Illusion

CHAPTER 8

Nick was still trying to get free when all of a sudden something knocked the demons off his back and sent them flying. And not with their wings.

“Get your filthy paws off my son, feet pue tan!”

Nick’s eyes widened at the Cajun insult his mother hurled at the demons as she literally batted them away from him. Where had she learned that? He hadn’t even known she’d ever heard such. For that matter, she once washed his mouth out because he called someone an idiot.

Impressed, and terrified of her, Nick held his hands up to shield his face as she came a little too close with her frenetic swings. “Ma! I’m under here. Don’t kill me!”

She jerked him up from the street by his arm and shoved him toward the convent, where Kody had opened the small pedestrian gate. “Get inside, Boo.”

He swung his mother up to carry her to safety as he ran inside. Once Kody closed the gate behind them, he set his mom on her feet. But he was far from safe. As soon as his mother was assured the demons couldn’t follow them in, she turned on Nick with the wrath of the Furies.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She poked her tiny finger into the center of his chest hard enough to hurt. “You’re supposed to be at school, boy. Instead, I get a call saying you’re about to be arrested and then I find you covered in demons. What is wrong with you? What were you thinking doing something so reckless?”

Now there was the angry Chihuahua he was used to facing, but it’d been awhile since he stood eye-to-eye with her. He’d forgotten how scary it was to be within her actual striking range.

His mother growled at him. “What have you to say for yourself, boy?”

“Sorry, Ma, I’m a sexy demon magnet?”

She actually pulled the bat back like she was planning to hit him with it.

“Cherise!”

She swung around, ready to battle until she saw the massive, muscled Bubba nearing them with the same fear in his eyes Nick was sure he had. “Don’t you even take that tone with me, Mr. Triple-Threat-I-don’t-have-to-listen-to-anyone-because-I’m-the-size-of-a-tank. You’re in the doghouse, buster. You might as well pack a bag ’cause you’re going to be in there so long your name’s going to be engraved on the mailbox.”

Bubba placed his hand over his heart as if her words wounded him. “Ah, what’d I do, cher?”

“You dragged my baby into danger, and you—” She turned on Savitar then. “Are you one of them?”

Savitar actually took a step back from her. “I’m going with whatever answer doesn’t get me swatted with that bat.”

Bubba disarmed her. “Cherise, calm down. What are you doing here?”

“What do you think? I’m protecting my boys. Both of you … Because Mark values his own life and in particular his male body parts, he called me after he got off the phone with you to tell me what the two of you were doing.” She raked Bubba with an angry glare that made Nick take a step closer to Kody for protection. “You didn’t honestly believe that I’ve been ignorant of what you and Mark do at night all these years? Did you?”

Bubba shifted nervously. “Um, yeah.”

“Well then you’re a fool, Michael Burdette. And I’m not.” With a disgusted sigh, she gestured up at the sky where the demons circled like vultures. “And how do we get rid of those?”

“Not easily, and we need to get into the building before they start throwing—” Savitar’s voice broke off as a car came hurtling over the wall at them. Barely missing them, it rolled across the manicured shrubs and slammed against the wall on Nick’s left. “–things at us.”

With Savitar leading the way, they ran for the old convent. Savitar used his powers to unlock the door. Nick stood back to allow Kody and his mother to enter, but then Savitar shoved him in headfirst.

“Hey!”

Savitar curled his lip. “Don’t hey me, kid. Not after the hour I’ve had because of you.”

Bubba locked the door behind them. “That’ll keep the demons out, but the humans are another story. Holy ground won’t stop them from coming in after us.”

“I don’t know … it stopped Tabby and Amanda earlier at St. Louis.”

Bubba gave him a droll stare. “What say we don’t bet our lives on whether or not humans can get in? We’ll just hedge our bets and assume they can. That okay, punkin?”

Nick snorted. “Yeah, sure.”

Kody agreed with Bubba. “And let’s also assume they’ll head straight here as soon as the demons tell Thorn where we are.” She let out a half-hysterical laugh. “Or they could just follow the circling demonic cloud over our heads. Surely they have to know that’s not normal. Even for New Orleans.”

Savitar sighed. “Too bad they know you’re a ghost. We could have used that advantage. Now it’s just a liability.”

“Yeah.” She glanced at Nick. “It wasn’t information I’d ever planned on being free with. Extenuating circumstances and all that.” She ground her teeth in anger. “I knew better than to let my guard down. I can’t believe I was so stupid!”

Cherise patted her on the back. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Boo. We all have moments of stupid.”

“Yeah,” Bubba agreed. “How you think Cherise ended up with me for a husband? I swear, that woman needs better lawyers. A really good one could have had her off for good behavior by now.”

Cherise walked into his arms and hugged him. “That wasn’t stupid, Michael. A bit masochistic, no doubt, but definitely not stupid.”

Ignoring them, Savitar grabbed Nick’s chin and held him by his side.

Her eyes flaring with anger, Cherise started for them, but Bubba caught her. “Don’t, baby. While that’s our son’s body, that ain’t our boy.”

“What?”

Bubba nodded. “Our Nick was switched out with another soul.”

Dumbfounded, Cherise couldn’t speak as she sputtered.

Savitar narrowed his gaze on Nick while he turned Nick’s head from side to side to study him. “And whoever did this to you, boy, knew exactly what they were doing. There’s no sign of your bloodline. I didn’t even know it was possible to hide a Malachai so completely.”

Kody folded her arms over her chest. “You should be with him in our world. He has stood next to Acheron Parthenopaeus many times, and not even Ash can tell.”

Savitar finally released him and stepped back. “You’re sure he’s a Malachai?”

Kody lowered the neck of her sweater to show a vicious scar over her heart. “I was looking him in the eyes when he killed me. It’s him.” She paused before she continued. “Well, not him, but it will be one day.” Biting her lip, she faced Cherise, who was still struggling with the unbelievable reality. “Have no fear for your Nick, Mrs. Burdette. Your son is safe in my world. He couldn’t be more protected. I promise you I left him with two powerful men who would die before they allow him to be harmed.”

Finally, Cherise found her voice again. “How do we swap them back?”

Kody sighed. “I wish I knew.”

Savitar moved to a window to check on the location and activities of their demons. “We have to find the one responsible. It’s our only hope to undo this and get him back to your world before it’s too late.”

“Well, I can tell you it’s not Thorn. He had no idea the Malachai was here until I accidentally told him.”

Too grateful that she’d survived the attack to mind her slip to their enemies, Nick took Kody’s hand. “How did you escape Karma?”

Savitar glanced back at them. “She summoned me.”

That surprised him. Especially given the trap they’d both walked into with the Devereaux sisters. “How did you know to call for Savitar?”

“I took a wild guess and bet our lives on it. I was hoping he’d be strong enough to be on our side, even in this world. So glad I wasn’t wrong.”

Nick, too. Still, it didn’t answer what he was really asking. “But how do you know him?”

She hesitated like she normally did whenever he asked her a point-blank question. Instead of her usual hedge, for once she answered it. “He’s my godfather.”

Savitar held his hands up as if those words offended him. “Yeah, I had a hard time with that one myself. I’m not exactly a people person and I have never met her before, but she told me things no one else could possibly know. Things my own family doesn’t know about me … yet. I apparently get a looser tongue in the future. Like you becoming the Malachai, I can’t imagine what damage I’ll live through that would allow that to happen. Guess we’re all future fools for something.”

Kody swung Nick’s hand between their bodies. “I’m just glad those events happened in both worlds. Otherwise, he’d have left me to die under torture.”

“Savitar!” Nick reprimanded.

“Don’t take that tone to me, kid. I’m not that fond of you. As for your girlfriend … I learned the hard way not to put my butt in a sling for anyone. It’s a debt they seldom repay.”

Something began striking the walls around them.

Nick growled in frustration that he couldn’t have a minute’s peace. “Can’t you teleport us somewhere?” he asked Savitar.

His eyes burning with regret, he shook his head. “I’m not the Chthonian I used to be.”

“Meaning what?”

Kody answered Nick’s question. “With every god a Chthonian kills, it weakens them.…”

Savitar nodded. “A few centuries ago, I had a really bad day.”

When he didn’t elaborate, Nick prompted him. “And what did you do?”

“I. Had. A. Bad. Day.” He enunciated each word slowly and with great irritation. After a second, he calmed. “Let’s just say I did some things I seriously regret. The biggest of which being the powers I lost as a result of my tantrum. Some of them definitely weren’t worth it.”

Nick hated hearing that. For many reasons. “Are there any other Chthonians left?”

“Just Zebulon, and he’s even weaker than I am.”

Great. Raking his hand through his hair, Nick took a mental inventory of possible allies.

“What about the Charonte?” Kody asked Savitar.

“All enslaved.”

“Even Simi?”

Savitar winced as if that question sucker-punched him. “Simi died a long time ago.”

“Nuh-uh,” Nick said, denying it immediately. “She was at school with me. I saw her.”

Savitar shook his head. “I know Simi and I was there when she was killed. I burned her remains myself. She’s gone, kid. Long gone.”

Then who’d been in his school with him? She’d even answered to Simi’s name. That was just weird.

“What about Menyara?” Kody asked.

“Imprisoned.”

Scowling, Kody let go of Nick’s hand. “Wait … what month and year is this?”

His mom was the one who answered her. “April 2002, why?”

Kody let out her own sound of gross frustration as she started pacing. “I was hoping we could get to my father, but he would still be imprisoned in the Greek Underworld.”

“If he’s alive here,” Nick reminded her.

She disregarded his warning. “If the Harbinger lives, he lives.”

Savitar snorted. “And the Harbinger is definitely alive, but mentally unwell.”

Neither knowing nor caring who this Harbinger was, Nick sighed as he continued to think through an escape route. “What about your mother?” he asked Kody.

“Imprisoned, too. Only my oldest brother would be free and grown right now, and trust me, he won’t help us. He’s knee-deep in Daimon drama.”

That was a serious and most unexpected kick in his stones. “Excuse me? Your brother is with Daimons even in our world? Who are your parents?”

“Long story, Nick.”

Okay, he put that in the to-be-pursued-later bank. “But maybe he’s not evil. I mean, Tabitha and Thorn switched sides. It’s possible your brother did, too. Right?”

Savitar rubbed his hand down the line of his jaw. “Who’s your brother?”

“Urian.”

Savitar choked on the name. “The head general of the Spathi Daimons?”

She nodded.

“Yeah, that’s a lost cause. He’s evil to the core of his rotten heart. I don’t care if you are his sister, he’d still rip your head off and use it for a basketball.”

Kody bit her lip. “Unless…”

“What?” Nick asked her hopefully.

Shaking her head, she paused in her pacing. “Phoebe. He should be married to her.”

“And that helps us, how?”

Raking her hand through her hair, Kody groaned in frustration. “You’re right. It doesn’t. I keep thinking everyone is the same here as they are in our world. For all I know, Phoebe’s gone Daimon, too, and is helping him.”

“Or she’s dead,” Savitar mumbled.

And still the something pounded on the building for entry.

Bubba’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and moved away from them to answer it while they continued to futilely explore the path of lost causes.

Kody paused again as she faced Savitar. “If Nick brought me over, do you think we could do that to someone else?”

“What are you thinking?”

“Maybe I could summon a Charonte. Do you think I’d be able to bring our Simi here?”

Savitar shrugged. “You can always try.”

Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back with the most peaceful of expressions on her beautiful face. The storm outside picked up fervor while they waited.

Nick held his breath, praying this worked. They needed backup in the worst way imaginable. But more than that, he’d sell his soul for just a tiny bit of his powers to work.

If I ever get them back, I will never complain about them again. Even if they turn Madaug into another goat. Heck, at this point, he’d even kiss the surly spirit that inhabited his Malachai grimoire.

“Mark’s just down the street, but he can’t make it through the demons to reach us.” Bubba returned to frown at Kody. “What’s she doing?”

“Unfortunately, nothing,” she said with a sigh. “It’s not working. I can’t reach anything on our side. I’m completely blocked, which should be an impossibility.”

Closing the distance between them, Nick ran his thumb down her jaw. “Ca c’est bon, cher t’bebe. We have you.”

Kody scoffed at his blind optimism, even though that was one of the things she loved most about him. “What can I do? I’m only one person.”

Nick tsked at her in true Cajun fashion. And when he spoke, his accent was thicker than frozen roux. “Now who’s making excuses, eh?”

She wanted desperately to be irritated at him, but he made it impossible. The boy was way too charismatic for his own good. And unfortunately, it wasn’t just his demon’s glamor that made him so irresistible. “Don’t make me take your mother’s bat to you, boy.”

He gave her that charming grin that never failed to set her heart pounding. Even in this incarnation when he lacked the incredible good looks she was used to. There was just something about him that was absolutely compelling. “Come now, cher. No fret on that face de jolie. You done stood toe-to-toe with the Malachai. What’s a few thousand generic demons compared to that?”

“A slaughter.”

His grin widened. “That’s the spirit.”

“No, Nick. Slaughter for us. Feast for them.”

And still that grin warmed her as he took the bat from his mother and hoisted it over his shoulder. “Ah now, cher, I plan to pass a good time. Besides, you know the old saying. When the going gets tough, the tough get napalm.”

Heck of a time for him to lose his mind. Couldn’t he have waited a little longer before he totally gave in to insanity? “What are you talking about?”

Nick examined the end of the Louisville Slugger. “Contrary to what you and Caleb and Madaug think, I am actually literate. And between the marathon runs of Let’s-Kill-Nick, I’ve been studying my grimoire and taking notes. We’re currently on holy ground with Malachai blood. What say we practice a little chemistry?”

She wasn’t quite following his lead. “How do you mean?”

“What do you get when you mix my blood with holy water?”

She sucked her breath in sharply at the mental image that evoked. “Demon napalm.”

Nick winked at her as he walked backward through the hallway toward the church that was attached to the convent. “That’s right, cher. I was an altar boy for three years here and at St. Louis … I know where all the good stuff is kept.”

He opened the doors with a grandiose flair. “We can mix it together and use a thurible and aspergillum to sling it at them.” Then he bit his lip as if the mere thought of it caused him pain. “Man, I’m going to give the monseigneur a stroke this coming Saturday when I lay this confession on him. I’ll be saying my Acts of Contrition and Hail Marys from now until I’m too feeble to kneel.”

His mother sighed wearily as she took the bat back from him. “Or get us excommunicated.”

Nick nodded glumly. “Bubba—”

Bubba growled, cutting him off. “Why do you keep calling me that? I detest that nickname.”

“Sorry,” Nick said sheepishly. “In our world, it’s the name Michael you detest, and I can’t really call you Dad ’cause that’s just creepy and weird … anyway, can you sit tight on my mom while we do this?”

Cherise took a step toward him. “Nick—”

“It’s all right, Ma. This is not the most dangerous thing I’ve done … even today.”

“Is that supposed to be comforting?”

“Yeah, it sounded better in my head than coming out of my mouth.” Nick moved forward to hug Cherise and kiss her cheek. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to die until I return your Nick to you and I get back home to my mother who needs me. Poor thing, I’m all she’s got.”

Cherise cupped his face in her hands. “For the record, I’m proud of both my Nicks.”

“Thanks.” He took her hand and placed it in Bubba’s before he turned around and vanished into the hallway that connected the convent to the church.

Unsure of what was happening, Kody followed after him. Something about Nick was suddenly very different. He held a new confidence in himself that hadn’t been there before. It was as if he no longer felt guilty for ruining his mother’s life. As if he realized that he had real value to the world and wasn’t the loser other people had called him all his life.

Strange that he would find it now when he had no powers to draw on. No real protectors to keep him safe from harm.

And yet it was there. And it was undeniable. Inside, he wasn’t the same Nick he’d been when all this started.

Bemused, she watched as he gracefully genuflected and crossed himself in front of the nave before he went to where the keys were kept.

Savitar came up behind her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Are you absolutely sure he’s the Malachai?”

“I am.”

“Then you were right. He’s not like any that has come before him.”

“No, he’s not. And I can’t even begin to fathom how this boy becomes the beast that killed me. He’s so…”

“Human.”

She nodded.

“People change.”

Kody bit back a smile at the irony of that coming out of the mouth of someone who was so very different himself. This Savitar wasn’t anything like the acerbic Chthonian who’d taught her to surf before she was out of diapers. The Chthonian who’d trained her on how to call and command Charonte. Deep inside, she ached for those long-lost days of innocence.

Even though they weren’t related by blood, Savitar had been like a grandfather to her.

“Would you mind if I hugged you?”

Savitar quirked a brow at her sudden request. “Why?”

“Because I’ve missed you. A lot, and I haven’t seen you in centuries.”

“But I’m not the same as the man you knew.”

“You’re more alike than you think, and right now, I could really use it.”

Nick paused as he saw Kody with Savitar. She threw herself against him like a small child with a parent they hadn’t seen in a long while. And it was obvious from Savitar’s awkwardness that he wasn’t used to being embraced by anyone. It made Nick wonder if the Savitar in his world was the same.

And he still had so many questions for Kody that he needed answered. What was Savitar to her? Really? Because what he saw right now said that she loved and adored the man. All the time he’d known her, she’d never trusted anyone. Not really.

Yet she’d trusted Savitar, even in this realm.

Trying not to think about it or be jealous, Nick ran holy water into the large plastic bin the volunteers used for storing cleaners. And even that made him feel guilty.

It’d been drilled into him from birth that holy water was sacred. They even had a special, separate drain they poured the excess down so as to keep it away from regular water.

No matter how much it meant for their survival, Nick couldn’t bring himself to desecrate anything holy. His conscience was already flogging him over what he was doing. But he’d left money in the cupboard to pay for the blessed salt and the thurible and aspergillum he’d taken. It was for the survival of the world, after all. Surely he’d be forgiven for this little bit of unsanctioned use.

Nick carried the bin to the back pew where Savitar and Kody were huddled in the shadows. “Kody? Do you have a knife on you?”

She pulled one out of her pocket and handed it to him.

Without comment, Nick rolled his sleeve back and cut his forearm.

Screwing his face up, Savitar hissed as Nick allowed his blood to drip into the bin. “You act like you’ve done this before.”

“Not quite, but I did assist an exorcist once. We took blood from my hand for that and it made it hard to grip or make a fist. I’d rather my arm throb than my hand be rendered useless for the fighting I’m sure we’re going to have to do to get out of this.”

As soon as Nick was finished, Kody wrapped a cotton towel around his cut and used her powers to stop it from bleeding.

With his hand, Nick mixed the water and blood then poured it into the thurible and aspergillum. As soon as the mixture touched the holy objects, there was a subtle hissing.

Snorting, Nick looked at them. “Should I be offended at the sound it’s making?”

Savitar shrugged. “Well, you were born of the darkest powers.”

“But he’s also born of innocence and good.”

Nick smiled at Kody’s rapid defense of him. She never allowed anyone to insult him or put him down in any way.

Not even himself.

Still, he hated how he’d been conceived. The misery he’d caused his real mother because she dared to keep him when any sane woman would have given him up for adoption and walked away without ever looking back. She deserved to be like the Cherise in this world. Treasured and loved.

Rich and affluent.

Instead, she’d been saddled with him, and to her credit, she’d never once made him feel like the worthless burden he was.

I love you, Mom.

Nick glanced to Kody. “My mother’s heart and my father’s curse.… God forgive me,” he whispered before he handed Kody the aspergillum and headed for the doors to the outside.

Worried about Nick, Kody picked up the bin and carried it after him while Savitar followed her. She held her breath, hoping this actually worked.

As soon as Nick was on the curb that was off holy ground, the demons came for him. Like a fearless gladiator, he waited until they were closer before he slung the thurible up and bathed them with the mixed water.

Kody bit her lip, waiting for them to explode.

They didn’t. In fact, it had no effect on them at all.

Her stomach shrank painfully as she realized why. “Nick! Your blood isn’t the Malachai’s. It’s the other Nick’s blood. You’re human here.”

“Then why did it hiss?” He looked up at the demons and had the same “oh crap” expression she was sure was on her face. “Ever have that feeling that you’re a complete and utter nimrod? Yeah, I’m there right now.… It was a good idea. Just a real bad execution.”

“Nick!” she screamed as the demons dive-bombed him. He ran toward her as fast as he could. She opened fire on the demons with every fire blast she could manage.

Savitar joined her, but the demons were all over Nick, dragging him away from them.

“Get Kody to safety!” Nick shouted as he punched and fought against the winged demons.

They both ignored him and rushed forward.

It was too late. Before they could take more than a handful of steps, demons picked him up and carried him off.

Disbelief speared her as the demons vanished with Nick and the sky above cleared up. The sun returned to shining as if the worst thing imaginable hadn’t just happened.

The Malachai’s soul was in the hands of his enemies and he was powerless against them.