Acheron

here.

If she's supposed to die, she's supposed to die.

Then she would die and his healing her wouldn't matter at all.

'I'm not messing with her fate. I'm only healing her.' As he reached to touch her chest, he remembered the times he'd wanted to die and had been prevented from it. The time when he'd been dead and Artemis had tricked him into taking her blood to bring him back.

But this was different.

Yeah it was real different. Artemis had saved the world by bringing him back. By waking Tory, he might end it.

Still he couldn't stop himself from doing this.

Taking a chance he knew better than to risk, he touched the valley between her breasts and let the energy of life flow from his body into hers. The monitors popped ever so slightly before Tory gasped.

Ash moved his hand away the exact instant she opened her eyes to look up at him.

Tory lay confused as she saw Ash standing over her. With his sunglasses on, she couldn't gauge his mood. Her entire body was sore and she couldn't quite figure out where she was. 'Did you hit me?'

Ash gave her a crooked smile. 'Why would I hit you?'

He had a point. And as she tried to get her bearings, a faint image went through her mind… it was Ash holding her. 'Don't you dare fucking die on me. Tory!' Those angry words brought back an immediate flood of memories as she remembered the guys chasing them.

'You were shot!' she said, looking for his wounds.

'No. They missed.'

Tory frowned. The one guy had shot them at almost point blank range. How could he have missed? And then she saw the bike going down in her mind and remembered sliding over the street. 'Where did you learn to ride anyway? Disasters-R-Us?'

Ash laughed. 'I knew you were going to insult me when you woke up.'

She wasn't amused by it. 'What happened to wreck us?'

'One of the cars clipped our tire.'

'And we lived?'

He nodded. 'We lived.'

'You sure?'

'I think so.'

'Yeah, I think you're right.' She looked around the hospital room that wasn't much more than a blur of lights and shadows without her glasses. 'I don't think I'd be in this much pain if I were dead. Not to mention, if I'm this blind after death, I have a bone to pick with the higher powers.'

Ash stared at her in disbelief. How could she be making jokes about what had happened? 'I think we left your glasses under the car that hit us.'

'Figures. I'm just glad you didn't leave me there too, though to be honest, my ribs feel like the car is still parked on top of me.'

Ash didn't say anything since his legs weren't quite the same either.

'Oh my God, you're awake?'

Ash stepped back as Kim squealed and then ran to the bed to embrace her friend. He was always amazed by such friendship and love. Throughout history, he'd witnessed it, but he'd never really felt it. He had people he could rely on. People he called friend, but none of them-not even Alexion-was ever privy to the real him. None of them knew his thoughts and though they might know some of his past, they certainly didn't know all of it.

He was a ghost who walked through life observing it, wanting to take part, but too afraid to risk being hurt to reach out. No wonder he and Jaden got along so well. They were armored to the point they were hollow inside.

And as he'd learned when he'd been human, nothing could ever fill that vast hole. It was endless and it was ever consuming whatever he attempted to put there.

Tory had a strange sensation go through her as she remembered something else from the wreck.

Ash had been hit by the car…

Releasing Kim, she looked at him and saw no injuries on his body. Not even a bruise. Yet she remembered clearly the last thing she'd seen before she blacked out.

Ash being run over. Completely run over. It stood out because until then, she'd felt no pain, sliding on the street. Then the instant the car hit him, her pain had set in and her last thought had been that she'd just watched him die…

You're imagining things. It's shock from the accident.

Or was it?

What are you saying, Tor? The man's immortal?

How stupid could one woman be? He wasn't immortal by any means. She had an overactive imagination and it was playing with her again.

'Ash said someone intentionally ran you guys off the road.'

She blinked at Kim's chatter. 'Yeah, they did.'

'So what are you guys going to do?'

She looked to Ash who appeared to be watching her. 'What are we going to do?'

'I don't know about you, but my plan is simple. Find the bastards and kill them.'

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Kim's eyes widened at Ash's harsh words. 'A little bloodthirsty isn't it?'

Not to him and not when they so richly deserved it. He flashed her a taunting grin. 'Given what they did to Tory, I'm thinking a quick death is merciful. Not to mention they ruined one of my favorite jackets and totaled my bike.'

Pam snorted. 'Well let's just torture then bomb the bastards. How dare they!'

Ash ignored the sarcasm as he crossed his arms over his chest. 'Now you're thinking like me. A little eye- gouging, some slit nostrils… I could seriously get into that.'

Kim shuddered as she spoke to Tory. 'I think your new friend is a little bloodthirsty.'

Ash stifled a smile at her words. If she only knew that was his primary nourishment. And yes, he could definitely use some blood since it'd been over a week since he last ate.

Kim's phone rang. 'Work calls. I'll be back soon.'

Ash stepped back toward the bed to check in with Tory. 'How are you feeling?'

She smiled up at him. 'Amazingly whole. How about you? I thought the car ran you over.'

'I rolled out of the way.'

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'It didn't look like that from my perspective. I could have sworn it plowed right over both of your legs.'

He looked down at them before he shrugged. 'Obviously not.'

Tory's expression turned sweet and adoring, and it hit him like a blow to his stomach. She placed her hand gently on his arm in the most loving touch he'd probably ever experienced. 'Thank you for getting me here. Kim said they told her you were bleeding like crazy when you carried me in through the ER doors.'

He felt his face flush at her gratitude. 'Don't worry about it. Next time I'm hurt, you can carry me.'

She laughed at his humor. 'I think it would take at least a team of people to carry you.'

'Back to the insults, huh?'

She shook her head at him. 'That's not an insult. You are a big man.'

Ash opened his mouth to speak, but before he had a chance, the doctor came in to examine her. He moved away while the doctor chatted with Tory.