These two ancient beings were a large part of why he’d left Laguerre centuries ago. As much as he’d once loved her, and as much fun as they’d had in war together, it wasn’t worth tolerating her demented, psychotic parents and their volatile tantrums.
Not even for a dinner date.
And he’d forgotten just how much Laguerre favored her father. But now that they stood side by side, the resemblance was uncanny. Same coal-black eyes that held no feeling or regard for anyone else. Same patrician features, smug expressions, and dark hair. Only while Noir’s was short, Laguerre’s fell to her waist in spiraling curls.
Just like her father, she’d sprang from her mother’s womb, sword in her hand, ready to kill any-and everyone who happened into her path. No wonder the ancient humans had once deemed her the Fire Bitch of the Gods. Herit-Anat, Anat the Terror, et cetera. Back then, she’d gone by many names and even more epitaphs.
Ancient humans had left her untold offerings in their temples, hoping to buy her favor so that she’d leave them alone.
As if …
Instead, the two of them had led untold wars and conquests throughout the human lands. Everywhere they went, slaughter followed. For centuries, they’d been an invincible team. Laguerre as the goddess of war, and he as the god of death. Their army of demons and damned had torn up the entire earth.
How Grim missed those days of freedom, and bloody fun.
Now …
Grim pressed his thumb against the tooth Noir’s blow had loosened. He was trapped here. Useless and bored.
Worse, he was irrelevant. He, who had once so terrified humanity to the point they couldn’t think his name without shaking in terror and dying of fright, was now reduced down in this modern age to a cartoon character who made appearances in video games and on birthday greeting cards. They’d turned him into a chibi!
The indignities never stopped.
Laguerre sighed. “The Malachai still has five of his ?arras by his side. Removing one won’t make much difference.”
Noir slid an intolerant grimace toward his daughter. “Patience, Anat. Have you learned nothing out in the human world?”
“Only how much I loathe the mortal vermin and wish to see them crushed beneath my hooves again.”
Suddenly, Noir leaned his head back and took a deep breath as if he were in the throes of ultimate pleasure.
After a few uncomfortable minutes, he opened his eyes and smiled at them. “Ah … see? That’s why I wanted his ?arras here. They hold a part of the Malachai’s powers. As such, I can feed from them and take back some of his strength. It’s why all of you were kept from me and banned from here while you served him. Now bring me the rest of his little friends. Once we have him fully weakened and me fed, we shall be able to destroy him. And I’ll be able to leave here, not as a ghost in a body I invaded through possession, but as myself. Then we will rain down our will upon this world again and show them what they’ve missed.”
*
“Hey, Ma,” Nick said as soon as he heard his mother’s thick Cajun drawl when she answered the phone. “I’m sorry to bug you at work, but I’m really sick. I need to go home. Is that okay?”
“Baby Boo! You sound so terrible and sad! Oh, honey. It’s right in the middle of the lunch crowd. I can’t leave. Let me call Michael and I’ll send him right over to pick you up, okay?”
“’Kay. I’m handing you to the school nurse to tell her. Love you, Ma.”
“You, too, baby. Please be okay. You rest and I’ll be home as soon as I can to check on you. Call if you need me and I will come running. I’ll quit if I have to.”
Nick snorted at his mom’s offer. She loved her job as a waitress at Sanctuary. Although, if she ever learned her boss was a shape-shifting were-bear, that might change. “Don’t do that. I’ll live.” Though to be honest, he didn’t feel like it at the moment.
His mom made kissing noises at him. Cringing, he made them back at her, but much more subtly before he handed the phone to the nurse and blushed, then beat a hasty retreat from her office in order that he wouldn’t have to face that ‘ah, how cute you are’ look that so many gave him whenever he was nice to his mom.
As he moved to sit down outside to wait, he met Madaug St. James, who came into the office with a delivery for the secretary. At just under six feet, he was the son of two Squire brain surgeons—literally. Which was what had allowed him to create a mind-altering video game that demons had enchanted and used to possess their classmates.
Yeah, good times …
Not even a little. Nick was still having violent flashbacks from his Zombie Hunter experience. It was so bad, he couldn’t even watch a zombie movie to this day. And poor Madaug couldn’t so much as play solitaire on his PC after it.
Still, he was one of Nick’s best friends. And it was nice to occasionally hang out with someone who was frightfully normal, Madaug’s extremely high IQ notwithstanding. After all, compared to Madaug, most people had the intelligence of a head of cabbage.
“Hey, Nick! What are you doing up here?”