There was a sudden awkwardness between them, so thick it permeated the air around them. “Ahhh,” Nick said as he understood why they weren’t explaining it. As the old saying went, opposites attract. “You two are special friends.” Kyrian frowned. “How do you mean?”
Acheron passed a peeved look to Kyrian. “He thinks we’re a couple.”
Kyrian took a step away from Acheron. “No. No. No.
Definitely not. Not that Acheron is not an attractive man, not that I’ve ever real y noticed whether or not he’s attractive, but male is not my type.”
Nick looked back and forth between them. On the surface, the two of them had nothing in common other than they were both badasses. “Then how do you two know each other?
’Cause aside from the money thing you seem real y normal and Ash … real y not.”
Acheron cocked a brow. “Are you tel ing me that you have no oddbal friends?”
“Uh, not like you. Mine just do weird things like eat Jel -O
through straws and get thrown out of Kroger for eating samples. They’re nowhere near as weird as you.” Acheron tsked. “I would disagree. I don’t drown myself in Eau de Duck Urine or look for werewolves in the swamp, unlike some people you know.”
“Yeah, okay, so Bubba and Mark walk off the beaten path into Planet I Don’t Know. But they don’t do that creepy mind wipe stuff or slam doors without touching them.”
“How do you know the wind didn’t catch it?” Acheron asked.
“Would that be the same wind that somehow blew you through the house to land in front of me?”
“Could be. Hurricane force. It is New Orleans, after al . It happens.”
Nick gave Acheron a drol stare. “No offense, I ain’t Dorothy and I didn’t see no house land on a woman in striped socks.
But if you believe al that, I have a house on a hil in the bayou to sel you. By the way, how do you know about Bubba and Mark?”
Ash got real y quiet.
Kyrian’s face was completely stoic.
“What?” Nick prompted.
Ash cleared his throat before he answered. “I get bored sometimes. Infinite power … local lunatics. There’s just times when you real y need to screw with someone’s head and Mark is such an easy target. He wants to see, and a few wel -placed shadows go such a long way in making him happy, and me entertained.”
“Dude, you’re so wrong.” But Nick could almost understand that. “And the zombies? You plant them too?”
“No. I’m as clueless about them as you are. In fact, I came over here to warn you”—he turned to Kyrian—“about them.
Believe it or not, I don’t know how many are infected. But it seems to be mostly teenagers, and Nick’s school’s the nucleus for it. Ground zero as it were.” Kyrian looked as confused as Nick felt. “How can you not know, with your powers?”
“As hard as it is to believe, even for me, there are things I can’t decipher. This would be one of them. Someone else is shielding them—probably whatever entity created them. And I don’t know who that is, but the bokor seems to be targeting school officials and nerdy students.”
Nick stiffened. “Why you look at me when you say the word
‘nerdy’?”
Ash flipped up the tail of Nick’s hideous blue Hawaiian shirt.
“Normal people don’t dress like that.”
Nick brushed his hand down the front of his shirt and gave a confident tilt of his head. “Hey now, I make this look good. And you’re a fine one to talk. Why you wearing those sunglasses inside when it’s dark, Geek boy?”
Ash let fly a cocky grin. “ ’Cause no matter where I go, the sun is always shining on me.”
Nick was completely unamused.
“Nick?”
He turned at Rosa’s cal . “Yes, ma’am?”
“Didn’t you tel me you hadn’t eaten?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then you come in here and have something before you waste away.” She paused as she entered the doorway of the kitchen and saw Ash. “Acheron? When did you get here?” Ash indicated the door over his shoulder with his thumb. “I came in the front door a few minutes ago.” Rosa’s brow was creased with a stern frown. “Strange. I didn’t hear the bel .”
Ash smiled. “You know me, Rosa. Silent like a ghost.” A chil went down Nick’s spine at what Rosa was saying and about her lack of memory where Ash was concerned. He should probably be running for the door, but there was something about Acheron he actual y liked. And while the guy looked like he could sweep the floor with Rambo, Nick sensed a kinship with him. Almost like they were long-lost brothers. It was so strange and yet …
Stay away from him. Ash is evil to the bones. He will destroy you. Nick shook his head at the deep voice that echoed in his ears.
For a second, he felt like he was losing his mind.
“Are you coming, Nick?” Rosa asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” His stock answer for most women since his mom real y didn’t like the word “no.” Dutiful y, he made his way to Rosa and to the food he was starving for.
Acheron watched while Nick made his way to the kitchen. He didn’t know why, but his gut told him that Nick was somehow key to what was going on. It was like a presence was here.