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.