"
"Clean it up, hell. Do you know how many cameras just caught your stunt-jump from upstairs? My mom now thinks you're on the drugs she suspects Kyrian sells. We're screwed. My life is toast. I'm about to get lectured about working for drug dealers… again. My mom, bless her heart, is so goofy, she doesn't even realize she works for bears. I'm so screwed."
"Don't worry about it," Dev said as he joined them. "We have your back, Celt. Cleaning up indiscretions is our specialty. No human here will remember it tomorrow and we'll make sure none of the electronics show anything either. Everyone will be ticked off that all they got for a picture was a big black blob."
"What about me?" Nick asked. "I don't want any of your mind-meld stuff.
"
"I said humans, Nicky.
"
Nick looked extremely offended.
"Thanks," Talon said to Dev.
"Any time. I'll see you tomorrow for Mardi Gras.
"
Talon inclined his head to the bear and led Sunshine outside even though his entire leg felt as if it had been broken by the jump.
Once they were on the street, he confronted her. "You were married?
"
"It was seven years ago, Talon. I was young and stupid.
"
"You were married," he repeated. "Tohim .
"
Sunshine took a deep breath and sighed. "Yes.
"
"I can't believe this.
"
"Oh, c'mon, Talon, give me a break. Don't hold something against me when I had no idea you even existed. If anyone has a right to be mad, I think it should be me.
"
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"Excuse me?
"
"Selena told me about you and your rep, bud. How you've pretty much laid every woman in New Orleans. You want to tell me about that?
"
"That was different.
"
"Why? Because I'm a woman? You knew I wasn't a virgin, Talon. What did you expect?
"
Talon didn't know. But then, it didn't really matter.
After tonight, she'd hate him anyway. The last thing he wanted was to spend the evening fighting with her.
This was all the time they would ever have.
"Okay, Sunshine. You're right. I'm sorry.
"
Sunshine was stunned. This was the first time she'd ever known a guy to cave so easily. "Are you really?
"
"Yes," he said, his eyes sincere. "I don't want to fight, okay? Let's just forget about him and go eat.
"
She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "Sounds good.
"
As they walked to a small cafe on Iberville, she noticed he had a slight limp. "Are you okay?
"
"Yeah, I just twisted my leg when I jumped over the railing," he said. "Whenever I get mad, I tend to lose my Dark-Hunter powers, and without them, my body becomes human.
"
"Do you need a doctor?
"
He shook his head. "As long as I stay calm, it should heal while we eat.
"
Talon kept her close to him the entire time it took them to reach the restaurant and be seated. He memorized everything about her. He would always remember her like this and those memories would live inside him right along with the ones of her as Nynia.
Or would he lose those memories when Eros shot him?
Would his mind somehow distort them so that he couldn't love her anymore?
His stomach knotted at the thought. What would it be like to not even have the comfort of his memories
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To not remember the softness of her touch, the smell of her patchouli on his skin?
The way her eyes lit up every time she looked at him?
Grinding his teeth, he tried not to think about that, or to feel the pain in his heart.
This wasn't about him and what he stood to lose.
This was about her.
He had to do this for her.
She sat in the booth across from him, her head bent while she ate. The candlelight reflected the darkness of her hair, making her skin a creamy tan. A creamy tan that made his mouth water for a taste.
Talon watched the graceful gestures of her hands as she cut into her garbanzo bean salad and ate it. He loved those long, tapered fingers. Loved teasing them with his mouth, feeling them on his body.
"What made you want to be an artist?" he asked.
"I love working with my hands."
He reached across the table and took her left hand into his. He studied the delicate curve of it, the way it felt so dainty in his palm. "You have such beautiful hands."
She smiled and squeezed his with hers. "Thank you. They're the most valuable thing an artist can ever have. I used to have nightmares that something would happen to them, a severe scar or burn that would prevent me from ever using them for pottery or drawing again. Art is my life. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't create."
Talon closed his eyes as agony washed over him. His emotions swirled, but he forced them down. He had to.
The clock was ticking for them.
Sunshine fed him a bite of her salad and he did his best not to cringe.