Talon choked. "No!" he roared at both of them. "Sunshine, why?"
"He said he would kill you. I thought he would just take my soul, Talon. I didn't know he would do this. I didn't know he couldn't take possession of my soul without killing me first."
Talon tore the medallion from Sunshine's neck. "Damn you, Morrigan," he shouted, throwing it against the wall. "How could you forsake her too?"
She pressed her cold hand to his lips, "Shh, baby. Don't say that. It's my fault."
"I told her there's always a catch. But she didn't ask the right questions."
Tears flowed down Talon's cheeks as he watched her struggle to breathe. Over and over in his mind he remembered every moment of their time together, both in this life and her previous one.
He saw Sunshine's bright, tender face the first time they had made love. Saw her wrestling for her easel with Beth.
Heard her singing "Puff the Magic Dragon" as she doodled.
He took her hands into his and kissed them, with their smell of paint, turpentine, and patchouli. Hands that created breathtaking works of art.
Hands that could tear him apart with a simple touch...
"I'm not going to lose you again," he breathed. "Not like this."
Zarek came forward. "What are you doing, Celt?"
"Get away from me."
Talon placed his hands over her chest wound and closed his eyes. He forced himself to calm down, forced his emotions to leave him, and then he summoned his Dark-Hunter powers, and let them wash through him. His immortal strength flowed, surged. It swelled up and moved from his hands into her body.
His arms burned as he, in turn, absorbed her injury into his own chest.
Normally, it would hurt when he did this. Tonight, the pain was crippling because this wound wasn't a small injury.
It was mortal.
Gasping from the wrenching agony of his heart being pierced, Talon fell back, away from her.
Sunshine lay still, waiting for the pain to return.
It didn't.
Afraid she was already dead, she reached up to touch her chest where Camulus's blast had struck her. There was no longer a wound there.
"Talon?" She sat up to see Zarek staring at him.
"Oh God, no!" she shrieked as she saw Talon lying on the floor, bleeding. She scrambled to his side and pulled him into her arms. "What have you done?"
"He took your injuries into his own body," Zarek explained. "Now, instead of you dying, he will."
"No, Talon, no! Please don't die," she begged.
"Shh," Talon said quietly. "It's okay."
Ash came running through the door, took one look at them and cursed. "What happened?"
"The Celt absorbed her injuries." Zarek's voice was scarcely more than a whisper and filled with disbelief.
Something struck the door. Hard.
"Don't worry," Ash said. "I have a shield on the room. The gods can't pop in here until they breach it."
"Yeah, but at the rate they're going, they'll have the door knocked down any second," Zarek said. He pushed Ash toward Talon. "Go, get him out of here. I've got your backs."
"You sure?" Ash asked.
Zarek nodded.
"So help me, Slave," Dionysus snarled from the other side of the door. "I'll see you obliterated for this."
Zarek laughed coldly. "Come get some."
Ash opened the door on the opposite side of the room.
Sunshine was terrified. She didn't know what was happening. She still couldn't believe Zarek had turned around and helped them. Nor could she think past the sight of Talon covered in blood.
Everything was happening so fast that she wanted to run away and hide. But she couldn't.
Talon needed her to be strong for him and she refused to fail him.
As she started away from Zarek, he called out to her. "Hey, Sunshine?"
She looked back at him.
"Thanks for the bowl." Then he turned around to wait for the gods to break through Ash's barrier and the door.
Amazed by his actions, Sunshine ran to help Ash carry Talon down the hallway and into the last room on the left.
Ash laid him carefully on the floor, then used his powers to seal the room.
Sunshine's hand shook as she knelt beside Talon. He was pale and trembling. His entire body was coated with sweat and blood. "Hold on, baby," she whispered, not sure if he could even hear her now.
"He's immortal, right?" she asked Ash. "He'll be fine."
Ash shook his head. "His heart is pierced. When it stops beating, he'll die. Again."
His face grim, Ash looked up at the ceiling. "Artemis!" he shouted. "Get your ass here, right now."
A flash of light almost blinded Sunshine as the goddess appeared beside her.
Artemis gave Acheron a furious glare. "What is your problem?"
"I need Talon's soul. Now."
She laughed incredulously at him. "Excuse me, Acheron, but you haven't paid the price for it"
"Dammit, Artie, he's dying. I don't have time to negotiate."
She shrugged. "Then heal him."
"I can't and you know it. It's a mortal god-bolt wound. I'm not allowed to interfere with that."
Sunshine felt an electric ripple flow through the room.
Rage darkened her sight as she stared at the selfish goddess. Sunshine started to lunge at her, but Ash caught her and pulled her back.
Sunshine trembled in fear and anger.
"Give it to me, now." Acheron's deep voice sounded like thunder. "Do it and I'll give you a week of total submission."
A calculating gleam darkened Artemis's eyes. "Give me two."
Sunshine saw the fury and resignation on Ash's face. "Done."
Artemis held her hand out and a large maroon stone appeared in her palm.
When Ash went to take it, Artemis pulled it out of his reach. "You will come to me at dawn."
"I will, I swear it."
Artemis smiled in satisfaction, then handed the stone to Ash. Ash returned to Talon. Then, he met Sunshine's gaze. "Sunshine, you're going to have to take this into your hand and hold it over the brand mark until his soul is released back into his body."
She reached for it, but Talon caught her wrist. She hadn't even known he was still conscious until she felt his weakened grip on her arm.
"She can't, Ash."
"Talon!" she said, angered that he was stopping her. "What are you doing?"
"No, Sunshine," Talon whispered, his voice strained. "If you take that, it will scar your hand. It could leave you unable to draw or paint ever again."
Her greatest fear.
She looked into Talon's pain-filled eyes.