Sherrilyn Kenyon - Illusion

Cold terror gripped her. Without hanging up, she teleported from her house to Nick’s bedroom, where she found him curled into a ball on his bed. Shirtless, he wore only a pair of dark blue flannel boxers.

Kody knew that long, ripped body that jutted out from under the dark blue comforter where he’d buried his head. But the whiny tone was one she’d never heard from Nick before.

With hair as dark as his alternate raven form, Caleb hung up the phone at her appearance. He gestured toward the bed, where Nick had his arms wrapped firmly around his head while he sobbed in agony. “Want to take it from here? He don’t know me and he don’t want to see or talk to me.”

Then he definitely wouldn’t know her. Still, she felt compelled to try. “Nick?”

Still whimpering, he lowered the comforter from his face. His lips quivered. “Do you know me?”

No, she didn’t. She saw a stranger in those bright blue eyes. Horrified over this discovery, she narrowed her gaze on Zavid, who sat shirtless and barefoot in a corner on the floor. The newest member of their crew, he was a demon Nick had saved last night from a brutal death sentence. His hair was as black as Caleb’s, and like Caleb and Nick, he was incredibly handsome with the unearthly beauty that always clung to preternatural creatures. “What did you do?”

Zavid curled his lips at her. “Sure, blame the Hel Hound. Like I did this. What is it with you two?”

She glared at Zavid and dared him to lie. “I didn’t do this. I know Caleb didn’t do it. Only other creature in this room with those kind of powers happens to be you, buster. What did you do?”

Zavid pointed to Caleb with his middle finger. “Ask your other boyfriend. That daeve demon troll bound my powers last night while I slept. There’s no way I could have done anything to anyone. I’m so weak right now, I can’t even shapeshift.”

Caleb snorted. “Don’t cut your eyes at me, punkin. The daeve didn’t do this.” Folding his arms over his chest, he met Kody’s gaze. “Whatever happened in this room while I was asleep on the couch outside, swapped out Nick’s soul and drained Z. Had nothing to do with me.”

“Are you drained?” she asked Caleb.

He shook his head. “For some reason, probably self-preservation, fear, and intelligence on their part, whoever did this left me alone.”

Scowling, Kody tried to make sense of their situation. But nothing added up. It wasn’t possible for something to have gotten in here and done this. The Egyptian goddess Ma’at had sealed this house with sacred emblems that kept it safe from any preternatural attack.

No one could get near Nick inside his home. Not without an express invitation that none of them were dumb enough to issue.

It baffled Kody. “And nothing set off Ma’at’s alarms?”

Caleb shook his head slowly. “Any ideas what could break in here, under the noses of three demons, the protection of a goddess, and do this?”

No. She had no idea. Kneeling on the bed, she cupped Nick’s terrified face in her hands. “Look at me.”

He obeyed, even though he continued to tremble and sob in a way their Nick never would.

It broke her heart to see the handsome face she knew so well, and not see recognition in those beautiful blue eyes. Her Nick was powerful and defiant in everything he did. Cocksure and sweet. The boy on this bed held none of the charisma or courage of her boyfriend and enemy.

Kody bit her lip as she used her powers to scan him.

To her horror, he was completely human. Not a drop of Malachai power or Nick’s true soul remained inside his body. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, except for the fact that he still had Malachai blood running through those veins. Even without the powers, the blood carried its own special properties that made Nick a very attractive trophy for those who wanted to use his blood for nefarious activities.

For that matter, his heart, eyes, or any Malachai organ, bones, and skull were even more prized by those who practiced the darkest magick.

A Malachai was the rarest and strongest of all demonkyn. Alive, they were lethal and hunted. Dead, they were priceless. It was one of the reasons a Malachai usually used the last of his powers to combust himself as he died. That ensured that no other creature could use any part of the Malachai to go after his son. To make sure nothing could ever enslave him once he was dead.

The Malachai was the most loathed and pursued creature in existence. He lived a life fraught with enemies, danger, and battle.

And this boy in front of her was in no way a fighter or a survivor.

He was Kibble. And Nick’s enemies would tear this kid apart.

Scared for them all, she met Caleb’s furious glower. “Could this have been done by whomever or whatever kidnapped his parents last night?”

Nick gasped. “My parents were kidnapped?”

She patted his cheeks. “No, Nick. Not your parents.”

“I don’t understand.” He panicked even more. As soon as he pulled away from her and cringed against the wall, a blast shot past her, into him. One that sent Nick sprawling unconscious, onto the floor.

Gaping, she arched a brow at Zavid as he lowered his hand.

With a loud snort, he rolled his eyes at her. “Oh, like you didn’t want to knock him unconscious. He’s been whining like a brat for the last hour. I couldn’t take it anymore. Instead of looking offended, you should be glad I didn’t kill him for the headache he’s given me.”

Kody scoffed at the idle threat. Because of the laws that governed demons, Zavid couldn’t harm his master. Not without causing himself an unbelievable level of agony for the rest of eternity. “You can’t kill him.”

“You seriously underestimate my threshold for pain.”

She felt a heavy desire to strangle him and test that boast. “I thought you said your powers were drained.”

“They’re slowly coming back. Shall we see if I have enough yet for another blast?”

“Stop,” Caleb growled. “Both of you. We don’t have time to fight among ourselves. We have to figure out why someone separated Nick’s body from his soul and who that creature is. Because, let’s face it, they didn’t do this for us. Or to make our lives easier.”

He’d barely finished that sentence before the room went completely dark, as if someone had flipped the switch on the sun and washed the earth in night shadows.

Kody cursed as a new fear wrapped itself around her heart. “Please, someone tell me that’s not an eclipse.”

Caleb was the first one to the window. “I’m not saying it’s an eclipse. But this round moonlike object is completely covering the sun. And it’s really windy outside.”

Of course it was. Kody groaned in agony of the portents.

Still sitting on the floor, Zavid rubbed his hand against his chin. “Does this have any significance?”

Sighing, she gave him a pained glare. “Not to anyone other than all sentient life forms on this planet … Never thought I’d envy a cockroach.”

Zavid rose slowly to his feet and went into a predator’s crouch. He turned a small circle in the room. “Do you feel that?”

Both she and Caleb nodded. There was no mistaking it. The very air grew heavy, thick. Like the hottest summer on the sun. Thunder clapped so hard, it shook the building and rattled the windows an instant before a heavy blood rain poured down outside, drenching the sidewalks with red water that ran like blood through the street. The winds outside howled with the sound of a dragon’s cry.

“Well,” Caleb said slowly. “We can look on the bright side.”

She couldn’t wait to hear this. “And that is?”

“Modern man will think it’s from a meteorite or some other natural phenomenon. At least no one will be screaming and running for the mountains.”