"Sunshine," Zarek said. "Don't."
"You, heel," Dionysus snarled.
Zarek cracked his knuckles. "Don't tell me what to do. I don't like it."
Sunshine ignored them. "What are you saying to me, Camulus?"
He tucked his hands into his pockets and acted as cool as someone chitchatting about the weather, not sealing the fate of her immortal destiny. "A simple trade. I lift his curse. You give me your soul."
Sunshine hesitated. "That seems easy."
"It is."
"So what are you going to do with my soul once you have it?"
"Nothing at all. I'll keep it with me, just like Artemis keeps Talon's."
"And my body?"
"A body doesn't need a soul to function."
Zarek put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't do it, Sunshine. You can't ever trust a god."
"Sure you can," Styxx said. "Trusting them is the best thing I ever did."
"I don't know," she breathed, searching her heart and mind, trying to decide what she should do.
Acheron and Talon stood on the crowded street. There were people everywhere, most of them drunk as they celebrated Mardi Gras.
Talon did a double-take as a man danced by him wearing a large diaper and a fake pair of gold wings. His long blond hair was tied back in a gold cord and he held a crossbow in one hand and a bottle of Jack Daniel's in the other. Drunk, the man was arbitrarily shooting his golden arrows at the people he passed by.
"Eros!" Talon snapped, grabbing the bow from him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm celebrating."
Acheron raked a less than amused stare over Eros's "costume."
"What's with the get-up?"
Eros shrugged. "If you can't beat them, join them. They expect Cupid in a diaper, so here I am. Cute Cupid in a diaper." He threw an arm over Talon's shoulders. The god was so drunk he could barely stand on his own. "Hey, I found out something interesting. Dion has teamed up with another god for tonight's festivities. And would you believe, it's the same guy you were asking me about? What's his face, Camululu?"
Talon went cold at the name. "Camulus?"
"Yeah, him. I heard Dion saying they were going to party with your woman and that the psycho Hunter from Alaska was going to hand her over to them."
His blood boiling, Talon pushed Eros away and started back toward his car.
Acheron grabbed him. By the look on Ash's face, he could tell this was nothing Ash didn't already know. "Talon..."
"You knew!" Talon snarled at the betrayal. "How could you?"
Ash gave him a hard stare. "It's all right, Talon."
"Like hell it is." Rage gripped him hard. How could Acheron have betrayed him like this? How could he have turned Sunshine over into the hands of a man he knew was going to give her to the one god who wanted him punished?
"Damn you, damn you straight to hell!"
He punched Acheron in the jaw.
Ash took the hit without flinching, but when Talon moved to strike him again, he caught his hand. "This isn't accomplishing anything."
"It's making me feel better."
Ash grabbed him by the shoulder of his leather jacket and held him immobile. "Listen to me, Talon. The only way to save the two of you is to maintain your grip. Trust me."
"I'm tired of trusting you, Ash. Especially when you won't return it. Tell me what's going on here and why you sent Zarek to her knowing he was going to turn on her."
"It's the way things are meant to be."
Rage rolled over him. He wasn't some child to be lectured to about fate.
"Who the hell are you to say that? You're not a god, even though you pretend to be one with your vague-ass comments and spooky powers. You don't know the future any more than I do." Talon snarled at him. "If she dies, so help me, I'll kill you."
"Listen to me, Celt," he said sharply. "If you want to break Camulus's curse, the two of you have to confront him together tonight. This is the only shot you'll ever get to break free of him."
Talon didn't like any of this. Damn Ash for his secrecy. "Where are they?"
"They're in a warehouse. If you'll calm down, I'll take you to it.
"The night is far from over, Talon. Look inside you and find the peace you used to have. If you don't find it, you've lost even before you start to fight."
Talon did it, but it was hard. Nearly impossible. But he had no choice. He had to rein himself in or he would be useless to Sunshine.
When his head was clear, Acheron let him go.
"Maintain." The voice seemed to come from inside Talon's head.
Ash placed a hand on his shoulder.
One instant they were on Bourbon Street, the next they were outside a warehouse.
"What did you do?" Talon asked, wondering how many people had seen them vanish.
"I'm doing what I have to. Don't worry, no one saw us leave or arrive. I don't make those kinds of mistakes."
Talon hoped so.
Ash held the door open for him and Talon led the way into the building.
They were halfway through the main room when something akin to lightning flashed from upstairs. Screams rent the air.
Talon lost his calm as he sprinted for the stairs with Ash hot on his heels.
They rushed through a door and were almost run over by Zarek who was covered in blood and carrying Sunshine in his arms.
"What the hell?" Talon asked, terrified by the sight. "What happened to her?"
Before Zarek could answer, the door was blown from its frame.
"Run!" Zarek shouted.
No one had a chance. A swarm of hideous winged demons flew into the room. Talon cursed. He'd never seen anything like them. They were the color of rust and screeched like banshees as they flew at them.
They had three barbed tails that they wielded like whips.
Acheron held his hands up and blasted them with electrical energy. They recoiled, but kept coming.
"Get Sunshine out of here," Acheron ordered.
They headed back to the stairs only to find Daimons coming up from below.
Talon tossed two srads, taking out four of the creatures, but it didn't even slow them down. "We're surrounded."
Acheron spoke in a language Talon couldn't understand. The demons paused and flew around as if dazed by his order.
"It won't hold the demons for long," Ash shouted, his voice barely discernible over the ethereal flapping of wings and claps of thunder.
Ash threw his hands up and the Daimons ran into what appeared to be an invisible barrier between them.
Talon led Zarek down the hallway, hoping to find another way out of the building.
He shoved open a door to a smaller room.
"I think she's dying." Zarek's voice sent an electric chill through him.
"She's not dying."
"Talon, I think she's dying," he repeated.
The demons forgotten, Talon took her from Zarek's arms and laid her carefully on the floor.
Her face was so pale that it shook him.
"Sunshine?" he breathed, his heart pounding. "Baby, can you look at me?"
She did, but instead of the vibrancy he was used to seeing, he saw pain and deep regret.
"You're free, Talon," she whispered. "I made him break the curse."
"What?"
"She traded her soul to Camulus so that he would set you free." Zarek curled his lip at him. "I told her not to do it, that it was a trick. She didn't listen and as soon as she agreed, the bastard blasted her."