“Where’s my house?” Nick staggered toward the remains. All that was left was the burned-out debris. Pieces of lumber, twisted wrought iron, and charred memories of a horrible battle.
Kody swallowed the lump of grief in her throat. “Cyprian and his army. They attacked and torched it because they knew it’d devastate you.”
“He was right.” Nick raked his hands through his hair. “I am devastated.”
Wanting to ease the pain in his eyes, Kody moved to hug him, but he wouldn’t let her.
Nick was too busy trying to absorb this.
After a few seconds, he held his hands up. “All right. I’m shrugging this off. There’s nothing we can do about it. And right now, we have much more important things to focus on.”
“Find Acheron.” Xev toed at the dust. “Hope he wasn’t in the house.”
Nick curled his lip. “You’re not funny.”
“Everyone else laughed … Even Kody.”
“I’m not laughing.” But really, she had. Clearing her throat to disguise her amusement, Kody started toward the street.
“You know where he is?” Nick asked.
“Not exactly.”
Caleb followed after her. “What do you mean,not exactly? Don’t tell me we just followed you through time for anot exactly.”
Kody turned around to face them. “I know where he was taken.”
“And that would be?” Caleb asked.
“Cyprian’s lair.”
All of the men stopped moving.
“Wait … what?” Nick gaped at her.
She offered him a smile. “You didn’t think this would be easy, did you?”
Nick rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah. Little bit. I figured we’re owed some.”
“Doom … despair … rain agony on me.”
Nick grimaced as Caleb broke into that old song his mom used to sing all the time. “Don’t want to hear it, Cay.”
“Don’t want to live it, Nick. And yet”—he gestured at the destruction around them—“here we are.”
Vawn raised his hands. “Those of us who are about to die … donotsalute you.”
Kaziel barked.
“Exactly,” Caleb said to Kaziel.
“What?” Nick asked.
Vawn smirked. “He says he’d salute, but right now he’s missing his hand and the middle finger he’d like to salute you with.”
“Behave, Lassie, or I’ll feed you Alpo.” Nick turned around in a slow circle to get his bearings. Nothing was familiar. The entire city looked like a war zone. “What happened here?”
“Ambrose told you. Everything just kept getting worse. By the time I was born, humans had become savage. Lack of regard for everyone and everything took its toll. They tore down the cities, then moved outward until there was nothing left. No resources. No protection. Nothing. It was like something out of a bad sci-fi movie.” Kody sighed as she looked over the devastation. “Those with the means went into seclusion and left the rest to battle it out.”
