Night Embrace

  Artemis growled at them. "You're so pathetic. I can't believe we share a common gene between us."

  Shooting a nasty glare at her brother, Artemis struggled against the invisible force that held them down. Like the rest of them, she couldn't reach Ash.

  "Acheron!" she called. "Can you hear me?" Disembodied laughter filled the room.

  Ash leaned his head forward and more lightning flowed through him. The dragonlike beast tightened its grip around him and hissed a fiery breath at the goddess.

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  Artemis tried to climb up his leg, but she was forced back, away from him.

  "You know, folks," Camulus shouted. "The idea was to kill Acheron, free Apollymi, and reclaim our god status. Not piss him off and end the world. Personally, I don't want to be ruler of nothing. But if someone doesn't stop this guy, that chant he's making is going to undo life as we know it and un-create the world."

  "What are we going to do?" Sunshine asked Talon.

  Only one thing came to his mind.

  He had to bring Acheron to his senses.

  Talon kissed her lips, then moved away from her. He hadn't gone through death to get her back, only to lose her now.

  He summoned his remaining powers and allowed them to cocoon him. He no longer had his Dark-Hunter immortality, but he did retain all the psychic powers that had been given to him.

  Hopefully they would be enough. He rose slowly to his feet. A lightning bolt came at him. Talon deflected it. He moved slowly through the maelstrom until he reached Ash's side. So long as he stayed calm, he seemed to be shielded from Ash's wrath.

  "Let it go, T-Rex."

  Ash spoke to him in a language he didn't understand.

  "He says to back off or die," Styxx translated. "He's summoning the Destroyer."

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  "I can't let you do that," Talon said.

  The laughter echoed again.

  Wanting to distract Acheron from what he was chanting, and not knowing anything else to try, Talon rushed him.

  He caught Ash about the middle and knocked him to the floor. The dragon arched up, shrieking. Talon ignored it as he slugged Ash.

  Sunshine held her breath as she watched the two of them fighting. The entire building felt as if it were going to break apart.

  The floor beneath her shook.

  They were locked together like two great primal beasts and the fate of the world lay in who would win and who would lose.

  She whispered a prayer as she watched them, awed by the morbid beauty and grace of their battle. Zarek came through the door, bleeding, and was immediately thrown backward, against a wall. Artemis tried again to reach Acheron and again he tossed her back while he fought with Talon.

  "I'll give the boy credit," Camulus said. "He always was a fighter."

  Talon stopped fighting as he heard those words.

  "You never could learn your place, Speirr. You never knew when you should just lay down the sword and play nice."

  Camulus had been right. Up until now, Talon had never known when to fight and when to withdraw. Being calm was what had allowed him to reach Ash.

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  Then, he remembered what Acheron had said to him on the night he'd become a Dark-Hunter. "I can show you how to bury that pain so deep inside you that it will prick you no more. But be warned that nothing is ever given freely and nothing lasts forever. One day something will come along to make you feel again and with it, it will bring the pain of the ages upon you. All you have hidden will come out and it could destroy not only you but anyone near you."

  He wondered now who those words had really been meant for. Him or Ash? He looked up at Acheron and saw the fury of the man who was attacking him. This was what Ash had meant that night.

  Both of them had kept such a leash on themselves for so long that their fury blinded them to reason. It made them attack when they needed to withdraw and rethink the line of battle.

  Closing his eyes, Talon summoned the soothing calm, as Acheron had taught him. Ash rushed him again.

  This time, instead of fighting, Talon embraced him like a brother.

  Possessed of a strength and power Talon had never known before, he cupped Ash's face in his hands and tried to make his old friend see him.

  Ash's features were no longer handsome or human. They were those of a twisted demon. His eyes were blood-red and yellow, and there was no mercy in them. They were cold. Vicious.

  The colors swirled and danced like fire. Talon had never seen anything like this before.

  Who knew Ash had this kind of power? But he had to stop him.

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  One way or another.

  "Acheron," he said calmly, slowly. "Enough."

  At first he didn't think Ash had heard him. Not until Acheron turned his head to see Sunshine on the floor.

  "Talon," he rasped hoarsely. Ash's eyes flickered, then he looked back at Talon.

  Suddenly, another shock wave shot through the room, this one in the reverse direction from the first. It was as if the unleashed power were drawing back into Acheron.

  The dragon shot up toward the ceiling, then vanished. Ash's features transformed back into the face of the man Talon had known these centuries past. Ash blinked his now silver eyes and looked around as if he were waking up from a nightmare.

  Without a single comment, Ash stepped away from Talon, wrapped his arms around his chest, and walked across the room as if nothing had happened.

  As he passed Artemis, she reached for him, but he dodged her touch and kept walking.

  Artemis turned on her brother with a snarl. "Just you wait till Dad gets his hands on you."

  "Me? He knew what I had planned tonight. Wait until I tell him about Acheron!"

  Artemis curled her lip. "Oh, shut up, whiny boy." She held her hand out and zapped him out of the room. Styxx shrank back as Artemis turned her gaze to him.

  "You," she said, her tone thick with loathing.

  Styxx gulped audibly. "How can you protect something like him? After I died, I was sent to the Elysian Fields while he was--"

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  "No concern of yours," she said, interrupting him. "You and your precious family, you turned your backs on him and condemned him for something that wasn't his fault."

  "Not his fault? Please." Styxx tried to say something more, but his voice vanished.

  "That's better," Artemis said. "Funny, the two of you sound alike and yetyou whine.

  Thank Zeus, Acheron doesn't have that repugnant quality. But then, he was always a man and not a sniveling little child."

  She backed Styxx against the wall. "I can't believe you. I gave you a perfect existence.

  Your own island, filled with everything you could ever desire, and what did you do?

  You've spent eternity hating Acheron, plotting ways to kill him. You don't deserve mercy."

  "You can't kill me," Styxx squeaked out. "If you do, Acheron dies too."

  "And I curse the day the Fates bound your life force to his." She narrowed her eyes at him as if she wanted nothing more than to splinter him where he stood. "You're right. I can't kill you, but I can make living a worse hell than anything you can imagine."

  "What are you going to do to me?" Styxx asked. She smiled evilly. "You'll see, little human, you'll see."

  Styxx vanished. Artemis turned to face them. She took a deep breath and seemed to calm down exponentially.

  "Take care of your soul, Speirr," she said to Talon. "Know that it was purchased for you at a very dear cost." Then she too vanished.

  That left them alone with Camulus.

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  "We
ll," Talon said to the Celtic god. "It appears your friends have abandoned you."

  Camulus sighed. "What a pity. Excess, War, and Destruction. Together, we would have had a high time on earth. Oh well. I shall just have to content myself with taking her from you again. After all, she gave me her soul and now I wish to claim it. And of course, the fun thing about souls, they can only be claimed from a dead body."

  Camulus started for her.

  Talon pulled his asrads out ready to do battle.

  Out of nowhere, a bright flash lit the room. It faded into a form that was almost as dear to Sunshine as Talon's.

  "Grammy?" Sunshine asked in disbelief.

  Her grandmother stepped between them and Camulus. She faced the Celtic god with a stern glower. " 'Fraid not, hon. You don't own bupkis."

  Camulus was aghast at her appearance. "Morrigan? What are you doing here? This doesn't concern you."

  "Oh yes, it does." Her grandmother transformed from a little old lady into the beautiful war goddess Talon had met in his days as a mortal man.

  Talon went cold.

  Sunshine sputtered. "Excuse me? What is this?"

  Her grandmother looked at Sunshine apologetically. "I didn't mean for you to find out Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 437 of 460

  this way, Little Bit, but Acheron and I had to stop them from unleashing Apollymi. And to get Talon free, we needed the two of you here to face Camulus."

  Talon gaped. Ash had known all about this? Why hadn't he told him?

  The Morrigan turned back to Camulus. "Sorry, Cam. For onceyou forgot to read the fine print. You agreed with Bran to let Nynia be reborn to mortal parents for your scheme.

  You never specified that her grandparents be mortal too.

  "Since I couldn't help Speirr escape your curse and his bargain without declaring war on you and Artemis, I figured the least I could do was return his wife to him in the body of someone you couldn't touch. Nynia now reborn as Sunshine is flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood. When Speirr drank from her neck, he took my blood into him and now he, too, has my protection."

  Camulus cursed.

  Her grandmother wrinkled her nose. "It just reeks, doesn't it? You can't kill her or him unless you want to fight me."

  Talon exchanged a stunned look with Sunshine.

  "One day, Morrigan. One day

  " Camulus flashed out of the room.

  The Morrigan took a deep breath, then turned around to face them. "Congratulations, kids." "I'm free?" Talon asked, still unable to believe it.

  The Morrigan nodded. "With your Dark-Hunter powers intact." Sunshine hesitated. "Is he still a Dark-Hunter?"

  "No," her grandmother said. "Artemis released him from his vow when she gave up his Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 438 of 460

  soul. Once psychic powers are bestowed on someone, they remain with them forever."

  Sunshine smiled. "So he can go out into daylight now?"

  "Yes." The Morrigan looked suddenly uncomfortable. "By the way, there's something I need to tell you two."

  "What?" they asked in unison, both of them afraid of what she might say.

  "Because of the way our pantheon works, the two of you are

  " She bit her lip and

  wrung her hands.

  "We are what?" Talon prompted, terrified of what was coming next. When dealing with a god, one could never be too careful.

  "You're immortal unless you renounce it." Sunshine blinked. "What?"

  Her grandmother cleared her throat. "You and your brothers were born immortal, sweetie. It's why you still look like a baby even though you're pushing thirty."

  "Does that mean Mom's immortal too?" she asked.

  "No. Since your father isn't, she decided that she would give up her immortality to age with him. But since it was my blood that gave her immortality, it was passed on from her to you and then from you to Talon."

  Joy ripped through Talon. "You mean I never have to watch her die again?"

  "Never. Not unless you choose to."

  "Oh hell no," Talon said, laughing.

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  "I figured as much." The Morrigan stepped back. "Well, I'm sure the two of you have a lot to do. Like plan a wedding. Go make lots of babies." She took their hands into hers and then pressed them together. "I expect a large number of great-grandkids from you two."

  The Morrigan vanished, leaving them to stare at each other in wonderment.

  Sunshine licked her lips as she stared up at him. She couldn't believe everything that had happened tonight.

  Most of all, she couldn't believe she had Talon for her own. "So what's our first course of action?" That familiar look came into his amber eyes. "Try to make a baby?"

  She laughed at him. "Sounds good, but it'll probably take us the rest of the night to get back to your cabin."

  "True, but your loft isn't that far away

  " Sunshine smiled. "No, it isn't."

  He kissed her hand and then led her from the room.

  They left the building and blended into the monstrous crowd of Mardi Gras celebrants who were heading home. Sunshine's heart was light as they walked hand in hand, until they reached the street.

  Gasping, she pulled Talon back as a giant float narrowly missed him. Then she burst out laughing. "What is it with you and the Mardi Gras floats?"

  "It's not the floats, love, it's you. Whenever you're around, everything else fades from my notice."

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  She bit her lip impishly. "You keep talking like that and I'll definitely take you home, lock you up, and throw away the key."

  "That's fine with me, just make sure you're naked when you do it."

  Chapter 19

  Zarek watched as Talon and Sunshine vanished into the crowd. He was happy for Sunshine, but he couldn't understand what the two of them felt for one another. He'd never known any kind of love.

  "Fuck it," he snarled, limping away from the building. He needed to get back to his townhouse.

  "Dionysus will be coming for you."

  He paused at the sound of Acheron's voice behind him. "So?"

  Ash sighed as he drew near. "Can we not have a truce?"

  Zarek scoffed at the thought. "Why? Mutual disdain suits us so well."

  "Z, I'm too tired for this. Give me something to use with Artemis. Something that will make her want to give you another chance."

  Zarek laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right. After what I saw in there you don't honestly expect me to believe that she pulls your chain, do you? How stupid do I look?"

  "Things aren't always what they seem."

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  Maybe, but Zarek wasn't willing to give on this. He'd screwed himself royally tonight.

  The moment he had turned on the gods, he'd known they would make him pay. Not that he cared. Let them come for him.

  "Look," he said, turning his back to Acheron, "I'm tired and hungry, and I just want to lie down until my injuries heal, okay?"

  "Okay."

  Zarek paused as a group of college students stumbled past, laughing and teasing each other. He watched them curiously.

  They turned a corner and vanished. He looked around at the drunken tourists and locals who were screaming and cheering. It was almost one a.m. now and still the city was alive and vibrant even though the crowd was being told to disperse.

  "When do I go back?" Zarek asked, dreading the answer.

  "Tomorrow. Nick'll be by to pick you up about two. He'll have a tinted van that can get you out to the airstrip without exposing you to daylight."

  Zarek closed his eyes and winced as he thought about returning to Alaska. A few weeks more and spring would arrive. He'd be housebound again.

  A flash to his left caught his attention. Three seconds later, a Daim
on came running through the crowd. The Daimon flashed his fangs and snarled at Zarek as if he had no idea who or what he was facing.

  Zarek smiled evilly, anticipating what he was about to do.

  "What are you?" the Daimon asked when he failed to scare or intimidate him.

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  Zarek quirked his lips. "Oh please, let me give you the job description. Me, Dark-Hunter.

  You, Daimon. I hit, you bleed. I kill, you die."

  "Not this time." The Daimon attacked.

  Acting on instinct, Zarek caught him in the throat and used his claw to kill him. The Daimon evaporated as Valerius came running up through the crowd. The Roman was breathing hard and had obviously been chasing after the Daimon for some distance.

  Valerius looked at Ash and inclined his head, then he glanced to Zarek and froze.

  Zarek met his shocked gaze without flinching. As per Ash's orders, he had shaved his goatee off. Recognition darkened Valerius's eyes as he stood there without blinking.

  Zarek gave him a wry smile. "Surprise," he said quietly. "Bet you didn't see that one coming."

  Without another word, he headed off into the crowd, leaving Valerius and Acheron to their own ends. Valerius

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  NEW ORLEANS AT DAWN

  Brothers. The word hung in Valerius's heart as he stared at the marble bust in his foyer.

  It was the face of his father. It was the face of his brother. Zarek. Pain racked him as he stood there trying to reconcile the past with the present. Why had he never seen the resemblance?

  But he knew. He'd never really looked at Zarek before tonight. A pathetic lowborn slave, Zarek had been so far beneath his notice that he had barely glanced at the boy. There had only been one time in their lives when he had truly seen him.

  He couldn't remember now what Zarek had been beaten for. For that matter, he couldn't even remember which of his brothers had committed the deed that had caused Zarek's punishment. It could just as well have been his misdeed as that of one of the others.

  He only remembered that it was the first time he had recognized Zarek as a person.

  Zarek had been lying on the cobbled floor, clutching his arms over his chest, his naked, scarred back bloody and torn. What had struck Valerius most was the look on Zarek's face. The boy's eyes had been hollow. Empty. Not a single tear was evident.