He growled at her and she waited for him to rip out her throat, and laugh while he did it.
Every part of Kody wanted to run, screaming, for cover. But her mother had been the great Bathymaas of antiquity, the original goddess of justice – Bethany of Atlantis and Egypt – a goddess of unbelievable power and courage. Her father had been Styxx Anaxkolasi of the House of Aricles, prince of Didymos. One of the greatest ancient generals to ever lead an army, and one of the strongest of the Chthonians to ever live. She would not dishonor them or herself by backing down from any threat.
Not even this one.
With every molecule of courage she could muster, she faced the demon before her and held her ground. Hoping and praying Xev wasn’t setting her up to die, she laid her hand on Nick’s mottled cheek and searched those foreign eyes for a sign of something familiar.
All she saw was hatred and despair.
“Nick?” she whispered, aching to reach him before he was lost to them forever. “Can you hear me?”
Are you still in there somewhere?
Please be in there, somewhere…
He cocked his head to study her and narrowed his flame-filled eyes.
With her other hand, she reached up to trace his brow as she did whenever they were alone in his condo. “I need my sweet Cajun to come back to me. Who else is going to translate all the things in this city I don’t understand like ‘fais do-do,’ ‘fixin’ to,’ ‘makin’ groceries,’ and ‘neutral ground,’ and tell me the difference between bebette and bebelle?”
“Bebelle, cher.” Though he still remained in full Malachai form, she heard the slight softening of his demonic voice in the whispered endearment he only used for her.
You better be right about this, Xev.
Completely petrified, she buried her hand in his sleek black hair and slowly lowered his lips to hers. At first, he growled angrily, and started to pull away, but the moment her tongue swept against his, he changed. His arms hesitantly wrapped around her body to hold her in a gentle embrace as his wings came down. Those wings cocooned them in a feathery caress before they finally vanished with the lightest stirring of air.
He brought his hands up to cup her head in a gentle, familiar hold. His hair changed from the sleek demon texture to the soft waves she was used to burying her hands in.
When Kody opened her eyes, she no longer stared into those red, searing orbs, but the beautiful blue eyes that held a part of her no one else ever had. She had no idea why Nick thought Zavid, Xev, and Caleb were more handsome than he was. They had nothing on her sharp-witted, smart-aleck Cajun.
Well, maybe a better wardrobe.
But even in his wrinkled mass of oversized, tacky, hideous Hawaiian shirts, Nicholas Gautier turned heads and left her breathless.
Smiling up at him, she ran her fingertip over his bottom lip. “Ca c’est bon, n’est pas?”
That familiar charming grin that never failed to turn her to mush and get him out of any amount of trouble where she and his mother were concerned curved his lips. “Oui. Toujours, cher.”
How could any male be so dang charismatic? Yes, he had the Malachai’s glamour that charmed people, but his went deeper than that. There was something much more compelling about Nick. Something that made her feel warm and safe whenever he was near. Honestly, she never wanted to leave his company. Never wanted to be any place except right here, in his embrace.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Xev gave her a smug smirk. “Our weaknesses. Forever.”
Kody paused at that thought and let it roll around in her mind.
Had they changed the future already? Could it be possible? If she could call Nick back from his full Malachai form, could she prevent him from ending the world?
Was this the answer they sought?
Dagon laughed bitterly as he pushed himself up from the floor. Pale and weak from what Nick had done to him, he struggled to stand. “You’re a naive child, aren’t you?”
“What?” she asked.
“I can hear the thoughts churning in your mind. They’re written all over your face. It doesn’t matter how much sway you hold over him. In fact, the more of him you hold, the weaker he becomes.”
“How so?”
Xev met Dagon’s gaze before he answered Kody’s question. “Because whatever weakness you have becomes Nick’s weakness. Don’t you understand? What happened to me happened not because I was vulnerable. It happened because my wife and Caleb’s wife were threatened and couldn’t protect themselves. The actions we took were to keep them safe from our enemies. That was our mistake and our damnation. Even Dagon was punished and condemned over his wife’s compassion for her brother, Lycaon. Not his own.”
Nodding, Dagon wiped at his neck. His gaze returned to Cherise. “I have to have the woman. She is a blood tie to the Source. Azura needs her body to enter this world. If I help her cross over, she will free Shala.”
When he took a step forward, Menyara blocked him. “Azura can’t do that.”