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Nick nodded as he followed Gri for years, especially with jerks and bullies like Stone at school "So what you’re saying is I have to learn what buttons to push"

"Exactly"

"That’s basic psychology, Grim How’s that supposed to be a power?"

His eyes flashed red, then black "You’ll be able to do it without saying a word to theht from you and you’ll be able to push those buttons"

Oh, now that was cool "So I’ll be like Obi Wan Kenobi with my Jedi mind tricks" He held his hands up and fanned the the Force "‘These are not the droids you’re looking for’"

Grilanced up at the ceiling "It’s like trying to train an ADD cat in a mouse factory"

"Hey, now I’m focused" Especially compared to hoas in a real classroom

Grim scoffed "I only have about thirty percent of your attention twenty percent of the tiies, scantily clad worown and out on your own"

Okay, Death had a point But rong with that? Nick felt like he had a noose around his neck Physically and rown, and yet everyone still treated hi to annoy hie, his mother had been out on her oith a baby Kyrian had been a veteran Greek soldier, fighting against Roman occupation And who knehat all Grie

For all of hislike he was mentally defective and couldn’t tie his own shoes, he’d been taking care of herout for her Helping Menyara with her car

Over the last year, he’d been shot and had battled preternatural enemies from every corner The only people who didn’t treat him like a five-year-old were Kyrian and Acheron

And Griive it His ave a curt nod to Griht You have my undivided attention"

"That’ll last three seconds," Grim said under his breath "Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear you’re not the Malachai Itas worthless as you could have any pohatsoever You were born white trash and that’s all you’ll ever be" He raked Nick with a scathing sneer "You’re nothing"

Rage darkened Nick’s gaze Blood rushed through his veins so fast that his entire body heated up to the level of , boy You about to find out just what I can do"

Grihed "That’s it I finally do have your attention, and you’ve just learned the first lesson of influence You use your divination and clairvoyance to strike the nerves of the person you’re trying toas yours can be influenced Not with your mind, rather with your mouth or actions I can’t control you, but I can set you off and manipulate you to have the emotional or physical response I want you to That is one power no one is immune to"

Nick scowled as he tried to understand all the nuances of Grim’s lesson "You didn’t ers to get the response I wanted However, what I did wasn’t subtle It’s the subtle you have to erous The best influence is always the one that goes undetected The one that your target thinks was their idea"

"It sounds impossible"

"You would think, but it’s not People are very simple, and you’ll be amazed at how easy they are to sway, no matter who they are or where they come from"

And Nick didn’t like how easy it’d been for Griht He ay too hotheaded for his own good "Is there any way to detect it when so to use it on me?"

Grim nodded

"Then teach me, Great Master For I don’t want to be nobody’s bitch"

A dark light shined inside Grim’s spooky eyes "Aw, Nicky-baby, therein is the problem Sooner or later, we’re all soht now that is going to test every part of you One you’re not going to see couts you Oh happy day for rimaced as Stone Blakemore drove his over-developed h school Pain exploded down his ar him want to pummel the beast with his two-hundred-pound backpack until Stone begged hi, trailer park!" Stone snapped as he shoved at Nick and kept walking toward his locker Stone’s pack of ubiquitous idiots followed in his wake, laughing about it Yeah, okay, ’cause running into a guy in the hallas such a hoot Oh to have the intellect of a Cro-Mag so that so…

Nick turned to answer that insult with one of his own, but that thought fled as Nekoda appeared in front of hiht creatails, she took his breath away and instantly vaporized all thoughts of Stone

Forget his powers, hers were uy’s brain into le smile One touch and he was completely helpless before her Her ence and leave hi after her, desperate to do anything she asked of him … even carry her shiny pink purse

"Hi, handsoht?"

Not where he’d wanted to be That was for sure He’d havehands with her in a darkto Grim tell him what an idiot reen eyes forever, especially when she looked at hiht now Like he o Sorry"

She frowned "Why?"

Shifting his backpack to the shoulder Stone hadn’t bruised, Nick sighed "She considers anything I do with you to be dating, which she thinks I’ to do" Then under his breath, he et me started"