cabbage can lead them to glory." She snorted, then laughed again. "I can't wait to see what these losers have planned."
Acheron stared at her. She might underestimate their abilities, but he had a sneaking suspicion of what they intended to do. On Mardi Gras, the barrier between this world and the one where the Atlantean Destroyer was held would be thin. There could be only one reason for them to have Styxx in on their plans They wanted to release the
Destroyer and the only way to do that would be by killing Ash. One way or another, Ash was going to make sure it didn't happen.
Come Mardi Gras, they all had a big surprise coming. They had no idea who and what they were dealing with. The Destroyer was far beyond their ability to command or control. Once unleashed, she was the most merciless ancient god imaginable. One who had slain every member of her own family. Afterward, she would have destroyed the entire earth had she not been stopped and imprisoned.
If Camulus and Dionysus thought to bargain with her after they killed him, they were pathetically mistaken. He almost smiled at the thought of them trying to reason with her.
Mardi Gras night would be interesting, no doubt.
"By the way," Artemis said as she reclined naked on the bed and ran her bare foot up his spine in a long, cool caress, "your children have been very bad while you were here."
Ash stopped rubbing his wrist and looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"In direct disobedience to your orders, Zarek was out and about earlier this evening, and he and Talon got into a fight in the French Quarter."
Anger rushed through him. "What? When?"
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"About two hours ago."
"Dammit, Artemis," he snarled. "Why didn't you tell me?"
She shrugged and ran her hand over her naked breasts in an effort to draw his attention to her. "I liked you where you were and I knew if I told you, you'd leave."
Ash glared at her. Her selfishness knew no bounds. Angry at her, he snapped his fingers and returned his clothes to his body. He made his hair black and grabbed his backpack up from the floor.
"I hate that hair color on you," she said petulantly, zapping his hair back to blond.
He stiffened. "Yeah, well, the only color I hate more than blond is auburn." He made his hair black again, then zapped hers to a matching shade. Her furious shriek echoed through the temple as Ash mentally commanded himself back to New Orleans Sunshine felt an adrenaline rush as they approached the biker bar at 688 Ursulines Avenue. It was the best place in town to come meet friends, eat good food, and find all kinds of fun things to do.
"You didn't tell me we were going to Sanctuary."
Talon frowned. "You know about Sanctuary?"
"Honey, there's not a single woman in this town who doesn't know about Sanctuary, Land of the Bodacious Gods. Heck, me and my girlfriends want to get together and vote Mama Lo an award for her policy against hiring any man not seriously buff."
She noted the offended grimace on his face and couldn't help laughing. "Not that you're not buff. You can certainly hold your own against the Sanctuary Hotties. But face it, Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 343 of 460
haven't you ever noticed that this place is like Hooters for women?"
"No. I can honestly say that I've never noticed how good-looking the men at Sanctuary are. Nor have I ever cared."
The outside of the club was a typical New Orleans building that had been constructed in 1801. The brick was a rust color and a huge sign swung over the old-fashioned saloon-type doors. It showed a full moon rising over a hill where a motorcycle was parked and proudly proclaimed this place as Sanctuary, Home of the Howlers--the Howlers being the house band for the club, and a mighty fine-looking group of men they were too.
The bar was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and was owned by the Peltier family. The owner, Mama Lo, had eleven studly sons who again warranted the woman an award for beautifying the city.
Each one of them was a prime male specimen guaranteed to make a woman pant.
Dev Peltier was at the door as they entered. A regular bouncer, he was one in a set of identical quadruplets. Sunshine had never met a woman who didn't want to take one of the quads home. For that matter, they wanted to take them all home and use them as matching bookends in the bedroom. Only it wasn't books her friends wanted to sandwich between the quadruplets.
Dev had a pair of piercingly blue eyes and long, wavy blond hair that fell to the middle of his back. The only way she knew it was Dev as opposed to one of his brothers was the bow-and-arrow tattoo on his arm.
She paused as she realized it was identical to the brand on Talon's shoulder.
"Hey, man," Dev said in that shivery-hot, deep accent that was a cross between French and Cajun as he caught sight of Talon. The two of them did a high-five shake. "Where Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 344 of 460
have you been?"
"Out and about. You?"
Dev gave him a wicked grin. "Mostly in and out." Talon laughed. "I'm not going there."
Dev looked at her and winked. "Hey, little Sunshine, why you hanging out with this loser? You lose a bet or something?"
"Or something," she said with a smile.
"You know Dev?" Talon asked her, his body going rigid as if the thought made him jealous.
"Yeah," Dev answered before she could. "She comes in all the time. Her and Aimee play pool in the back."
"You come here alone?"
Sunshine shoved Talon playfully on the shoulder. "Would you stop? You're not my father and no one bothers me here thanks to Dev and his brothers."
"That's right, Talon, you know my policy. No one harasses a woman in Sanctuary unless she wants to be harassed."
"The exception being Aimee," Sunshine couldn't resist adding. The only daughter in the massive Peltier clan, Aimee couldn't get near a man without one of her brothers or her enormously tall, well-muscled father having a stroke.
"Double damn straight." Dev inclined his head to the coffin that was kept in the corner of the club right as you came in the door. "That's the last moron who asked my sister out."
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Talon laughed again. "There's another place I don't want to go to. I'm looking for Eros, has he been in here yet?"
"Upstairs by the storeroom playing poker with Rudy, Justin, and Etienne."
"Thanks." Talon led her through the front half of the bar where tables and booths were set up for eating. The place was rather crowded tonight and the music from the Howlers was loud and thumping.
"Hey, Talon," Sunshine shouted in his ear. "Why do you and Dev have the same bow-and-arrow mark on your bodies?"
He glanced back to where Dev stood at the door. "Dev thinks it's funny that he bears the mark of a
" His voice trailed off, but she caught his unspoken meaning by the glint in his eyes.
The bow mark must be the signature sign of a Dark-Hunter. "Is he one too?"
"No, he's another breed entirely."
Understanding ripped through her. "A breed like Vane?"
He paused and lowered his head so that he could speak without being overheard. "Yes, and at the same time, no."
So he must be a were-beast of a different sort. "Does this mean his entire family is able to change
"--she shifted gears as a patron came too close--"their clothes to something entirely new?" she finished.
He nodded. Wow! Who knew? An entire were-family ran one of the most popular places in town. Very chic.
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Talon straightened and headed for the back where the pool tables were kept. There was an ornate pine staircase that led to the area above, where additional tables were set up for people to eat and watch the band as they played below. Even the upstairs area was packed t
Without stopping, Talon led her past the patrons and headed for the last table on the left, which was set in a corner.
Five people sat at it and four of them were playing poker. Etienne Peltier was leaner than his older brother Dev, but no less muscular. He had shoulder-length, straight blond hair and a face that could only be called angelic. But as Sunshine had learned on more than one occasion, the devil himself resided in that handsome body. No one wanted to cross Etienne.
Rudy St. Michel sat next to Etienne. Average in appearance, he looked like the typical New Orleans drifter with long black hair, and colorful tattoos covering every inch of visible flesh. He'd started working here about a year ago and was responsible for the arcade games downstairs.
Another bouncer, Justin Portakalian, had his back to the wall and one long, leather-encased leg stretched out over a wooden chair as he handed two cards over to Rudy.
He was as gorgeous as any of the Peltiers, with medium-length, dark brown hair and hazel eyes that glittered with malice. At six feet six and with a bad attitude that redefined the term, he was someone Sunshine had always tried to avoid. He didn't talk much and had tossed her last boyfriend through the back door. Literally.
She'd also heard a rumor that Justin was fresh out of prison for murder, and something about his deadly demeanor added quite a bit of credibility to that speculation.
The other two people she didn't know. One was a blond biker who held a beautiful, barely dressed redhead on his lap. He looked up, saw Talon, and the smile faded from Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 347 of 460
his lips. "What are you doing here, Celt?"
"I need to talk to you."
"Can't you see I'm winning?"
Talon looked at the poker chips by his elbow. "Yes, and I can also see that you're cheating."
"What?" The other men were suddenly animated.
"Talon, you dick!" The blond cleared his throat. "He's just kidding. Give me a minute, okay?"
Rudy snorted at Justin and Etienne as he adjusted the five cards in his hands. "I don't know why you guys are bitching. Both of you cheat too."
Etienne smiled that charming devil-may-care smile while Justin passed a less than amused glare at Rudy. The blond biker started away from the table, then hurried back and grabbed up his cards. "Just in case," he said to the others.
As soon as the blond stepped back to them, Talon introduced them. "Sunshine, meet Eros and Psyche."
Sunshine looked at them curiously. "They just think those names are cute, right?
They're not really Eros and Psyche."
Eros gave her a peeved stare. "Why is she talking to me?"
"Cupid," Talon said, a warning note in his voice. "Play nice." He turned to Psyche.
"Would you please do me a favor, Psyche, and keep Sunshine occupied while I deal Dark Hunter Series (04) - Night Embrace - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 348 of 460
with your husband?"
"Sure, hon." Psyche draped her arm over Sunshine's shoulders. "Come on, let's go see what kind of trouble we can get into downstairs."
Sunshine followed Psyche to the ornate staircase that led to the floor below, not far from the stage. The whole area was crammed with dancers and people who wanted to hear the Howlers sing, and with women who wanted to ogle the gorgeous band members.
She and Psyche went over to a pool table where a guy named Nick Gautier was playing a game with Wren, one of the Sanctuary busboys. Wren was a quiet, shy type who had an aura around him that said he would rather be invisible. Still, there was something dangerous about him. Kind of like he would gladly fight anyone dumb enough to disturb his introverted space.
His dark blond hair was long, and he wore it in a style that wasn't quite dreadlocks, but something not far from that either. His eyes were so pale a gray that they looked almost colorless.
As for Nick Gautier, Sunshine had met him here a few times. His mother was one of the cooks and he often came in for dinner and to play a quick game of pool with Wren.
"Hi, ladies," Nick said with his light Cajun drawl.
Psyche took the cue from his hand. "Rack your balls, Nick. We want to play." Nick laughed. "Psych, one thing a woman should never tell a man to do is rack his balls."
Ignoring him, Psyche looked over to Wren. "You don't mind, do you?"
Wren shook his head no and handed his cue to Sunshine. Without a word, he quickly vanished into the crowd.
"I didn't mean to disturb you guys," Sunshine said to Nick.
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"Ah, don't worry about it. Wren and I play a lot. He needed to get back to the kitchen anyway. You ladies want something to drink?"
"Beer," Psyche said.
"Water."
He nodded and left. Sunshine watched as Nick navigated the crowd. She turned back to Psyche. "So you and Eros come here a lot?"
She nodded. "I've even seen you here a few times. You usually hang out with Aimee and some black-haired chick."
"Trina."
"That's her."
Psyche grabbed the cue ball and lined it up. "Yes," she said as she took her shot, sending six of the balls into pockets. "I'm a goddess and Eros is a god."
"How did you know--"
"I'm a goddess. I can hear every thought in your head." She smiled at Sunshine while she chalked her tip. "That's a really uncomfortable fact to know."
"Isn't it, though?" Psyche blew across the tip, set the chalk aside, then knocked three more balls into the pockets. "And because I know what you're thinking, the answer is yes."
"The answer to what?"
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"Whether or not Talon loves you."
Sunshine grimaced as Psyche sank the rest of balls on the table. "I don't know. There are times when I get the feeling he can't tell me from Nynia. I think he loves her more than me."
Psyche racked the balls again. "No offense, but that's stupid. You and Talon are soul mates. He will always love you no matter who or what you are. You, my friend, could come back as a humpback whale and he would love you. He can't help it. The two of you are destined for each other."
"Yeah, but--"
"There are no buts, Sunshine." She moved to stand in front of her. "I am the goddess of souls and soul mates. Unlike the other Olympian gods, I know when I see two people who were created for each other. If both you and Talon died tonight and were later reborn at polar ends of the earth, sooner or later the two of you would reunite. That's the schtick with soul mates. Alone you can survive, hell, you can even be with other people, but neither of you will ever be complete without the other." She glanced upstairs where they had left the guys. "You two can fight this all you want. But all you're going to do is make yourselves miserable."
She patted Sunshine's shoulder. "I know you don't believe me. I know it'll take time before you accept it. And that being said, the problem with your relationship isn't whether or not he loves you. It's that he can't afford to even think that thought."
"Why?"
"Because the minute he does, Camulus will kill you. Talon knows that. He will not let himself love you for fear of your dying again."
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Sunshine swallowed at her words. Everything kept coming back to that one irritable and irritating Celtic god. "Is there any way to get around Camulus?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe? That's the best you can do?"
"Hey, it's better than no."
True, but still she wanted more hope than that.
"And what about Artemis?" Sunshine asked. "Even if we get past Camulus, what about her?"
Psyche twisted her cue in her hands as she thought about that never-to-be-forgotten fact. "She's tricky. With her you have to negotiate very carefully."
"So it's possible I could talk to her?"
"It's possible."
Sunshine's mind whirled at the thought. Could there really be hope for them?
Talon led Eros into the storeroom and shut the door. Quinn Peltier had soundproofed the room a few decades back to ensure that the Peltiers and other select friends could have emergency privacy if they needed it.
Originally, the room had been planned as a holding place in the event one of them accidentally turned into a bear while the club was occupied, but over time it had come to serve as a convenient place for one of the brothers to take a willing woman should they have an itch that wouldn't wait.
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But that was another story. Talon switched on the dim overhead light and faced Eros. "I need a favor."
"Favor, hell. Didn't you know that I'm supposed to vaporize any Dark-Hunter who gets near me?"
Talon looked at him drolly. "I'll remember that the next time you want to borrow poker money from me without Psyche knowing."
Eros smiled good-naturedly. "Good point. Okay, what can I do you to?" Talon hesitated.
Silently, he prayed Eros would give him an answer other than the one he feared.
"Do you know the Celtic god Camulus?"
Eros shrugged. "Not really. He runs with Ares, Kel, Ara, and those other war gods.
Being the god of love and lust, I don't tend to associate with them. Why?"
"Because I was cursed by him and I wanted to know if there is any way for me to break the curse."
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
"Most likely not. War gods as a rule aren't real forgiving. It kind of comes with the whole mass-destruction mentality. But it depends on what you did and what he used as a curse."
"I killed his son and he has forbidden me to ever love a human. When I do, he kills them."
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"Ooo," Eros breathed. "Sorry, man, but something like that, you can hang up an out clause. Vengeance runs deep in the bones of the war gods. Now, if you had the blood of a god in you, you might have some leverage. Do you?"
"No. I'm fully human, blood-wise anyway."
"Then you're totally screwed."
Talon clenched his teeth at the truth, even though he wasn't surprised by it. He hadn't realized until then that he had started to see a future for him and Sunshine. That in the back of his mind there really had been hope. But it was futile.
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