"No!" the small demon barked. "Nim stays with Jared. Always."
Jared cursed. "Could you help a brother out, Acheron? I need you to take custody of Nim and keep him safe for me."
"No!" Nim snapped, even more determined than before.
Jared growled in response. "Damn it, Nimrod. For once in your life, do what I ask and go with Acheron."
The demon clutched the small pink bunny to his chest and frantically shook his head no. "Nim stays with Jared. Those are the laws."
A muscle twitched in Jared's jaw. "I should have never saved your life."
Ash felt his pain and understood what Jared was doing. Since Ash had a demon of his own, he knew what a weakness they could be. And what a responsibility. Even though the demon appeared to be around the human age of twenty, his actions said he was even younger than Ash's Simi. "Nothing worse than adolescent demons."
"You have no idea."
"Actually, I do." Ash approached Nim slowly, like he would a small toddler. "Nim, you can come with me and I promise nothing will hurt you."
Nim gave him a mean, sullen stare. "I don't know you."
Jared tried to push him toward Ash. "He's a good man."
Nim bared his fangs at both of them in a vicious hiss. "He's been with the Charonte and they hate me. They hurt Nim and make him bleed. I want to stay with Jared." Nim immediately returned to sleep as a small dragon tattoo on Jared's neck.
Jared let out a long, aggravated breath. "Is there any way to get him off me like this?"
"No."
"Figures." His eyes shimmered with gold flecks that flipped until his eyes were a solid golden amber. "One day my master is going to kill him if I don't find him a new home."
"I think you need to tell him that."
"He says he'd rather be dead than leave me. According to him, we're family. I guess that makes me the psycho uncle no one wants to talk to. And he's the kid with only imaginary friends for company. Normal Rockwell, here we come."
Ash smiled at his twist on the painter's name. Honestly, Ash felt for Jared, but there was nothing either of them could do. "Then it's his decision."
Jared gave him a harsh stare. "Would you feel that way if it were Simi?"
"You know the answer."
"And you know why I have to get him off me."
True enough. There was nothing worse than having an exposed weakness that those around you preyed on. One they used to control your actions and subjugate you. Ash knew that better than anyone. And he felt sorry for Jared's situation.
Sighing, Ash changed the subject to something he could perhaps control. "So why were you ordered to kill Nick?"
Jared shrugged his coat back on. "He's the last of the Malachai bloodline."
Ash laughed at the absurdity of that idea. "Nick Gautier is a Malachai? C'mon, Jared. Lay off the crack."
"I'm not joking. He's the last of their breed."
Stunned, Ash actually gaped. Nick Gautier? And yet as ludicrous as that seemed, it strangely made sense. Nick's unfounded powers. Ash's inability to control him . . . Shit. How could he have missed it? You weren't looking for it. Who would have? They were an extinct breed.
"Don't feel so bad," Jared said softly. "His powers were bound and hidden much the way yours were when you were human. It wasn't until War attacked him that they kicked in."
"Does Nick know what he is?"
Jared shook his head. "My job is to kill him before he learns it."
"I can't let you do that."
"You have no choice and neither do I." He vanished before Ash could even draw breath to speak. "Jared!"
The Sephiroth ignored him completely. "Damn it!" If Jared found Nick before he did, the boy was deader than five o'clock roadkill.
"YOU'RE LOOKING ENTIRELY TOO SMUG WITH yourself."
Stryker glanced over his shoulder to see Zephyra eyeing him. "I have you here. Why shouldn't I be pleased?"
"I can think of a million reasons, starting with the fact that I want to kill you more than I want to breathe. As for the others, would you prefer them in order of importance or alphabetically?"
He laughed. "Tell me honestly . . . didn't you ever miss me?"
"No."
Those words struck him hard. "Not once?"
She folded her arms over her chest. "You know what I remember about you, Stryker? It was the last words you said to me. 'There's no reason for me to stay.' Then you walked out of my house and never looked back. No reason for you to stay, you said. None." She narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "You severed my heart with those few words. I'd have rather you hit me."