His Dark-Hunter brethren turned to him for advice. Acheron depended on him for his strength, wisdom, and calm leadership.
None of them, not even Wulf, really knew him. He had never opened his heart up to anyone other than the woman who sat before him now.
A woman he didn't dare open himself up to in this lifetime.
"You are insatiable, aren't you?" she asked.
"Only with you," he whispered, moving closer to her as he tried to reconcile the woman she had been with the woman she was now. "I never could resist touching you. Being inside you. Feeling your breath on my skin. Your beautiful hands on my body."
Sunshine shivered at his words.
He approached her like some great stalking beast. His body was a symphony of movement.
His masculine, leather scent invaded her senses and made her mouth water.
Her head swam at his kiss, but she pushed him back, perplexed by his comments. "You say that as if you've known me for a long time. Why is that?"
"I feel like I've known you forever. Like I've held you in my heart for centuries."
She trembled at the words. This was the man who haunted her dreams. The Celtic poet and chieftain. The man she remembered riding out to battle, then riding home to love her.
But that couldn't be this man, could it?
And yet as she thought about it, she realized just how weird her dreams really were. In them, she was blond and blue-eyed, but Talon...
Talon looked the same.
Right down to the tattoo on his body. The braids at his temple. He even wore the same tore. The only thing different was his eye color.
This couldn't be right. There was something strange about all this. Something that scared her on a level she'd never known existed.
Could he be the same man?
Could he?
It didn't seem possible, and yet living with her father and mother, she'd seen a lot of impossible things in her life. There were otherworldly powers at work in this world.
She pulled back from Talon's kiss and tilted his head so that she could see the skin just below his right ear.
There was a small scar there. A small scar that she, as Nynia, had once given to Speirr when they were fishing as children. She'd drawn back her rod to cast it and the hook had caught his ear.
The star-shaped scar was still there.
Just as it had always been.
Just as it was now.
No, it wasn't possible.
Was it?
She trembled in uncertainty.
His eyes were hooded as he stared hungrily at her. His breath fell gently against her face. She could feel his heart pounding under her hands, feel his strength and heat reaching out to her.
"I've missed you so much, Nyn... Nyn... neighbor."
Sunshine froze as he pulled back instantly. By his face, she could tell he was as surprised at what he'd said as she was.