"Handling it how? He has been exposed and is now being sought by the human authorities. He jeopardizes everything. He must die."
"No." He snarled the word at her. "I will take care of it. I just need more time." She had that familiar calculating look on her face. "And what will you give me for this time you request?"
"Dammit, Artemis, why must everything be a bargain with you? Can't you, just once, do something because I asked it of you?"
"Nothing is free," she said as she walked a circle around him. He cringed as she raked her hand over his back. "You of all people should know that. A favor requires a favor in turn."
He took a deep breath and prepared himself for what was to come. Like it or not, he would have to play supplicant to her to keep Zarek safe. "What do you want?"
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She pulled his hair back from the nape of his neck and nuzzled him with her lips and nose. Against his will, his body broke out in chills and hardened. When she spoke, her voice was low and husky. "You know what I want."
"Fine," he said resignedly. "You can have me, just don't send Thanatos in yet. Let me get Zarek back to Alaska."
"Mmm," she breathed against his neck. "See it's so much better when you
cooperate." He stiffened as she licked his skin.
"Question?" he said coldly. "Did you free Styxx just so you could screw me?"
She pulled back sharply and stepped around him to give him a shocked stare. "What?"
Ash watched her carefully, wanting to know the truth. "Styxx is loose in New Orleans."
Artemis appeared flabbergasted. "I would never do that to you, Acheron. I had no idea he had escaped. Are you sure?"
In spite of himself, he was relieved to know she hadn't betrayed him. Again. "Talon saw him and thought he was me."
Artemis pressed her hand to her lips. Her green eyes were terrified. "He'll be coming for you."
"He already is. I'm sure that little dance with Zarek outside of the club was a setup to get you to kill Zarek. No doubt, Styxx is trying to neutralize my men. Either to keep them from protecting me or to keep me distracted."
"I won't let him have you," she said emphatically.
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"This is between me and my brother, Artie. I want you to stay put of it." Ash moved farther away from her. "I'll be back at dawn to fulfill our bargain. In the meantime, leave Zarek to me."
Vane was still in human form as he helped his sister eat her gumbo. She was the only living creature he had ever allowed to see the tender side of him. To the rest of the world, he must always be ruthless and harsh lest their pack prey on Anya and Fang because of their mixed heritage.
Vane clenched his hand against Anya's thick, soft fur and fought down the pain inside him. She and Fang were all he really had in this world. All that had ever meant anything to him. On the day Anya had mated with the Strati warrior Orian, Vane had thrown a fit.
He had always known her reckless and stupid mate would meet an early death.
A few weeks ago, the Fates had proven him right. He could still hear the sound of her voice when she had learned of Orian's death and had told him that she was more than mated to Orian. She had allowed the wolfswain to bond her to him as well. With their life forces melded into one, Orian's death would normally have been hers, except for the fact that she carried Orian's young.
But as soon as the pups came into this world, she would join her mate on the other side of eternity. His heart broken, Vane blinked back tears. Anya looked up and licked his face.
"You like the gumbo, huh?" he asked, stroking her ears with both of his hands. He heard her laughter in his head. "Thank you for getting it."
He nodded. For her, he would walk through the fires of hell to claim a simple drink of water. She sank down beside him and rested her head on his lap. "You should take wolf form before the others grow suspicious."
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He watched the way her fur cradled his fingers. How he was going to miss her when she was gone. She was the most beautiful wolf swan he'd ever seen, and he didn't mean her looks. It was her gentle heart he would miss most of all. The way she always worried after him.
"I will, Anya. I just want a few more minutes."
He sensed Fang coming up behind him in wolf form. His brother butted him in the back with his head, then nipped playfully at his shoulder. A flash of light appeared to the right of them. Vane looked up to find Acheron standing in the swamp. The Atlantean glanced around to make sure they were alone, then spoke quietly. "Can I have a minute?"
Fang growled.
"It's all right, adelfos," Vane said, pushing his brother back. "Watch over Anya."
Vane rose to his feet and walked Acheron into the woods, away from the den. If any of his pack learned he had brought a Dark-Hunter into it, his life was over.
"You should have called me, Ash."
"This couldn't wait. I have a problem and you're the only one I trust to help me." Now that shocked him. Immensely. "You trust me?"
Ash gave him a wry look. "No, not really. But I have a renegade who is pretending to be me and threatening my Hunters."
"What's that got to do with me?"
"You owe me one, Vane, and I need you and Fang to act as backup. I need some muscle that they won't see coming."
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"When?"
"Now."
Talon paced the floor of Sunshine's loft. He'd quickly showered the blood from his body and changed into the clothes Nick had brought. He was staying calm, but it was a real challenge.
"She is unharmed, Speirr," Ceara said. "I swear it."
He let out a long, weary breath in relief. He was grateful Ceara had managed to come to him this time, but it was a hard struggle for her to stay with him. The power that was blocking her was one they had never before encountered.
He only hoped Ceara could battle it a little longer and continue to help him protect and watch over Sunshine. "Can you tell me where she is exactly?" he asked his sister.
"Oh jeez," Nick said from the breakfast counter where he sat, waiting for Ash to return.
"You're not talking to the dead again, are you? I hate it when you do that."
"Shut up, Nick."
Nick curled his lip. " 'Shut up, Nick, heel, sit, fetch.' Love you too, Celt."
Talon glared at him. "Why don't you go scrounge up something to eat so that your mouth is occupied?"
"That I can do." Nick scooted off the bar stool and headed into the kitchen.
"Nae, I can't find her," Ceara said. "I can't pinpoint her exact location. I told you, something powerful protects her. Something that is beginning to feel like a god's power Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 271 of 460
to me."
"Camulus?"
"I'm not sure. Part of it feels like it could be a Celtic god and yet there is something more."
"What?"
"It's more like powers are commingled. Like two gods are protecting themselves."
"Why?"
She shrugged.
Nick cursed. "There's no food in here. There's nothing but grass and tofu and shit.
There's not even a Coke. Man, T, your girlfriend is whacked."
Nick pulled out the block of soy cheese and smelled it. "This looks kind of edible though.
I mean, you can't really screw up cheese, right?"
"Yeah, Nick. Eat the cheese." He turned back to Ceara while Nick searched for a knife to slice it. "Will they free her?"
"I can't tell you the future, Speirr, you know the rules."
"I have to know she's going to live."
Ceara hesitated before she answered. "Today, she will."
"And tomorrow?"
Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sher
Ceara looked away. "I can't tell you that." Talon cursed. Suddenly, a bright flash of light entered the room. Talon shielded his eyes from the glare and watched as Acheron and two men appeared just inside the doorway. He'd never seen the two men before, but one look told him they were Katagaria. The air around them was rife with animalistic, psychic power.
"Oh man," Nick snapped. "I hate that pooling shit. You scared me so bad, Ash, you made me eat this crappy cheese." He looked back at Talon. "What is this stuff anyway?"
"Soy cheese."
The Katagaria exchanged a disgusted look.
"So much for my dinner," the taller Katagaria said. "Now his whole system is polluted.
Be at least a week before it leaves his cell tissue and he's edible again."
Nick paled considerably.
"You ready to go after Sunshine?" Acheron asked Talon. Steeled with determination, Talon nodded. "Let's do it."
Acheron glanced to Nick in the kitchen. "Nick, I want you to head over to Zarek's and keep him out of sight for the time being. He's under house arrest, so if I catch him out and about, he's in deep shit and so are you."
Nick grimaced. "Okay, but for the record, I want you to know that if a woman's life wasn't on the line, I'd tell you to stuff that order."
Nick walked out the door, past the Katagaria, mumbling all the while. " 'Nick, fetch my car, fetch my clothes, sweep the chimney, make my bed, watch my psychopath, fetch my slippers.' Yeah, I'll fetch those slippers and stick them someplace real uncomfortable." Just when Talon thought he was through, he heard one last parting Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 273 of 460
comment. "I swear, my mother should have named me Fido."
"Hey, I'll have you know my best friend is named Fido," the taller Katagaria said over his shoulder. The other Katagaria shoved him lightly. "Would you stop?"
Acheron indicated the taller Katagaria with short black hair who had made the first comment. "Talon, meet Fang." He motioned to the one with longer hair and green eyes.
"And his brother, Vane."
"Why are they here?" Talon asked Acheron.
"Let's just say that if the bad guys are armed with halogen lights again, they won't have the same effect on the Katagaria that they had on you."
"Yeah," Vane said, smiling evilly. "Lights just make us attack more."
Good, they had at least one surprise in their corner. Now if he could just get his hands on Camulus. "So, what's the plan, girls?" Fang asked. "For none of us to get killed,"
Acheron said.
Vane led them out of the loft, downstairs to Talon's car. Talon saw the two black and gray Ninja motorcycles that must belong to the Katagaria. Since the were-animals had to move quickly to avoid their enemies, they tended to prefer racing bikes to running or walking, which depleted the strength they needed for fighting.
Talon checked his watch. It was twenty minutes to rendezvous. Part of him wished Ash would just poof them over to the warehouse, but he knew better than to ask. Ash was capricious with that one power and got rather testy when asked to use it.
Talon got into the Viper while the other three started their bikes. He pulled out of the alley first, with the guys right behind him, and headed for Commerce Street. They Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 274 of 460
reached the Warehouse District a few minutes later.
The streets were bustling with activity, both tourist and local. This popular area was New Orleans ' premier art district and was often referred to as the SoHo of the South.
It didn't take long for Talon to find the old abandoned warehouse that had been a popular art gallery during the 1980s. It had closed down in the early 1990s and been vacant ever since. The large-paned windows were dark, some partially boarded up and broken. The once red doors were now cracked and peeling, and held together by a thick chain and padlock.
There wasn't a single sound coming from inside as the men left their vehicles and gathered into a group. "Uh, guys," Fang said slowly as he removed his helmet, "you do realize this is most likely a trap?"
"No, you think so?" Talon asked sarcastically.
Fang rolled his eyes. Talon summoned his powers, letting them surge and feeling just how fragmented they were. This wasn't good. He didn't know what was waiting inside that building, but he would fight his way through hell itself to keep Sunshine safe.
Powers or no powers. They headed for the building with Ash pulling up the rear.
"Ooo," Fang said as Talon worked the padlock. "Breaking and entering. Brings back fond memories, eh, Vane?"
"Shut up, Scooby," Vane said, using the derogatory wolf Katagaria term for a brainless, cowardly pup. "And watch your back."
Talon snapped open the lock and opened the door. It creaked loudly as the door fell off its hinges. Talon cursed, then irritably shoved the door aside. Entering the building one by one, they fanned out, and then paused inside the dark, empty room that was covered Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 275 of 460
with at least a decade's worth of dust, spider webs, and grime.
Every so often, a car would go by outside, the headlights illuminating some of the dilapidated interior. The place was totally silent except for a strange, rhythmic thumping coming from upstairs and the sound of rodents scurrying around the floor.
"Ewwww-eee-wwww," Fang sang in a voice reminiscent of some B-movie soundtrack.
"Hey Ash, you vant to suck my blud?"
Ash gave him a droll, blank stare. "No, thanks. The last thing I want is to catch parvo from you, or some other freaky dog disease that makes me lift my leg around hydrants."
Vane smacked his brother on the back of the head. "Next time I'm leaving you home."
"Hey, that hurt," Fang said, rubbing his head.
"Yes, but not as much as this will." The disembodied voice came out of nowhere.
Talon heard something whirling through the air. He moved his head sharply to the left to avoid its trajectory and caught it as it started past his shoulder.
Arching a brow at the huge medieval throwing ax he held, he passed it over to Vane.
Vane curled his lip. The Katagari looked less than amused. "Hey dickhead, you should know something." Vane tested the edge of the blade with his thumb. "You attack my brother, you really piss me off."
Vane tossed the ax back at the one who'd thrown it. Talon heard a groan an instant before searchlights pierced the darkness. Talon and Ash hissed in pain, ducked low, and shielded their eyes.
In the next second, something crackled and the lights went out. Ash tossed a lightning Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 276 of 460
bolt into a corner where it must have hit its mark, since Talon heard someone shriek.
The odor of burning flesh wafted through the room.
Then, Daimons came out of the darkness, attacking. Talon caught the first one to reach him, and flipped him to the floor. He toed the release for the blade in his boot, but before he could use it to kill the Daimon, another one caught him about the waist and shoved him back.
"Hot damn, Daimon food," Fang said with a laugh. "Hey Vane, you want the white meat or dark?"
Vane caught one of the Daimons in the chest with a knife, right in the heart. The Daimon disintegrated. He laughed at his brother who was slugging it out with another Daimon. "How about I grab one leg, you grab the other and we make a wish and pull?"
Talon rolled his eyes at them, then he spun around and used the toe of his boot to finish off the Daimon who had grabbed him. He went after the first Daimon, who was making his way toward Fang's back. Talon caught him just before he reached the Katagari.
The Daimon turned on him with a hiss, and tried to stab him. Talon turned his wrist under and snapped the knife out of his hand.
"Bad move, inkblot," Talon said, slugging the vampire. The demon staggered back.
Talon used the knife to finish him off. The Daimon disintegrated as the stolen souls ran free of his body and drifted up toward the ceiling.
Something out of the corner of his eye caught Talon's attention. He turned his head to see Ash being mobbed by a group of Daimons. Ash was fighting them off with his staff, but there were so many of them attacking that it was like trying to brush ants off while standing in the middle of an anthill.
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Talon went to help. Where had all the Daimons come from? They usually congregated in New Orleans this time of year, but damn
it looked like half their world population
was here in this room. Working together, Talon, the Katagaria, and Ash finished them off.
"Thanks," Ash said as the last one disintegrated.
Talon nodded and folded up his asrad into a single dagger, then returned it to his boot.
"Well," Fang said, mimicking a thick Southern drawl. "I have to say it's mighty nice of them Daimons to clean up after themselves when you kill them. It's much better than slaying an Arcadian." He held his hands up to them. "Look, Ma, no mess."
"Does Fang, have an off switch?" Talon asked Vane. Looking a bit apologetic, Vane shook his head no.
But Talon was no longer paying attention to them. He had far more important things to focus on. "We have to find Sunshine," he said, heading for the stairs.
"Wait," Ash called. "You have no idea what's up there."
Talon didn't slow at all. "And I won't know until I get there."
With no thought except to save her, Talon followed the thumping noise to a door at the far end of the upper hallway. By the time he reached it, Vane, Fang, and Ash had caught up to him. Talon flung open the door, ready for battle.
Instead of another group of Daimons, what they found was Sunshine tied on a bed in a room that was lit by a small lantern. Moaning, she was writhing and twisting as if she were on fire.
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searched the room for more Daimons. What had they done to her? If they had touched or harmed her, he would hunt them down and tear them to pieces. As soon as Talon released her from the bed she latched onto him with a viselike grip.
"Hi, baby," she breathed throatily, rubbing herself against him as she ran her hands through his hair and over his body. "I've been thinking about you, wanting you to come to me."
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