Sherrilyn Kenyon - Infamous

Nick glanced up, and did a double take as he saw Kody a few steps away. His mom didn’t look as pleased to see her as he was.

“Hi, Mrs. Gautier,” Kody said with a genuine smile. “Um, this isn’t a date, and I know Nick’s on restriction. Nick had no idea I was coming, but I knew he was here, and I wanted to ask him about the algebra homework we have. That is, if it’s okay with you?”

His mom relaxed. “I’m sorry, sweetie, you didn’t have to explain. I wasn’t frowning at you. I just … ever have a weird déjà vu moment? When I saw you in the light … it was so strange. Like I’d seen you before, but you weren’t you. Anyway, I’m being silly and it’s nothing against you. You want me to bring you something?”

Kody looked past his mom, to his sundae. “Any chance you might share that?”

“Only with you.”

She met his mother’s gaze. “May I have another spoon?”

His mom pulled one out of her apron pocket. “I’ll grab you some milk and water to drink, too.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Gautier.”

Kody sat down next to him while his mother headed toward the bar. She kissed his cheek before taking a bite of his sundae. Ah, the sneaky woman. She knew that little peck bought her instant distraction and guaranteed her that he would be incapable of speech for the next few minutes.

“Mark can’t find squat on who registered the domain. Whoever it is went through a company and all that’s showing up is that company’s information. Worse,the company is based in Canada.”

Which meant, with Mark’s luck, if he hacked it, it would cause an international war. “That sucks.”

“That’s what Madaug said. Still, Mark said he could and would eventually hack it, but it might take a few days. After you left, we got on the site and…” She closed her eyes and winced.

“What?”

“It’s awful, Nick. The site is mostly lists. Most stuck-up. Most obnoxious. Most likely to run an old lady over. Ugliest, et cetera.” She took another bite before she continued. “It also has personal information posted like who’s gay. Who was caught mooning the crowd or flashing themselves at Mardi Gras. Who’s a virgin. Who’s slept with the most people. Those who have been treated for eating disorders and drug addictions, or STDs. Students who are cutters and alcoholics.” She hesitated before she added, “Who’s been arrested.”

Nick went cold. “Am I on it?”

She hesitated before she spoke. “Did you really shoplift?”

Righteous indignation and anger burned through him. “No! I had a sucker in my pocket when I went in and the store owner didn’t believe me. He called the cops, saying I’d stolen it from his store. But I didn’t. I swear it. My teacher had given it to me for scoring highest on a class test.”

She put a comforting hand on his arm. “I believe you, Nick. I do. It also lists what everyone’s parents do for a living. Whose parents are alcoholics or drug addicts.”

So much for the sundae. He no longer had any kind of appetite. He could hear the implication in her tone.

The students whose parents had been to jail, or in his case, had taken up permanent residency there.

“It tells everyone my dad’s a felon, doesn’t it?”

She nodded. “And it still lists your mom as a stripper.”

In that moment, he fully understood his father’s need to kill people ‘cause if he could be locked in a room for five seconds with the person behind this, he’d tear their head off, and laugh like a loon while he did it “Anything else about me?”

“They claim you cheated on your entrance exam, and that the only reason you weren’t thrown out for it is because your mother traded favors to the administrator to keep him from turning you in.”

Fury tore through him. “I swear, I’ll—”

Kody placed her finger over his lips to keep him from ranting. “Madaug is hacking into the site even as we speak to delete it all. For everyone.”

That helped, but it didn’t change one thing. “Yeah, but how many people have seen it?”

“Do you really care?”

He wanted to lie and say no, but he thought too much of her to do that. “Yes, Kody. I do care. There are some things that you just don’t want other people to know about you. Things that they don’t need to know. I would think if anyone should understand that, it’s you. Case in point, even after a year, I don’t know who or what you really are. Your real age. Anything. Who are your parents? Did the site say anything about you at all?”

She scoffed. “I’m on the most obnoxious list, worst dressed, and the she-enhances-her-attributes list. The parent thing is only what I have listed on my school record. It says my father’s a judge and my mother an accountant.”

“Is that true?”

“Depends on the definition you use.”

Nick snorted. “You’re never going to tell me anything about you, are you?”

Sadness furrowed her brow. “I hope I never have to tell you.”

There was a note of foreboding if he ever heard one. What was she? Another angel of death like Grim? Or something a lot worse?

Was there anything worse than Grim?

He really hoped not. “Will you at least tell me if you’re a demon?”

She swallowed her bite of sundae. “Definitely not a demon. You’d be able to see my real form if I were.”

That was news to him. “Really?”

“Really. The perspicacity you developed is honed enough that you will always see a demon no matter the form it’s taking. It might only be a flash that lasts no longer than a single heartbeat, but they can’t hide from you. Unless … they’re possessing someone.”

Possession was never a good thing. “I don’t understand.”

“Demons have two very scary cloaking powers. The mid and upper-level ones can assume any disguise they want. Kind of like Caleb appears to everyone as a teenager while he’s really thousands of years old.”

Yeah, Nick had seen his real form and he was …

U-g-l-y. But scary enough to run Freddy Krueger out of the dream realm.

Kody continued her explanation. “The lower demons and those who haven’t mastered their powers yet can take possession of someone. That takes a lot less energy and talent.”

“Really? I would have thought that was harder.”

“Some people are remarkably weak-willed and make very easy targets for all creatures. The best protection? Know yourself and have your own thoughts, right or wrong. Never let someone else think for you or you’ll find yourself a sheep in the slaughter mill.”

Nick forced himself to smile and act naturally as his mom returned with Nekoda’s milk and water. He waited for her to dash over to a table before he resumed their conversation.

“Like in The Exorcist ?”

“Yes. The human has to do something that opens a conduit for the demon. Usually the demon uses a power called silkspeech or influence to get their target to do something they shouldn’t. The moment the doorway’s opened, the demon slips in and takes control of their body. The human has no idea they’re even possessed.”

He knew this scenario a little better than he wanted to. “They become Madaug’s zombies.”

“Pretty much, but they don’t have a bokor or outside master controlling them. The demon can only control them so long as it’s inside their body. That’s why you won’t be able to detect them.”

“Ever?”

“Depends. The Malachai has some exceptional abilities. So normally I’d say never. In your case … who knows? I wouldn’t put any ability past your father, and you have the potential to be even more powerful than he is.”

“How so?” Nick asked.

“Honestly, we’re not sure. It’s one of those things where we can see into the future, but you have some very distinct and exceptionally diverse paths you could follow and until you choose, we don’t really know what will happen to you, or what you’ll do.”