Breathing in relief and grateful beyond measure to his friends, he finally transformed back into his human body.
Now that he no longer looked like the creature who’d coldly murdered her and her brother, Kody brushed her hand through his hair. “Should I ask about the new Malachai you?”
He gave her a sheepish grin before he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her neck so that he could inhale that sweet vanilla scent that always made his head spin. “I found a way to control it. At least for now.”
She held him close. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Never,” he snorted, then kissed her.
Thorn sauntered over to Nick and let out a weary breath as he eyed him. “I hope to God you know what you’re doing with this new group you’ve chosen, kid.”
By the way he stared at Aeron, Nick had a feeling there was some serious history between them. But neither gave a clue as to what it was.
Same with Thorn and Dagon.
Holding tight to Kody, Nick shrugged at Thorn’s warning. “At least I know something about these ?arras and their loyalties.”
Thorn snorted. “Familiarity breeds contempt.” And with that warning, he left them alone.
Nick watched as Xev stared at Aeron in utter disbelief. He circled around him as if he was afraid to touch him.
“You’re corporeal? How?”
“I borrowed a little blood.” Aeron cast a sheepish gaze toward Nick.
Xev gaped. “He didn’t kill you for it?”
“Not yet.”
Shaking his head, Xev held his hand out to Aeron, who hesitated before he took it. Xev pulled him in for a man hug. “Thank you, little brother.”
Aeron nodded.
Xev kissed him lightly on the head before he released him. He stepped back and met Nick’s curious stare. “I owe him my life in ways you can’t even begin to imagine.”
Nick held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I don’t judge. My own life’s too screwed up for that. To each, his own.”
As everything slowly returned to normal, Nick and Kody went upstairs with Aeron and Xev to give the berries to his mom and Caleb and return them to normal.
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Nick asked as they carefully dispensed the berries’ juices.
Aeron gave him a droll stare. “You’re not seriously asking that, are you?”
He’d barely finished speaking before Caleb woke up, choking and gasping. The minute he saw them in his room, he cursed Xev. “What’s he doing in my house?”
Xev sighed heavily. “Nice to have you back, brother.” He vanished a minute later.
Nick let out a tired breath. “You know, he saved your life today.”
Caleb glared at him and scoffed. “No, Nick. He took my life when he allowed my enemies to have my wife’s. And I wish to the gods that you’d never allowed him to go free.”
“Is that why you’re trying to bargain for your freedom?”
Caleb scowled at him. “What new paint fumes have you been inhaling?”
“Livia told me that you’d been summoning stronger powers in an effort to break free of me, for a while now.”
Caleb pressed his hand to his head as if he had a severe migraine. “What? Are you totally stupid? Wait. It’s you. I know that answer.”
He let out a slow breath before he spoke again. “Look, dumbass… I don’t care what stupidity Livia has filled your head with. The only person who could possibly free me from you, outside of a grisly death and damnation I’d rather not face, is my father. And I wouldn’t trust him for anything. Not that he would do it anyway since he’s currently Noir’s right hand. To get free of you, I’m rather sure he’d require I unleash you on the world, which would defeat the purpose of being free of you. So no, I haven’t been trying to get free of you as there is no point in it.” Caleb scratched at his face. “Besides, I’m getting way too attached to your annoying stupidity. You’re like a pet that chews up my favorite shoes.”
He should probably be offended by that, but coming from Caleb’s surly hide, that was a deep avowal of love.
“I’m glad you’re not dead. Today.” Nick left the room only to hear Caleb’s shout about why and how Dagon was there.
Ignoring him and leaving it for Menyara to explain, Nick joined Simi in the guest room and waited with bated breath until his mom opened her blue eyes.
She scowled up at him before she slowly glanced around the room. “Where am I? How did I get here?”
“Don’t you remember, Ma?”
“Um… no.”
“Our power went out. We came over to Caleb’s. You were on the stairs when the storm broke the window and some of it hit you. You fell.” Nick committed that lie to memory so that he could confess it to the priest on Saturday. Of course, he had a lot to talk to the priest about. Most of which left Father Jeffrey thinking he was writing a novel.
But that was okay by him.
He was just grateful that he was alive and that his mother was still with him.
Which reminded him of one more extremely important thing he had left to do.
EPILOGUE