Sherrilyn Kenyon - Invincible

“I would never mock the homecoming queen, especially not when she’s holding on to me. Why are you doing that, by the way?”

She rubbed her hand up and down his biceps in a way that made him really uncomfortable. “You have nice arms. Manly.”

Yeah, right. He had arms like the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Hardly manly. More like thin and stringy.

She started stroking his biceps.

Nick jumped away from her. “Um, Casey. I’m kind of seeing someone.” Though they weren’t technically going together, he had feelings for Nekoda, and he didn’t want her to think he was two-timing her even though he wasn’t single-timing her either. Okay, that didn’t make sense.

Still …

Casey put her hands on her hips. “Since when do you have a girlfriend?”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“Not at the moment.” There was no missing the invitation in her tone or the one in her eyes.

It was so tempting.… But the one thing he knew about her and Stone was that they were constantly breaking up and getting back together. Last thing he needed was to give Stone another reason to harass him.

“Look, I really need to go.”

Before he could break clear, Casey pulled his phone out of his pocket with something that suspiciously felt like a grope. That and the hot look on her face sent a shiver over him. She put her phone number in and then added it to his speed dial.

“Call me sometime.” This time when she slid the phone back in, there was no missing her grope. Rising up on her tiptoes, she nipped his chin with her teeth and tongue. “But don’t wait too long, Nick.” Her breath went straight into his ear, making his entire body burn.

Stunned, scared, and intrigued, he couldn’t move as she sashayed down the street. She cast a look at him over her shoulder and bit her lip in the most provocative way he’d ever seen.

Oh yeah, the world was definitely going to end. There had to be a countdown clock somewhere. ’Cause stuff like this didn’t happen to Nick Gautier. It was more believable that his classmates were turning into zombies out to kill him than it was for Casey Woods to come on to him.

Why?

Yesterday he’d been completely invisible to her. Today it was like someone had decloaked him in the middle of enemy territory.

Unsure of what to make of it all, Nick headed to Sanctuary. Home of the weirdest of weird.

“Is there no normality left anywhere?”

Relax, kid.

Nick let out a relieved breath as he heard that familiar voice in his head. “Ambrose, bro. Where have you been?”

Busy. Why? Have you missed me?

Not really. “I just had one of the hottest girls in school come on to me.”

Casey Woods?

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

Relax. You’ll end up taking her to your junior prom.

Nick arched a brow at that land mine Ambrose had shoved him into. “How do you know that?” he asked again.

I know a lot of things about you, Nick. Past, present, and future. Casey isn’t one of the people you need to fear. She’ll be a good girlfriend in high school and an even better friend later on.

And that, too, made him drop his jaw. “She’s going to be my girlfriend?”

Ambrose laughed in his head. Getting women won’t be your problem. Keeping them is another. And whatever you do, make sure you don’t ever touch Simi. Don’t even hold her hand. Think of her and Tabitha Devereaux like sisters.

“Why?”

Just do what I say! This time he got the demon tone from Ambrose. That deep, guttural growl that actually made him jump. After a second, he heard Ambrose sigh. Sorry, Nick. But there are things you have to trust me on. Things I can’t explain. Believe me when I say I am truly the only person in your life, besides your mother and Kyrian, who truly has your back. When everyone else turns on you and seeks to bring you down, I’m the only one who will never betray you. You have to believe that.

“You say that, and yet where have you been all my life?”

I’ve always been with you. From the moment you were born. There’s never been a time in your life when I wasn’t there beside you. Just like now. I see everything you see. Hear what you hear and feel what you feel.

“How?”

I’ll teach you that power in time. For now, trust me. One day you’ll understand why I’ve been hidden all these years and why I had to wait for certain things to happen before I made my presence known.

His mom always said that trust was something you earned. And it wasn’t something you gave easy. Too often, it was a tool your enemies used to hurt you with. Give them nothing, baby. Not until you have no choice. The world is harsh and it is cold. People can be good and decent, but most of them are only out for themselves and they’ll hurt anyone they can.

Sad thing was, he knew his mom didn’t say things like that lightly. Criticism wasn’t in her nature, so whenever she did it, he knew to pay attention.

Go live your life, Nick, Ambrose said, intruding into his thoughts. Enjoy your day and stop worrying so much. Check on your mom and go to work.

He felt Ambrose leave him.

Nick looked up at the perfect blue sky above. It was a beautiful day. “And I am certifiably insane. I’m seeing demons in my friends, shape-shifters, and hearing voices from lunatic uncles.” How had this nut farm become his?

Sighing, he turned the corner and crossed the street to Sanctuary. This time, he saw the difference in the bouncers. While this one looked just like Rémi, he had his hair down around his shoulders and an easy smile that somehow managed to be both friendly and intimidating all at once. As Aimee had told him about earlier, this one had a cool double bow and arrow tattoo on his biceps.

“You must be Dev.”

His grin widened. “You must be Pain in the Nick.”

“Huh?” A wave of apprehensive nervousness went through him.

“Don’t wet your pets. Just a figure of speech. Your mom’s been talking about you all day, boy. You are her favorite topic.”

“Well, I try hard not to be her favorite hemorrhoid.”

Dev laughed. “She said you were sharp and entertaining. I can see she’s right. Go on in and make yourself at home.”

Their friendliness amazed him. Mostly because he had a feeling they weren’t like that with everyone. How could they be? They had one heck of a secret they kept from the public.

Nick wandered inside. It was a lot busier now. Wren was still busing tables, but the bartenders had been changed out. They were two more Dev clones, which should make one of them Cherif and the other Quinn. But the coolest thing was that the band was onstage doing a sound check.

Mesmerized, Nick wandered over to watch them. So this was the Howlers. He’d never seen a live band perform before. It was actually kind of neat.

“Hey, Colt, your mic’s not on,” the lead singer said to the guitarist.

“Done on purpose, Angel. I don’t need to be singing backup, anyway. We don’t want to clear the house.”

The drummer laughed as he adjusted the wing nut on his snare.

They were so cool. Aside from the fact that they were all shape-shifters, they were dressed in clothes his mom would throw away. Torn jeans and ragged shirts. And when they played, it was magic.

Oh yeah, he wanted to be in a band.

“Hey, baby.”

He turned at the sound of his mom’s voice. “Hey, Ma. How’s it going?”

She was beaming and her face was bright. “It’s been a great day. How about you?”

“Generic.” Not entirely true, but she didn’t need to know about his weirdness. Otherwise, she’d ban him from leaving the house until he was ninety.