“And if I can’t?”
“Then you really are screwed and you will never know any kind of peace. Split loyalties work for no one.”
As Nick opened his mouth to respond, another image flashed through his mind. It was one of Caleb and six other men who stood as a formidable wall against their enemies. Ferocious power emanated from them as they waited to confront whatever was coming for them. He didn’t know who those other men were—if they were demons, gods, or some other group—but it was obvious they had been brothers, if not by blood, then by bond.
“Who were your allies when you fought against my father in the First War?”
Caleb snorted. “I never fought against your father, Nick. I led my army against the first Malachai.”
That stunned him. “But I thought—”
“You are a direct descendent of the firstborn, but there have been several Malachais before your father. Adarian has lived the longest out of them all. Several only lasted a handful of years … long enough to spawn a replacement and then they were gone.”
And the one thing that made those Malachais so different from Nick was that each had known who and what they were from the moment of birth. Nick was the only Malachai who’d been born thinking himself human.
It was hard to wake up one day and learn that everything you thought you knew about yourself was a lie. That nothing in your past was what it seemed or what you’d been told. That your parents weren’t who and what you’d believed them to be.
He was still fighting hard to wrap his mind around it most days.
Gah, but it was impossible at times. Everything was changing so fast that it made his head spin even more than what it’d done inside Bubba’s store.
Yesterday, he’d been a dirt-poor kid whose biggest concern was keeping his grades up and getting to school on time—walking his mom home whenever she worked late. Now he was two years from graduation with a job that carried a buttload of responsibility and secrets. And while he’d thought he was the man of the house when he was a kid, he now fully understood what taking care of his mother really entailed. How her safety hinged on every decision he made. One wrong move and her life would end … because of him.
Not to mention, his body was changing and growing faster than he could keep up with, and if that wasn’t enough …
He was a dang demon half the universe wanted to hunt down and kill.
Including his girlfriend.
And the one thing on his side … stupid powers that were more of a detriment than help.
Thanks for that, universe. Glad you have me to pick on.
Closing his eyes, Nick sighed. “I’m too young to deal with all this.”
Caleb snorted. “I know the feeling.”
Yeah, right. “You’re thousands of years old.”
“I wasn’t born this old, Nick, and because of my parents, I had a bounty on my head, too, when I was a kid. So I do know what you’re feeling. And it’s a hard place to call home. Trust me, I’ve had that address every day of my life.”
Wow. Caleb could actually share. This was a first.
“How did you survive?” Nick asked him.
“I had an uncle who protected me. Taught me how to fight and shield myself and powers. Most of all, he taught me how to figure out when I should engage in war and when I should walk away and let it go.”
“I haven’t noticed you doing a lot of the latter.”
Caleb laughed. “We have a lot in common, Nick. Stubborn and stupid to the core of our souls.”
Yeah, but was what they called a friendship enough for Nick to be able to always trust Caleb at his back? Or would Caleb one day try to kill him, too?
Only time would tell.
Time …
Ah, crap!
Nick checked his watch and winced as he realized how late it’d gotten. “Can I catch a ride over to Kyrian’s?”
“Sure.” Caleb led him back toward their school, where his black Porsche 911 Turbo cabriolet was parked. It hadn’t been all that long ago that Nick had been so intimidated by a car this expensive that he was scared to touch it.
Funny how fast things changed. Now, he was around expensive cars so much that he’d started thinking of them as normal. Who would have ever imagined that? Definitely not him.
Nick opened the car door to get in and paused as he caught sight of several classmates leaving the building. Two of them called out a greeting to Caleb, who ignored them completely, like he always did. Caleb hated having to play his role of Mr. Jock Popularity. Everyone at school thought he was a rich kid whose parents were always out of town.
If they only knew the truth.…
They’d probably burst into flames, or have a stroke and die from disbelief.
Pushing that thought aside, Nick got in and fastened his seat belt. “Try to keep it under ninety, okay?”
Caleb laughed as he started the engine, then floored it. Nick held his breath as they took a corner so fast, he was pretty sure two wheels came off the pavement.
“Thinking I should have grabbed a streetcar,” he mumbled under his breath.
Caleb downshifted. “You fight armies of the damned out to slay you, and my driving is what scares you? Really?”
“Have to say that’s a big affirmative.”
Caleb shook his head and laughed. “Don’t worry, Nick. You’re safe as a babe in my presence. I can’t afford to let anything happen to you.”
That would be more comforting if they weren’t careening in and out of traffic in warp drive. What was it with immortals that they loved to speed and weave? Come to think of it, none of them had ever taken or passed a real driver’s license test.…
Help me.
The good news was that it didn’t take all that long to get to Kyrian’s. Especially since they were traveling at the speed of sound.
Nick let out a relieved breath at his safe arrival. “FYI, I think I might have stained your seat. You’ll probably want to clean that later.”
Caleb stopped the car barely a millimeter from Kyrian’s locked wrought-iron gate. “It’s all right. I’ll just buy a new one.”
“All right, then. Hasta mañana.” Nick rolled out of the car and grabbed his backpack from the floorboard. He’d barely closed the door before Caleb peeled out.
He didn’t know for sure what Caleb did when he wasn’t around. Caleb refused to elaborate on his free time. Then again, he refused to elaborate on most things.
Just like Nick’s boss Kyrian and his friend Acheron. Another thing immortals had in common, apparently.
You don’t talk much about yourself either.
True. He didn’t like people getting all that close to him. That way, it didn’t hurt so much when they left.
Maybe that was their problem, too. It made sense. An average human life was nothing when you lived forever. Kind of like owning a Great Dane. No sooner did you get good and attached, than old age claimed them and they were gone, and you were all alone again.
Yeah, that would be hard to deal with. Heaven knew Nick had a major death phobia anyway. He couldn’t stand the thought of it.
Trying to put it out of his mind, Nick punched the code into the gate and waited for it to open.
As soon as it was wide enough, he headed up the curved driveway that led to the sprawling white antebellum mansion Kyrian called home. It was an impressive place with wraparound porches, up and down. The kind of house that reminded you of a wedding cake.
And as he walked closer, he had another weird sensation go through him—like some out-of-body experience. He saw himself from high above in the clouds. There was no doubt that was Nick Gautier walking, yet it seemed like some unknown character on a TV screen. Like he was completely detached from his emotions and body.
What is going on with me today?
Thankfully, his phone buzzed in his pocket. That sensation slammed him back into his body and reality, and reconnected him with his emotions.
Nick pulled his phone out to see a message from Casey.
Hey, babe. I heard you guys got free early. Want to grab a bite to eat?
Nick scowled, then quickly typed a response. I think you meant to send that to Stone.
He’d just reached the steps when she answered.
Ha, ha, Nick. I know who I’m texting. So are you hungry? Want to hang out for a while?
Yeah, this day couldn’t get any stranger.
Well, barring another one of Madaug’s zombie attacks or a demon assault.
Have to work. Sorry.
He’d barely sent that before she shot back another text. Dang, that girl could hammer out words.
Call me when you get off. I’ll be here.
Nick was so stunned that he would have walked straight into the front door had Rosa not opened it first. About even in height to Bubba’s mama, Rosa had black hair tinged with gray. In her early forties, she was Kyrian’s housekeeper and more like another mother to Nick.
“You have a problem, Mr. Nick?” He always loved the way she said his name with her heavy Spanish accent. It was so cool.
“No, Rosa. I’m just trying to figure out a girl from school.”
She laughed and stepped back so that he could enter the house. “There’s no figure when you speak of women, m’ijo. We are mysterious creatures.”
“Yes, yes you are.” He slid his phone into his pocket. “Is Kyrian awake yet?”
She closed the door and pulled the cloth from her shoulder. “Sí. He is in the shower.”
“Awesome.”
Rosa scowled at him. “Do you feel all right, Nick? You look a bit pale.”
That was another thing about Rosa, you couldn’t get anything past her. “Yes, ma’am. Just had a bad day.”
She gave him a sympathetic pout. “Would chocolate chips help you feel better?”
He immediately flashed a grin at her. “Ah, Ms. Rosa, you are a godsend. Yes, that would help turn my day around exponentially.”
Rising up on her tiptoes, she ruffled his hair. “They are in the kitchen, m’ijo. Still warm and gooey. Go grab yourself some.”
“Muchas gracias!”
“De nada.”
With quick steps, Nick ran to the back of the house, then paused as he felt a presence there that wasn’t normal. “Rosa?” he called out. “Is Acheron here?” He always left an odd feeling in the air.
“No. Just you, me, and Kyrian.”
Weird. “Okay. Thanks.”
Still, he couldn’t shake the sensation as he made his way to the kitchen counter to grab a handful of Rosa’s delicious cookies. The smell was soothing, but he couldn’t get over the odd tingling. It made the skin on the back of his neck crawl.
He swallowed a cookie and looked around the room, seeking the source of his discomfort.
What the…?
You are going to die.… The disembodied voice that came from the hall was gender neutral.
His heart hammering, Nick searched everywhere, trying to find the source of it.
There was nothing. He was completely alone in the kitchen.
“Who are you?” he shot back in a low tone so that Rosa wouldn’t hear it and think he was nuts. He backed away from the counter toward the door to his office, then slammed it shut.
I’m a harvester and you are my bounty.
CHAPTER 4
“Bring it home, punk,” Nick snarled at the voice, dropping his backpack to the floor of the office he shared with Rosa. He braced himself for the fight. “This Cajun don’t go down for nothing. You think you can take me, you better bring some friends.”
The door behind him opened. Nick spun around, ready to battle whatever was there.
As soon as he saw who was entering, he sucked his breath in sharply. It was a giant of a man who stood almost seven feet in height. One who had on a pair of opaque sunglasses that concealed his eyes from view. Wearing black on black, and with long purple hair, he appeared at first glance no older than twenty, but the ferocity of his presence told everyone who came into contact with him that he was much more than what he appeared.
That he was badass enough to take down anyone dumb enough to challenge him.
And thankfully, he was one of Nick’s best friends.
Nick growled at him. “Dang it all, Ash. You scared the crap out of me. Could you please knock once in a while?”
A knock sounded on the door that was open behind Acheron’s gargantuan form. “Better?”
Not really. It was kind of creepy. But at least he knew about Acheron’s unearthly powers and offbeat humor, so the disembodied knock wasn’t that much of a surprise. As the leader of the Dark-Hunters and oldest member of their crew, Ash’s psychic abilities were fierce and scary. The stuff people had nightmares about.
But Nick feared almost nothing, and Ash was definitely no longer on that list.
Rolling his eyes, he sighed. “Little late there with the knock, buddy.”