Takeshi gaped. “Pardon?”
She swallowed hard before she spoke again. “He sent me back in time to stop the Malachai. First Jeros and then we went through several of them. I failed each time because they were far more powerful than I was … until we got to Nick. Him, I could have taken. Easily, because he hadn’t come into his powers yet. He was too young and ridiculous when I met him. But for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to take the killshot even though I knew he’d eventually go bad and kill everyone I loved. I kept seeing the good in him and thinking that he could be saved.” She cupped Nick’s cheek. “There was something about him I couldn’t resist.”
“It’s the Rubati blood in you. Instinctively, it calls to Monakribos, regardless of the incarnation of your own body. And that’s why Nick is leashed with you by his side. You anchor him, just as she anchored Kree all those centuries ago.”
“But then why would Sroasha want me to kill Nick? Especially if he wasn’t the one who destroys everything?”
Simi tsked at her. “Make total sense, Akra-Kody. ‘Cause if the bad Malachai demon-boy had already kilt you and Akri-Nick, then he’d be stronger. So the best way to beats him would be to kills his father afore he’s borned.”
“She’s right. It’d be the only way to stop him, especially if you don’t know who he or his mother is.”
Nick scratched his head. “I’m still so confused by that. If I’m in love with Kody and I know it, then I know I didn’t two-time her with someone else. I’m not that kind of dirtbag.” He jumped as his phone rang and startled him. “Sheez!” Grabbing it, he saw it was Virgil again. Sheepishly, he answered it.
“Where are you?”
“Sorry. Had a little demon trouble to take care of. We’re on our way. Be there in a few.” He hung up. “I have to meet Virgil and go to the police station.”
Kody’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Yeah. It’s good to be me.” He sighed. “Let me get this over with and then we can clean this mess up.”
“I’ll tell Caleb to meet you there. Just in case you get stuck.”
He started to tell her not to be so paranoid, but they were talking abouthim. Yeah, with his luck, a backup plan was always a smart idea. Things tended to go sideways as soon as he lifted his head off the pillow. Sometimes before he even opened his eyes in the morning.
Sliding the phone into his pocket, he faced Takeshi. “Anything I need to know going into this?”
A deep, dark red light flickered in his eyes. “The future is determined by the decisions you make every second of the day. Victor and victim. Both come from the Latin word,victus. To vanquish or be vanquished, yet the original meaning of victim was to be a living entity killed and offered in sacrifice to some higher, supernatural power.”
Those words sent chills over Nick. “Invictus.” It was the tattoo on Ambrose’s arm that meantunconquerable.Never subdued.
Like his friends Bubba and Mark always said, you might kill me, but I’ll be taking you to hell with me so that I can chain you to the throne of Satan myself and spend the rest of eternity whupping your ass. That was the Southern way.
It was also very Cajun and vintage Malachai.
“No dang demon kills me and lives. On that you can bank.” Nick held his hand out to Takeshi.
Takeshi smiled as he shook it. “That’s the Ambrose I know. Take care. I’ll be seeing you, kid.” He vanished and left Nashira.
Kody frowned. “Caleb isn’t answering his phone.” She hung up. “Can you reach him?”
Nick didn’t bother with the phone. He used his powers to call out for his surly bodyguard. “Yo! Baby Cay-Cay? I’m doing something stupid and dangerous. You gonna come knock me in the head for it? Or do you plan to let Simi have all the fun honors?”
Caleb didn’t answer.
An awful feeling went through him.
Where was Caleb?
Kody swallowed hard. “He’s not answering you either, is he?”
He shook his head. “I can’t go to Virgil until I make sure Caleb’s okay.”
“I know. We’ll meet you there.”
They all teleported to Caleb’s front door. Nick would have gone inside since he had permission to get past Caleb’s sigils, but he wasn’t about to pop in alone when he didn’t know what was on the other side, waiting to devour him. While he was about as reckless as anyone could get he wasn’t particularly stupid as that tended to be fatal in large doses.
So he paused until Simi, Nashira and Nekoda caught up to him. Then he knocked on the door of Caleb’s huge antebellum mansion. The sound echoed through the place.
