“Thank you for saving me.” She pulled him into her arms and hugged him. Before she let go, she placed a quick kiss to his cheek.
An instant later, her eyes widened as they both heard the sound of brutal fighting from outside their room. It sounded like two medieval armies going at each other with everything they had. Shouts rang out along with blasts and hissing.
Nick put himself between her and the noise. “Don’t worry. I won’t let them hurt you again.”
Simi placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you always this gallant?”
“For a lady, absolutely.” Nick flashed a grin at her. “Dudes, on the other hand, can slug it out for themselves.” He braced himself to fight as a bright light flashed in front of them.
Younger Ash appeared in the room. The panic left his eyes as soon as he saw his sister. He rushed forward to hug her like Acheron had done when he realized she’d been wounded. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “You?”
“Yeah. I was keeping to the shadows, trying to find you, until Grandpa saw me and sent me in here. What are those things that broke in?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like them before.”
They both looked expectantly at Nick, who took a step back in apprehension. “What? I have no idea what’s making that sound. Unlike you two, I haven’t seen them at all.”
The entire room shook so hard, it knocked them off their feet. Nick caught himself against the bed. One second they were in the room, the next, they were inside a large, doorless study with Big Scary Ash. His expression said this was not a good time to ask to borrow his car keys or spare your life.
He gathered his grandkids to him and held them against his side while he narrowed his gaze on Nick. The anger inside it was searing. “Do you know how rare Arelim are?”
Nick shifted nervously. “Since I’ve never heard the term before, I’ll go with very. Why?”
“Why is my question for you. Why would they be after a mere human boy?”
Nick shrugged. “My sexy wardrobe tips?”
Acheron growled, exposing his fangs, as he tightened his hold on his grandkids. “I’ve had it with your smart mouth.” Before Nick could comment, he shouted. “Xirena!”
Ash had barely finished the name before a huge Charonte demon appeared in front of them.
Nick’s jaw went slack. How was this possible? Savitar had told him that there weren’t any Charonte in this realm. He started to say something about that then decided to wait. This probably wasn’t a good time to go into it. And this Charonte appeared even more surly than the Simi Nick was used to whenever Simi ran out of barbecue sauce, early in her meal.
Taller than Acheron, Xirena had blond hair and red eyes. And while Nick’s Simi was always cute and a little scary, this one was beautiful and terrifying.
If that was what a full-grown Charonte looked like, Nick would take Simi’s adorable Gothness any day.
Xirena’s sudden appearance made him wonder if Acheron was going to hand her a bottle of barbecue sauce, point to Nick, and say, “Bon appétit.”
“You summoned me, my lord?”
Scary Acheron released his grandkids and nudged them toward her. “Protect them with your life. Call me if anything comes near them.”
She inclined her head to him.
“Grandpa—” Simi vanished with her brother and Xirena before she could utter another sound.
Acheron turned his full attention to Nick, who suddenly felt like a mosquito in a science lab jar. “Now, you and I are going to chat.”
“I thought that was what we’d been doing.”
“No … and if you don’t tell me everything about yourself, I’m going to feed you to my Aamon. But not before I rip out your guts just enough to leave you living in utter agony. Understood?”
Nick wasn’t afraid of that threat, just very apprehensive. Mostly because he knew the ancient being could definitely carry it out. “Got it. But first, you have to promise that you won’t hand me over to my enemies or cause anyone I care about to be harmed.”
Acheron scoffed. “Are you out of your mind to try and make a deal with me?”
“No.” Nick kept his emotions under control and a lid on his sarcasm. “If I’m going to die, it’s on my own terms and alone. It won’t be after I’ve told you something that could get a lot of people I love hurt. Do you understand?”
The ancient immortal considered it before he finally acquiesced. “Very well.”
Screwing his face up, Nick hesitated. “You didn’t say the magic words.”
“Please?”
“No. That you promise not to hand me over to my enemies or see the people I love get hurt.”
The expression on Acheron’s face telegraphed his anger and irritation. But luckily, he didn’t act on either. “Fine,” he said at last. “I promise not to hand you over to your enemies or allow the ones you love to be harmed because of what you say. Now tell me everything.”
“That still binds you in this realm, right? You once told me that you can’t go back on a promise without dying.”
Acheron stiffened. “I didn’t tell you any such thing.”
Nick held his hands up to calm the rising anger that caused Acheron’s eyes to turn as red as Xirena’s. “True or false. You can’t break a promise?”
Again, Acheron hesitated before he answered. “True.”
“Okay.” Nick took a deep breath and braced himself for the worst, because he didn’t think Ash would handle this news well. “I really am the Malachai.”
Bingo. Acheron mind-gripped him and shoved him against the wall with enough force to make it count.
“It’s the truth!” Nick ground out from his constricted throat.
“Don’t lie! You’re human!”
“Separated from my body.”
“Yes, you’re about to be.”
Nick shook his head. “Seriously, dude? I tell you the truth and this is how you do me?”
The grip left his neck so fast that he almost fell.
Acheron’s eyes returned to silver as he paced a small area in front of Nick. “Very well. Explain.”
Rubbing his neck, Nick put some distance between them. Not that it really mattered, but it made him feel a little more in control. “Somehow, someone separated me from my body and sent me here, into your realm.”
“The body you’re in now? Are you telling me it’s not yours?”
Nick held his arms out. “Definitely not mine. Trust me. I’m much goofier in my real body. This belongs to some human kid I never knew existed until I woke up as him. I think he was sent into the past to live in my body and I was yanked here to this realm to be inside his. But he does have the better wardrobe. Props to his mom.”
Acheron cursed. “And the Arelim are after you and have attacked me to get to you. Care to tell me why?”
“I’m the Malachai?”
The red returned to Acheron’s eyes.
“Dude, look, I don’t know. Okay? I don’t know what they are so I can’t even begin to guess why they’re here for me. The most common answer whenever something wants to eat or capture me is that I’m my father’s son. If you have another suggestion, I’m all ears. Personally, I’d like to be wanted for something else, like my sexy, studly appeal, once in a while.”
Acheron began pacing again. “That does explain Thorn’s interest.”
“He’s into my nerdy, sexy, studly appeal?”
Ash completely ignored his comment. “As the Malachai, you have the ability to command him in this dimension.”
“Really? ’Cause I told him to leave me alone and he definitely played Beethoven.”
Pausing, Ash had an expression on his face of confusion mixed with severe intestinal woe. “The composer? Why would he play his music?”