"And you're still able to walk and move?"
"Let's not go there."
Ash gave a short half-laugh. "Yeah, okay. So what do you need?"
"I got a call from the imposter not long after I got back here with Sunshine."
Total silence answered him. He couldn't even hear static on the cell line.
"Hey, T-Rex, you there?"
"I'm here. What did he say?"
"Mostly that he hates you. At first I thought it was you, but he said a couple of things I knew didn't sound right."
"Such as?"
"He said he-meaning you-had been addicted to this drug he fed Sunshine. Getting anything that personal out of you is like removing a tooth from a lion without a tranquilizer."
Again Acheron was totally silent.
"Hey, bud, you still with me?" Talon asked.
"Did he say anything else?"
"Yeah, he said you had a sister you let die. I called him a liar and we passed a few insults, then he hung up on me."
Talon heard Nick in the background calling for Ash while Zarek growled for Nick to let go of him. "Something wrong?"
"Nick just brought Zarek in. He's hurt. Let me let you go."
"Okay, but call back and let me know what's going on."
"Will do." The phone went dead.
Now that was weird too. Frowning, Talon set his phone down and returned to Sunshine.
Sunshine came awake screaming.
Talon grabbed her as she thrashed about on the futon.
"Shh," he breathed against her hair. "It's me, Talon. You're safe."
She was trembling against him. "I thought I was still..." She tightened her arms around him. "Oh God, Talon, I was so scared."
Anger pierced his heart. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. Did they hurt you?"
She shook her head. "They just scared me. Especially the one they called Styxx."
"Styxx? Like the Greek river?"
She nodded. "He had this crazy look to him. Spooky. His eyes were so full of hatred and he had a constant snarl. Camulus had to keep calming him down."
Talon ground his teeth. He fully intended to find both assholes and put a major hurt on them. "I'm sorry, baby. I promise you, they'll never get their hands on you again."
Sunshine tightened her arms around him. "I'm so glad you found me, but how did you know where I was?"
"Camulus called me."
The news stunned her. "Why?"
"I don't know. I think he just wants to play with my head. He's twisted that way."
She sat there, feeling sick to her stomach. "What did they give me?"
"Some kind of drug. An aphrodisiac. Did they use it with you?"
"No," she said. "They forced me to drink it, then left me alone. It was really nasty stuff. I still feel so lightheaded and strange." She looked at him and smiled. "But I remember what I did with you."
"Yeah, so do I."
She laughed and her body protested the movement. "Are you as sore as I am?"
"Let's just say I'm in no hurry to get out of bed."
Sunshine traced his tattoo as she took comfort in being safe with him. It was so good to just feel him by her side again. To hear the sound of his voice. She remembered the gunshots they had fired into him and how terrified she had been that he would somehow die from the wounds.
Now there was no sign at all that he had ever been shot.
"I'm so glad they didn't kill you," she breathed.
"Believe me, I feel the same way about you."
She ran her hand over his nipple and then froze as she felt suddenly sick.
"Sunshine?"
She left the bed and rushed for the bathroom.
Talon followed after her and then held her while she unloaded the rest of the drug from her system.
Sunshine didn't know how long she was in there. It seemed like she would never stop heaving.
Talon stayed with her the entire time, holding her hair, washing her face with a cold, damp cloth.
"Are you okay?" he asked when she finally stopped.
"I don't know. I feel awful."
He kissed the top of her head. "I'll go get you a Coke and some crackers. It'll help you settle your stomach."
She thanked him, then went to the sink to brush her teeth while he went to get the Coke.
When she left the bathroom, she found Talon waiting in bed for her.
She sat down beside him and pulled the covers over her body. She was still shaky and queasy.
Talon handed her a cracker and a can of Coke.
"Hmm," she said, taking them from him. "You must like me a lot to let me eat crackers in your bed."
He brushed the hair back from her face. His eyes burned her with their intensity. "Yes, I do."
His words sent a chill over her. "Do you, Talon? Or is it Nynia you love? When you look at me, do you see Sunshine or your wife?"
"I see you both."
Sunshine cringed at his answer. That wasn't what she wanted to hear. All her life, she had struggled to be herself. Her parents accepted her, but the guys she'd dated had all wanted to change her.
Even Jerry.
The last guy she dated had only been interested in her because she reminded him of his ex-girlfriend.
Now she reminded Talon of his ex-wife.
She couldn't win for losing.
Why couldn't someone just love her for being Sunshine?
Would Talon be so tender and attentive now if she weren't his wife reincarnated?
"What do you like about me?" she asked, nibbling her cracker.
"I like your fire and I love your body."
"Gee, thanks. Does that mean if I were fat and hideous you'd run for the door?"
"Would you run for the door if I was?"
Touche. The man was quick with a comeback. "Probably so. No doubt, I'd break it down trying to escape you."
He laughed at that. "I'd run after you if you did."
"Would you?"
"Yes, I would."
But would he run after Sunshine or Nynia?
The question haunted her.
Sunshine leaned over and kissed his forehead. "You need to get some sleep. You look really tired." And he did.
It was almost noon and, unlike her, he wasn't used to staying up all day.
"Okay. Remember, Nick is four and a pound sign on the phone if you need anything. And don't go far. Camulus will be coming back, I just don't know when. At least here I know the gators will slow them down. So make sure you stay close enough that I can reach you if something happens."
She nodded. "If I'm not in the cabin, I'll be right outside the door painting. Promise."
"Okay." He nuzzled her cheek tenderly, then kissed her. "I'll see you in a few hours."
Sunshine tucked him into the bed, got dressed, turned out the lights, and quietly went outside to paint.
As the afternoon went by while she sat on the porch, she realized that Talon had lived out here for centuries and in all that time he had never once seen the beauty of the swamp during the light of day.
He'd never seen sunlight dappling the water. Never seen the vibrant green of the moss on the stump by his dock. At night the edge was taken off the colors.
It was such a shame that he had to live like that. Alone in a world without...
She cringed as the word sunshine popped into her head.
"Jeez," she muttered. "How cheesy is that?"
Still, it didn't stop her heart from aching for him.