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Chapter 14

Just as Laine stepped out the door, Zarek's phone rang from the living room. Cursing, he rose and went to the couch, where he picked up his phone. "What?"

"Zarek," the familiar voice of Dionysus came over the other end. "Are you ready for tonight?"

Thoughts of Laine flashed across his mind. If he was going to go through with this, he would never see her again. It was probably best for both of them. One kiss shouldn't be shaking his resolve about any of this, but it was.

"I'm always ready to cause trouble," he answered.

"Good," the Greek god said on the other end. "Since Talon is now on to Styxx, it requires a little more effort for tonight's preparations. I'll need you to get Sunshine away from the Celt and bring her to me. She has to be in the warehouse by eleven-thirty. Now rest and be ready to kill Talon and Valerius."

Oh yeah. He could do that alright. But the other part of the bargain... And of course, there was another problem. "What about Acheron?"

"Leave him to us."

The god hung up.

Zarek clenched his teeth and threw the phone back onto the couch. He closed his eyes and thought of Laine, of how she smelled and tasted. She was so full of passion and love. When they had touched, he had felt something other than the pain that was again gripping coldly at his heart. It seemed like it hurt even more than before. It was as if the gods had shown him a way out of his hell, only to bury it again.

"You don't need her," he muttered to himself. "You don't need anyone."

Still clenching his teeth, he got up to get dressed.

On the drive to the bar, Laine could not think of anything except Zarek. What had she been thinking? It wasn't as if anything would come of it. She was part Apollite and Zarek was a Dark-Hunter. And really, it had just been a kiss.

One that made her feel alive in every inch of her body. She wanted the man; she couldn't even deny her desire.

Really, Lainey? she asked herself. Could you have found anyone more wrong for you? Zarek and she had nothing in common. If he ever found out who she was, he would kill her. She rolled her eyes at the steering wheel, trying to shut the thought of the Dark-Hunter out of her mind. And just yesterday she had been lecturing Sunshine about Talon.

She wanted more from Zarek than just his body, however. She wanted to know who he was, what had made him the way he was. And most of all, she wanted to heal him.

You're messed up, she told herself. Why are you drawn to the bad boys? You have enough to worry about in yourself. Besides, even if this works…

Oh yeah. If somehow they ended up together, even if everything worked out the way she wanted it to, there was still the question about her twenty-seventh birthday. Would she slowly disintegrate or would she live?

Why are you even thinking about this? It was just a kiss. It wasn't as if anything would ever come from it. But she wanted it to. So much.

Laine entered the house behind the bar with her heart heavy, only to find both Kyrian and Julian already locked up in a room, with maman as their jail keeper. It was a good thing Zarek wasn't here. Valerius wouldn't be able to take all three of them at the same time. Acheron, Nick, and Eric St. James were already there. Ash was pacing the corner of the room while Eric sat on the couch, staring into space and Nick munched on a bag of potato chips.

Like her, Eric was a Dorean Squire who had been dating Tabitha. However, from what she heard, they had broken up recently because Tabitha had come very close to finding out Eric's true identity, and had become frustrated that Eric kept so many secrets from her.

"Hey," she greeted them, and the two Squires nodded at her. Eric got up to give her a hug while Nick winked. The scrambling from upstairs heightened.

"Acheron, you better let me out of here," Kyrian shouted from upstairs. "Do you hear me?"

A loud bang followed, as if he had punched the door.

"Sounds like I missed a party," Talon said as he also walked in. Laine raised an eyebrow, but swallowed when he stared at her hard, not speaking. This was completely different from the Talon that had greeted her just yesterday.

"You have no idea. I decided it was best to keep Kyrian and Julian locked up until morning. I already called and told Amanda and Grace not to worry about them," Ash answered, still pacing. He only stopped to glare at Laine.

"I really wish you would let them out," a cold, accented voice came from the corner of the room. Laine whirled around to find Valerius sitting there, calmly sipping a glass of wine. He glared at her when he caught her staring.

Laine closed her eyes briefly and turned away.

Was there anyone here that wasn't mad at or suspicious of her?

"You look almost normal tonight. Are you going to stay that way?" Ash asked Talon. Normally, he wouldn't even have to ask, but Laine knew that when it came to Sunshine, Talon would overly protective. She had seen him last night, and knew that he would risk anything for her. Even their lives. And Ash couldn't have that.

"I told you I could contain myself," Talon growled. "Where's Zarek?"

"I have him guarding Sunshine."

The other Dark-Hunter cursed. "Like hell!" Laine's heart also stopped for a second, though not for the same reason. The gods wanted Sunshine, and if she was with Zarek, it would mean that they would be after the Dark-Hunter as well.

"Trust me, Talon, I believe in Zarek doing the right thing."

Talon snarled. "I don't trust him. At all. And after this, I'm not sure if I trust you." He looked around the room. "Why couldn't Laine do it?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Oh, so now you trust me?"

Talon narrowed his eyes at her, but Ash had had enough. "Enough bickering," he said, and slowly rubbed his temples. "Just do as I told you and everything should work out." Despite her annoyance with him, Laine suddenly felt for the Dark-Hunter. After all, if Styxx really was his brother, and he was working with Dionysus and Camulus to help free the Destroyer, then Ash was directly involved. And, if the Destroyer was anything like her name, Ash would have not just the fate of the Dark-Hunters, but the fate of the world on his hands.

The poor guy seriously needed some chocolate and a day at the spa. In fact, she would probably send both he and Zarek to a masseuse if she weren't so sure that the masseuse would need intensive therapy afterward.

"Should?" Talon was pushing his limits.

"Or we're all screwed."

"Gee, Ash," Nick said sarcastically, as he walked through the door. He had just caught the end of their conversation. "You're just so damn comforting sometimes."

"I try."

"And you fail admirably," Nick said.

Ash rolled his eyes, and told the rest of them about the joining of Dionysus and Camulus to try and retain their godhoods.

Nick gave a long whistle. "Does anyone else have an ulcer?"

Laine gave him a dirty look. "How do we stop them?"

"With a lot of faith and by doing exactly what I tell you to do."

The other Squire returned Laine's look. "Does anyone other than me think that Ash is being a little too vague about all this?"

Everyone but Ash raised their hands.

"You're not funny," Ash said, and turned to Valerius. "I need you on the streets with the Peltiers. At eleven-thirty, Dionysus is planning to unleash his Daimons on the population in order to distract us. Slay any of them you find."

Laine's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't been told that her brothers were going to be fighting Daimons. She knew perfectly well that they could take care of themselves, but Daimons were especially attracted to Were-Hunter souls, and hence, the Peltiers would be swarmed with Daimons tonight. She only hoped that they would stay together and that Valerius would think about something other than his own sorry backside for once.

"Nick and Eric," Ash continued, "I want you to be ready to mobilize if you're needed. Talon and Laine, you stay with me. We're going after Dionysus and his crew."

Nick gave a small pout. "How come she always gets to do all the fun stuff?"

Laine gaped at Nick. "I would happily switch places with you and Eric any day."

The other Squire gave Ash a hopeful look. "Hear that? So does that mean I can come along?"

Ash's eyes darkened. "Squires aren't supposed to be in combat, and you know that, Nick. Laine's a special case."

Nick blew out a breath of air as Valerius headed out, and he followed the rest of them into the courtyard.

Talon, Ash, and Laine headed off into the crowds as Nick and Eric turned in the other direction. Laine glanced over at the two Dark-Hunters and saw that they were both deep in thought, no doubt about their respective responsibilities. They were saving the world… again. And both had investments in this specific mission.

Acheron's brother was involved, and though she didn't know what their relationship was like, she couldn't imagine trying to oppose or even kill one of her own siblings. On top of that, he was their leader. She knew that he wasn't responsible for their lives, but he would feel it was his duty to make sure they were all safe. Come to think of it, she had never seen Ash not feeling responsible for something, and he had probably had that job for however long he had been a Dark-Hunter.

He must have been weary. Exhausted.

And Talon, who after so many centuries of remaining alone because he thought everyone he loved was going to die, was falling in love. He was going to kill Camulus, or Camulus was going to kill him. Either way, he needed to make sure Sunshine was safe. And if he died…

Laine tried to picture Sunshine's grief, but could not.

Sunshine had seemed truly happy when talking about Talon, something that hadn't occurred even once when she was dating her last boyfriend. Laine knew that Sunshine wanted her own life, and Talon seemed to give her that, instead of selfishly focusing on himself.

The two were made for each other, and Laine didn't want to see this happiness die.

Both men wanted to appear strong.

But their weaknesses were so plain to see.

Laine wished that she had some time alone with both of them so that she could reassure them somehow. Let them lean on her.

She pushed through the people around her, something she found much more difficult than the two men. Many of them were drunk from the Mardi Gras celebration, and she tried to hold her breath at the stench of the crowds drifting by her.

Mardi Gras was usually worse than Halloween in New Orleans, with both children and adults dressed up in ridiculous costumes. Even from where she was standing, she could see about five jesters, three go-go dancers… and a man dressed as baby Cupid with a giant diaper and a pair of gold wings. The man danced by, holding a small crossbow in one hand, which he used to shoot small gold arrows into the crowd, and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

Laine gaped when he waved a drunk hand at Talon and Ash.

"Eros!" Talon cried, taking the bow from him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm celebrating."

The girl stopped and stared. "Wait, you're telling me this is the real Eros? As in Cupid?"

"That's right, baby," the god gave her a small wink. "And if Talon gives me back my bow, I can make all your dreams come true."

Laine was less than amused. "What's with the get up?" She didn't believe that Cupid actually pranced around in a large diaper.

The god shrugged and took another swig of his Jack Daniels. "If you can't beat them, join them. They expect Cupid in a diaper, so here I am. Cute Cupid in a diaper." He then threw an arm over Talon's shoulder, and Laine caught a whiff of his breath. Gagging, she realized that Talon and Eros must have known each other pretty well. "Hey, I found out something interesting," Cupid continued. "Dion has teamed up with another god for tonight's festivities. And would you believe, it's the same guy you were asking me about? What's his face, Camulus?"

"And?"

"Yeah. I heard Dion saying they were going to party with your woman and that the psycho Dark-Hunter from Alaska was going to hand her over to them."

Roaring, Talon shoved Cupid away from him and began to stalk toward his car.

The girl gasped. "Zarek wouldn't do that, Talon!" she cried. "Cupid just heard a rumor!"

Ash had grabbed Talon, and from the look that passed between them, she suddenly realized that indeed Zarek had handed over Sunshine, and Ash had known all along. Her breath caught in her throat, and her world changed around her.

"You knew?" Laine gasped at the same time Talon cried, "How could you?"

The other Dark-Hunter gave them both a hard stare. "It's all right, Talon."

"Like hell it is."

Laine closed her eyes for a moment, and couldn't understand how Ash would have allowed Zarek do this. But even more so, she couldn't understand how Zarek could hand over Sunshine, someone completely innocent in this entire ordeal. She had thought that she had seen something more in him. That kiss… it wasn't one of a deranged man who would turn them all into Camulus. He didn't even have a reason!

Unless he's actually psychotic…

No. He couldn't be. She hadn't kissed a psychotic man, hadn't felt that for someone that would kill the innocent. There had to be another reason. She needed answers.

She was so shocked that she was rooted to the floor, unable to process the thoughts that were rushing through her mind. The people around her became a blur, and she felt as if she would empty the contents of her stomach here and now.

"Damn you, damn you straight to hell!" Talon roared, and punched Acheron in the jaw. The sound of the blow woke her.

"Stop!" she cried, but Ash took the hit without flinching.

Talon lashed out again, but she had the sense to hold him back with her mind. It was difficult, as he seemed to be bending his entire will upon hurting Acheron, and her own mind was not entirely together. "This isn't accomplishing anything, Talon," she said in what she hoped was a warning tone. But her voice quavered in her own fear and doubt.

"It's making me feel better."

He made another lunge for Acheron, but the other Dark-Hunter caught him by the shoulder. "Listen to me, Talon. The only way to save the two of you is maintain your grip. Trust me. It's the way things are meant to be."

The two of you…

But what about Zarek? What was going on?

Talon's jaw ticked, but he closed his eyes and seemed to rein in his rage. "Where are they?"

"They're in a warehouse. If you'll calm down, I'll take you to it," Ash said. "The night is far from over, Talon."

Laine bit the inside of her lip as Ash put a hand on both of their shoulders. The scene on Bourbon Street dimmed, and in the next second, they were outside a warehouse.

The three of them made their way to the main room, when a bright light flashed from above them, and a loud scream pierced the air.