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.
"I see. And do you agree with him?"
"I do. I think it's for the best."
But she didn't want to go. The depth of how much she wanted to stay startled her. "I see."
Woodenly, she started gathering her things. But inside, inside she was dying.
Talon couldn't stand seeing her like this. He wanted to grab her and run away to a place where no one could find them. To hold her safe.
The only problem was, no one could hide from a god.