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Crave the Night by Natascha (formerly known as: Ashleagh )

This is a story based upon the Dark Hunter series written by Sherrilyn Kenyon with Acheron Parthenopaeus as main hero. The other Dark Hunters as well as affiliated characters might show up as the story writes out.
Because this story is a Fanfiction which came from my own imagination whilst reading on in this series, note that it is in no way affiliated to Sherrilyn Kenyon. Please be warned again, that this might show spoilers to the actual series but it can also follow a different path to the storylines.

This FanFic as it's written is copyright protected to Natascha apart from the pieces taken from the series as well as the characters and series idea, those are registered adn copyright protected by Sherrilyn Kenyon!!!

HAPPY READINGS,
Natascha
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CHAPTER FOUR

"Why the hell did you not tell me this before?!" Acheron felt his rage growing. "Stryker did what to Nick? And this has been going on how long?"

"Ehm a year..."
"A whole freakin' year?!" Acheron still felt like he got slapped in the face. "And you didn't bother telling me because..?"
"Time wasn't right." Savitar said deadly calm.
"Bull, bloody bull. I trusted you Savitar, and I don't trust a lot of people."
"I'm no friggin' people Acheron, don't tart me. I do what I do and don't have to explain myself to no-one. You know how it works. One thing leads to another, it sets strings in motion. Change one course of action and the whole future changes for a lot of people."

Savitar saw the raging storm that had been building up within Acheron calm down again. Savitar knew how much Nick meant to Ash eventhough the last time they met things ended badly. Ever since that moment changes were set in motion. Acheron went through changes noticeably only to those very close to him, and on a very subtle level. Savitar knew that the time was right for Ash, the moment was here, and this thing with Nick was the key.
He knew as well that the best thing he could do right now was leave Ash be for a while so with a "See you later dude, gotta catch me some waves." Savitar left again. Ash looked at his clothes and willed a change of outfit on himself. Instead of his black leather outfit he had a lose silk white blouse and baggy white pants on. He sat himself down on his chair to watch some cartoons on TV. Finally he had time to himself to think things through, clear his mind and rest. He checked on Simi before he went to bed but couldn't sleep. He picked up the Sphora, a crystal boll used to see what was going on, on planet earth. Instead of seeing his dark-hunters as he normally saw, he saw a woman asleep in her bed, reading glasses on her nose and a book in her hands. The dragonfly Tiffany bedside lamp was still on. Watching her sleep gave him a peaceful feeling. He remembered her from earlier that day and before he knew it, he flashed into her bedroom using his powers to keep her asleep. He took off her glasses, put her book on the bedside table and switched of the light. He sat down on the antique rocking chair and decided to embrace this peaceful feeling for a while. The cat who had laid asleep on the bed, jumped of the bed onto his lap. He stroke the soft fur and made her purr. This was nice, he could get used to embracing the warm loving finely tuned energy that radiated here. Eventhough he knew it was wrong for him to be here uninvited - well maybe even wrong for him to be here - he didn't care at all.

After a while he laid the cat back on the bed and flashed back with a turmoil in himself that made him happy and sad & strong and weak at the same time, realizing that over 11,000 years of solitude in his own home, it was getting to him now. Instead of resting up, he went out for some Daimon-hunting. Simi was happy to go out with him and sat herself onto Acherons back as a tattoo on his left shoulder. He was called on by the Seattle dark-hunters. Ravyn needed his help on something but he didn't really want to leave New Orleans. It was the only place apart from Katoteros where he felt he belonged. Deep in his thoughts and majorly distracted by them he stumbled into a group of Daimons who knew who he was and were very surprised that the almighty dark-hunter leader Acheron didn't realize they were there. The element of surprise was theirs and they took it, or at least try to take it. When they had encircled him and were ready to move in, Tabitha and Valerius came to the rescue and kicked some Daimon-butts. The last one standing got away and said "Stryker will love this!!!"

Tabitha shot out at Acheron "Ash since when are you willingly walking into an ambush of Daimons, you should know better!"
"I know thanks for being there."
Before Tabby could go on in her rambling , Valerius picked up that Ash was struggling with something and didn't need an angry rambling conversation mostly spoken by Tabitha "Are you alright Ash?"
"I have to go out of town. Talk to you later, thanks again."
Ash was gone before they could blink their eyes. "See I told you, something major is going on, even Ash is worried about it, why else would we catch him off guard like that?"
"I'm sure he's on top of things. Last years have been rough on him since Nick turned dark-hunter after kiling himself, and turning his back on Ash in Seattle last year. Give him some time to cope."
"You're probably right, allthough..."
"Tabby..."
They walked into the Sactuary to meet up with Kyrian, Julian, Amanda and Grace.

When Ash arrived at Susan and Ravyns home, he got the update about Nick hanging out with Spathi Daimons, Strykers first hand daimons and stronger than the normal daimons they dealt with on a daily base. Word was out that, Nick as a dark-hunter, went rogue against Ash.
Ash noticed that Ravyn had other concerns as well and used his powers to find out "What's going on with Cael and Amiranthe?"
"I don't know, but somethings up there as well. No one has really been in touch with them, I think it maybe has to do something with Amiranthe, being an appolyte turning 27, I guess Cael needs some time..."

Ash was determined to find out, something was not right here in Seattle. He should have paid more attention after last years disaster. Stryker was not one demi-god to mess with or to take lightly. Once his mind was set on something he didn't lett go off it. With things being quiet Stryker-wise for a year, something was bound to go down somewhere. He decided to stay focussed on Seattle for a while. The next few weeks he however every night dropped into this woman's room and found himself peaceful. He actually managed at those moments to outclose all voices in his head - even, yes even (!!!) Artemisses voice. He had always kept his distance though. However, today he needed some warmth, something real to keep with him. When he flashed in at 3.46am, she looked so peaceful, so adorable. He sat down on the bed next to her and stroke a strand of hair our of her face and tugged it behind her ear. He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, then gave her an eskimo-kiss. Suddenly, a feeling boiled to the surface, a simmering longing he could no longer hold in, he longed for so much more. To hold her, for her to touch him.

Her eyes opened and he felt like time stood still. That lazy-just-awake-look in her lavender blue eyes, he had forgotten to keep her asleep with his powers, probably because sub-consciously he wanted her to wake up so that he could have a memory from something he thought would be devine. She just stared at him 'was she dreaming? Was this man - thé gorgeous man of Bourban Street who she couldn't get out of her head- really here or was she still sleeping?'
"Who are you?" she asked with a hoarse voice from sleeping, making his groin tighten uncomfatably in his leather pants.
"I'm just a figment of your imagination." Acheron said gently. Celeste pulled her hand up, stroke his cheek and let her hand go through his silken hair "You feel real to me..."

His lips touched hers as he pulled his weight on his left arm and slipped his right arm behind her to support her back. The softness of her lips made him want more, so he tried slipping his tongue in between her lips for a soul-seering kiss and she obliged. Welcomed his tenderly searching tongue to find hers for a nice play of cat and mouse. She let out a soft moan when his hand moved from her back to her left breast, feeling her heartbeat go up as he felt how her nipple hardened underneath his touch, he felt contend!

No demanding him to do this or that, just him touching her the way he wanted to. He stroke her face with the back of his hand, within his stroke he turned his hand around to cup her cheek. She kissed his palm and looked him in his eyes, swirling silvery - she must be dreaming! But then a change, a warm glow of hazelgreen with golden sparks. Beautiful eyes with a somewhat confused look in it 'What was going on?' he felt different. He kissed her again, stroke the path between her eyebrows and made her fall asleep again before he flashed back home. Or so he thought, instead of standing nicely in his white bedroom in Katoteros, he found himself disturbingly in his bedroom in Kyrian's home.
Suddenly too tired to worry about it he went to bed here in the bordeaux-red warm colored bedroom, his big-sized 4 poster-bed handcarved from the 16th century with all modern day comforts looked like heaven at this moment... yes looked like, he felt he was in heaven the moment his lips touched hers...
Celeste woke up the next morning with this very live-like memory of this stranger kissing her - very passionately at that - was it really a dream? It was all a bit hazy. She needed coffee, a large caffeine boost... a tripple cappuchino would do... She had a long working day ahead of her, so she wanted to head in early to have a start up on things. Eventhough she was working 8 hours less for her course, she was still keeping up her work. When at 8 am she sat at her desk with the self- promised large tripple cuppuchino to go from Café du Monde she couldn't focus on her work and then Bill passed by her office hearing her snap "Damn, it wasn't that good'a kiss..." he entered her office after a knock "Is everything ok?"
"No... yes... it's nothing. Just still a bit tired."
"Ok then. Well just in case... my office is open 24-7 if you want to chat." Bill said gently "Oh before I forget. Selena is having a nice girls gathering Friday and told me to mention it to you. Get back to her to let her know if you want to join ok?"
"I don't know, I'm not sure..."
"Come on Celeste, it will do you good. Grace is coming, Bride and Amanda. It wil be good for you. At least think about it will you?"
"Sure, I'll think about it."

At 4 o'clock she called it a day, had let Selena know she was attending the girls-night-out and decided she was putting her "dream-lover" to rest, not thinking about that hunky, gorgeous, Alpha Male who radiated a raw sex-appeal. Her fantasy was having a run with her and affecting her stable way of life. She felt contend with her decision and received a phonecall from overseas. A friend from her teenage years she had lived in Ireland, wanted to know how she was doing and asking when she'd be back in Ireland so they could hook up.

Tristan O'Malley had lately been thinking about his old-best friend. Ever since he married 4 years ago, with Breege McFeelan his high-school sweetheart, had 2 kids with her and things with his band 'Celestial' had slowed down he thought more and more about past friends and what they'd been up to. Celeste moved away from Sligo, Ireland 6 years ago when her parents had died in a horrible car-crash on the N4 towards Dublin. Tristan and his parents Kelly and Daniel helped her through it. After a few months she dreamed about New Orleans, went there on holiday for a while and felt so much at home that she arranged to finish up her university-degree at Tullane.

When she had moved up there and got her degree Bill had sought someone as a starting Office Manager. His mother wanted to retire and they both thought she was the best candidate out of the 22 applicants. Their intuition had proven them right.

Ofcourse throughout the years she kept in touch with some people from Sligo, but distance made it difficult to stay in touch on a week-to-week base, so it became less frequent every year.
Meanwhile in another dimension Stryker pased through his living room. He had given his Spathi Daimons instructions to reek havoc and check on Acheron. Nick Gautier was anxious to get his revenge on his used-to-be-best friend but now enemy-to-the-core Acheron. He made planns in his head on how and where to do it, and now was biding his time, just waiting for the perfect moment. He however didn't want to just kill him, he wanted to hurt him the way Acheron Parthenopaeus had hurt him.... by killing that person as close to Acheron's heart as Nick's mother was to Nick... Simi!!!

In his time as a squire he had studied Mythical animals and as a Charonte Demon, Simi was one! He knew her weaknesses. Blinded by his hatred he no longer saw Simi as the girl he made love to, no longer recognized the purity in her that he fell-in-likes with, with a potential to more...

When the Spathi Daimon 'Boar' returned as the only one still standing after their battle with Tabitha and Valerius, Stryker had been informed about the pre-occupied minded Acheron. It could go 2 ways, either Acheron was onto their planns, or something else was going on inside his mind. Stryker wanted to find out as his last encounter between him, Acheron and his dark-hunters, left him with half the Daimons and more cautious. To his knowledge word wasn't out yet that Nick was his ally now, it would definitely be something that would shake Acheron up.

Thursday after classes Celeste lingered about till everyone was gone. Julian looked at her "What can I do for you?"
"I... it's just..."she sighed "I don't want to sound silly, but with you being cursed and all you maybe understand."
"Have a seat and tell me what's on your mind?"

She explained about how she more and more felt that things he told in classes were part of her memory. Remembering things as like being a part of the story instead of just listening to them. About the very lifely dreams she had, she all blurted it out, relieved that he took her serious and more so glad she had the courage to open up to him.
"Do you wake up still tired after your dreams?"
"No... not really. Confused more likely, but not tired and..."she stopped. Would he find her childish when she would mention this man she briefly met while passing by and seemed to appear in her dreams more and more.
"Don't hold back now. Celeste you came to me, I think because you trust me. I had my share of weirdness, nothing you're about to say will seem odd to me."

She took a deep breath and let it out slow, she started this and she had to get it of her chest... "Ok, well her goes... at the risk you'll think I'm a teenage girl with a crush..."
"I'm over 2000 years old age-wise, to me you still are a teenage girl..."
She smiled widely "I wouldn't give you a year over 1500..."
He let out a deep laughter "I knew I liked you from the start, you remind me of my wife."
" Ok, well, a few weeks ago I passed by this man on Bourban Street, 6 near to 7 feet tall, broad shouldered and well... easy-on-the-eyes, mildly said... He keeps playing in my mind and has an active part in most my dreams."
"Ohhh, I see..." Julian said thinkingly.
"I know... it seems like a crush... but there was this one time, it seemed he was a real-life-person in my bedroom, touching me..."
"Don't take this the wrong way, but was it sexual?"
"Not really... only that one time, but just a kiss, nothing more."
"I heard this story once about some sort of guardians for the dream world, they live in an alternate realm to ours. I don't know much about them but it sounds a bit like that. I'll give Ash a call, he's a friend of mine, and let you know when I know more about this. He's formilliar with all sorts of paranormal phenomenon. Let it be for now, don't be too worried about it. We'll find out!.
"Thanks mr. Alexander."
"Please outside the classroom it's Julian."
She winked "Well technically we're still in the classroom... Thanks Julian."

She left him behind wondering more about what's going on. He phoned Ash and left a message on his voicemail for him to phone back asap.
On her way back home she dropped in Selena's shop, browsed a bit in the tarot-deck section, deep in thoughts. Selena sensed Celeste maybe needed some alone-time, and wanted to leave her be. Or not ofcourse.... as soon as Celeste noticed her "Hey Selena, hows things?"
They got talking, Selena told her all about tomorrows planns. From them meeting up at Kyrian & Amanda's place to the restaurant, movie and to having drinks at the Sanctuary. To Celeste it sounded great. Eventhough she had lived in New Orleans for 6 years, the first 3 years at college she had some friends who now, were spread around the USA - Jillian being one of them, things got a bit more to the level that she had people she knew. And apart from Selena and Bride there weren't a lot of people she was friendlier with... she had her cat...