Return of the Past

Talon stepped out into the hall with everyone following.

Wren stood in front of King, and Talon’s heart skipped a beat.

~She has no idea how much danger she is in right now.~

Wren felt Talon’s fear the moment he entered the room, but she did not give a rat’s derriere any longer. She had said her piece. He could go to hell, right along with the man in front of her.

“I passed along your message. Now may I please get through? I have things to do.”

“Not until I see him for myself.”

Talon stepped into view of the two at the door, trying to figure out a way to get her out of the danger she was in. “What do you want, and how did you find me?”

King turned to Talon. “I guess the rumors were true after all. I heard you were still alive and working for the government,” he said, giving Talon his predatory grin. “It took me two years, but I am here to make sure the oath you pledged me is fulfilled.”

“Oath?” Emerald whispered. “He pledged an oath to someone.”

“SHUT. UP,” Evan whispered back.

“What oath?” Wren asked, looking at Talon.

She could not read his emotions at the moment. Just as she had a few moments ago, he had now shut down his emotions.

“The one where he promised to serve me until his death. Which means, either he comes with me or he dies right here.”

Talon shrugged without commenting.

King was right. He had made a blood oath to serve him and only him until the day he died.

It was an oath none had walked away from. He knew he was on borrowed time from the moment he had walked out the door of King’s office.

Seems King was ready to collect.

Wren stepped up to Talon. “And this thing.” She did not even look at the ugly toad man. “Would he happen to be…”

“The great mob boss I told you about. Known as King in the underbellies of society,” Talon finished. “It seems that he has some unfinished business with me.”

“That I do.” King grinned. “There is only one way you leave my family. In a body bag. Something you forgot.”

“No. I did not forget,” Talon corrected him. “I merely declined that option for a more favorable one. I like breathing, thank you.” Talon drew his weapons.

Although King did not look like it, he was deadly, and everyone in this room was in danger.

Everyone watched as Talon drew his weapon in astonishment. Did he not remember that their weapons did not work on humans?

“He is not really going to try and…” Lily took a step forward.

Eric stopped her. “Let him. He knows what he is doing.”

“Besides.” It was Talon’s turn to smile.

A cold, twisted smile without humor.

Wren watched Talon’s eyes turn just as empty as King’s. He had shut his soul down just like he had shut his emotions down.

“You forgot. There is always the option of your death.” He stepped toward the man, putting himself between Wren and King. “Tell you what. I will give you another option.”

Talon’s demeanor seemed relaxed, but no one in the room was fooled. The man was ready for a fight. “I suggest you turn around and crawl back into the hole you appeared from. Pretend you never saw me, or the option I take is the last one. Your death.”

King had no idea what Talon had been doing the past two years.

If he had, he would have taken the option Talon had just given him. Talon was sure of that.

King laughed. “You will be dead if you take even a millimeter of a step forward,” he said, pulling back the gun and aiming it at Talon’s head. “You know I do not miss.”

Talon grinned.

Before King could register the movement, Talon had stepped in, taken the gun from his hands, and sliced his neck wide open.

“Too slow,” Talon commented dryly as he wiped his blade off on the body that had not realized its own death yet and walked away, his heart sinking further into his chest.

Seemed the killer was still very much alive.

Wren stared at the body that was slowly crumbling to the floor as blood flowed freely from its neck.

She could feel only cold rage coming from Talon now, and she did not know what to do.

Talon stopped in front of her and held out his weapons as the others slowly came forward to peer at them as well.

Wren numbly took one into her hands, not sure why he was giving it to her. She immediately realized it was not his normal weapon. It was a very good imitation, but she could feel the difference after so many months working beside him.

Wren looked up at him as he bent his head and placed a soft kiss on her slightly opened mouth.

She was soft and, not surprisingly, sweet to the taste.

“I am armed for any foe, love,” he whispered, his eyes still empty. “This was made for me a long time ago by a person I held very dear to me. My other weapons took on their shape from this one.”

He took it back from her unresisting hands and continued toward the stairs.

“I shall take care of the body in a few moments. Thank you for last night,” he said over his shoulder as he went. “I will always remember it.”

Wren watched him leave, feeling a great sadness emanating from him.

She had just seen a Talon that took on the world by himself. It was a sad, lonely man who retreated from the room.

She turned to see blood pouring out onto the rug, and she covered her mouth, dropping to her knees, feeling sick.

They had just seen a side of Talon he had never intended for them to see…the cold, calculating killer he had become in order to survive.

She felt the tears come up at the thought of what he had seen and done.

“Are you all right? Please get up, honey. We will take care of the body,” Lily said, helping her to her feet. “You will get blood on yourself if you stay there.”

Talon had stopped at the top of the stairs. He watched the group’s reaction to his actions. Especially Wren.

She had seen what he had become to survive, and it was tearing her up inside.

King had no idea that he had succeeded in killing Talon in his death.

There was no way they would be able to accept this from him. Any sliver of hope that he had held onto of having a family was being extinguished as the minutes ticked by.

Wren met his eyes across the room. ~This must be what the emotional bond is like~, she thought before trying to block out his sadness and rage.

She shook off Lily’s arm and headed out the door.

She needed to get out of here and clear her head.

She was not sure what to do with what she had just witnessed, but she knew she needed time alone to sort it all out. Talon watched her leave, his pain even greater as the only woman he would ever be with walked away from him.

He had felt her fear at the moment he had taken his prey, and then the pain. It tore him up that he could do nothing to stop the emotions she was feeling.

Even worse, he was the one who had caused said pain. He had known the instant that he took King’s life he would never be accepted.

He would pay the penance for his actions, only stealing a quick taste of her soft mouth in preparation. He would need the memory of her lips against his, even for a brief moment, as he watched his world crumble around him.

As the others dispersed, he slowly made his way back down the stairs, stopping a few feet from the body. With no feelings left, he slowly created and watched as the fireball expanded in his hand, immersing himself in its glow.

With a sigh, he let it loose on the corpse.

***

Eric and Michael watched Talon from the kitchen door.

“Well…we always knew he had a dark past,” Eric commented as they watched him. “I guess I had held out hope he still had a heart in him.”

Michael shook his head at the comment. “No. He has a heart. If he did not, he would not be in so much pain now.”

“Do you think he is in pain?” Eric asked. “He looks like the same old Talon to me. The one before Wren, that is.”

“Trust me, he is in pain. Look at his hands shaking,” Michael pointed out. “Imagine how he feels. We have finally seen the side of him he has tried so hard to shed.”

“What are you talking about?”

Michael turned to Eric. “Do you not yet understand? He could have shown us this side of him any time. He could have continued to fight as he did a moment ago when he came here. Instead, he chose to hide it from us. Why do you suppose he did that?”

Eric shrugged.

Michael let out a sigh. “You are dense. He wanted to change. He hates this part of himself.”

“More importantly…” Eric had no reply to Michael’s observation. He was absolutely right. So he asked the one he wanted an answer from instead. “I want to know why he is choosing to walk away from us, rather than try and help us understand this part of him.”

“Do you fear him?”

Eric took a moment before he answered, making sure he believed what he was about to say. “No. I do not fear him. Talon does not yet understand. No matter what he does, we will be by his side,” he said. He let out a sigh. “I guess I had thought—no, hoped—he had finally accepted the fact he has a family.”

“There are some walls and wounds that not even family can heal, Michael.” Carrie had appeared with Lily next to her, cleaning supplies in hand. “This just might be one of them. Until he can accept this part of him and realize he will always have it, he will not be able to accept our help.”

Michael agreed reluctantly. “You are right. We can at least offer our help.”

The ladies nodded as they moved to where Talon was now scrubbing at the blood that stained the carpet where King’s body had been.