The Dark-Hunters (119 page)

Even give up his own life.

“I love you, Talon,” she breathed.

Talon couldn’t believe what he had done as he brushed his hand against her neck and removed the telltale signs of blood. Her taste permeated his mind, his senses.

Zarek had been right, that was the most incredible high he’d ever known. And now that he’d seen inside her heart …

Gods, what had he done?

In one moment of careless passion, he had sown the seeds of both their destruction.

Chapter 16

Talon took her back to the cabin, but he didn’t speak to her. He wasn’t sure what to say.

She didn’t seem to mind the fact that he’d bitten her, which was a very good thing.

But he couldn’t get it out of his mind.

Her taste.

Her feelings.

Her love.

It would haunt him forever.

Sunshine went to the bathroom to freshen up while he turned on his desk lamp.

A few seconds later, someone knocked on the door.

Talon pulled his srad from his boot. Visitors didn’t come often to his house.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Ash, Celt. Don’t have a coronary.”

“Is it Acheron or Styxx?”

“It’s T-Rex and I’m not wearing sunglasses.”

Prepared for a trick, Talon opened the door carefully. It really was “old spooky eyes” and he didn’t look pleased.

“What are you doing here?” Talon asked.

“Fighting Daimons. What about you?”

He caught the sarcasm and the condemnation in Ash’s voice. “There were Daimons here? Where?”

“They attacked the Katagaria den and I went to help Vane and Fang.”

Talon winced at the news. He should have been here to help fight. Damn, he’d screwed up royally. “Are they okay?”

“No. Their sister and her pups were killed in the fighting.”

Talon’s heart clenched at the news. That was one pain he knew all too well. The brothers would be devastated over her loss. “Man, I’m sorry.”

“So, where were you?”

Before he could answer, Ash answered for him. “Wait, I know this one. You were at Sanctuary showing off your powers to a busload of Japanese tourists who were armed with digital cameras and camcorders. Congratulations, bud, we just went global.”

Talon covered his face with his hand. “Oh jeez, are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

No, he looked really pissed off.

“I can’t believe this,” Talon said.

“You? You can’t believe this? I’m the one who has to go to Artemis to save your ass. She was freaking out over Zarek, now how the hell do I explain to her that Mr. Cool-Calm-and-Collected was doing his impression of Spider-Man in a bar loaded with tourists and ended up as the main feature on Tokyo news as what’s wrong with American culture?

“Question. How many rules
did
you break in less than a minute?

“Worst of all, I now have Nick calling me up, wanting to know why he has to keep everything secret while you guys are running around exposing yourselves at random. The little prick even wants a raise because he can keep a secret while none of you can.”

“I can explain.”

“Okay, I’m waiting.”

Talon tried to come up with a reason for what he’d done.

There wasn’t one.

“Okay, I can’t explain. Give me a minute.”

Ash narrowed his eyes. “I’m still waiting.”

“I’m thinking about it.”

Sunshine came out of the bathroom, then blanched as soon as she saw Acheron. She grabbed one of Talon’s staves from the wall and went after him.

Acheron caught it in his hand as she swung it for his head. “Hey!”

Sunshine turned to Talon. “He’s the one who kidnapped me!”

“I did not,” Acheron said huffily as he tugged the staff from her grip.

“This is my boss, Sunshine. Acheron.”

She formed a small O with her mouth. “Vane said you two looked alike. He wasn’t kidding. Although now that I’m a bit calmer, you don’t really look like him that much. He was scary, but you … you’re
really
scary.”

“If I had more time, I’d feel complimented.” He handed the staff to Talon. “Outside, Celt, so we can finish our talk.”

Talon didn’t like being ordered about, but in this case he had no choice.

He had truly messed up and Ash had a right to vent.

Talon had put all of them in a very bad situation.

He went outside to stand on the dock where Ash was waiting with his hands on his hips.

Ash’s face was mottled by fury. “You know, I’ve had a
really
wonderful night tonight. I got to tell Kyrian and Julian that Valerius is in town and spent, oh I don’t know, three, four hours trying to keep them from going after the Roman. Then, just when I could relax and do my job, I find out there are Daimons in the swamp and no Talon to kill them. And why wasn’t Talon here? Because Tarzan was swinging off a balcony to save Jane from Cheetah.

“Now all I can do is stand here and say, next fiasco, please, right this way.”

Talon glared at him. “You don’t have to be so sarcastic. I know I screwed up, okay?”

“No,
screwed up
is getting caught without your pants in Sunshine’s apartment. This is a little bigger than just screwing up.”

“I’m not going to apologize for what I did.”

A tic beat in his jaw as Ash glanced away. “There are a lot of things that are still up in the air about tomorrow night. A lot of unknown factors. What we
do
know isn’t good.

“I have Julian and Kyrian, who want to put Val in a pine box. Val, who doesn’t want to lift a finger to help anyone not descended from the Romans. Two pissed-off wolves who are going to want revenge over what happened tonight. Zarek, who is mental on his best day, and who is currently wanted by New Orleans’ finest. Nick screaming that he’s quitting because he’s tired of cleaning up after psychos. An angry goddess who is going to want everyone’s head over this. And the only Hunter I have who is reliable is you.”

Ash paused and gave him a stern glare. “And buddy, no offense, but you haven’t been reliable in days.”

“I’m okay, T-Rex.”

“No, Talon, you’re not. You were swinging from the rafters and punching out innocent humans because of Sunshine. You risked not only yourself, but all of us and the Peltiers just to protect one woman from hurt feelings. Where was your head?”

Anger tore through him. “I’m not a child, Ash. I know how to prioritize.”

“Normally, you do. But you’re thinking with your heart, not your head, and that will get us all killed. We’re Dark-Hunters, Talon, we don’t
feel.”

Any other time, he would agree with that, but at the moment Talon was feeling a whole lot of frustrated rage. He didn’t need this lecture. He knew the risks and the dangers even better than Ash did. He more than understood everything at stake.

“I’ve got it under control.”

“Do you?” Ash asked. “Because from where I’m standing, you don’t. You have directly disobeyed me when I told you to keep Sunshine here. You have made pacts with the Katagaria and with Eros, and that’s not your place. You don’t make those kinds of obligations, Talon. Have you
any
idea how that can play out?”

“I had to do it. I have to protect my wife. I don’t care what it costs.”

“Your wife?” Ash shook his head. “Talon, look at me.”

Talon did.

Ash stared at him intently, his gaze cold and unfeeling. “Your wife is
dead.
She died fifteen hundred years ago and was buried in your homeland. Sunshine isn’t Nynia.”

Talon roared with his anger and pain. It wasn’t true. Sunshine was his wife. He felt it. He knew it. She was all that mattered to him.

All that mattered.

Before he could think twice, he attacked Acheron. He caught the Atlantean’s throat between his hands and shook him, trying to make him understand.

“She’s not dead!” he snarled. “Damn you, she’s not dead.”

Ash broke his hold and used his powers to immobilize him.

Talon hissed and snarled as he tried to break free, but it was useless.

And in that moment, he realized just how far gone he really was.

I’ve attacked Acheron.

The thought sobered him. Ash was right. If he didn’t calm down and get a hold of himself, he could get them all killed.

All
of them.

Ash took a deep breath and released him. “Talon, you have a decision to make. Dark-Hunters don’t have wives. We don’t have families. At the end of the day, we have no one but ourselves. Our responsibility, our
only
responsibility, is to the humans who can’t protect themselves from the Daimons. You’ve got to get your head straight.”

“I know.” Talon breathed raggedly.

Ash nodded. Then his eyes turned a strange, deep silver. “Tell me what you want to do. Do you want me to petition Artemis for your soul?”

Talon thought about it. Right now, he stood on a precipice that he had never thought to face. Not once in his entire Dark-Hunter existence had he ever dared to dream Nynia would be back.

That she would …

He closed his eyes and winced.

Nynia wasn’t back. Acheron was right.

Nynia was dead.

The woman in his cabin right now wasn’t his wife.

She was Sunshine. A vibrant, caring woman who had fire and spunk.

She might have his wife’s soul, but she was someone else. Someone he didn’t want to live without.

Someone he didn’t dare keep.

He felt as if his heart were being shredded. Sunshine was human. In time, she could forget him and have another life. Someone else to love.

The thought pierced him, but he had to do this.

Either way, he would lose her. At least this way, she stood a chance for happiness that wouldn’t kill her.

“No,” Talon said quietly. “I don’t want to reclaim my soul knowing that I’ll lose Sunshine to Camulus’s wrath. I don’t want my freedom at that cost.”

“You sure?”

He nodded, then shook his head no. “Honestly, T-Rex, I’m not sure about anything anymore.” He looked at him. “Have you ever loved anyone?”

Acheron met his gaze stoically, and didn’t respond to the question. “You know, the thing about life and love is that they are both ever-changing while people seldom are. If you know this woman and you really love her, isn’t it worth the chance for freedom to have her?”

“But if I lose her…”

“That is an
if,
Celt. It seems to me the only certainty is if you don’t at least try, then you will definitely lose her.”

“But if I let her go, she’ll at least be alive.”

“The way you’ve lived since the day Nynia died?”

“That’s not fair.”

“I’m not paid to be fair. I’m paid to kick Daimon ass.” Acheron let out a tired sigh. “You know, I met a wise man centuries ago in China who said to me, ‘He who lets fear rule him, has fear for a master.’”

“Confucius?”

“No, Minh-Quan. He was a fisherman who used to sell what I’m told was the best
zong zi
ever made.”

Talon scowled at the unexpected comment. That was the thing about Acheron, you never really knew what you were going to get out of him.

“You’re a strange man, Acheron Parthenopaeus. Tell me, what you would do if you were me?”

Acheron folded his arms over his chest. “I would never presume to be anyone other than myself, Talon. I’m not the one who has to bear the consequences of your actions. That’s for you, alone, to do.”

Talon sighed. “Is it possible to fight a god and win?”

His eyes turned dull. Talon watched him curiously. There was something in Acheron’s past that his question brushed on. Something deep and dark, judging by the look on Acheron’s face.

“Celtic and Greek gods are very much like people. They make mistakes. And those mistakes are what will either make us or break us in the end.”

“You’re sounding like an Oracle now.”

“Scary, isn’t it?”

“Not scary, just irritating.” Talon started away from him.

“Talon.”

He stopped and turned back to face Acheron. “To answer your question. Yes, you can win battles with a god. But it’s much easier to negotiate.” Acheron’s tone told him that he spoke with the voice of experience.

“How do you negotiate with a god who wants you to suffer for all of eternity?”

“Very carefully, little brother.
Very
carefully.” Acheron glanced away, into the swamp. “You know, I think you may be losing sight of something really important.”

“And that is?”

“Very few of us are ever given a second chance to reclaim what we’ve lost. If Nynia came back to you, maybe there’s a reason for it.”

Acheron unfolded his arms. “You have my number, Celt. If you change your mind about the petition, let me know. But you need to make your decision fast. I need your mind clear by tomorrow night.”

“Why are you giving me a choice when you didn’t give Kyrian one? You petitioned Artemis and gave his soul to Amanda without his knowing it.”

Acheron shrugged. “Kyrian didn’t have a choice to make. Without a soul, Desiderius would have killed him. Your life isn’t in danger if you don’t get your soul back, Talon. Just your heart is. And as you well know, you can live without your heart. But do you really want to?”

There were times when he seriously wished Acheron was the twenty-one-year-old snot-nosed kid he appeared to be, and not an eleven-thousand-year-old wise man.

This was definitely one of those times.

“I’m going to take Sunshine back to town with me.”

“No,” Talon said automatically. “She stays here so I can protect her.”

“It wasn’t a question, Celt. You need time away from her to think. Time to clear your thoughts before tomorrow night.”

He started to argue, then realized Ash was right.

He was going to have to let her go anyway. He might as well do it now.

It would be easier for both of them.

“Okay, I’ll go get her.”

*   *   *

Sunshine knew something was wrong the minute she saw Talon come through the door.

His face was haunted, his eyes dark.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Acheron’s going to take you back to your loft.” His voice was so dispassionate that it made her stomach tight.