Nothing did.
We all make mistakes. They’re easy. It’s learning to live with them that’s hard. Life will test you and bring you to your knees, over and over again. That’s when you have to go deep, catch your breath, and raise one finger and one fist to the fates. Come get some, bitches. ’Cause I’m not going down. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. You stand up, Nick, and you fight with everything you have. That’s when you know you’re a real warrior. Anyone can fight when they’re winning. It’s finding the courage to stand after life has beaten you down that makes you a hero.
To this day, he could hear Acheron’s words. They’d been powerful and helped him through so many crises.
Never give up. Never surrender.
Acheron was forever quotingGalaxy Quest.I should never have seen that with him. But that night had been one of Nick’s favorite memories. It was the first time he’d actually heard Acheron laugh like a kid. He’d been so used to Acheron the Serious … But that night, Acheron had acted like the twenty-one-year-old he appeared to be.
So many good memories. He glanced to Kody, and warmth spread through him. That was the thing. How she made him feel. No matter how bad his day was, all he had to do was feel her touch or see her face and everything was made better.
Bubba chucked him on the shoulder, bringing his thoughts back to the matter at hand. “You remember my zombie lessons, kid?”
“Yeah, why?”
“None of them will help with this journey.”
“Oh, awesome. Then why are you bringing it up?”
“I like screwing with people. What we’re fighting, you’ll have to decapitate to kill. Or worse.”
“Ew!”
“Yeah.” Bubba went to the back of his store and returned with his sword. “Everyone armed?”
Nick pulled his Malachai sword hilt from his pocket, then expanded it. “Yep.”
Bubba looked at Aeron and Vawn. With a flick of the hand, Vawn exposed five razor-sharp claws. “I don’t need a sword.”
Aeron grinned. “I prefer to use me fangs. I like the taste of blood.”
Nick winced at the image in his mind. Unlike Bubba, he knew they were joking. That little Trinity of Death liked getting down and dirty. He was so glad they were on his side.
When Bubba looked at Xev, Xev elbowed Caleb. “We both like ripping the heads off things, especially when they come at us.”
“Yeah,” Caleb agreed. “I don’t need not stinking sword.”
“Very well.” Bubba spread his hand out and manifested a portal in his store.
Nick groaned. “Not another portal. I hate these things.”
“That’s why you’re going first.” Caleb tossed him in.
By the time Nick started protesting, he was already through it. Which wasn’t really fair. He’d wanted to complain.
But as he looked around, all thoughts skidded to a halt. This was not what he’d expected of a Malachai lair. Instead of being grim and dark, it was remarkably …
Perky.
It looked more like something Simi would have picked out as her home. Bright sun. Woodsy.
Weird. Definitely weird.
Nick turned as Kody, Caleb, Vawn, Xev, Kaziel, Aeron, and Bubba joined him. They looked as confused by their surroundings as he felt.
“Are we in the right place?” Caleb asked.
“Yes.”
