As did a group of heavily armed humans who came spilling out of the old Ethel Kidd Realty building. Between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five, and armed with flame-throwers and demon-grenades, they all appeared to be graduates of the Bubba and Mark’s School of the Zombie Apocalyptic Survivalists.
It wasn’t until Simi’s daughter ran to the humans to fight with them and half the demons turned to be caught between the humans and a group of demons behind them that Nick realized this had been a staged trap that she’d led them into.
Strategic explosions rained down searing debris and shrapnel over the demons that forced him and Xev to take cover in the shelter of the church’s crumbling alcoves. Bubba would definitely be proud. And Nick was most decidedly impressed with their ingenuity.
Until they began to attack him and Xev. Then he lost his respect for their abilities.
Xev pulled him back to protect him. “Whoa! Allies! We’re on your side.”
They didn’t buy into it.
Not until the largest demon on Team Humanity went for Xev’s throat and one of the humans grabbed his arm to stop him from taking Xev’s head. She held him back with a determined grip. “Lucy! Stop!”
Hissing, the red-and-gold-fleshed demon glared at the attractive young woman who was probably a year or two older than Nick. His red eyes telegraphed fury and another emotion that appeared to be concern, which made no sense whatsoever.
With long, wavy dark hair, the woman reminded Nick of Caleb for some reason.
“Are you insane?” the demon snapped between his clenched fangs.
Her breathing labored, she gestured at Nick with her sword. And she stared at him as if he were some forgotten memory that she’d buried because it’d been too painful to remember. “That’s not Cyprian come for us. He’s my father … it’s … it’s Ambrose.”
CHAPTER 10
Okay, forget how shocking the Simi-had-a-daughter declaration had been … this was absolutely the last thing Nick had expected a girl to say to him.
Ever in his entire lifetime.
He couldn’t have been more stunned had she declared herself pregnant with his child.
Never mind the fact that she was physically older than he was, and he’d only been driving a car for a year on his own. And not particularly well, he might add. Or that he’d never slept with a woman, period, so the concept of being anyone’s father was just a little weird and impossible on every level imaginable.
For that matter, his mom barely allowed him to watch R-rated movies. And even when she did, she guilted the snot out of him, and then made him go to confession for it.
Only to have Father Jeffrey laugh at him for confessing something so mild.
Yeah, his future therapists would thank her mightily for that psychological damage.
Still … why should he allow logic to interfere with this bizarre reality? ’Cause he was really freaking out right now … like a hyperactive squirrel that had just awakened in a dog kennel of T-virus-infected hellhounds hyped up on Red Bull and steroids in the heart of Raccoon City.
“I’m the who, what?”
A slow smile curved her lips. “You’re my father.”
The demons shot fire-bolts at them.
Cursing and dodging, they turned to rejoin the fight.
His “daughter” shot a blast at her assailants, then rushed to Nick’s side with a laugh before she practically tackled him with a hug. “I can’t believe it’s you! That you’re finally back. I’ve missed you so much!” Tears swam in eyes that were identical to his.
Eyes that he realized were identical to his mother’s now that she was closer to him.
“You said you’d find a way to return. But dang, Dad, you’re only half grown and about half the muscle mass of the scary demon I’m used to. Where’s Mom? Did you find her?”
Nick’s mouth worked, but no sound would come out as she hugged him again. She’d struck him speechless, which was a hard, hard thing to do. “What’s your name?”
Releasing her hold, she took his question like a slap in the face. She even recoiled from him. “You don’t know me?” A tear fell down her cheek before she glanced back to the others who continued to fight the demons, oblivious to what he was saying.
He felt terrible for having hurt her feelings. But … he was still in shock over this.
Xev ran back to them. “Nick, we’ve got a huge problem.”
“Yeah. You could say that…”
With a fierce growl, the demon his daughter had called Lucy landed on the ground in front of Nick and blasted him with his powers.
The blow would have sent Nick careening, had his daughter not blocked it.
Furious over her actions, the demon tucked his wings down before he assumed a human body. Tall and well-built, he was as fair as Simi’s daughter had been dark. With bright green eyes and wavy blond hair, there was something strangely familiar about him. Yet Nick couldn’t quite place him.