“You’re wasting your time.”
“Nah. Wasting yours.” Without telegraphing his intentions, Nick punched him where he stood. “That’s for Kody, you sorry piece of dung!” Then he hit him again and again, as he unleashed every ounce of his grief and agony on him.
His fists hurt and his knuckles throbbed as the skin over them started bleeding. Nick didn’t care. Not now. Not when he wanted a pound of flesh from the one who’d hurt what he loved most.
Cyprian began to laugh. “You can’t hurt me! The more you hit, the weaker you become.” He spit blood in Nick’s face.
His fatal mistake.
As Cyprian moved in to slug him, Nick ducked and came up with his Malachai dagger. He drove it straight into Cyprian’s ribs as he stared in to a pair of eyes that were identical to his own.
With a stunned expression, Cyprian staggered back. “You … you can’t kill me! You’re my father!”
Nick stabbed him again then used the dagger to drive him back into the wall so that he could hold him there with it. “Not yet I’m not. You’re just another demon out to end me, and Nick Gautier don’t go down for no demon. Or anybody else. They should have told you that.” He felt his powers growing stronger as Cyprian’s weakened. “You killed Ambrose, boy. You didn’t kill Nick.”
Oh yeah.
He had this …
Nick was becoming the full Malachai again.
Cyprian laughed weakly. “You might have killed me, here and now, but this isn’t over. All you’ve done is freed an even worse enemy.Bon chance, mon père. Bon chance.” And with that he slid slowly toward the ground.
Nick felt his jaw go slack as his mind whirled from the threat. A sudden light pierced the dim alley, almost blinding him an instant before it consumed his son’s body.
Cyprian disintegrated in a matter of seconds. Nothing was left behind.
Not even a stain. There was no mark at all to say that Cyprian had ever existed.
Shaken with that knowledge, Nick wiped the blood off his dagger then handed it to Simi. “Please make sure Caleb gets that.”
“Okies. But where you going?”
“To see my mom before I forget everything I know.” And to make a few notes for Caleb. He wouldn’t have long before the water took affect and left him completely ignorant.
He winked at her. “You take care, Simi.”
And with that, he headed to the front of Sanctuary where Dev stood guard at the entrance.
“Hey, Squire squirt. Back so soon?”
Nick laughed nervously at his question. Dev must not have been able to see through Cyprian’s trick. “You know me. I’m like a piece of gum. Always attaching myself to your favorite pair of shoes … usually when you’re on a date and trying to look cool.”
Dev shook his head as they shook hands, then Nick went inside.
Life was ever changing. Ever in motion.
Victim or victor.
No guarantees. Except one. The day you stopped trying, you were guaranteed a loss. So long as you were trying, you weren’t defeated.
You were trying.
And Nick Gautier would never stop trying. Over, under, around or through. He would find a way to save his mom.
And keep his promise to Kody.
“I’ll be back for you, Neria,” he whispered under his breath as he saw his mom across the room, taking orders at a table. “And we’re going to save Cyprian.”
