That was why he'd been so aggressive whenever Nick's mother had brought him in to visit. Why he'd wanted to see Cherise alone.
Why his father had gone insane the only time they'd released him from jail during Nick's childhood. Unable to stay away from his mother, his father had shown up at their door and attempted to live with them.
That had been a giant disaster.
Even now, Nick was scarred by it. Adarian had glared at him with so much hatred it'd left him forever suspicious of any stranger. The only people Nick trusted innately were his mother and Menyara.
Everyone else had to prove themselves.
Repeatedly.
Heck, sometimes even they did.
A small part of him was still suspicious of Kody and Caleb. Even Kyrian. He couldn't help it. It was as innate as breathing.
And all from that one summer of his father stalking him like a spider in the dark. Of Nick waking up to find his father standing over him, Adarian's breathing ragged and his hands held out as if he were one step away from strangling him. Nick had told his mother then that he'd seen his father's eyes glowing red.
"Nicky! Boo! You're imagining things. It's all them games you play with your friends and the movies you watch. What have I told you about that? Stop sneaking up to see them! You're too bright to believe in such nonsense."
It wasn't that. More, it came from the fact that his father whispered, "I hate you," under his breath anytime Nick ventured too close. That his father had hated him for making him weak and for draining his powers.
Then the insanity had come. His father had gone on a killing spree, claiming there were demons after him.
Saddest part?
Adarian wasn't lying or delusional. Those were real demons who'd been after his father, trying to end him. But normal humans didn't believe in such things.
And the nondelusional part had been proven when a psychologist had deemed him sane enough to stand trial and be sentenced for consecutive life sentences for those murders. Because while humans refused to believe in the kinds of demons Nick fought, they did believe in the kind of demon they assumed his father had been for slaughtering "humans".
Yeah, it was a messed up world.
Even then, Nick's mom had shown compassion for the monster who'd been unleashed on an unsuspecting world, and hadn't hated him over it. But, that was her nature. She was born from the truest light. A creature of such innocence that she couldn't see the uglier side of humanity, no matter what was shown or unleashed on her.
Or apparently demons of any kind. Not even when they were right in front of her, and after she birthed one.
It was as impossible for her as for Nick to believe that Stone at school had a heart, or any semblance of decency. Instead, Nick always saw the evil in everyone around him. No matter how hard they tried to hide it. That was his "gift."
"Are you afraid yet?"
Nick went ramrod still at the disembodied voice. "I fear nothing." He never had.
"Good. That makes it more fun."
Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind and yanked into darkness.
CHAPTER 6
"Rubati?"
At the sound of Monakribos's voice, the warrior demon set aside the sword she was sharpening and stood to greet him. The fire was almost out now. Strange, but she'd lost all track of time while she'd been working on preparing her weapons for the upcoming inspection. Because Kree had put his reputation on the line to get her into the guard, the last thing she'd wanted was to embarrass him. So she'd been even more careful and studious about tending her weaponry and making sure to do nothing to cause him to regret his decision to back her.
She thought too much of him for that.
"In here, my lord." She quickly smoothed her hair and straightened her burgundy leather uniform at the sound of his approaching footsteps on the black marble floor.
Ru was just reaching for the door latch when he pushed it open, almost striking her with the ornate iron. Nervously, she stepped back with a gasp.
He drew up short. "Sorry. I didn't realize you'd be right on the other side."
Any thought of a response died on her tongue as she caught sight of his handsome Malachai form. Incredibly sexy and muscular, he towered over her and made her feel tiny and petite. Something hard for the majority of males to do as she was taller than most, and rather muscular.
He flashed an adorable smile at her. One that was framed by an unbelievable set of deep dimples. "Charonte got your tongue?"
She felt the heat creep over her face at his teasing question. He was ever unexpected and flippant. And something about him always left her breathless and hot. "Did you need something?"
The humor in his eyes died instantly. "Aye. There's a rumor that we're about to go to war."
"War?" Her blood rushed through her veins in eager excitement. It was, after all, what their kind lived for. What they'd been bred to do. She would welcome such a task with both arms.
He nodded. "My mother and her siblings are at each other's throats."
"There's nothing new about that."
"This is different. I hear it in her voice when she speaks. They've had enough of Verlyn, Rezar and Cam, and their dictates. And Lilith is making it worse. Pitting them against each other. Soon, they'll declare it and this world will burn down around all sentient beings. I fear what will be left when they're done with it."
"I will be ready."
Heat flared in his eyes. "I don't want you ready, Ru. I want you safe." He took her hand into his and led it to his heart. "And before you say anything, I know you're capable of protecting yourself and reigning down entrails of any who dare attack you. It's not an indictment against your skills. This is a matter of my fear and feelings. I couldn't live if something happened to you because of my mother and her warring nature."
"I don't understand."
A slow smile spread over his face. "I love you, Rubati. I don't think I knew how to breathe until the day you stumbled into my worthless life. Please come and fight only by my side so that I can make sure you stay strong and allied throughout all battles ..."
Those words echoed around Nick's head as Nick slammed into a dark, mossy wall. That memory of his ancestor felt like someone had ripped it from his mind to make it real. It was crystal clear as if it were his own meeting with her he witnessed. As if it'd happened to him this very morning.
He felt it.
More than that, Monakribos appeared suddenly in front of him. Larger than life and in full armored Malachai form. A living, breathing monster.
He was even larger than he'd appeared in the vision. More clear and terrifying with the same swirling black and red skin that Nick had in his Malachai form.
Nick felt his jaw go slack at the ferocity of the beast. Since he'd never seen himself in his demonic form, he'd had no idea just how massive they really were. How much evil they exuded.
No wonder other creatures were so skittish.
And since they inherited the powers, knowledge and strength of all their predecessors, his Ambrose form would be even more intimidating and fierce than this one.
Dang!
There was no other reaction to have.
Duly quelled, he swallowed hard as he tilted his head up to stare into the flaming red eyes that seared him. For the first time ever, he was grateful to have been spared seeing his dad like this. No doubt that would have given him nightmares for all eternity. "Are you real?"
Monakribos snorted. "I would have thought we'd have gained more intelligence over time." He shook his head in disappointment. "Pity, we got dumber."
"Hey now! I'm not the one who got us into this mess. So don't be pulling that attitude on me, boy. If there's an idiot between us, you're the one hogging it."
"At least you're not a coward." He lifted one clawed hand to wipe at his mottled red and black chin before he narrowed those menacing eyes at Nick. A tic started in his jaw. "So why have you summoned me?"
"Didn't know I had." Nick scowled as he considered t
"Only in a time of crisis."
Well that explained it, then. This was definitely that. And it made him wonder when he'd picked up that new skill. 'Cause he'd never had it before. "In that case ... yeah, I could definitely use some help."
Monakribos reached into the brown leather pouch at his side that was attached to his sword belt, and pulled out a small silver flask. He held it out toward Nick. "Drink this and I'll be able to answer any question you have."
Without thinking, Nick reached for it. Yet the moment his hand brushed the metal, a bad feeling went through him. What are you doing?
You don't trust anyone.
He never had. And for good reason.
Don't take candy from a stranger. And for the love of the gods, never, ever accept a treat from a Malachai!
Yeah, that had to be written in the great, grand hall of special stupidity. What kind of friggin' moron would take anything from a demon and ingest it? For all he knew, it could be anything. Drano. Snot.
Or something a lot worse. After all, drinking blood from a cup was what had gotten Acheron made into a Dark-Hunter and tied to Artemis ...
Yeah. Beware the cup.
Holding his hands up, Nick stepped back. "Um, yeah. I don't think so."
Monakribos gaped in disbelief, "Pardon?"
"You can pardon all you want to, buddy. Do-si-do, too. Even dance a little Cajun fais do-do and play some zydeco. Changes nothing. There some things Nick Gautier don't do. Lie to Big Bubba Burdette. Disrespect my mama. Miss any Holy Day of Obligation. Stand behind Acheron's back at any given time, and enter Kyrian's bedroom without knocking until he yells at me. And never, ever, will I fight Simi for food or cheat on my girl. Or be one minute late for a date."
He jerked his chin toward the flask. "And the devil will be eating on some icicles before I take a swig of something a stranger hands to me, especially one of your ilk and out of a magic flask. 'Cause I know what happened to Alice and I don't mean Cooper. For all I know, you're gonna roofie me and I'll wake up naked some place weird, without my clothes, and with some awkward photos posted online that I'll have to try and explain to my girl and my mama. No thank you, very much. I have little enough dignity as it is. Don't need any less."
The demon scowled even more. "Did you suffer a head injury?"
"Probably. Stone's been known to slam me into a number of lockers at inconvenient times. Wouldn't be surprised if he knocked out all my brains at some point."
Monakribos tried to push the flask into his hand. "There's nothing wrong with the water."
"Then you drink it, Mister Mad Hatter Rabbit. If you don't shrink or 'shroom from it, I'll believe you."
"What is wrong with you?"
Nick snorted. "Oh, that's an extremely long, long list. At least according to my guidance counselor. I start naming everything off and we'll be here all day."
The Malachai rolled his eyes. "Do you want answers or not?"
"I do."
"Then drink it."
Yeah, right ... Nick had missed his stupid pills that morning.
All of them.
There was no way he was about to cooperate on this. "Nah, that's all right. I'd really rather put my head in a blender and turn it on liquify." And his dander was seriously kicking up, along with his Cajun obstinance and even more suspicion. "You an all-powerful beastie. Why do I have to drink that for you to answer a simple question? Seriously, bruh. That don't even make sense in my mind."
In fact, it only made him angrier. The color on his own skin darkened as his eyes began to glow. He could actually feel his eyes radiating. No doubt they now matched Monakribos's.
Nick was so distracted by his fury that he failed to notice that the Malachai had summoned a few "friends" to join their party.
Friends who'd surrounded him and were now taking up positions that were less than nice. In fact, they grabbed him and pulled him toward the ground.
Growling, he fought against them as hard as he could.
"Hold him! We need to get the water down his throat!"
Nick's eyes flared even more at those words. I knew it! He didn't know what water was in that flask or why it was important, but ...
If they wanted it in him, then he wasn't about to oblige them. So he clamped his lips and eyes shut tight with every bit of his natural-born stubbornness that had caused every teacher he'd ever had to curse and question his parentage.
His heart pounded against his breastbone like a sledgehammer. They slammed him against the ground and held him there while he fought and twisted, trying his best to throw them off. Yeah, no toddler had anything on him! He'd give two-year-olds everywhere a lesson in tantrums.
One of them clamped a hand over his mouth and nose, trying to pry his lips apart.
Nick choked. Even so, he managed to keep his lips shut, but it was almost impossible.
Growling and kicking, he fought even harder.
With every power he'd been taught, he lashed out and still they rode him like a mechanical bull. Determined and painful.
Caleb! Simi! Xev! He screamed out with his telepathy. His muscles burned. His soul wanted vengeance. Every molecule of his being was in utter agony.
And still no one answered.
Never had he felt so alone. But that didn't stop him from fighting. There were times in life when you had no choice. You had to fight alone. No help came. No matter had much you needed it. How desperately you wanted it.
You were bitterly alone. Nick knew that better than anyone.
Which made fighting for yourself all the harder.
And all the more necessary.
Because while it was easier to fight for others, the hardest fight would always be for yourself and for your own personal matters. To fight for what was right. To fight for what you needed. Your principles. Your causes. And what you knew to be the truth.
To stand alone in the maelstrom.
Those were the times that mattered most. The times when there was no one around to see your private battles. When it was just you and your integrity. Your dignity. When you knew you had to stand your ground or be trampled over.
Let no one take you down.
You stand and you fight until the end! Not for fanfare, or for applause or laurels, but because you know what's right and what's wrong. Never fight because you have an audience or to gain esteem or notoriety. You fight for what matters--for the right things in life. Truth. Honesty. Dignity. Let no one steal, lie or cheat. You keep what you earn and never allow anyone to run over you because of the lies they tell others. And the lies others are so willing to believe about you.
That was what his mother had taught him. What she'd shown him all the times she'd held her head high, in spite of all the people who'd sneered at her for the choices she'd made where he was concerned.
Right was right. You soldiered on through the pain of life, others be damned. All lies be damned. Past the betrayal and the deceit. The hopelessness. No matter how dark it might seem. No matter how defeated you might feel at the moment.
Where there was breath, let there be fight.
And there was a lot of fight in him.
Forever.
Rise through the pain, Nicky-Boo. No matter how dark the night. Or how bitter the storm, light always finds a way through the densest clouds to shine again. Remember that, and hold it tight to your chest, whenever you feel defeated. Whenever you want to give up. Lift one fist and one finger to the sky, and defy them all to the bitter end!
That was the lesson he'd learned from Menyara and Acheron. Let no one steal your light with their lies or their cruelty. Shine on, through it all. Shine in spite of their hatred. In spite of the hurt they give. Let them all choke on your light until it blinds them and washes away whatever meanness they're intent to spew.
Tomorrow, no one will remember what cruel thing they said, but they will remember how you held your head high during the storms. They will remember the brightness of your smile and the way you laughed while they tried to bring you down. Let your laughter be the beacon that warms the world.
And with that thought, his powers surged. Like a tidal swell, rising up through a storm. It toppled over and lifted Nick until he was ripped away from the demons.
One minute, they had him and the next, he was free of their claws and lying crumpled on the floor of his bedroom.
Safe from their stinging attacks.
Dazed, and completely disoriented, Nick lay on the ground, trying to get his bearings. He wasn't even sure what time it was. Not even the day of the week.
Or the month.
It was the strangest disoriented feeling.
Had he broken some time-travel law? He had no idea at this point--just about anything seemed possible. This had been the oddest day of his life. And given the weirdness he'd been coping with, that said a lot.
"You okay?"
Blinking, he turned his head to find Xev in the corner of his room, staring at him. Dressed all in black, he was holding a small pad and appeared to be drawing--Xev's newest hobby he'd developed lately to pass a good time and stay sane.
"Um ... not sure." Nick felt at his face and hair, which were dry and seemed to be normal. "I was under attack."
Xev arched a brow. "By?"
"Demons. The other Malachai. At least I think that's what happened, but anymore ... who the heck knows. Just once I'd like for it to be a supermodel out to find some teen for an experiment, you know?"
Xev set his pad aside and scooted closer. "Where's Caleb?"
"Don't know. He abandoned me." Nick grimaced. "You abandoned me."
"You didn't call."
"Yeah, I did. No one answered."
Xev drew his brows together into a stern frown. "I would never have ignored you. You know that."
He was right. Even more overprotective than his mom, Xev would never ignore a cry of help. If Nick so much as burped, Xev tried to perform the Heimlich on him.
Still confused and disoriented, Nick sat down on his bed and tried to get a handle on everything. "This day ... it's been one of the more peculiar ones. That I definitely gotta say. Everyone's been under attack."
"How so?"
Another bad feeling went through Nick at the way Xev said that. He wasn't acting like his hypersensitive great-granddad. While this dude might have Xev's black hair and hazel brown and green eyes, this wasn't right. He was a little too chill for how the ancient being normally took such news.
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