Damn. What kind of protection was that? She needed to have a talk with whoever came up with these things.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) A calculating glint lightened Camulus's eyes. He sighed as if bored. "Oh well, since I can't kill you, I guess I'll have to content myself with killing Talon instead."
Terror consumed her. "What?"
Camulus shrugged nonchalantly. "It's rather pointless to let him live happily ever after with you when my intent was to make him suffer. Since you can't die, he'll have to."
Her hand shook as she held the medallion in her suddenly sweaty grip. "Won't Artemis be mad if you kill one of her soldiers?"
He looked at Dionysus, who burst out laughing. "Artemis, darling that she is, would most definitely care.
However, she won't start a war with the Celtic pantheon over it. Unlike me, Cam is safe from her wrath."
"Doesn't it just reek?" Camulus asked. His happy smile belied his dire words.
Sunshine wanted to cry. This couldn't be happening.
By saving herself, she had condemned Talon to die.
No! She couldn't let this happen. "Okay, there has to be another way."
Camulus narrowed his eyes as if thinking about the matter. "Perhaps there is. Tell me, Sunshine. How much does Talon's happiness mean to you?"
"Everything," she said sincerely.
"Everything. Well, that certainly is a lot." His look turned steely cold, frightening. "Does it mean as much to you as your own soul?"
"Sunshine," Zarek said. "Don't."
"You, heel," Dionysus snarled.
Zarek cracked his knuckles. "Don't tell me what to do. I don't like it."
Sunshine ignored them. "What are you saying to me, Camulus?"
He tucked his hands into his pockets and acted as cool as someone chitchatting about the weather, not sealing the fate of her immortal destiny. "A simple trade. I lift his curse. You give me your soul."
Sunshine hesitated. "That seems easy."
"It is."
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)
"So what are you going to do with my soul once you have it?"
"Nothing at all. I'll keep it with me, just like Artemis keeps Talon's."
"And my body?"
"A body doesn't need a soul to function."
Zarek put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't do it, Sunshine. You can't ever trust a god."
"Sure you can," Styxx said. "Trusting them is the best thing I ever did."
"I don't know," she breathed, searching her heart and mind, trying to decide what she should do.
Acheron and Talon stood on the crowded street. There were people everywhere, most of them drunk as they celebrated Mardi Gras.
Talon did a double-take as a man danced by him wearing a large diaper and a fake pair of gold wings.
His long blond hair was tied back in a gold cord and he held a crossbow in one hand and a bottle of Jack Daniel's in the other. Drunk, the man was arbitrarily shooting his golden arrows at the people he passed by.
"Eros!" Talon snapped, grabbing the bow from him. "What are you doing?
"
"I'm celebrating.
"
Acheron raked a less than amused stare over Eros's "costume.
"
"What's with the get-up?
"
Eros shrugged. "If you can't beat them, join them. They expect Cupid in a diaper, so here I am. Cute Cupid in a diaper." He threw an arm over Talon's shoulders. The god was so drunk he could barely stand on his own. "Hey, I found out something interesting. Dion has teamed up with another god for tonight's festivities. And would you believe, it's the same guy you were asking me about? What's his face, Camululu?"
Talon went cold at the name. "Camulus?"
"Yeah,him . I heard Dion saying they were going to party with your woman and that the psycho Hunter from Alaska was going to hand her over to them."
His blood boiling, Talon pushed Eros away and started back toward his car.
Acheron grabbed him. By the look on Ash's face, he could tell this was nothing Ash didn't already know. "Talon…"
"You knew!" Talon snarled at the betrayal. "How could you?"
Ash gave him a hard stare. "It's all right, Talon."
"Like hell it is." Rage gripped him hard. How could Acheron have betrayed him like this? How could he
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) have turned Sunshine over into the hands of a man he knew was going to give her to the one god who wanted him punished?
"Damn you, damn you straight to hell!
"
He punched Acheron in the jaw.
Ash took the hit without flinching, but when Talon moved to strike him again, he caught his hand. "This isn't accomplishing anything.
"
"It's making me feel better.
"
Ash grabbed him by the shoulder of his leather jacket and held him immobile. "Listen to me, Talon. The only way to save the two of you is to maintain your grip. Trust me.
"
"I'm tired of trusting you, Ash. Especially when you won't return it. Tell me what's going on here and why you sent Zarek to her knowing he was going to turn on her.
"
"It's the way things are meant to be.
"