Madoc shook his head. “I can return you all to Ambrose’s house. Then I’ll help the lot of you get where you need to go.”
“Isn’t that tampering with fate?”
Madoc shrugged. “I hate those three bitches. If anyone ever wanted them to go down, it’s me.”
Ambrose screwed up his face. “No. I think it’s Acheron or Styxx who’d have the biggest grudge and gripes against them.”
“I won’t argue that.” Madoc waved his hand, and the next thing Nick knew, everything went dark. It felt as if someone grabbed him from behind and jerked him off his feet.
“Ugh, I hate this!” Nick tried to find something to hold on to, but it was useless.Don’t fight it.It’d only make him more nauseated later. Honestly, though, why did it have to be so aggravating?
Portals, time travel, all of it was an awful way to move from one place to another. A chaos demon must have invented it.
But after what seemed like eternity, he finally stopped falling and found himself back at Ambrose’s. He technically landed on his feet. However, the force of it sent him to his knees.
Kody, however, landed like a champ. He’d give her credit. Although she did stagger from it, she still managed to stay on her feet. That made him feel a little better.
Ambrose, of course, had no problems at all. He didn’t even flinch as he stuck the landing and then started walking toward his den with that feral lope that let everyone know this was someone who could kick major ass.
“At least I know one day, I’ll master this.”
Kody smiled. “Baby, you’ve already mastered it. I think you look hot.” She kissed his cheek, then followed after Ambrose.
In that moment, Nick saw a glimmer of a memory. Years from now, Kody was older, but still as stunning. She’d taken his hand and pulled him after her as they strolled along the Moon Walk in New Orleans.
“You know, Neria, you uncle and father are going to kill me.”
Laughing, Kody had given him the same smile.“Baby, they won’t break my heart. Besides, I’m meaner than both of them put together. They taught me all their best tricks.”
Those words had weirdly put the same warm feeling inside him that he felt now. God, how he loved her.
But why did he have that memory?
You need to stop playing with the Eye.
That was probably it. That thing was beyond dangerous.
So’s living.
True. Living had been kicking his butt since the day he was born, and there was no letup in sight.
“Hey, boyo! You’re back.” Aeron stood up as Nick entered Ambrose’s den.
“He’s back,” Caleb added, “but that face … doesn’t bode well for any of us.”
Nick rolled his eyes at Caleb. “That’s because I’ve signed all of you up to be my sacrificial demons. Hope you’re okay with that.”
Vawn went even paler. “He’s joking, right?”
A tic started in Caleb’s cheek. “He’s joking, or I’ll choke him with his own entrails.”
Nick tsked. “Such violence. You need to take a course in anger management, bro.”
“I have no problem with anger management. Something makes me angry and I kill it. Problem solved. Trust me, one day you’ll make me look lenient.” Caleb slid his gaze toward Ambrose, who gave the demon a look that said he was sizing up Caleb’s head for his trophy case.
Lovely. He couldn’t wait to be that psycho.
“So, what’s behind the expression?” Xev asked Nick.
