Sherrilyn Kenyon - Invincible

Nick thought about that as a warm feeling rushed through him. No one had ever said anything kinder to him, especially not someone so respectable and decent. Kyrian was the type of man he wanted to be.

“What were you when you were human?” he asked.

“An ancient Greek general.”

“Really?” For some reason, that surprised him.

Kyrian inclined his head as he pulled out of the driveway and headed toward Nick’s condo.

“Did you win any big battles?”

“Oh yeah. I was the scourge of Rome. Me and my friend and mentor Julian Augustus held them back and fought them off like machines. During our human lives, we were regaled as Greek heroes, and our stories were told for centuries after we’d died.”

That was truly impressive. “Did you die in battle?”

Kyrian let out a bitter laugh. “Hardly. There was no man alive who could defeat me. None.”

Suddenly Nick understood, as he remembered the one thing he had learned from his convict father. “It’s never the enemy without who brings you down. It’s always the enemy within.”

He nodded. “Guard your back, Nick. It’s the one you don’t see coming. The one you trust whose betrayal is most lethal. They know your weakness and they know how to hit the lowest. It’s when your back is turned and your guard is down that they move in for the kill.”

His dad had told him the same thing. “Sorry.”

Kyrian shrugged before he made a right turn. “Don’t be. Everyone suffers at least one bad betrayal in their lifetime. It’s what unites us. The trick is not to let it destroy your trust in others when it happens. Don’t let them take that from you, too.”

Nick nodded. “You think you’ll ever get married again?”

“No. Dark-Hunters aren’t allowed to date or have girlfriends. Marriage is absolutely off the table.”

“What about kids?”

“I’m dead, Nick. No ability to procreate.”

Nick cringed and cupped his boys in horror. “So you can’t—?”

“I didn’t say that, ” Kyrian snapped as if completely offended. “We can sleep with someone. We just can’t impregnate them.”

Ah, okay. That made sense. “Can you get any diseases?”

“No.”

Nick fell silent as he contemplated what it would be like to be impervious to illness. He watched the traffic speed past them as Kyrian turned into his neighborhood. Dilapidated and junked up with broken-down cars and browned-out lawns, it was a stark contrast to Kyrian’s immaculate stomping grounds.

Sighing, Nick saw the stark, weathered duplex he and his mom called home.

Kyrian parked out front. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Stay safe.”

“Always. Call me if you need anything.”

Nick nodded as he opened the door and got out. He didn’t move until Kyrian had gone, then he turned around and headed up the broken sidewalk that led to his house.

Menyara came out of her side to greet him. Tiny and beautiful, she’d been the midwife who brought him into this world. For reasons she never really went into, she’d taken his mom in when his mom had been pregnant with him. Aunt Mennie had been with him the whole of his life, and she was the only family he and his mom had. Dressed in a flowing white skirt and light blue top, she had her Sisterlocks pulled back from her face with a white scarf.

“Hi, Aunt Mennie.”

She hugged him as he drew near her. “Where you been, boo?”

“At work. Mom home?”

She nodded. “I was heading over to see if she wanted to watch TV tonight.”

Since they didn’t have a set of their own, Mennie often let them watch it at her place. She also shared her phone with them.

Nick opened the door to their tiny condo, which was basically two rooms. His mom’s small bedroom and then the “big” room that had a kitchen area in it. On the far wall was his room, which consisted of blue blankets strung up on a wire. His mom and Mennie had made it for him once he hit puberty so that he could have some degree of privacy.

His mom sat on their one and only barstool at the breakfast counter, reading the paper. She looked up and smiled at their entrance.

Nick dropped his backpack by the door before he crossed the small area to hug her. “What are you doing?”

Mennie closed the door, then moved to join them.

“I was looking to see if there might be an apartment for rent in the Quarter.”

He didn’t know who was the most stunned by his mom’s unexpected words. Him or Menyara. “Really?”

Mennie arched a brow, but she didn’t say anything.

“Nothing against you, Menyara,” his mom said quickly. “You know how much I love you and how grateful I am for everything you’ve done.”

“But you want to be closer to work,” Mennie’s Creole accent was thicker than normal.

His mom nodded. “And Nick’s school. He’s always having to run for the streetcar. I’d like for him not to have to start the day off in such a panic.”

“The devil is sitting on icicles, isn’t he?” Nick asked.

She laughed. “No, sweetie. It’s just … you wouldn’t believe what people tip at Sanctuary. Oh my God, I had no idea. Between my salary and tips, I’m making four times the money I used to.”

Nick gave her a hopeful grin.

She screwed her face up at him. “All right. Both you and Bubba are forgiven for getting me fired.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. In fact, I was thinking of taking you and Mennie out to eat tonight to celebrate.”

That sounded great, but there was one little problem. “I’m stuffed. Rosa made this turkey tetrazzini that is unbelievably tasty. I brought some home for you, too. There’s even enough for Mennie.” He returned to his backpack to dig it out.

No sooner had he put his jersey on the floor than his mother sucked her breath in sharply.

Nick froze at the sound that usually heralded him getting into trouble. “Something wrong?”

“What are you doing with that?” She pointed at his shirt.

He glanced down at it and wondered why its presence had warranted her reaction. “The coach wants me back on the team.”

His mom appeared skeptical. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. They’re short a few guys for the team, so…”

“You don’t seem happy about it,” Menyara said. That was the only drawback to Mennie. She had the gift of second sight and knew all kinds of things about him that he didn’t say.

He gave them both a fake smile. The last thing he needed was for them to find out what the coach wanted from him. God help him if Mennie figured that out. “I’m happy.”

“Nicky. I’m your mom. Don’t lie to me. What’s wrong?”

His coach was a psycho, that was what was wrong, but he couldn’t tell her that. If he did, she’d go marching into the office and cause such a stink that he’d be framed for sure. When it came to him, his mom tended to lose all sanity. “Nothing. I promise.”

She gave him a look that said she wasn’t convinced. Luckily, Mennie distracted her while he pulled out the leftovers and took the container to the kitchen.

As soon as they were done eating, Mennie and his mom headed over to Mennie’s to watch TV while he stayed in on the pretext of doing homework.

Not an entire lie. He was working on something that involved school.

Once he was sure he wouldn’t be disturbed, he called Madaug again.

“What?” Man, Madaug didn’t even bother to disguise his irritation at being interrupted.

“Have you found anything?” Nick asked.

“No.”

“Nothing?”

“You’re missing my point, Nick. I haven’t uncovered anything at all. This guy’s a complete ghost. There’s no background on him that can be found. Not a school in this country has a Coach Devus, and with a name that unusual, he should be pretty easy to find. Right?”