I’m so scared.”
“It’l be al right.” At least Nick hoped he wasn’t lying to the kid.
“That’s not what they told me. They told me they were going to eat my brains.”
“Nah. Only older brothers do that.”
The kid actual y laughed. “My name’s Ian. Who are you?”
“Nick.”
“Can you get us out of here?”
Nick looked around. The room didn’t appear to have a door or anything else, which meant no, he couldn’t. But he didn’t want to tel the kid that. “How did we get in here?” Ian pointed to the wal to his left. “A door appears right there whenever they want in or out.”
Nick got up and looked for a switch or trapdoor or something. But al he saw was the wal .
Figures.
He pul ed out his cel phone and tried to cal Kyrian. Big surprise, it didn’t work. But at least he stil had his book and the dagger. They weren’t completely defenseless.
Yet he felt completely defeated as the magnitude of this situation hit him hard. How could he not? Everything had gone bad tonight. Bubba and Alex were dead. Tabitha, Eric, and Mark were probably dead too. And Simi and Caleb.
No one, including him, knew where he was.
What am I going to do?
He didn’t see a way out of this.
“Ambrose?” he cal ed, trying to summon his guardian to him.
There was no answer.
“Dude, c’mon,” he cal ed out to Ambrose. “You’ve popped in al night long. Can’t you come the one time I actual y want to see you?”
Of course Ambrose stil didn’t answer, ’cause, again, that would just be too easy.
Nick sighed in frustration. This was not how he’d imagined this day playing out. Yet here he was about to be eaten by demons or turned into a zombie.
Who’ll take care of my mom now?
That wave of hopelessness washed through him only to be replaced by one of raw determination as he thought about his mom being left defenseless. He would not go down like this.
Whining on the floor like the kid in front of him. He’d survived too much to just lie down and die like some cheap bimbo in a horror movie.
Oh no. He was Nick Gautier. A kid born standing up and talking back. No one ever got the better of him and he’d be damned if they were going to start now.
If what Ambrose had told him was true, he had powers inside him. Powers he should be able to use. Al he had to do was figure out how to tap into them.
Pul ing out the book, he used the blood incantation again.
“How do I get out of here?”
Ian crept forward to see what he was doing, but he didn’t say anything while he watched. The blood swirled around the page until it answered Nick’s question.
Here you are and here you’ll stay,
Until you learn a better way.
“Uh, hemoglobin, a little clarity would be nice. Could you be a little more specific for me?”
Born of time. Born of space.
First you must find your place.
“Can I get a yes or no from you? Are you going to tel me how to get out of here or not?”
Yes or no is not for me to speak.
Rather the answer is for you to seek .
Nick curled his lip in disgust at the cryptic answers. “Oh, you suck.”
Suck and blow so you say.
But I’m not the one trapped with no getaway.
Anger ripped through him. “Leave it to me to find the only book known to sass its owner.” Growling in aggravation, he slammed it shut and choked it.
Ian frowned at him. “What are you doing?”
“At the moment, wishing I could burn a book.” It heated up in his hand to the point it was actual y painful to hold. “Stop that!” he snapped at it.
It cooled down.
Nick raked his hand through his hair. How did he use those powers?
Closing his eyes, he concentrated like he did to make his dagger bigger and larger.
Nothing.
Except his headache got worse. A lot worse. This is useless.
“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” Ian asked.
Nick shook his head. “No, Ian, we’re not. I’l keep you safe. I promise.”
“What if you can’t?”
“Dude, have a little faith. Okay?”
Sniffing back his tears, he nodded.
Nick had always wondered what it’d be like to have a brother or sister. He could see where they might get on his nerves, but the way Ian looked up at him like he was a hero …
A guy could get used to that. And it made him want to be worthy of that look.
The door in the side of the wal opened. Nick put himself between Ian and the tal , sinister figure who came through the newly created doorway.
It cocked its head as it stared at him and Ian. “Are you not pleased by your offering?”
Nick was perplexed by the question. “What?” The black blob gestured to Ian. “Does he not meet with your satisfaction, my lord?”
“Satisfaction for what?”
Another figure stepped around him. This one was a smal , tiny woman with dark tawny skin. She looked like a beautiful angel. “Your human sacrifice. We thought by now you’d have devoured him.”
Ian’s eyes widened as he stepped away from Nick.