She was all he had.
And so he had carried her through the snowstorm while she screamed and howled. Through the leagues of frostbitten land until he had found his mother's people.
For his sister, he had begged and pleaded and allowed them to beat him until he couldn't stand.
He had never asked anything for himself.
Not until he found Nynia.
He had taken her and made her his, and by his own stupidity he had lost her.
They could never be together. Never.
I am solitude.
I am sorrow.
Talon bellowed in anger.
Suddenly, something to the right of him caught his attention. Talon frowned.
There was something sticking out from under his bed.
He moved toward it and pulled it out.
His heart stopped beating. Then it began pounding.
Sunshine had left them for him. There were three paintings of his cabin and dock and the view from his porch.
He stared at the vibrant, crisp colors that captured the scenery in the light of day.
They were beautiful, but nowhere near as beautiful as the woman who had given them to him.
A woman who had given him the greatest gifts of his life.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) He found a note sandwiched between two of the paintings.
Opening it, he felt his stomach knot.
This is the swamp as I see it, but what I can't capture on canvas is you as I see you.
No brush or paint will ever show the hero that you are. It will never be able to portray the sound of your voice when you whisper my name. The way my skin tingles when you touch me.
The passion of you inside me.
I love you, Talon. I know that I can't keep you. No one can ever tame a wild beast.
You have a job to do and so do I. I only hope that when you think of me, it'll bring a smile to your face.
Love always,
Sunshine
He reread the note four times.
For centuries, he'd loved Nynia. But what he felt for Sunshine was so much more.
"Yes, you can win battles with a god." Acheron's words hovered in his mind.
Talon drew a ragged breath.
Yes, he could win. He would go out tomorrow night and take care of Mardi Gras for Acheron.
But once it ended…
He was going to summon Camulus and end this once and for all.
By Wednesday's dawn, either he or Camulus would be dead.
Chapter 17
Sunshine wasn't sure what to make of Acheron as they entered her loft. He was lean and humongously tall, and those eyes of his…
She shivered.
Something about them made it seem like he could see straight through her. Like he could hear every thought she possessed.
She dropped her backpack beside the couch and watched him walk a circle around her loft, as if making sure no one was in here, and yet she sensed it was more habit than a real need he had to verify that they were alone.
He had such a deadly, graceful swagger. A predator's lope. There was something intrinsically sexual about Acheron. Something compelling, seductive. Just being near him made her want to reach out and touch him.
It was as if he were putting off powerful pheromones, and at the same time, she was scared of him. He was like a lethal, beautiful animal in the wild that part of you wanted to cuddle, even while the other part of you knew he was just as likely to rip your arm off as he was to cuddle back.
He was magnetic and fierce and he made her want to run for the door.
When he spoke, the powerful sound of his voice made her jump, but what struck her most was how
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) erotic his voice was. It was so deep that it rumbled and every syllable he spoke went down her spine like a seductive caress. She'd never been around anyone whose entire body and character appeared to have been made for no other purpose than to entice women sexually.
Boy, did it ever work.
"Your brother, Storm, is below, cleaning up. You might want to have him spend the night with you."
"How do you know Storm is below?"
"I just do."
She frowned—he was even more eerie than her grandmother. "Why aren't you staying?"
"Do you want me to?"
No, not really. But she didn't want to offend him. "You probably have things you need to do."
He gave her a tight-lipped smile that seemed to indicate that he had heard her real response. "Then, good night, Sunshine."
He started for the door.
"Acheron, wait."
He paused and looked at her.
"Am I doing the right thing by letting Talon go?" she asked. "You need him, right?"
His mercury eyes seared her. "I think you need to listen to what your grandmother told you, Sunshine.
Follow your heart."
"How did you know about that?"
He gave her a hint of a smile. "I know lots of things."
This was a very spooky man. She wondered if he was a missing member of the Addams family.
Acheron turned on his heel and walked out her door.