Page 62 of Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter 2)
Chapter 13
Zarek stood outside on the upper crosswalk of Jackson Brewery, looking down Wilkinson Street. He had his hands braced on the iron banister as he stared at the people below who were walking along Decatur Street, drifting in and out of shops, restaurants, and clubs.
Word had come down from Acheron that he was supposed to stay inside his townhouse until Mardi Gras. He probably should have listened, but taking orders wasn't exactly something he excelled at anymore.
Besides, the harsh February climate in Alaska kept him housebound entirely too much. He hated feeling trapped.
When he'd left Fairbanks, it had been fourteen below zero. It was currently fifty-seven degrees in New Orleans and even with the chill wind coming off the river, it was nothing like what he was used to.
This was a balmy summer night in comparison.
Though late June and July days in Fairbanks could get as high as the low nineties, by the time the sun set and he could go outside into the eerie twilight that never turned completely dark, he'd be damned lucky to feel a night as warm as this one.
And of course, in the dead of summer in Fairbanks, he'd be really fortunate if he could go outside for more than a few minutes before the sun rose again and forced him back indoors.
For nine hundred years, he'd been banished to that harsh, extreme terrain.
Now at long last, he had a reprieve.
Closing his eyes, Zarek inhaled the air, which was thick with life. He smelled the mixture of foods and river. Heard the sound of laughter and revelry.
He really liked this city. No wonder Talon and Kyrian had claimed it.
He only wished that he could stay here for a little while longer. Stay where there were others of his kind. Where there were people who would talk to him.
But he was used to wanting things he couldn't have.
The door on his right opened and a small boy stepped out. The runt was cute enough for an ankle-biter. He had short brown hair and was sobbing. The kid pulled up sharply at the sight of Zarek standing there.
Zarek ignored him.
"Hey, mister?" the boy said, his voice trembling. "Can you help me? I'm lost."
Zarek took a deep breath and pushed himself away from the railing.
He tucked his clawed hand into his pants pocket and turned around. "Believe me, kid. I know the feeling."
He offered the child his bare hand and was stunned at how small and trusting the boy was. He couldn't remember a time in his life he would have ever reached out to someone and trusted them not to hurt him. "So, who are we looking for? Your mom or your dad?"
"My mommy. She's really pretty and big."
Zarek nodded. "What's her name?"
"Mommy."
Now that was really helpful... not. "How old are you, kid?"
"I'm this many." He sniffed back his tears and held up four little fingers. "How old are you?"
"A lot more than four fingers."
The boy held up all ten. "This many?"
Zarek smiled in spite of himself. "C'mon," he said, opening the door. "I'm sure there's someone inside who can help you find your mommy."
The boy wiped his face with his sleeve as Zarek led him into the Brewery. They hadn't gone far when he heard a woman gasp.
"What are you doing with my son?"
"Mommy!" The boy bolted toward the woman.
She grabbed the child up and the feral, suspicious look she cast Zarek let him know a hasty exit would be wise.
Some nights it didn't pay to appear dark and sinister.
"Security!" she shrieked.
Zarek cursed and ran back out the door. He leapt over the banister, to the stairs a story below, and quickly lost himself in the crowd.
Or so he thought.
As soon as he was halfway down Wilkinson, he saw Acheron waiting in the shadows.
This was just what he friggin' needed-Acheron to chew him out for locking Nick in the closet and leaving the house while he was under orders to stay put.
Zarek snarled. "Don't start on me, Ash."
Acheron cocked a brow at that. "Start on you for what?"
The hair on the back of his neck rose. Acheron was too relaxed and there was no tensing of his shoulders like Acheron always got when they came into contact with each other.
They had declared their mutual dislike for each other over two thousand years ago.
The man in front of him was acting as if Zarek were one of the Dark-Hunters Acheron was friendly with.
It sent a chill up his spine.
Hatred and anger he could take, a friendly Acheron made him nervous.
"Aren't you here to chew me out?" Zarek asked.
"Now, why would I do that?" He clapped him on the shoulder.
Zarek hissed as he moved away from him. "Who the hell are you?"
"What's wrong, Zarek?"
There was no way this was Acheron.
Zarek used his telekinesis to pull the sunglasses off the man's face. Instead of swirling mercury eyes, this man had blue ones.
The stranger narrowed his human eyes on him. "That was unwise."
The next thing Zarek knew, he was hit with a god-bolt.
Talon was strapped to his exercise bar, doing inverted sit-ups when Sunshine finally came awake.
Hissing, she sat up in bed, slowly. Languidly. "It's so hot in here," she said, her voice low and throaty.
Talon relaxed his body as he watched her, letting himself hang upside down while his fingertips brushed the floor. "How are you feeling?"
She pulled her shirt off, over her head, and he instantly tensed at the sight of the black lace bra cupping her breasts.
"Hungry," she breathed, releasing the front catch on her bra. "And not for food."
He arched a brow at that, and at the way she trailed her hands over her breasts, down to her pants.
Oh, this was cruel.
She pulled her pants off slowly, sensually. "I need you, Talon."
"I think you need a cold shower."
She moved toward him like a stalking lioness.
Mesmerized, Talon didn't move until she reached him and ran her hand down his thighs. She bent her head to nuzzle and lick the back of his knees.
Talon moaned at how good she felt. His body hardened and throbbed as he pulled himself up, intending to unhook his boots from the bar. But he never got the chance. Sunshine waylaid his lips and kissed him passionately.
Sunshine couldn't think straight as she pulled back and stared into his midnight-black eyes. Her body was alive. On fire. All she could focus on was her throbbing need to have him inside her. A burning itch to have his hands on her body.
She'd never felt such potent lust. Such a hunger to taste and feel every tiny morsel of a man's body.
Oh, how she wanted him.
She took his hands and led them to her breasts. "Make love to me, Talon. Please."
Talon hesitated. "I don't know if we should do this while you're under the infl-" He stopped mid-sentence as she pushed his shorts up to his knees.
Possessed with a powerful lust she'd never known, Sunshine gently nibbled his sensitive hipbone. He moaned deep in his throat, spurring her on while she raked her hand through his short curls, letting them wrap around her fingers until she cupped him in her hand.
Talon couldn't move as wave after wave of pleasure racked him.
She ran her hand down his shaft, making him harden even more. "Hmm," she breathed. "What have we here?"
She took the tip of his shaft into her mouth, circling him with her tongue, drawing him deep into her moist heat. Reaching for her bare legs, he growled in pleasure and pulled her closer to him.
She sucked more of him into her mouth while her fingers stroked his sac, sending spikes of pleasure through his entire body.
It was a damned good thing he was hanging here. As good as she felt, had he been standing he would no doubt have been on the floor right now.
Closing his eyes, Talon savored the feel of her tongue and mouth caressing him, licking him, sucking him, of her hand spurring his ecstasy on to a dangerous level.
Talon encircled her waist with his arm and nibbled the tender spot of her hipbone. She moaned deep in her throat. The vibration of it reverberated through his entire body.
Sunshine shivered as Talon nudged her legs apart. She wrapped her arms around his waist, feasting on him while he stroked her tenderly with his fingers. She could feel his stomach muscles flex with his every move. The steeliness of them made her delirious, and when he took her into his mouth, she moaned aloud.
Her head reeling, she continued to tease him with her tongue and lips while he worked magic on her body with his mouth. She'd never felt anything like this mutual giving. The mutual need to touch each other and give each other pleasure.
