, her lips coated in his blood. "What are you?"

Before he could answer, he felt that foreign coldness seeping through him with the shiver of electricity that heralded he was turning blue.

Gasping, Artemis shot to the foot of the bed where she crouched naked as if ready to attack him.

Acheron threw his head back as his powers surged out in a wave so powerful, it shattered the windows of her room.

"Get out!" she shrieked. But this time when she tried to flash him back to the human world, he refused to go.

He grabbed her and pulled her against him. True to his suspicions, he saw his blue marbled hand on her pale arm. "What's the matter, Artie? Are you afraid of me now?"

Artemis gulped at the sight of her precious Acheron. Gone was the golden fair man whose every feature was perfect. What held her now was sinisterly beautiful. His skin swirled in a symphony of blue color. His hair was as black as his lips and nails.

And his eyes . . .

They flashed from silver to red and back again.

This was a god of destruction and she knew it. She could feel powers that made a mockery of even the ones Zeus possessed. Acheron could kill her . . .

"You tricked me!" she accused him.

"I've done nothing." His skin flashed back to normal. "I offered my heart to you once, Artemis. You told me I wasn't good enough for you. Am I now?"

No, this was even worse. To bring a more powerful god to Olympus . . .

They would kill her.

"What do you want?" she asked, terrified of his answer. Had he come to destroy all of them?

He reached a marbled blue hand up to cup her cheek. His eyes burned her with their tormented need. "I want you to love me."

"I do love you."

"You say that only because you're afraid of me now. I can feel it."

"No, Acheron. It's the truth. I've loved you since the moment you first kissed me."

His eyes turned vibrant, flaming red. "Then prove it."

"How?"

"Walk with me through the palace at Didymos. By my side. As my equal."

The very thought horrified her. "I can't do that."

"I'm a god. Why can't you walk with a god?"

Artemis shook her head. It wasn't that simple. "You were a whore."

Acheron flinched as those words tore through him with the ferocity of stinging blades.

"I am a virgin goddess," she said forcefully. "No one can ever know that I was seduced by a common prostitute. God or not, you cannot be claimed by me. Ever."

He still wasn't good enough. God or not, he was still nothing except unwanted garbage. An embarrassment. Not even his mother could claim him.

His heart shattered, he took a deep breath as he watched her cowering. In that moment, he hated himself for what he'd been and for what he was.

A bully.

He was no better than the ones who'd made him beg and crawl for kindness. The thought sickened him.

Coming off the bed, he pulled Artemis to her feet. She shivered as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Don't ever cower before me, Artie. I gave you my word that I would never hurt you and I will always stand by it." He cupped her cheek with his blue hand and laid a gentle kiss on the side of her head.

Artemis didn't breathe until Acheron was gone. Naked and trembling, she stood in the darkness of her room, confused by everything that had happened.

Acheron was a god.

But of what pantheon? She could still taste the power of his blood. That power mixed with hers and gave her just a glimpse of his capabilities.

He was a destroyer. A god-killer. All of her pantheon lived in fear of the dark gods. The ones who could command the primal source of the universe. There weren't many who possessed that ability and none of the Greek gods had it.

None.

But Acheron did . . .

"What have I done?"

Her foolish carelessness could very well cause the death of them all.

June 25, 9527 BC

Midnight

Xiamara stood before an old, gnarled oak tree that grew out of a mountainside, toward the heavens. From the beginning of time, trees had always been associated with the gods. Their roots plunged deep into the heart of the earth, spreading toward its center while their branches soared toward the sky.

It was the life of the earth that they carried in their core and each tree held a piece of the universal spirit that bound all worlds and creatures together.

They were composed of three of the four basic elements. Air, water and earth. When they burned, it united all.

But the most important part of the tree was that, with it and human blood mixed with hers, she could summon one of the most powerful creatures in the universe.

Al Baraka.

Jaden.

No one knew where he came from or when he'd been created, spawned or birthed. If he were human, demon or other. But if a demon needed something, he was the one they bargained with.

Her heart racing, she poured the human blood that one of Apollymi's human priestesses had donated into the roots of the tree. Then she sliced open her own hand and whispered the words to call the demon broker.

"I summon you forth with voice and blood. With weight of the moon and the strength of the sacred wood. Darkness come to me. So say the gods, so let it be . . ."

Lightning flashed as a heavy wind picked up. Xiamara tucked her wings down so that they weren't damaged in the storm.

A swirling black mist rose up from the earth, thick and heavy as it rolled over the tree.

Jaden was ever one for theatrics.

Stepping back, she watched as the mist formed the body of a man. Slowly, it solidified into a pair of inhuman eyes. One was deep, dark brown and the other a vibrant green. From those eyes formed a face as handsome as any man could hope to be. Shoulder-length black hair settled around broad, muscular shoulders. Merciless power and intolerance bled from every fiber of his being.

He stood on a tall branch, looking down at her. His dark brown leather pants and long brown cloak blended in perfectly with the tree.

"Beautiful Charonte," he said in her native tongue, his voice so deep it resonated through her bones. "Tell me why you've come on behalf of your mistress when you know I don't barter for the gods?"

Xiamara let her wings flutter back and open in a sign of trust-even if she kept them clenched to her body, Jaden would still be able to rip them off if he so chose. "Because I love Apollymi and I'm here not as her representative, but to make a bargain with you for me."

He arched a brow at her words. "How so?"

"I know you can't take her life or bargain with her. So I come to you as an unbound demon . . . on my own and of my own free will to bargain with you for what she wants."

He leaned against the tree with one knee cocked forward and folded his arms over his chest. "What do you offer me, demon?"

"My soul. My life. Whatever it takes for you to unite Apollymi with her son . . . at least so long as it's not the life or freedom of one of my own children."

His eyes narrowed as he considered her offer. "You're bonded to Apollymi."

Yes and no. "I'm bonded in friendship and in love, not by slavery. We have been together since childhood and it was before my kind were enslaved to hers."

Jaden let out a long breath. "And what of your Simi? Do you not fear for her without her mother here to protect her?"

Xiamara blinked away her tears at the thought of her youngest growing up without her. "I know Apollymi will see that she has all the best in this world. I have raised two simis to adulthood. Apollymi only has one child. No mother should be without her simi-not even a goddess. I would give her the one thing she wants most."

Jaden jumped down from the tree to land gracefully before her. He was so tall that she had to crane her neck slightly to look up at him. "Do you know how rare it is to be asked for so altruistic a bargain, especially in the name of friendship and not kinship?"