Page 14 of Infinity (Chronicles of Nick 1)
"Yeah, okay, so Bubba and Mark walk off the beaten path into Planet I Don't Know. But they don't do that creepy mind wipe stuff or slam doors without touching them."
"How do you know the wind didn't catch it?" Acheron asked.
"Would that be the same wind that somehow blew you through the house to land in front of me?"
"Could be. Hurricane force. It is New Orleans, after all. It happens."
Nick gave Acheron a droll stare. "No offense, I ain't Dorothy and I didn't see no house land on a woman in striped socks. But if you believe all that, I have a house on a hill in the bayou to sell you. By the way, how do you know about Bubba and Mark?"
Ash got really quiet.
Kyrian's face was completely stoic.
"What?" Nick prompted.
Ash cleared his throat before he answered. "I get bored sometimes. Infinite power... local lunatics. There's just times when you really need to screw with someone's head and Mark is such an easy target. He wants to see, and a few well-placed shadows go such a long way in making him happy, and me entertained."
"Dude, you're so wrong." But Nick could almost understand that. "And the zombies? You plant them too?"
"No. I'm as clueless about them as you are. In fact, I came over here to warn you"—he turned to Kyrian—"about them. Believe it or not, I don't know how many are infected. But it seems to be mostly teenagers, and Nick's school's the nucleus for it. Ground zero as it were."
Kyrian looked as confused as Nick felt. "How can you not know, with your powers?"
"As hard as it is to believe, even for me, there are things I can't decipher. This would be one of them. Someone else is shielding them—probably whatever entity created them. And I don't know who that is, but the bokor seems to be targeting school officials and nerdy students."
Nick stiffened. "Why you look at me when you say the word 'nerdy'?"
Ash flipped up the tail of Nick's hideous blue Hawaiian shirt. "Normal people don't dress like that." Nick brushed his hand down the front of his shirt and gave a confident tilt of his head. "Hey now, I make this look good. And you're a fine one to talk. Why you wearing those sunglasses inside when it's dark, Geek boy?"
Ash let fly a cocky grin." 'Cause no matter where I go, the sun is always shining on me."
Nick was completely unamused.
"Nick?"
He turned at Rosa's call. "Yes, ma'am?" "Didn't you tell me you hadn't eaten?" "Yes, ma'am."
"Then you come in here and have something before you waste away." She paused as she entered the doorway of the kitchen and saw Ash. "Acheron? When did you get here?"
Ash indicated the door over his shoulder with his thumb. "I came in the front door a few minutes ago."
Rosa's brow was creased with a stern frown. "Strange. I didn't hear the bell."
Ash smiled. "You know me, Rosa. Silent like a ghost."
A chill went down Nick's spine at what Rosa was saying and about her lack of memory where Ash was concerned. He should probably be running for the door, but there was something about Acheron he actually liked. And while the guy looked like he could sweep the floor with Rambo, Nick sensed a kinship with him. Almost like they were long-lost brothers. It was so strange and yet...
Stay away from him. Ash is evil to the bones. He wll destroy you. Nick shook his head at the deep voice that echoed in his ears.
For a second, he felt like he was losing his mind.
"Are you coming, Nick?" Rosa asked.
"Yes, ma'am." His stock answer for most women since his mom really didn't like the word "no." Dutifully, he made his way to Rosa and to the food he was starving for.
Acheron watched while Nick made his way to the kitchen. He didn't know why, but his gut told him that Nick was somehow key to what was going on. It was like a presence was here. One he couldn't see, hear, or touch.
He could only feel it like a hidden shadow. Malevolent and cold, it sent a shiver down his spine. It was pure hatred, but he couldn't tell who it was directed at.
Him.
Or Nick.
Kyrian lowered his tone so that neither Rosa nor Nick would hear him. "What aren't you saying?" "Ever have one of those feelings you can't shake?" "Every damn night."
Ash gave a short laugh. "Still planning to set Nick up as your Squire?"
"He's not old enough yet. But when he is, that's my plan. Why? Is there something about him I should know?"
Ash felt the tattoo on his biceps shift down toward his elbow. The burning sensation was Simi's way of letting him know she was getting restless and wanted to come off his body and take human form, or maybe she just had indigestion from eating the zombies so fast.
Rubbing his hand over his demon, he stopped her for the moment. "He seems like a good kid."
"But?"
But there's something about him not quite ... Right.
If only he could put his finger on it. Not wanting to worry Kyrian when there was no reason to, he shrugged. "I have nothing to add. Other than don't let the zombies eat vou while you're on patrol tonight. Be a damn waste of a good Dark-Hunter."
Kyrian flexed his foot so that one of the knives shot out from the toe of his boot. "I think I can take them."
Ash wasn't so sure about that. Kyrian always had a hard time harming anyone under the age of consent. Not that he was cold-blooded himself.
Simi was another matter. She'd eaten the zombies in the kitchen before he'd had a chance to corral her. It was why he'd blinded Nick and Rosa. His little demon had a mind of her own and when she smelled nonhuman delicacies, which she claimed weren't on her banned food list, there was no stopping her.
Soon he'd have to let her loose again or she was going to crawl all over his body until she had him doing St. Vitus' dance. "The sun's setting. You want me to take Nick home for you?"
Kyrian nodded. "Thanks. While you do that, I'll rendezvous with Talon in the Quarter and see if we can get a handle on this zombie outbreak."
"Good luck."
"Back at you." Kyrian headed for the door that led to his garage.
Ash waited until he was sure Kyrian was gone before he went to the kitchen. He paused to watch Nick joking with Rosa. There was something extremely charismatic about Nick. Like an aura that warmed people and made them want to listen to him.
Some would call it glamour—a power certain creatures were born with while others learned it later in life. It was more than charm. More than a good personality.
Ash had a similar ability, only it pulled people toward him for an entirely different reason. One that kept him on guard against people constantly lest they lose control of themselves.
Funny thing was, Nick seemed immune to that too. And for that, Ash was extremely grateful. Very few people didn't react to the curse his aunt had given him at birth. In fact he could count on one hand the number of people over the centuries who'd been immune.
There's something not right about this kid.
You're being paranoid.
Was he?
You were human once too wth no knowledge of your true birth or destiny. Another curse given to him by his family. Until his twenty-first birthday, he'd had no idea that he was a god. No idea that his real mother had been the Atlantean goddess of destruction.
And when his powers had been unleashed, it'd almost destroyed the entire world and had driven mankind back into the Stone Age.
What if that innocent kid eating the gumbo Ash had repaired was a creature like him?
You are being stupid.
Or was he? When Ash had been human not even other gods had been able to detect his real nature. Artemis herself had stood right beside him and proclaimed him human.
He narrowed his gaze on the boy. The zombies had been here for Nick and Nick alone. He was sure of it. There was no other reason for them to have attacked.
The only question was why....
CHAPTER 8
Nick froze in front of Ash's shiny black car.... No, not car. Friggin' Porsche 911 Turbo! Talk about epic. His heart actually started pumping like a freight train at the prospect of riding in it.
"How can this be your car?"
Ash shot him a "duh" stare. "Well, I wrote a really big check that didn't bounce to the dealer and then the most amazing thing happened.... The salesman gave me the keys and let me take it home. It was like magic."
Nick gave him a peeved glare. "Only I'm allowed to be that sarcastic."
"Trust me, Nick. I've got many more years of practice at it than you have. Now hop in."
"Hop in? Dude, are you out of your ever-loving mind? I can't touch this. I might leave a fingerprint or something."
"Oh the horror. Guess I'll have to trade the piece of junk in and get a new one if that happens. By the way, don't breathe on the upholstery or I may have to gut you." Ash slid into the car without missing a beat.
Even thoughAsh had been kidding, Nick hesitated. He'd only seen cars like this in posters and online. The price tag for it was more money than his mom made in ...
Fifteen years.
At least.
People lived in houses that cost less. He lived in a house that was probably cheaper than the tires on this thing. Dang, what would it be like to own something so fine?
"Nick, get in. I don't have all night."
Biting his lip, Nick pulled his shirttail up so that he wouldn't tarnish the pristine black paint with a paw print. Ash had already put his backpack in the floorboard. Man, this was such a cool car. Careful not to leave a shoe mark on the tan interior, he got in and shut the door. "Are you a drug dealer?"
"No." Ash let out a short laugh. "I'm a wrangler."
"A what?"
Ash started the engine with the key on the left side of the steering wheel. How weird was that? "I manage people." "What kind of people?"
"People like you. Hard-headed. Stubborn. Irritating and smart-mouthed." He shifted into high gear and kicked it.
Nick grabbed the door handle and held on for his life as Ash pulled into traffic at supersonic speed.
"Relax, kid. I'm not about to dent this car."
Nick wasn't so sure about that. "You like to drive fast, don't you? How many tickets have you gotten, anyway?"
Ash didn't answer. Probably for the best since Nick didn't want to end up as a hood ornament on someone else's vehicle. Last thing he needed to do was distract Ash while he was driving at warp speed.
Or attempting to anyway.
Nick cringed as Ash weaved between two huge semis. "Gah, do your parents know how you drive? And where did you get your license anyway? The Blue Light Special at Kmart?"
Ash laughed. "Who says I have a license?" Nick let out a cry of alarm.
"Relax, Nick. Remember, I have evil Jedi powers. Nothing's going to touch us." He downshifted and they shot forward like a bullet.
"I think I'd rather take my chances with the zombies. Stoooop ..." He swore the car actually left the ground to avoid being slammed by a car pulling out.
Yeah ... evil Jedi powers indeed.
He looked over at Ash, who was driving through the dark night with his sunglasses still in place. "How did you get those powers anyway?"
"They were a gift on my twenty-first birthday."
"You're that old?" Nick would have sworn he wasn't any older than eighteen or nineteen.
Ash laughed again. "Somewhat older than that."
"So what did you do for the gift? Sell your soul or something?"
The humor fled his face. "Something like that."
This was getting good. Nick would kill to have the kind of powers Ashdid. "Who'd you sell it to? The devil?" Now, with anyone else, that would be a stupid question, but since Nick had seen what Ash could do, he knew Ash had gotten them from somewhere, not the local Walmart.
Ash paused before he answered Nick's question. He didn't like talking or even thinking about his past for a multitude of reasons. But his ownership wasn't something that was that big a secret, since most of the people he knew had sold their souls to the only person who could control him. "I'm owned by a goddess, Nick."
"Which one?"
"Artemis. Ever heard of her?"
Nick scratched his ear. "Greek goddess of the moon, right?
"The moon's associated with her, but Selene is actually the goddess of the moon. Artemis is the goddess of the hunt." "And what does she hunt?"
"Most days, me," Ash said under his breath. Clearing his throat, he spoke louder. "She's basically retired now. Most of the ancient gods are only powerful when they're worshiped by followers."
"Most?"
Yeah, some, like Acheron, didn't need followers to charge their powers. They were the really dangerous ones because their powers never waned. And unfortunately, Artemis could and did tap into his powers when it suited her to. But lucky for the world, she really didn't care about using them except againstAcheron himself.
When he didn't clarify, Nick asked another question. "Are you one of the ones who's weak?"
"I never said I was a god." But somehow Nick seemed to sense what he was. Another thing that made him different from everyone else.
