"Because of what we do, we have to interact with people. But we must be unseen shadows who move among them.
"Never let anyone know you. Never give them a chance to realize you don't age. Move through the darkness ever watchful, ever alert. We are all that stands between the humans and slavery. Without us, they all die and their souls are lost forever.
"Our responsibilities are great. Our battles numerous and legendary.
"But at the end of the night, you go home alone where no one knows what it is you have done to save the world that fears you. You can never bask in your glory. You can never know love or family.
"We are Dark-Hunters.
"We are forever powerful.
"We areforeveralone ."
Talon drew a deep breath. His time with her was over. "All right," he said. "I'll take you back."
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. And as he tasted her, his thoughts drifted back into the past.
"Speirr?" his uncle's irate voice called from the other side of his door. "Can you please tear yourself away from your wife's embrace for one afternoon to actually attend business with me? My troth, the way you two carry on I can't imagine why you don't have five dozen children by now."
Nynia laughed from above him as she gently rode him. "You're in trouble again."
"Aye, but you're worth it, Nyn."
As she so often did, Nynia leaned over and rubbed noses with him before she kissed him passionately and slid off him. "You'd best be going or your uncle will have both our heads."
Talon winced at the memory and the pain it awoke inside him.
Sunshine pulled back and rubbed her nose against his just like Nynia had always done.
He went cold.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Something wasn't right. These memories, her actions…
The way she awoke his emotions.
He cupped Sunshine's cheek so that he could stare into her dark brown eyes. There was nothing about her features that reminded him of his wife, but her actions…
"Talon? What's wrong?"
He couldn't speak. He didn't dare tell her that she reminded him of a woman he had loved fifteen hundred years ago.
"Nothing," he said quietly. "You need to dress."
She got up.
"Speirr?"
Talon grabbed the blanket and covered himself as Ceara shimmered into his cabin.
"Is something wrong?" Sunshine asked as she noted his sudden discomfort.
He shook his head.
Ceara drew up short as she caught sight of Sunshine. Her eyes widened. "You have company?
"
He didn't answer. He couldn't without clueing Sunshine into the fact that Ceara was with them.
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"No," Sunshine said.
"Yes," Ceara responded. "Did you know Acheron is looking for you?
"
Talon scowled. He grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand and dialed Acheron's number.
No one answered.
"Is his phone turned off?" he asked.
Sunshine's scowl matched his. "Whose phone?
"
Ceara shook her head. "He's been trying to reach you all night.
"
His frown deepened. Looking down, he dialed Nick.
Again, no answer.
"This is weird," Talon said. "No one answers.
"
Sunshine shrugged the matter away. "Not really. It's almost twoa.m . Maybe they're asleep.
"
"Trust me," he said, "these guys are wide awake right now." He turned back toward his sister. "Ceara, where's Acheron?
"
"Ceara?" Sunshine asked. "Acheron? What are you talking about?
"
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Ceara ignored her interruption. "He's with Artemis at the moment, but he's been worried about you.
"
"Why did you wait so long to come?" Talon asked.
"I couldn't get here any earlier. Something kept me blocked from you.
"
"Since when?
"
"I don't know. Something has its power cocooned around you. Something dark and evil.
"
"Who are you talking to?" Sunshine asked.
"Sunshine, please, I'll explain in a minute. First, I need a few answers." He looked back at Ceara.
Ceara was staring at Sunshine curiously. She walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Sunshine shivered. "What was that?"
Ceara jumped back as if the contact had shocked her. "Nynia," she breathed, looking up at him with a startled frown.
Something inside him screamed out a denial. This time when he spoke to Ceara, he spoke in their native Celt. "Nae, she's not. It's not possible."
"Possible or not,bràthair , it is her. She has Nynia's soul. Can you not feel it?"
Talon stared at Sunshine, his heart hammering.
Could it really be?
Wrapping the blanket around his hips, he moved over to where Sunshine stood and placed his hands on each side of her face. He tilted her head up so that he could look into her dark eyes.
In spite of his denials, he felt her. He had felt her the first moment he had looked at her under the lamplight.
From the deepest corner inside him, he'd known all along she was his Nynia. Known the first instant he had tasted her.
His hands shook from the truth of it.
"How can this be?" he asked.