Infamous

CHAPTER 11

Nick tried to call for help, but he was completely paralyzed. He couldn’t even blink. If he so much as thought about Kody or Caleb, a sharp pain pierced his brain.

Was he being stabbed with an ice pick?

His father gave him a crooked smile. “Oh the powers that awaited you … the things you were born to do … Too bad you won’t live long enough to experience any of them.”

Fighting with everything he had, Nick did his best to break free.

He couldn’t. Never had he experienced anything like this. It was terrifying. Forget being Force-choked by Vader, this was even more terrifying and debilitating.

If I get free, old man, you’re going to bleed.

Yeah, okay, so it most likely wouldn’t be much of a fight, but he was going to put up as much of one as he could. There literally was nothing he could do.

Adarian’s gaze was frigid as he moved to stand over Nick. He pressed his thumb against the inside corner of Nick’s left eye. In his head, Nick screamed from the raw agony of it. But the sound wouldn’t leave his throat.

He was the only one who heard it.

His father had him completely paralyzed.

“That’s it,” Adarian whispered before he sucked his breath in with pleasure. “Feed me with your pain. Let me bathe in it.”

“What are you doing, tchu!”

Nick’s eyes widened at a Cajun insult he’d never heard his mother use before. In fact, she went into a full babiller on his hide, using words that shocked him and some he didn’t even know she knew the meaning of.

Her shrill voice ringing off the walls, she ran toward them. She actually slammed all of her body weight against Adarian to shove him away from the bed. Given the fact that she was about a foot and a half shorter and probably weighed less than one of Adarian’s muscled thighs, her ability to move him was impressive. “You get away from him! You hear me?” she snarled through gritted teeth.

“I just wanted to see him. He is my son, after all.”

She backed Adarian into a corner like a Chihuahua cowing a Doberman. “You shouldn’t be here and you know it. How are you here? I know you didn’t make parole. No one’s dumb enough to ever let you out again.”

Adarian’s gaze softened as he faced her anger without flinching. “I’d forgotten how beautiful you are.” He reached to cup her cheek.

His mother slapped Adarian’s hand away. “You are not going to touch me again. Ever!”

Nick kept trying to move or speak, but whatever Adarian had done to him, it was holding him solid.

Averting his gaze with a glaze in his eyes that told Nick he was listening to the ether, Adarian went ramrod stiff. When he looked back at his mother, his face was a mask of disbelief. “You’re the one who turned me in to the cops after I robbed that bank, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I did,” she said proudly between her clenched teeth, straightening up to her full height, which barely reached the middle of his father’s chest. “I didn’t care what you did to me. I didn’t. But when you hit my baby … nuh-uh. It was on like Donkey Kong. Nobody touches my boy. Not you. Not anyone. He’s all I got in this world and I will slaughter you like a hog at Christmas if you even look askance at him again. You hear me?”

Adarian appeared as stunned by her attack as Nick was. “You turned me in.” Disbelief haunted his voice.

“I. Did,” she repeated.

The hurt in his eyes was tangible. And it was telling. Adarian loved her.

Dis-gus-ting …

No, worse than that. His father’s love was a perversion.… Because he’s the Malachai. They weren’t born to know that emotion. They were born to hate and to slaughter. That was what Thorn had told him.

The only reason Nick had any concept of love was because of his mother’s blood, and the fact that she’d kept him and nurtured her ‘baby’. Nick was the only Malachai ever born who’d been shown love and who understood it.

His father had no idea how to cope with it. For that matter, Adarian had probably never felt it for anyone else.

“How could you?” Adarian’s tone was more like a child being tortured by its parent.

His mom shook her head at his continued confusion. “Are you…” Closing her eyes, she waved her hands around her face as if erasing a board. “Of course you’re insane. I know that. Everybody knows that.”

Biting his lip, Adarian held a light in his icy gaze that said he was one step away from hitting her.

Nick fought his hold even harder. He had to protect his tiny mother from the bear of a man who had fathered him.

“Is there a problem, Cherise?”

Since the only part of his body he could control was his eyes, Nick turned his gaze to the door, where Kyrian stood in a major power stance that let everyone know he was more than willing to get bloody if he had to. Dressed in black from head to toe, he was almost the same size as his father. And he was every bit as buff. Kyrian’s black sunglasses covered his eyes while he stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

Adarian did the alpha strut as he closed the distance between them. “This doesn’t concern you.”

Kyrian didn’t break his tough-guy stance at all. “The hand you had on that lady says it does.”

Adarian laughed. “You don’t know who or what you’re dealing with.”

“And neither do you.” Kyrian’s voice was as smooth and emotionless as if they were discussing the weather. It always amazed Nick that Kyrian could speak so easily without showing even the smallest hint of fang. “So if you want to dance with me, let’s take it outside where we have more room.”

Invading Kyrian’s personal space, Adarian was close enough to kiss him. Still, Kyrian didn’t blink or flinch—and that in and of itself was a call-out to his father.

Adarian raked Kyrian with a sneer. “You think you can take me?”

Kyrian cocked an amused grin. “You’re not the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. And you’re definitely not the most powerful.”

Adarian laughed. “There, you would be wrong.”

Just as Nick was sure Adarian would attack, Acheron moved to stand directly behind Kyrian.

His father’s eyes widened as he took in Acheron’s seven-foot height, four inches of which came from the thick-soled, flamed Goth biker boots he wore. More than that, Acheron not only exuded lethal authority, anyone with a drop of paranormal blood in them knew he wasn’t what he seemed. His powers surged in a way no one else’s did.

In the land of Bad Ass, Acheron reigned supreme.

Adarian took one step back as if rethinking his position. After a few seconds, he turned his head to speak over his shoulder. “You can’t keep me from my son, Cherise. He’s my blood.”

She shook her head. “No, he’s not. He’s my boy.” She put a long emphasis on the “my” part. “And I’m not sharing him with anybody. That includes you. I know you think I’m nothing. But I’m no longer the child I used to be and I’m not afraid of you anymore.” She pointed to Nick. “That right there is the only family I have. And I love him with every part of me. You touch him ever again and one of us will die. I promise you that. You can take it to the bank and spend it.”

A tic beat a fierce rhythm in Adarian’s cheek. And the promise in his eyes was loud and clear.

He would be back.

Sucking air between his teeth in a frightful hiss, Adarian brushed roughly past Kyrian and Acheron.

As soon as he was gone, his mother’s legs buckled and she headed to the floor. Moving with preternatural speed and power, Kyrian caught her against him.

It was only then that Nick could move again.

“Breathe easy, Cherise,” Kyrian said, scooping her up in his arms so that he could carry her to the recliner by the window. Gently, he set her in it and took two steps back.

She fanned her flushed face with a shaking hand. “I don’t know what got into me. He could have killed me. I’m surprised he didn’t.”

“You’re a mother who loves her child—who was protecting her son.” Acheron quirked a twisted grin. “That makes you the most dangerous creature on the planet. I’d face down a team of SEAL-trained mass murderers any day over one pissed-off mom, of any species, protecting her young. Believe me.” Tucking his hands into the pockets of his spiked motorcycle jacket, Acheron paused next to Nick. “What did he want?”

Nick let out a long breath. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”

His mom launched herself from the chair to his bed so that she could check on him. “Did he hurt you, baby? Why didn’t you call me?”

“I couldn’t. He had a Vulcan death grip of some kind on me. I couldn’t move or do anything.”

His mom brushed the hair back from his brow. “Well, he’s gone now and we’re done with him. I don’t ever want to see him again.”

Kyrian nodded. “We’ll make sure he stays away from both of you.”

She turned and offered him a grateful smile. “I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Hunter. I know it’s not your place. God love you for your decency. You’ve been so good to us.”

Her heartfelt praise made him bristle. Nick had noticed that Kyrian, in spite of having been a prince when he was a human in ancient Greece, didn’t like to be thanked. “I believe in helping people out whenever I can. I know you and Nick don’t really have anyone to watch over you, and while you’re both very capable, we all need a cavalry once in a while.”

His mom nodded. “I hate admitting it. But you’re right. It’s not in me to ask for help for nothing.” She glanced from Kyrian to Acheron. “And with the two of you and Menyara, I never have to.” Tears welled in her eyes.

“Mama?”

Blinking against her tears, she took Nick’s hand. “I’m okay, baby. It’s been a very emotional day. A lot has happened and the roller-coaster ride is making me a little sick to my stomach. But don’t you worry about me, Boo. I’m all right.”

Yeah, his mom had a core of steel unlike anyone he’d ever known.

Acheron dropped his backpack by the bed. “Why don’t you go on to work, Kyrian. I’ll take first shift of Nick watch duty.”

He inclined his head to Acheron, then turned to Nick’s mom. “If you need anything, call me.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Kyrian knuckle-bumped Nick. “Take care, Cajun, and if you don’t stop getting hospitalized, I’m going to start docking your pay.”

“Yeah, and I’ll start scratching your car paint.”

Kyrian laughed. “You know I value my cars over your life, right?”

“I don’t believe it for a minute,” Nick called out as he left.

But Kyrian didn’t respond.

His mom patted his hand. “You know, this got me thinking, Boo. You do need to learn to drive. If you’d been in a car going to Liza’s, none of this would have happened…”

Joy rushed through him. “You’re going to teach me?”

She visibly cringed. “Yes,” she said in the most pathetic tone ever.

Acheron laughed. “Would you like me to teach him?”

She cringed even more.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Gautier. I don’t care if he bangs up my car, and I’m really, really patient when teaching people. Especially those with hot heads. I’ve been training folks for years.”

Man, that was an understatement. It was all Nick could do not to burst into laughter.

His mother scanned Ash with a doubting stare.

“You don’t look old enough to have been doing anything for years.”

If his mom only knew the truth.

“Please, Mom?” Nick begged. “No offense, but I think I’d rather have Ash do it, too. He won’t be screaming or grounding me if I make a mistake.”

She opened and closed her mouth as if she wanted to argue, but she knew the truth as well as he did. “Fine. But if I had a Porsche, there’s no way I’d ever let a fifteen-year-old in it, never mind drive it.”

Acheron scoffed. “He won’t be learning in my Porsche. It’s a standard. I think it’d be best to teach him in an automatic. Let him get used to the feel of the car and traffic rules before we complicate it with a gearshift. Last thing King ADD needs is one more distraction.”

“Hey!” Nick protested. “I’m not that—hey, did you see that?” He pointed to the wall as a joke.

“Ha, ha,” Ash said.

“So whose car will you use to train him in?” his mom asked.

“One of my others.”

His mom quirked a brow at that. “Others? How many cars do you own?”

“Ummmm…” Ash stroked the side of his face with his fingers. “A lot.”

“You don’t know?” she asked, aghast.

“Not really. Most are kept in storage and I have them delivered when I want to drive them.”

She pinned him with that suspicious look that meant she thought he was a drug dealer or a car thief. “What do you do again for a living?”

“Wrangle people.”

Her eyes widened. “You work in the sex trade?”

“No!” Ash practically roared that word.

Nick sucked his breath in. There was one of Grim’s trigger words. Wow. That was a violent reaction. He’d never seen Ash explode like that to anything.

His breathing labored, Ash clenched his teeth, then seemed to get ahold of himself. “Sorry. That’s a subject I take very seriously. Children should be protected, not…” His nostrils flared. “Anyway, I train and consult personal security personnel.”

Nick was impressed with Ash’s spin on what Dark-Hunters did. Personal security personnel.

For the whole world.

“Why do you call it wrangling?”

Ash shrugged. “My people get moved around a lot. The logistics can get hinky at times. I have several coming into town for Halloween, in fact. And it’s why I’m not always here. I travel a lot to different cities and countries where we have staffs.”

His mother’s jaw gaped. “That’s so impressive. Especially for your age. How old are you exactly?”

Nick arched his brow, waiting to see what Ash would come back with.

“Older than I look, Mrs. Gautier. Much older than I look.”

Yeah, he looked like he was in his late teens. No one would believe he was an ancient Atlantean who was over eleven thousand years old.

She smiled. “I understand. I don’t like giving out my age either. Sorry to be so personal. But I feel even better having you here now that I know what it is you do. Have you ever had to deal with someone as … special as Nick’s father?”

Acheron burst out laughing. Hard. “Uh, yeah. All the time. My people specialize in the truly unruly.”

“Good.” She stepped away from the bed. “If you two will excuse me, I’m going outside to make a call to Menyara. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Take your time, Mrs. Gautier.”

“Call me Cherise,” she said with a smile. “I think we all know I was never married. But I appreciate the gesture. Thank you.”

“Any time, Cherise.”

After she left, Acheron sat in the recliner. “So what went down?”

“With my dad?”

“No, the mugging.”

Nick sighed. “I don’t know. There’s some weird crap going around my school.”

“Please tell me it’s not zombies again.”

Nick laughed. “No, Madaug’s been banned from making games. If his brother Eric ever finds one again, he has a giant magnet he’s going to set down on Madaug’s prized computer.”

“Ouch.”

“Exactly. Not that Madaug needed the threat. He learned his lesson quite well.”

Acheron nodded. “I imagine so. Anyway, back to school. What’s going on?”

“Someone has set up a Web site and they’re posting garbage about my classmates. Mostly made up, but enough truths to make it look authentic. Now students are going at each other’s throats over it.”

“Echrichta.”

“Bless you.”

Ash laughed, this time giving Nick a flash of his elongated fangs. “In Atlantean the Echrichta were the children of Pali, the god of strife, and Diafonia, the goddess of discord. Their grandfather was Misos, the Atlantean god of war and death. Before wars broke out, the Atlantean gods would unleash the Echrichta to stir up emotions and get the people ready to attack each other.”

That had to be the coolest accent in the world. There was nothing to compare it to, but in spite of the fact that Acheron was male, Nick loved to hear him speak his native language. “How do you say that? Ecka—encha—Encharada … Enchilada?”

“You have to catch and roll the uvula in the back of your throat on the r’s. So it’s heck-RAH-ta.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna quit before I embarrass myself. So were they human in appearance? Ugly snot monsters? Or what?”

“They were extremely beautiful. At least on the ouside. Inside … Echrichta literally means ‘she who stirs excrement.’”

Nick burst out laughing. “What? Are you serious?”

Acheron nodded. “I swear. In my day, in Atlantis, men were respected. Women were feared … and for good reason. Hell hath no fury.”

Nick agreed with that. Women and girls carried a grudge like nobody’s business. Sue Tilling was still mad at him for bumping into her on the playground in kindergarten. “I have to say they scare the crap out of me most days. Kody can render me speechless with the raising of one eyebrow.”

“Exactly. Men can beat each other to a pulp and still walk away friends. With a woman, once an enemy, always an enemy. Women will sit like a spider, for years, waiting for the chance to strike. They never forget and seldom forgive.”

Nick cringed. “You’re scaring me, Ash.”

“Sorry. But just remember this. No woman has ever killed a man while he was washing dishes.”

Nick scowled at him. “What?”

“It’s another Atlantean saying. If you keep the woman happy, she’s less likely to cut your throat.”

“Man, y’all were whacked. So what did these troublemaking, excrement-stirring goddesses do?”

“The kind of stuff you’re talking about at Your School. They’d go in and tell someone’s secrets and claim they’d heard them from someone else, usually a friend. Or they’d just make things up to break apart friendships and homes. It was what they lived for. They’d go to humans and whisper in their ears, playing off their fears. Sometimes it was overt and other times it would be as subtle as saying, ‘Hey Nick, I saw Kody this afternoon when at the mall. Man, she’s looking really happy these days. And her friend Tom she was with … wow. You could tell he was loaded. Expensive clothes. Rolex. He was so impressive and smart.’”

“How would that upset me?”

“Let’s say that Kody had told you she couldn’t be with you that same afternoon because she had to study.”

“Yeah, okay, that would not make me happy.”

Acheron nodded. “And you’d probably fight with her over it, especially if she hadn’t done it. You’d think she was lying about it, and she’d think you didn’t trust her.”

Nick let out a low whistle. He could see where that would get ugly fast. “It’s kind of like an evil silkspeech.”

Ash stiffened for a second. “How do you know what silkspeech is?”

Nick let his Cajun accent out in all its glory. “I be hanging with me some Goths.”

That placated him. “Silkspeech isn’t just the tool of demons and gods. While it’s potent in their hands, it’s deadliest when in the hands of a human who’s incapable of feeling happiness. Or worse, one who takes happiness by hurting others. Jealous people who trade in gossip and who feel the need to take someone down a notch so that they can feel superior.”

“Oh, I know people like that.”

“Sadly, Nick, we all do.”

Yeah. And it was sad.

The nurse came in to glare at Nick. “Those men got away. But I will find out who they were. What were they doing in here anyway?”

“Protecting me.”

“From what?” she asked, arms akimbo.

Acheron arched a curious brow.

Nick didn’t want to tell her or Ash about the demon part, so … “There’s an escaped felon trying to kill me.” There. The truth with vague details. The Echrichta might excel at lies, but Nick excelled at creative truth. Something that was a talent in and of itself.

“I’ll warn security about this.” She checked his IV bag, then put a needle into it.

Acheron cocked his head. “What are you giving him?”

“Just a small sedative.”

One that was already kicking in. Man, it was strong. The room blurred. He heard Acheron saying something, but he couldn’t make it out at all.

Freaky weird. It was even making him hallucinate. Instead of seeing the nurse, he saw his father.

No, wait …

That was his powers kicking in. The nurse was his father.

Nick tried to speak, but couldn’t. All he could hear was the sound of him coding as he passed out.