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And still he’d lost theedies interconnect and shape us? Bubba wouldn’t have had all the time he did have with his wife and son had he not lost his best friend"

Nick saw it, even though he didn’t like it "And he wouldn’t teach self-defense courses if his wife hadn’t died"

Kody nodded "People aren’t just ants rushing around over a crust of bread Every life, no matter how isolated, touches hundreds of others It’s up to us to decide if those ative But whichever we decide, it does iive soth they needed at that le s outburst or word could be the tiny push that causes soe into destruction"

She was definitely right about that One touch of her hand could soothe hi else did Still, the voices were in his head and they were loud and clear, telling hily How everyone would be better off without hi soundtrack in your head, too?" he asked her

"Nick, I promise you, we all do You know your friend Acheron?"

"Yeah"

"Have you ever seen hilasses on?"

Now that she mentioned it … "No, I haven’t"

"Ash is so embarrassed by his own eyes that he won’t show them At all Not even to those he’s closest to If they ever do see theaze on the floor And have you seen the size of ned its own zip code And don’t get me started on how thin and flatI feel so stupid sometimes, and yet here I am able to summon powers from most dimensions None of that matters to my inner beast that insults aze suspiciously "I think you’re irl, I don’t see a flahere on your body Of course, I haven’t seen your butt except when it’s been covered with clothing Maybe if you showabout in the flesh…"

She wrinkled her nose at him "You’re awful"

He was, but in the worst moment of his life she’d hts left her and returned to what had thee area What had possessed him in his cell "How do you learn to function past the voices? They’re always in my head on a continuous loop"

"Drown theht not be that smart Or beautiful But that’s not all there is to me I matter to people Not all people, but to the ones who matter to me, and they’re the only ones in this world who count To the darkest pit with the rest of theainst hers so that he could stare into her eyes "I love you, Kody And I hear everything you’ve said But I don’t think I’h to live without you"

"How do you think I feel about you?"

If that was true, she was right How could he leave her to the agony of grief if he killed himself?

She tilted her head until she captured his lips and kissed him until his senses reeled Her touch calain

But with that sensation, he felt her leaving

"Kody!" he called, reaching out for her But she was already gone

Suddenly, he sla his eyes, he found hi cell with Caleb next to hiot through to you"

Nick frowned "What are you talking about?"

Caleb laughed bitterly "You just experienced what I told you I couldn’t explain Whenever a Malachai gets into environe is to become violent In the past, when that happened, it caused a Malachai to attack others But you,what?"

"You become self-destructive"

Nick didn’t understand the fearful concern in Caleb’s eyes "Is that not better?"

"Depends"

Nick was getting frustrated with Caleb’s vague answers "On?"

"If you want mankind enslaved by you or your father"

Great Just what he wanted to hear "You know, I’ to think the only choice anyone has in life is between either a bad outcoht It does seerew quiet as three police"

Caleb actually looked pleased "Go, Virgil"

Nick was feeling pretty good about it, until he noticed sonized it as his poarning hi the trick Thorn had shown hilowed as a tennis ball–sized stone manifested in his palm "They’re lollers"

As Caleb moved back, one of them tossed out a bloodred chain that wrapped around Caleb’s throat and held him in place

Nick let fly his bolt into that demon’s chest He exploded into fire as the other two rushed Nick

Caleb caught one before he could reach Nick, and broke his neck The one attacking Nick threide, telegraphed punch Nick ducked and came up with a fist into the de hi that showered theed on it

"What kind are they?" Nick asked

"The kind that shouldn’t be here"

"How so?"

Caleb gave him a hard stare "They’re blood deht to knohat that was

Yeah Clueless as nor bibliophobic"