Laughing, he gave her a quick kiss before he and Xev flashed to Caleb’s antebellum mansion.
In the elegant black-and-white marble foyer, they could hear the storm outside, slamming against the windows. Everything was dark and creepy as lightning flashed and crows cawed. Shattered glass and puddles of water littered the floor. The decapitated head of a stone angel statue lay near the wall where it must have landed after being flung through one of the shattered windows and shutters. Its soulless eyes stared at Nick as if accusing him of not being here for the fight.
Where the heck was everyone? It was so incredibly sinister and quiet. He couldn’t detect a single living soul inside the house.
Terrified they were too late, Nick took the stairs two at a time until he was inside Caleb’s bedroom. Frowning in sudden confusion, he froze at the doorway and took in the peculiar scene.
Caleb was awake and on his feet. Weak, pale, and shaking, he stood in the corner, holding his ancient demonic battle sword with Livia in front of him. They were alone in the room with the crows dive-bombing the windows, trying to break in, and Caleb egging them on with every bit of stupid bravado only a demon on the verge of collapse could pull off and still sound badass while doing it.
“Thank the gods it’s you,” Livia said between her ragged breaths. “I thought the Memitim had finally broken through his protection spells. I’ve been so terrified of what we would do if that happened! Oh, Nick! Once again, you’re my hero!”
Xev scowled in distaste of her melodramatic praise as he glanced around the walls that were alight with the ancient oils and symbols Caleb had used to seal off his property from his enemies.
Snarling, Caleb angled his sword at Xev. “What’s he doing here?” His disgusted tone likened Xev to the fecal matter of a dung beetle’s tick.
“He came with me to make sure you were all right.”
“Yeah, I bet. You sure he didn’t tell the Memitim where to find me, and then lead them here just to ensure they didn’t get lost on the way over?”
Xev winced at the accusation. Ignoring Caleb, he closed the distance between him and Nick. “I’ll —”
“Get out!” Caleb’s voice wasn’t human as he stepped around Livia. It carried the full weight of his demonic power. “I don’t want you here!”
For a moment, Nick thought Caleb’s powers had returned, until Caleb tried to blast Xev and nothing happened. Instead, Caleb fell back against the wall, dropped his sword weakly, and slid to the floor.
Gasping, Livia went to him to help him up. “It’s okay, Malphas. I won’t let anything happen to you. Nothing will get through me.”
His expression stricken, Xev sighed as he clapped Nick on the back. “I’ll help guard your mother. See to Caleb’s safety.” He vanished, but not before Nick felt him strengthen the shields around Caleb’s house to keep the Memitim at bay.
There was also a mysterious and powerful blast that made the crows shriek and scatter in the storm. One he knew came from Xevikan.
Snorting at Xev’s twisted retribution and his insistence on protecting Caleb even though Caleb continued to curse and insult him, Nick went to help Caleb back to bed. “Where’s Zavid?”
Livia shook her head. “I don’t know. He was gone when I returned.”
Weird. It wasn’t normal for Zavid to go out on his own. Like Xev, he wasn’t exactly a people demon, and he didn’t have much more than the most rudimentary understanding of the human world. Modern man baffled him, so he typically avoided all interaction with them like a social plague on his crotch. Gaming was about as close to humanity as he wanted to come.
Even then, he only gamed with Caleb and Nick.
“I’m just glad I got back when I did,” Livia said as she tucked the covers around Caleb. “Another minute and I think they’d have penetrated his barrier and had him.”
Caleb grimaced as he shifted in the bed. “Where’s Kody?”
“She’s with my mom.”
He grabbed the front of Nick’s shirt in a deceptively strong grasp. “Keep her safe.”
“That was the plan. I’m not intending to sacrifice her to an ancient god anytime soon.”
Nodding, Caleb let go, and passed out with a sigh.
“Wow,” Livia said as she covered him with another blanket. “Kody means a lot to him, doesn’t she?”
“How do you mean?”
“Just that I’ve noticed how much care they take of each other. How much time they spend together. Whenever Kody’s not with you, she’s over here, sequestered with Caleb. Even late at night. They seem to really care about each other. I wish I had someone who cared for me like that. It must be nice.”
He’d never really given it much thought, but now that she mentioned it, they were together a lot. And, in spite of his concerns about her possibly betraying them one day, Caleb did watch over Kody with a great deal of concern…