Now the only thing Styxx feared was that he would never escape the horror of his existence. That he would keep on living, century after century, until the universe itself exploded.
He wanted out, and up until thirty years ago he hadn't had a hope of it.
Now he did.
Dionysus and Camulus wanted to reclaim their godhoods and they needed the Destroyer and Acheron's blood to do it. It was a pity Styxx didn't have Atlantean blood in him or he would gladly offer himself up as sacrifice.
As it was, Acheron alone held the key to the Destroyer's release.
Styxx was the only creature alive who could deliver Acheron to them.
Just a few days more and everything would be set right. The old powers would return to dominate the earth and he…
He would finally be free.
Styxx sighed in sweet expectation. All he had to do was keep the Dark-Hunters at each other's throats and keep them distracted while he prevented the gods from killing each other.
If either Talon or Acheron ever realized what was happening, they would stop it. They alone had the power to do so.
It was him against them and this time, this time, he would finish what he had started eleven thousand years ago.
When he was through here, the Dark-Hunters would be without leadership.
He would be free and the earth as all knew it would be a whole new place entirely.
Styxx smiled.
Just a few days more…
Chapter 3
Talon woke up to find his arm on fire.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Hissing, he jerked his hand away from the sunlight that was streaming in through the window, across an extremely pink bed. He pushed himself back against the white wicker headboard to avoid any more of his body from coming into contact with the deadly rays.
He blew cool air across his hand, but still it burned and ached.
Where the hell was he?
For the first time in centuries, he felt a wave of uncertainty run through him.
Talon was never out of his element. Never out of control. His entire life was one of extreme balance and moderation.
Never in his Dark-Hunter existence had he found himself unsure or confounded.
But right now, he had no idea where he was, the time of day, or who the women were he heard on the other side of the pink drapes.
Squinting against the bright sunlight that painfully pierced his eyes, he looked around the odd room and realized he was trapped between two open windows. His heart hammered. There was no safe way off the bed. The only direction he could go was to his left and into the corner that was occupied by a frothy pink nightstand.
Damn.
Through the pounding pain in his head, the night before came flooding back to him with stunning clarity.
The attack.
The woman…
The great big whatever slamming into him.
Though his body ached and was sore, his Dark-Hunter powers had allowed him to heal while he slept.
In a few hours, even the soreness would be gone.
Until then, he needed out of this death trap of sunlight. Closing his eyes, Talon willed a dark cloud to cover the sun so that the bright daylight would no longer play havoc with his eyesight.
If he wanted to, he could summon enough clouds to turn the day sky as dark as night. But it wouldn't do him any good.
Daylight was still daylight.
His unique Dark-Hunter powers gave him a great deal of control over the elements, weather and healing, but not control over Apollo's domain. Light or dark, the daytime still belonged to Apollo, and even though Apollo was technically retired, the Greek god would never tolerate a Dark-Hunter walking about on his shift.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) If Apollo caught sight of him outside or near a window during the light of day, Talon would be nothing more than a strip of fried bacon on the sidewalk.
Extra-crispy Celt didn't appeal to him in the least.
His eyes no longer burning, Talon started to leave the bed, then paused. There was nothing between him and the patchouli-and turpentine-scented sheets.
What's happened to my clothes? He was quite sure he hadn't undressed himself last night.
Had they… ?
He frowned as he searched his memory. No, it wasn't possible. If he'd been awake enough to have sex with her, he would have been awake enough to leave this place long before sunup.
"Where is it?"
He looked up at hearing the unfamiliar voice on the other side of the pink tie-dyed fabric, which was hung to form a wall around the bed.
Two seconds later, the fabric slid open to reveal an attractive woman who appeared to be in her late thirties. Her long black hair was pulled into a thick braid and she wore a long flowing black skirt and tunic.
She looked remarkably similar to the woman he'd met last night. And at first glance, she would be easy to mistake for her younger counterpart.
"Hey, Sunshine, your friend's awake. What's his name?
"
"I don't know, Starla. I didn't ask.
"