Nick inclined his head to him. “All right. Get dressed. We’ll be in the kitchen, waiting.”
Xev was dressed before he finished speaking. “Show me where they grabbed your mother. I’ll see if I can detect anything about her assailants.”
Nick arched a brow at Kody. “Dang, I need to remember I can do that when I’m running late to school. Those ninja dressing skills are handy.”
She snorted at his misplaced humor.
Nick took them to the rear of the condo, but didn’t open the back door since the police were still there. He jerked his chin toward them. “Who or whatever it was attacked her and Mark as they were getting into his Jeep. Busted him up enough that he was sent to the hospital.”
A strange look descended over Xev’s face.
Nick turned toward Kody. “Is he having a vision or does he need to go potty?”
Kody shoved at him. “Nick,” she chided.
“What? It’s the same look the toddlers used to get on their faces in the crying room I had to help monitor as part of my charity work when I was going through Confirmation.”
She groaned out loud. “You’re awful.”
“I’m the Malachai, baby.” Nick winked at her to let her know his cocky attitude was a joke. “Goes with the territory.”
Xev’s eyes glowed the same way Caleb’s and Nick’s did whenever they accessed their powers. That was not a joke.
Nor was the dark, shrieking cloud that was headed straight for them.
At first, Nick thought it was another swarm of mosquitos. Yet as it drew closer, the sound was unmistakable.
It was a murder of crows. And not just a standard murder. More like a Quentin Tarantino–style slaughter fest of them. With friends, family, and every feathered acquaintance they’d ever made.
In a mad, gory frenzy, the crows attacked like something out of the old Hitchcock film. They descended on the police and people, who, screaming and cursing, ran for cover while the birds pecked and slashed at them. Thunder and lightning crackled, threatening to dump more rain. Some of the police shot at the birds. But nothing deterred them.
Total pandemonium broke out.
As people flooded into his building for protection, Nick ran through a mental list of his powers. He could talk to the dead and sort of control zombies.
Okay, it didn’t work quite the way it should, but it was useless on fowl creatures.
He had partial telekinesis, which was also iffy at best. His grimoire, that was even lippier and more sarcastic than he was. Of course, if sarcasm were lethal, he’d be a legendary killer. Sadly, that skill only served to get him grounded, or added days to his detention. Slammed into lockers by Stone and crew…
And it pissed Kyrian and Acheron off to no end.
His sword… Not a good idea to pull that out in front of skittish police.
Nothing he had could help with this problem. Not even his wings. He wasn’t Dr. Dolittle. He had no control over murderous birds that he knew of. But at least the crows didn’t appear to be able to enter the building.
They stopped at the threshold as if the protection spells Menyara and Caleb had put in place were binding for them, too.
Even so, Xev pulled them back, further into the building. “Death,” he breathed. “Those are his carrion birds of choice. You think he sent them here?”
Nick went cold at the mention of Grim. “Does this mean he had anything to do with my mother’s disappearance?”
Xev considered that. “Or he’s looking for you, perhaps.”
Kody met Nick’s gaze. “Grim does know where you live and who your mother is. What she means to you. Maybe he decided to go rogue, and on the attack?”
Grim also knew that his father was dead. That Nick had come into his full Malachai powers. Though he should be subservient to the Malachai, that really wasn’t their relationship.
Death had a massive superiority complex where Nick was concerned.
Even so, it didn’t quite add up. Up until now, Grim had been casually insulting and somewhat helpful.
Nick glanced back at the murder of crows that was eyeballing them through the barrier. “But why snatch her and then send those” – he jerked his chin at the crows – “after me? It’s not like he doesn’t have my phone number. Literally. Had he called, I’m dumb enough to have met him somewhere without the theatrics.”
Xev’s scowl deepened as the crows moved to sit on the sills of the building as if waiting for something specific to happen. It was so creepy, it made the hair on the back of Nick’s neck stand on end.
The ancient god stepped back and paled even more.
Her own features paling, Kody bit her lip at the way Xev reacted to them. “What is it?”
He moved closer to the window, then fell back again. “They’re Memitim.”
“Mem-a-who?” Nick asked.
“Memitim. They were the soldiers used against Arelim.” He turned to face Nick. “Back in the day, they were under the command of Malphas. They were his army.”