He closed his eyes as he remembered the past.
Their clan had slain her just days before her sixteenth birthday.
"She will be our sacrifice to the gods and they shall forgive us for the transgressions of our leader..."
Talon clenched his teeth against the grief and guilt that swelled inside him. Her death had been his fault. He had killed her as surely as if he'd been the one holding the knife.
But he pushed those thoughts away and found the numbness he needed to function.
I'm no longer human and there is no past. Acheron's litany ran through his mind, allowing him to suppress everything.
There was only now and the future. His human life far behind him, he was a Dark-Hunter whose entire existence was to seek out and destroy the evil that preyed on the humans who had no knowledge of what lay in the darkness waiting for them.
"My leg"-unlike his heart-"only hurts a little."
She shook her head at him. "This is not a safe place for you, Speirr. There is too much light. I don't like for you to be here."
"I know. I'm leaving as soon as I can."
"Very well, then I shall leave until you need me."
She faded away and left him alone. Again.
Talon's gaze fell to the counter where Sunshine had been sitting when he joined her. He frowned as he caught sight of the sketch she'd been working on.
Picking it up, he was impressed by how well she had captured his likeness.
The woman was a brilliant artist. She was able to put emotions and meaning into even the simplest of lines. He'd never seen anything like it.
Unfortunately, he couldn't leave it here.
He tore the page out and used his powers to burn it. Dark-Hunters were forbidden to allow their likenesses to be captured in any medium or form. No one needed proof of their immortality. Such evidence would only lead to questions and complications none of them wanted.
He just hoped she didn't reproduce it after he left.
Talon glanced around the loft and noted that the entire area was littered with framed and unframed art. The floor, a long drawing table, and three easels were scattered with half-finished projects.
Crossing the room, he went to examine them closer. He lost track of time as he looked them over, then found more paintings leaning against the wall by the bedroom. Sunshine liked vivid colors in her work, and her brushstrokes on canvas were as light and gentle as the lady herself.
But it was her pottery that fascinated him most. The pieces were a fiery mixture of color, and the designs of them were far from modern. She must have studied Greek and Celtic cultures extensively to reproduce such authentic copies. It was remarkable how true to the past they were. If he didn't know better, he would swear a Were-Hunter had brought them forward in time.
A knock sounded on the door.
Talon set the bowl he was looking at back with the others on the shelf by the door. He stepped to the door and opened it to see Kyrian and Julian standing on the other side.
They both gaped as they caught sight of him standing virtually naked in the loft.
Talon quickly slammed the door shut.
Kyrian roared with laughter. Talon cringed.
"C'mon, Tally," Kyrian teased from the other side. "Don't you want your clothes, your keys? Oh wait, how about some dignity?"
Talon opened the door, grabbed Kyrian by the shirt and hauled him inside. "You are such an asshole."
Kyrian laughed even harder as Julian Alexander walked in.
By his expression, Talon could tell that Julian wanted to laugh too, but he was trying hard not to. Talon appreciated it.