She was right and he hated that about himself.
Tapping him on the nose, she moved her hand to quickly smack his bottom before she stepped around him. “Now. What was this about another Malachai?”
Nick nodded. “But in my visions, I’m always older when he kills me. And so is he.”
“Like he was hidden and brought in to kill you at a specific time and place?”
“Well … I hate the sound of that. But now that you’ve put it that way, that’s exactly what it’s like.”
Kody scowled. “How could they get his child and he not know it?”
Menyara gave her a droll stare.
“Same way Jared had Cherise,” Xev said slowly, “and has no idea she was ever conceived or born. It’s easy to hide a baby from his father.”
“It’s what I begged Cherise to do with Nicholas and Adarian. But she refused. It’s almost as if some part of her knew what had been done to her own father, and she didn’t want to do that to another.”
Nick rubbed his chin. “I’m thinking this has to be Grim. It would make sense, right? What better way to get ahold of a Malachai and control him than to raise your own?”
“In that case, I have an easy solution.” Caleb pulled a butterfly knife from his pocket and twirled it open. “Xev, hold him down.”
Nick made a most undignified sound as he teleported to land behind Kody for protection. “Hey! Look at me learning my powers finally. That was an impressive jump.”
“Yeah, but not far enough.” Caleb started for him again.
Kody blocked his path. “Okay, you’ve had enough fun. No more threatening the Malachai.”
“Who said it’s a threat? I think it’s a viable option. No one will miss it.” He looked to Xev. “You’re with me on this one, right, brother?”
“It would save the headache later.”
Nick went pale as terror consumed him. “Mennie, help!”
Oh dear heaven, even she appeared to be considering it.
“Menyara!” Nick whined.
“Ach, you’re right. If it’s meant to be, it would serve no purpose to maim him. However…” Menyara paused to pin him with a meaningful glare. “Until we figure this out, you need to make sure you keep your fishing pole in its closet. And not go visiting someone else’s pond with it.”
Nick screwed his face up at her. “I am extremely uncomfortable with this entire line of conversation. And have no fears, my fishing pole is quite happy where it is. It ain’t going nowhere.”
Sighing, Caleb closed his knife. “And I better not hear about any alien abductions or probes, either.”
“You know,” Nick snapped at them. “On second thought … I liked it a lot better when the two of you didn’t get along.”
As soon as those words were out of his mouth, Menyara cocked her head. She turned slowly to face Xev. “What happened to your hair and eyebrows?”
Caleb moved to stand between them as if to protect his brother from the ancient goddess. “Our father did it. If you have an issue with it, I suggest you take it up with him.”
“You’re defending him now?”
“After everything I’ve done against him, he saved my life when he didn’t have to.”
Menyara opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, a furious knock sounded on the door.
Nick stiffened as he felt a surge of something profoundly deadly on that porch.
As Menyara reached to open the door, he started to tell her no.
He never got the chance.
A preternatural wind blew the door from the hinges and shattered it into a million splinters. Nick grabbed Kody to shield her with his body.
Ready to battle, he looked up and saw Aeron rushing into the room to join them.
Aeron met Menyara’s gaze. “Drop shields to let me friends in.”
“Friends?”
“Aye, we’re coming in hot and there’s the devil on our tails.”
CHAPTER 16
Nick manifested his sword as he glared at Aeron. “Dude, it’s good to see you. But really … did you have to break the door apart? Makes it hard to slam splinters in their face.”
“Wasn’t me!” He gestured over his shoulder at the …
Nick didn’t even have a word for that. No frame of reference whatsoever.
“Honey, what did you bring home with you? You know mountains don’t fit at the dinner table. And it don’t look like it eats gumbo, either.” Then the sarcasm died as Nick saw the two wolves running at them.
One white, shooting flames from its nostrils as it ran.
The other was a huge piece of familiar ebony rage.
“Zavid?” he asked in disbelief.
Aeron clapped him on the back. “Aye, we found him just lollygagging about. Thought you might be missing your playmate.”
The two wolves were being followed by a terrifying female demon. One with hair the color of Artemis’s and eyes painted black to match her soulless eyes. When Nick stepped forward to blast her, Aeron caught his arm.
“Nae! One of ours, too.”
“Pick up anyone else on your way home?”