Until now.
He’d been completely deceived. No part of him had been able to tell that wasn’t Mennie. Not even a hair on the back of his neck had risen in warning.
Ah, this was not good.
I’m defenseless. That thought ran through him like a freight train and sent him reeling. And with it came a new, overwhelming fear.
Menyara!
If the demons had made it into her store, what had happened to her and her staff? It wasn’t like she’d have opened the door and said, “Here, demon, come on in. Make yourself at home. Pull up a chair and have tea.”
His heart rose to painfully lodge itself in his throat as he jackrabbited for the store. He slung the door open to find a battleground of shattered shelves, destroyed merchandise, and utter destruction. They had rained down a mini Armageddon in here.
“No,” he breathed. How could they have gotten to Mennie? It shouldn’t have been possible. She was a goddess. Her powers absolute.
Yet there was no denying the mess that surrounded him. There were even scorch marks on the ceiling and walls where they’d fought with god-bolts. The protection seals on the walls continued to glow as if trying to contain whatever evil had happened here.
“Nick?”
Unable to breathe, he turned at the sound of Kody’s voice. “What did they do to her?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. But we have to help Caleb, right now. He’s in bad shape.”
“What’s Xev wanting to do?”
“Call their father.”
“I thought he was being held captive like yours.”
She bit her lip. “Not like mine. Even though he’s enslaved, their father has the freedom to come and go.”
“Then let’s do it!”
As Caleb had earlier, she hesitated. “It’s not that easy, Nick. You’re talking about raising a major power. He won’t come willingly and he holds no love for either son. There’s no guarantee that he’ll do anything to help them. Not without your cooperation.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re the Malachai. Their father is subservient to you. You can control him, but he won’t like it and he will fight you every step of the way. But … I might know something to leverage his cooperation.”
“How can I command him when I don’t have my powers?”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t risky.”
But if they didn’t do something, Caleb would be lost. And he wasn’t willing to take that loss.
Nick glanced around at the store, and the destruction that had been wrought. Whatever had broken through Menyara’s protection sigils and burst in here to take her had incredible abilities. In the past, they’d known their foes. Known what they were up against and how to fight them.
That’s not true.
Shut up, mind, I’m trying to give myself a pep talk. Last thing I need is you crapping all over it, and throwing logic and truth at me.
’Cause honestly? He was terrified about this, and getting more so by the moment. Logic and truth would only serve to scare the bejesus out of him. The less sense and facts he had, the braver he’d be.
His breathing ragged, he met Kody’s worried frown. “What do we have to do?”
“We’ll have to leverage the farm for it, but … I know the one thing their father wants that you can use to bargain with. The one thing he’d never say no to.”
“My soul?”
She laughed. “Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that. Your soul we’d have no trouble giving him. What he wants will take a miracle and the best Cajun charm you possess.”
Gah, what was she wanting? “My freedom?”
“Maybe. I don’t know the price. But whatever it is…”
Nick would pay it to save Caleb’s life. He owed him that much.
Steeling himself, he inclined his head to her. “Let’s do this.”
They’d just started for the door when Xev and Caleb came through it. Caleb was leaning hard against Xev’s side. Quickly and carefully, Xev let him slide to the floor, then used his powers to slam and seal the door.
That, too, was concerning.
“What’s going on?”
“We’ve got company.” Xev moved past Nick to sift through the debris. “Kody, I need you to help me find hematite, malachite, bloodstone, and jet or obsidian. Quickly. As much as you can.”
“On it.”
Caleb cursed him, but Xev ignored him as he searched until he found a bottle of black salt and sea salt. He handed them to Nick. “Seal the doors and windows.”
Nick moved to do it as fast as he could. “Do I need to say anything?”
“No. Cam’s protection will return once we seal the thresholds.”
“Is that how they got in?”
Xev shook his head. “Someone invited the evil in. Probably one of her employees who didn’t know better.” Then, under his breath, he muttered, “How many times do you humans have to be told to leave evil alone, and never, ever invite it into your circles?”