"
"Perhaps you should wait until tomorrow night.
"
"What?"
"I can't get anyone there tonight. Why don't you continue to protect her until I can get someone else to take over? I don't really trust Zarek to watch her, do you?"
"Hell no. You're right. I definitely don't want to leave her here unprotected."
"Yes. It could be a problem. You spend the day there, and tomorrow I will take care of the matter."
The phone went dead.
Talon hung up with a weird feeling in his stomach. Something about that conversation just didn't seem right.
But as he looked across the room, his concerns were overshadowed by the vision of Sunshine.
She was still sitting on her sofa, sketching on her pad and humming a light tune.
It was Nynia's lullaby. The same song she used to sing while she worked.
Longing and pain tore through him so powerfully that he could barely move.
But it was the love he felt for her that overwhelmed him.
Against his will, he found himself approaching her. He knelt before her, laid his head in her lap and held her tight, grateful to have her with him, no matter how different she looked or acted.
His Nynia was back.
Sunshine was stunned by the familiarity of his actions. Instinctively, she ran her hand through the softness
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) of his golden hair as she remembered even more about their past life together. He'd done this before.
Many times.
"What is going on, Talon?
"
"I wish I could tell you." He lifted his head up to look at her. The torment in those jet eyes reached out to her and made her heart pound for him.
Talon pulled back.
Now that he knew who she was, it made leaving her almost impossible.
But there was nothing else he could do. She would have to live out this life with someone else.
What choice did he have? He would never do anything to hurt her. Not again.
He'd killed her once, he wouldn't kill her again.
There was no way they could be together while the curse still bound him.
Styxx toyed with his cell phone as he thought over his conversation with Talon.
He smiled.
Oh, this was sweet. Talon already knew Sunshine was his dead wife reincarnated.
Perfect. Just perfect. He couldn't have hoped for better timing. Everything was going along according to their plans.
Zarek had swallowed the bait and allowed himself to be framed. Talon was now adequately distracted by his wife. Valerius was under the control of Dionysus.
And Acheron…
Well, he had something very special planned for that one.
As the Cajun French people ofNew Orleans would say,Laissez les jeux commencer ... Let the games begin.
Chapter
9
"I guess you'll be leaving now," Sunshine said quietly even though part of her didn't want him to go. Her large loft suddenly seemed a bit desolate as she thought of him leaving.
They'd had a lot of fun at his cabin, creating their platter of food, making love to each other.
But now her sexcapade with him was over. It was time for them to go their separate ways.
Why, then, did it hurt so much to think of never seeing him again?
Talon nodded. "Yeah, I guess so.
"
He let go of her hand and started for the door. He could find someplace to sleep in the abandoned building next door to her. Find a floor that wasn't too far from this one so that he could keep watch over her until dawn. Then he could sleep in the building until tomorrow night.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) It would be easier that way. Easier for both of them if he just broke off the relationship now.
There was no point in spending another day with her. Not when he knew he couldn't give her anything more of himself.
Not so long as he posed a danger to her.
Sunshine ached as he reached for her doorknob.
He was going.
It was over.
She couldn't breathe. A vicious pain stabbed her in the stomach at the thought of not seeing him anymore.
She couldn't just sit here and let him leave like this. "Talon?"
He paused and looked back at her.
"Why don't you stay the night? I know you can't get back home before sunup."
"No, I better not."
"But where will you go?"
He shrugged.
Let him go..
.
She couldn't. Not like this. It just didn't seem right. "C'mon. I'll be out of the loft early tomorrow morning and you'll have the place all to yourself while I work. No one will disturb you. I promise.
"
Talon hesitated.
Leave.
The command echoed in his head. He needed to.
He couldn't.
"You sure you don't mind?" he asked.
"Not at all.
"
Talon took a deep breath and headed back toward her.
His wife.
His ultimate salvation.
His ultimate destruction.
Nynia had been everything to him. He'd thought all these centuries that he was safe from his emotions.
Safe from the pain that came with the memories of his wife.