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.
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.
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...