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a deep breath to brace herself for the
    rest of his story, she tensed. "And now you are?"
    "The walking dead."
    With images of the Daimons trying to eat her
    running through her head, Simone shot out of the
    car. All she could think of was escaping him
    before he made a meal out of her.
    She didn't get very far.
    Xypher flashed himself in front of her and
    caught her against his chest. "I told you not—"
    She clipped him hard in the throat.
    Cursing, he let go of her as he struggled to
    breathe.
    Xypher glared at her as he imagined tearing her
    into bloody pieces. Angry beyond tolerance, he
    slung his hand out and pinned her to the wall
    behind her. His throat throbbing, he stalked
    toward her intending to make her pay for her
    attack.
    He'd been hit enough in his life "Do that
    again," he growled between clenched teeth, "and,
    bracelet or no bracelet, I'll tear your head off
    and use it for a doorstop."
    Simone felt fear crawling down her spine, but
    she wasn't about to let him see it. "What do you
    want with me?"
    "Not a damn thing. All I want is an entrance
    into the Daimon hell so that I can visit and kill
    an old friend. You're just the poor sap who got
    caught in the crossfire."
    He released her so fast that Simone almost
    fell. She caught herself and stood as tall as she
    could, but it was far from intimidating since he
    was a full head taller than her. "I don't like
    being threatened, lied to, or manipulated. You'd
    do well to remember that," she said.
    36
    He sneered at her bravado. "Or what you're
    going to snivel at me?" Jesse started for him
    but before he could strike Xypher, Xypher turned
    and caught him by the throat. Throwing Jesse to
    the ground, he drew back to hit him, then caught
    himself before he completed the punch.
    He moved away.
    Jesse gaped at her as he pushed himself to his
    feet.
    Simone was stunned. Though Jesse could move
    things, no one had ever been able to touch him
    before. "How can you touch him?"
    Xypher crossed his arms over his chest. "I
    still have a lot of my god powers, but not all of
    them, and the ones I have keep coming and going
    without any predictability. No doubt courtesy of
    Hades and his sick sense of humor."

Jesse stared at her in disbelief. "I think
    we're going to have to believe him. No one's been
    able to touch me since the night I died."
    Swallowing, Simone nodded her agreement. What
    Xypher had just done was impossible and
    unexplainable. "All right. Let's start over.
    You're a dream god with screwed-up powers who is
    out to kill someone. And these . . ." She held up
    her arm with the bracelet. "Are an unfortunate
    gift."
    He nodded. "For all I know, these little
    Tinker-toys could explode and kill us. We've got
    to get them off."
    You think? She bit back the sarcasm, sensing it
    wouldn't help the situation or his cranky mood.
    "Okay. I think I know someone who can help us."
    "You?" He sneered. "You know someone." He
    laughed.
    Oh, that offended her. "Hey, I happen to know a
    lot of people. Most of them are highly unusual."
    37
    "Yeah, and do any of them have a connection to
    a Greek god?" "As a matter of fact they do." She
    raked him with a smug look. "They happen to work
    for Artemis."
    He sobered instantly. "You know the Dark-
    Hunters?"
    "Not personally, but I know a Squire."
    "Take me to him."
    Those words went over her like ice down a gown
    in the middle of the night. "You are one seriously
    bossy SOB. Who died and made you . . ."
    Simone paused as she realized that if he was
    telling the truth, then the man really was a god.
    Which would answer her question. And it explained
    a lot about his ego and pushiness. "Never mind.
    Get in the car and let's find Tate. If you're
    right about these things exploding, then we need
    to hurry."
    They were in the car instantly.
    Simone shook her head to clear it as a foreign
    buzz whispered in her ears. "Wow. Can you take us
    to Tate's office like that?"
    "Only if I've been to it first. I have to know
    where I'm going to