“That is anyone’s guess.” Caleb passed another sullen glare at Shadow. “You should have destroyed every last one of those swords.”
“Clearly I’m choking on regret.”
“You’re about to be choking on my fists.”
“When did this escalate to violence?” Nick asked.
Caleb gestured at his stomach. “The moment I was stabbed. What part of me bleeding and my guts hanging out did you miss?”
Kody shook her head. “This bickering is pointless and Nick has something he should be doing.”
“Yeah and I’m doing it. Protecting all of you.”
She tsked at him. “You need to go and take care of the matter with Virgil. We’ve got this.”
Nick didn’t like the sound of that even a little bit. Nor did he trust in the universe enough that he believed for one yoctosecond it didn’t plan to screw him over.
It always did.
“I don’t like unsolvable puzzles.”
Kody kissed his cheek. “We’ll figure this out.”
Growling low in his throat, Caleb took on his human appearance. “C’mon, Lord King Pain. Let’s get this over with.” He paused to glare at Shadow. “You,find out what happened. I’ll be back to kick your butt later.”
Shadow scoffed. “You better bring back up.”
“Won’t need it for your worthless hide.”
He laughed. “I’ll take that wager.”
Without commenting, Caleb grabbed Nick and took him home.
Kody met Shadow’s worried gaze the moment they were alone in his realm. “What are you hiding?”
“Certainly not the fact that I’m an idiot.” He glanced over to Simi and then to Aeron. “‘Course,heknows that.”
Aeron laughed. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“And you’re hedging.” She could feel it deep inside. He had an aura like Nick’s. Both of them were handsome beyond belief, with a bashful confidence that said they’d been kicked enough to wear down their conceit. And both wore their cockiness as a mode of self-defense against a bitterly cruel world that ever sought to bring them to their knees. It made her protective of a man who was probably older than both her ancient parents.
“I’m just thinking that with those swords, in the right hands, they could breed new Sephirii.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“Depends. Those swords were forged from the pit of the Source. The very essence of the universe is inside them. Their blades will cut through anything, and they will cut through anyone. With them, their wielders can kill gods.”
“But the swords have to choose who wields them and they don’t bond with just anyone, yes?”
“True, but the swords feed on blood. They thrive on it. In the hands of a Source god, such as Azura or Noir, or one who is familiar with them, such as Grim or Laguerre, they can be tricked to bond against their wills. Enslaved if you will.”
“What happens then?”
Shadow’s eyes turned sinister and his voice dropped a full octave. “You create a monster so vicious, it makes the Malachai look like a friendly puppy.”
CHAPTER 5
Nick felt the jolt to his powers the moment he walked into the police station. It slapped him like Stone’s stench after gym class. And left him just as feral and ready to fight.
