Author's Note (Updated 9/25/17): I try to make my notes all at the beginning and the end so that you don't loose the flow of the story.

For those new to my stories, I write all of my Dark-Hunter fanfics as novella length continuations of the series, as best as I can. I try to avoid making any guesses as to where Sherilynn Kenyon is headed with her series, or over arching story lines. Instead, I simply wrote stories for some of my favorite characters who have yet to have their stories told, so I do guess at their backstory if it hasn't been shared in the DH books yet. Ms Kenyon could easily shatter each one of my stories as new books come out. And, that has in fact happened as I created a story that included Hecate as a character. Then Dragonmark came out and she is referenced in the book. It throws her whole role in my Achilles story out the door in so far as cannon goes. So, please take some of it with a grain of salt. These are just my attempts at giving more characters their happily connected relationships in one form or another.

Also be warned that I do write with Ms Kenyon's foundations of sex, violence and abuse. Though I may cuss a bit more. Depending on the story. They are all rated M for these reasons. And be aware that there may be SPOILERS if you have not read the DH series up to Dragonmark.

I started these stories two years ago and my writing has improved. I hope to spend some time going back to my earlier stories and seriously working on rewriting (not content, but fixing grammar and any major cannon issues as they popped in). I also gave all of the stories dates just to help me remember who was where as I wrote them, as several of the stories do overlap a fair amount.

This story, is can be read independently, though the story of how Morginne returns to be a Dark-Hunter is found in Kell and Phobos's stories. There are many original characters to this one. So, it is easier to say that if you haven't heard of them in a DH book before, they are probably original to my stories.

If you would like to read my other stories in chronological order, they are:

Achilles (ancient to modern), Deimos, Colt, Kell, Phobos, Morginne, Remi (has a broader timeline), Ethon (falls during Remi)

If you would wish to read things in clumped information, the order is:

Achilles and Remi can be read completely independently, before or after the other clumps. Clump one- Deimos and Phobos. Clump two- Colt and Kell. Clump three- Morginne and Ethon.

So, enough with my crap, on to the story...


October 28, 2016. New York City.

.

Darkness.

The darkness was nearly complete. Only the faint hints of light in a few corners remained as he heard movement around the room. The sounds were almost swallowed by the screams that echoed everywhere around him. Screams of terror. Screams of pain. Screams of those hunting their prey.

Warmth pressed into his side as the girl clung to him in fear. He could feel her heart beating rapidly through the close contact. Her hands fisted into his shirt. Her breathing heavy.

"I'm tired of playing with my food. It's time to eat." A sinister voice called in the darkness. The girl screamed as she grabbed onto Calix tighter. He wrapped his arms around her protectively and pulled her toward another room, only to come up short as the room was filled with demonic looking creatures.

The only way out was through them.

Calix's lips slid into an easy smirk as he took in his situation. The girl was terrified and clung to him like no tomorrow.

Looking down at the petite blonde by his side, Calix shifted to lift her up into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist naturally as she buried her face in his neck. He chuckled.

The place wasn't all that bad. He had been to many haunted house attractions over the years. And few had been as much fun as the one he was in. Of course, his date may have had something to do with that. The way she jumped and screamed, the way she clung to him but wouldn't ask to leave. Damn, was he painfully horny. It didn't help that her thighs pressed her warmth against his erection as he carried her.

They maneuvered through the remaining corridors and rooms as she squeaked from the sudden noises meant to scare unsuspecting patrons. Black lights, animatronics, people in costumes, fog machines, sound effects…

Damn, he loved Halloween. So much fun to be had. And, oh how he loved the way girls showed their appreciation for being protected when they were scared.

Calix was just over six foot three and full of muscle tone, with warm bronzed skin, short brown hair and deep black eyes. Intimidation came naturally to him. He actually scared the staff of the fear attraction sometimes.

Yet, with the way his date squealed and pulled herself closer, he was in for a long night with his damsel in distress.


"This had better be important." Calix grumbled as he reached for his phone as it rang. "What?"

"Hello to you to." Acheron's deep voice snarked at him.

Calix grimaced. His boss rarely called him for anything other than a problem. He really didn't want to deal with any problems. His little damsel had been far more creative than he had realized in advance. They had already gone two rounds before she left the bed to pull together a 'surprise'. He looked down at the discarded clothing and toys scattered around her bed and floor. "You can't do this to me right now Ash."

It was highly unlikely that the girl had anything truly surprising in store for him. Hell, Calix was over two thousand years old and a complete manwhore who liked to find new things to try. There wasn't much that he had left to try at least once. To be honest, most everything was pretty boring after two thousand years. At least the pleasure itself was a distraction. He had heard through the grapevine that a certain Dark-Huntress was back in public. It made his blood boil. He needed the distraction.

"Finish up your evening." Acheron groaned. "But, be prepared to be moved tomorrow night. You are being reassigned to New Orleans."

"Don't you have enough Dark-Hunters there? Shit, it used to be a city with two assigned Hunters. Then you moved in six or seven of them. What is going on?" Being an immortal hunter serving the goddess Artemis had it's pro's and con's. One con was that Dark-Hunter's would drain each other's powers if they spent too much time too close together. Calix didn't want to move to a city that would increase the chances of him being weakened. Worse, that it was a city filled with people that he truly wanted to avoid.

Acheron growled into the phone. He didn't care if Calix liked things. Artemis gave her decision. However, Ash could see the possibility of things working out well, if people could take the time to listen. "You know how it works. You get orders, Prefect. You follow them."

Calix dropped the phone. He quickly found his pants and shirt and started to pull them on.

His damsel in distress came back into the room carrying a towel and a sliced grapefruit. "I have been wanting to try this technique I saw online." She said.

Calix groaned. Yeah, that grapefruit thing could be enjoyable. Messy, but fun. And, damn did he want to let her. But, he couldn't stay if he was going to pack for his next move. He picked up the phone. "I'm on my way." He hung up and moved to give her a hug. "Damn honey, I really, really, really want to stay. But, something came up at work."

He kissed her one last time before he left. Such a shame, she was fun.


November 1, 2016. New Orleans.

.

Calix grumbled as he walked up to the odd saloon style doors of a bar in New Orleans. The style seemed out of place with the rest of the red brick building. He had been told that the limani was there. It was a safe haven for preternatural species. Demons, daimons, Were-Hunters and Dark-Hunters were all welcome along with the human crowds.

Sanctuary in particular was rather famous within the non-human communities. Their house rules of 'Come in peace or leave in pieces'. Summed up the atmosphere. Everything was welcoming with a firm edge of violence if you disrupt their business.

The fact that the bar was owned and run by a family of Were-bears and housed many of the more violent members of the Were-community as they sought asylum behind the rules of a limani, that said a lot for the potential for serious violence for anyone who stepped out of line.

Not that the humans knew that. They knew nothing of their worlds. Nothing about Were-Hunters or Dark-Hunters. Only the few humans that were initiated were allowed to know the truth. And that knowledge came with serious repercussions if they shared those secrets.

To the average human in Sanctuary, Calix looked like another tall, good-looking guy among the other good-looking men already there. Were-Hunters and Dark-Hunters, tended to be on the attractive side. Dressed in form fitting black jeans and tight black t-shirt with a black leather motorcycle jacket, Calix fit right in with the biker bar.

He pulled off his dark sunglasses. He wore them, even though it was night, to cut the glare of the modern lights on his sensitive nocturnal eyes.

The bouncer looked him over. "Dark-Hunter." He tilted his head in a move of acknowledgment.

"Bear." Calix replied. Were-Hunters acknowledged the animals that they were as a sign of respect. "I heard the rules before. You can't tell me if there are daimons around, etc." Daimons were the things that Dark-Hunters actually hunted. The by-blow of a cursed species who fed off of human souls and it was the Dark-Hunters responsibility to stop them as often as possible. However, as Were-Hunters were created from a magical mixing of animals and that cursed blood, Were's wouldn't just toss their distant cousins under the bus. So, Calix took a breath. "Really, I just want to get piss drunk. I'm only gonna ask if there are any Dark-Hunters around. Current or former."

The bear chuckled. "Fair enough. At the moment, there are one of each. My mate and her friend."

The bear is mated to a Dark-Hunter? That pulled a brow from Calix's eyes.

The blonde bouncer smirked. "Yeah, Samia normally still has her Dark-Hunter powers, but she is off the payroll. Her powers have been weird since she conceived. So, she won't drain you while she is pregnant. However, Chi still can. But, they are up on the second floor with the poker game. I will let them know you are here so they can keep a distance."

Calix nodded. "Thanks."

"Names Dev." The bear offered a hand. "Don't be surprised if you see me everywhere. I have three copies. Identical Quadruplets."

"Calix." He kept the answer short. He wasn't there to meet everyone. He just wanted to get drunk. Maybe he should have gone to a completely human bar instead.

However, the bear seemed to get it and just let Calix in. He walked up to the bar and let his night of alcohol begin. Gods, he didn't want to be in that town.