Sherrilyn Kenyon - Infinity Chronicles of Nick

Dont pass out. Dont you dare.

But it was too late. His sight was already dimming. The last thing he saw was Bubba's SUV bursting into flames and exploding.

Then everything went black.

Nick came awake to the worst pain imaginable pounding through his skull. He felt like someone was clawing out his right eye. How anything could hurt this bad and not kill him, he couldn't imagine.

Then he heard the faint sound of a little kid crying. Blinking open his eyes, he realized he was lying facedown on a cold earth floor in a tiny cell. The crying came from a boy around the age of ten who sat in a corner with his legs pulled tight to his chest. His brown eyes swam with tears as he sobbed against his knees.

"Shhh," Nick breathed. He didn't want the kid to be upset. But more than that, he didn't want the sound echoing through his head.

The boy looked up as he sniffed back his tears. "Are you going to hurt me?"

Nick started to tell him only if he kept crying, but luckily he caught himself before he trau-matized the kid further. "No. Are you Madaug's brother?"

"You know Madaug?"

"Yeah."

"Is he okay?"

Nick grimaced as more pain laced through his skull. "I have no idea. Have you seen him?"

He nodded. "They brought him in here when theytook my mama. Then they locked me in here and haven't been back. I'm so scared."

"It'll be all right." At least Nick hoped he wasn't lying to the kid.

"That's not what they told me. They told me theywere going to eat my brains." "Nah. Only older brothers do that." The kid actually laughed. "My name's Ian. Who are you?" "Nick."

"Can you get us out of here?"

Nick looked around. The room didn't appear to have a door or anything else, which meant no, he couldn't. But he didn't want to tell the kid that. "How did we get in here?"

Ian pointed to the wall to his left. "A door appears right there whenever they want in or out."

Nick got up and looked for a switch or trapdoor or something. But all he saw was the wall.

Figures.

He pulled out his cell phone and tried to call Kyrian. Big surprise, it didn't work. But at least he still had his book and the dagger. They weren't completely defenseless.

Yet he felt completely defeated as the magnitude of this situation hit him hard. How could he not? Everything had gone bad tonight. Bubba and Alex were dead. Tabitha, Eric, and Mark were probably dead too. And Simi and Caleb.

No one, including him, knew where he was.

What am I going to do?

He didn't see a way out of this.

"Ambrose?" he called, trying to summon his guardian to him.

There was no answer.

"Dude, c'mon," he called out to Ambrose. "You've popped in all night long. Can't you come the one time I actually want to see you?"

Of course Ambrose still didn't answer, 'cause, again, that would just be too easy.

Nick sighed in frustration. This was not how he'd imagined this day playing out. Yet here he was about to be eaten by demons or turned into a zombie.

Who'll take care of my mom now?

That wave of hopelessness washed through him only to be replaced by one of raw determination as he thought about his mom being left defenseless. He would not go down like this. Whining on the floor like the kid in front of him. He'd survived too much to just lie down and die like some cheap bimbo in a horror movie.

Oh no. He was Nick Gautier. A kid born standing up and talking back. No one ever got the better of him and he'd be damned if they were going to start now.

If whatAmbrose had told him was true, he had powers inside him. Powers he should be able to use. All he had to do was figure out how to tap into them.

Pulling out the book, he used the blood incantation again. "How do I get out of here?"

Ian crept forward to see what he was doing, but he didn't say anything while he watched.

The blood swirled around the page until it answered Nick's question.

Here you are and here youll stay Until you leam a better way.

"Uh, hemoglobin, a little clarity would be nice. Could you be a little more specific for me?"

Bom of time. Born of space. First you must find your place.

"Can I get a yes or no from you? Are you going to tell me how to get out of here or not?"

Yes or no is not forme to speak. Rather the answer is for you to seek.

Nick curled his lip in disgust at the cryptic answers. "Oh, you suck."

Suck and blowso you say.

But I'm not the one trapped wth no getaway.

Anger ripped through him. "Leave it to me to find the only book known to sass its owner."

Growling in aggravation, he slammed it shut and choked it.

Ian frowned at him. "What are you doing?"

"At the moment, wishing I could burn a book." It heated up in his hand to the point it was actually painful to hold. "Stop that!" he snapped at it.

It cooled down.

Nick raked his hand through his hair. How did he use those powers?

Closing his eyes, he concentrated like he did to make his dagger bigger and larger.

Nothing.

Except his headache got worse. A lot worse. This is useless.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Ian asked.

Nick shook his head. "No, Ian, we're not. I'll keep you safe. I promise."

"What if you can't?"

"Dude, have a little faith. Okay?"

Sniffing back his tears, he nodded.

Nick had always wondered what it'd be like to have a brother or sister. He could see where they might get on his nerves, but the way Ian looked up at him like he was a hero ...

A guy could get used to that. And it made him want to be worthy of that look.

The door in the side of the wall opened. Nick put himself between Ian and the tall, sinister figure who came through the newly created doorway.

It cocked its head as it stared at him and Ian. "Are you not pleased by your offering?"

Nick was perplexed by the question. "What?"

The black blob gestured to Ian. "Does he not meet with your satisfaction, my lord?"

"Satisfaction for what?"

Another figure stepped around him. This one was a small, tiny woman with dark tawny skin. She looked like a beautiful angel. "Your human sacrifice. We thought by now you'd have devoured him." lan's eyes widened as he stepped away from Nick.

"I'm not going to hurt a kid."

They looked as baffled as he felt. Were they crazy?

An evil laugh rippled in the air around him. "Stand down, my children. He's not our Malachai yet. Our embryo is still thinking he's human. But he'll learn. Now bring him to me."

Ian started crying.

Nick refused to go without him. "I'm not leaving him alone. He's scared."

The female scowled. "What do you care?"

"I care a lot." Nick held his hand out for Ian, who took it and held it tight.

"Let him bring the small creature," the blob said. "There's no harm in it."

"Very well." The woman stepped back. "If you'll follow me."

Nick obeyed and the blob fell in behind them as the woman led the way down a dank hallway that reminded him of an old factory. "Where are we?"

"That's not important." She opened a door and stood back to let him and Ian enter first.

Nick hesitated. Glancing around, he made sure there was no immediate threat before he moved forward.

Inside was a large room that definitely belonged to a warehouse. The rusted green walls had seen better years. There was dust, cobwebs, and broken glass everywhere.

But that wasn't what was important.

It was Madaug, his mom, Eric, Tabitha, and Stone, who were all being held in a cage.

"Mama!" Ian ran to his mother to hug her through the bars.

Nick knew better than to be so relieved, as he saw the three demons who seemed to be in charge. He recognized the woman from the alley and the two men who had been with her.

Now in human form, they were dressed all in leather. The men in black and the woman in bright bloodred.