Page 56 of Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter 2)
Chapter 12
Talon was furious. He'd been calling for Ceara and she had yet to respond. He'd tried to spirit-walk and couldn't.
His unleashed emotions were restricting his powers and he had to get hold of them so that he could think straight.
But it was impossible.
He had to find Sunshine.
She was out there alone with no one to protect her. And if anything happened to her, he was going to find some way to make Camulus pay-god or no god, no one was ever going to hurt her again.
He paced the area inside the back door of Runningwolf's like a caged lion. Anger boiled through his veins. It was pungent and tangible. He wanted to rip something apart with his hands. Shred something with his fangs.
The darkest part of the Dark-Hunter was unleashed and, for the first time, he understood some of what Zarek felt.
It was a rage so raw, so powerful, that it controlled him completely.
He slammed his hand against the brick wall beside the door.
"I will get her back!" he growled.
His ravaged body throbbing and bleeding, he had no intention of going back upstairs to Sunshine's loft even though his injuries hurt so much that he felt the overwhelming need to sleep.
He was not going to lie down and tend his wounds.
He would stay awake if it killed him again.
Over and over in his mind, he kept seeing Nynia die in his arms, only now it was Sunshine's face he saw. Her sweet, Southern voice he heard calling out to him.
As soon as the sun set, he was heading out to find Sunshine and bring her home. No matter what it cost him.
God help anyone who was dumb enough to get in his way.
It was fifteen minutes to sunset when Acheron and Nick arrived at the back door and entered the dark hallway of the club. Talon stepped back, away from the fading sunlight that streamed in through the opening.
"What happened?" Ash asked as Nick closed the door.
Talon struggled with the fury and worry inside him. The emotions were so strong that if his powers hadn't been dampened, he was sure he would have been able to use nothing more than his thoughts to level this building to its foundation. "Camulus broke in with about half a dozen humans. They came loaded for Dark-Hunter and carrying halogen flashlights."
"Are you bleeding?" Nick asked as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Looking pale and horrified, he squinted at Talon's wounds. "Jeez, you're bleeding like crazy."
Talon disregarded Nick's nervous tone. "They shot me."
"No, bud," Nick said. "They turned you into Swiss cheese. Ash, look at his back."
Ash growled when he saw it. "Are you all right?"
"I'm sore, but well enough to hunt and plenty able to kill."
"Jeez," Nick breathed. "I thought your powers included healing."
Talon looked at him drolly. "They do, but I heal by absorbing pain and injuries into my body. It's kind of hard to do that when I'm the one who's hurt."
"Nick," Ash ordered. "Go get Talon more clothes. Now."
Nick left immediately to carry out the order.
Ash gave Talon a hard stare with those eerie silver eyes. "You can't go out there covered in blood, with dozens of bullet holes riddling your flesh. I think people might get a little suspicious and wonder how it is you can stand upright and not be, say, dead. The last thing I need is for another Dark-Hunter to make the evening news."
Talon stood firm against the order. "I told you, T-Rex. I'm heading out as soon as that sun sets. Thirteen minutes and counting."
Ash glared at him. "Dammit, Celt. You better get a hold of yourself and think through this."
"I'm fine, Acheron. There's nothing wrong with me that killing a few people won't cure."
Ash's eyes narrowed even more. "Turn around and face the wall."
Unsure of what Ash intended, but trusting him completely, Talon obeyed.
He felt Ash splay his hand against the center of his back. His touch was hot and electrifying, and it radiated heat all the way through his body. Talon hissed as his injuries began to throb even more. Then in the span of a few heartbeats, the bullets worked themselves out of his skin and the bullet holes began knitting themselves shut.
Son of a bitch, he'd never known Ash had this kind of power. He was seriously impressed.
While his wounds were healing, Talon's cell phone rang.
Ash stepped away from him while he answered it.
"Missing her yet, Speirr?"
"Damn you, Camulus. Damn you!"
A laugh answered him. "Tell me, is it better to know love and have lost it or to have never known it at all?"
Talon saw red. "Where is she?"
"Talon?"
His stomach twisted violently at the sound of Sunshine's terrified voice. "Baby, are you okay?" he asked, his voice cracking.
"They haven't hurt me, but they want you to come to a warehouse on Commerce Street. I-"
"Sunshine!" Talon shouted, his heart pounding. "Sunshine, are you there?"
"Oh, she's here, Speirr. But she needs you. If you want her, be at 609 Commerce at seven o'clock sharp. Bring as many friends as you want and let's see who gets to take Sunshine home tonight and in how many pieces."
The phone went dead.
Blind, torrid rage pierced him. Oblivious to the threat of the sun, he headed for the door.
Ash caught him. "Talon, look at me."
He refused. All he could see was Sunshine dead.
"Talon!" Ash shouted. "Get a friggin' grip. If you go out there like this, you're dead."
"What the hell do you know about it?"
"Celt." Ash tightened his grip on him. "You're doing just what they want. You're about to run headlong into the last minutes of daylight. Think. Out of all the Dark-Hunters I have, you are the one I depend on to keep his head on straight. Don't let them do this to you."
Talon's breathing was ragged as he tried to tamp down his anger and fear. "I can't let her die."
"She won't if you control yourself. You have to leash your temper." Ash released him.
Talon clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared at the door.
"Think, Talon," Ash said, his voice strangely soothing. "Remember what I taught you. Remember that you became a Dark-Hunter because you couldn't control your rage. You have to find your peace. Your balance."
Talon took a deep breath and expelled his anger slowly. Very slowly. "All right. I'm mostly calm."
"Good. Because I don't want you to be mostly dead." Ash stepped away from him. "We'll wait on Nick to return with your clothes and then we'll go get her."
Talon nodded, his gut still knotted over having to wait. But Ash was right.
If he didn't do exactly what Camulus said, he would kill her just for spite.
Talon winced at the thought. "He's going to kill her now, isn't he?"
"I don't know, Talon. I hope not."
Talon paused for a moment as he remembered the address Camulus had given him. "Commerce Street. Isn't that almost right where that woman was murdered?"
Acheron looked puzzled. "What woman?"
"The one you called me over to see."
Ash stared at him blankly.
"You know," Talon insisted, "the woman you said you thought might have been murdered by Zarek."
Acheron scowled. "I didn't call you over to see a murdered woman and I damn sure never thought Zarek would kill a woman."
"Yes you did."
Acheron shook his head slowly. "No I didn't."
Talon duplicated his scowl. What the hell was wrong with the guy? Was Acheron finally going senile?
It wasn't like him to be so scattered.
That was Talon's job at the moment.
"T-Rex, I met you over there. Remember? You called me, and while I was with you, Zarek had his little party with the police. I know it was you. There's not another man on this earth your height who looks like you."
The color faded from Acheron's cheeks. If Talon didn't know better, he'd swear he saw real worry in Acheron's eyes.
Something was really wrong.
