"Stay with me, Speirr, please don't ride out with vengeance in your heart."
Had he listened to Nynia the day his uncle was killed, his life would have taken an entirely different course.
But overwrought with grief and rage, he had denied Nynia's request and she hadn't argued the matter.
As always, Nynia had stepped aside and let him have his way. He'd gone straight to the northern Gaul tribe and had laid waste to them, never knowing that both he and the Gauls had been set up.
By the time he'd learned the truth, it had been too late to apologize.
The Gauls had been under the protection of the war god Camulus and under the leadership of Camulus's human son. The war god's wrath still resonated through Talon's life.
"I will exist only to see you suffer..."
It was a promise Camulus had delivered well on.
No, he couldn't fight Camulus and win. As a Dark-Hunter, he was strong and powerful, but not to the point he could kill a god.
Basically, he was screwed unless he got Sunshine back to her life and out of his, pronto.
Once they were dressed and Sunshine had her things, which she'd had to go back for three different times, Talon helped her into his boat and headed back toward New Orleans. The sooner he put distance, between them, the safer she would be.
He would contact Acheron once they were in the city and see if maybe Acheron could call in another Dark-Hunter or Squire to watch over her until Mardi Gras. Someone whose presence wouldn't endanger her even more than the Daimons who were after her.
Once they reached his garage, Talon decided to leave his motorcycle behind and use the Viper tonight. He needed speed and had no desire to put Sunshine in any more jeopardy.
Breaking more speeding laws than he wanted to contemplate, Talon took her to her loft and then used her wall phone to call Acheron.
"What are you doing in the city?" Acheron demanded.
"I was told you were trying to reach me."
"Told by whom? I thought my directions were clear. You were to stay at your cabin with the woman."
Talon frowned. This was peculiar. Ceara had never been wrong before, nor had she ever lied to him. "You did, but then..." He paused as he tried to sort it out.
What was going on here?
"Yes?"
"Nothing, T-Rex. I guess I misunderstood."
"So why are you still on the phone with me?" Ash asked. "You need to get her back to the cabin. Now."
Talon didn't care for his haughty tone at all. Ash could be evasive and annoying, but he'd never before been an authoritative dick. "I can't, T-Rex. Something weird is going down. I have to leave her here."
"Why?"
Talon glanced around to make sure Sunshine couldn't overhear his conversation. She hadn't said a word to him the whole way back to her loft and now she was sitting on the sofa sketching and appeared completely oblivious to him.
He wanted to keep it that way.
Just to be safe, he lowered his voice. "She's my wife."
"Excuse me?"
Talon lowered his voice even more. "I think Sunshine is Nynia reincarnated."
"Well, isn't this interesting?"