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No matter howhi holy His conscience was already flogging hi 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 pehere 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 forear 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 frorip or make a fist I’d ratherI’et out of this”
As soon as Nick was finished, Kody wrapped a cotton towel around his cut and used her powers to stop it fro
With his hand, Nick mixed the water and blood then poured it into the thurible and aspergillum As soon as the
Snorting, Nick looked at the?”
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 hiiven hi 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, Molanced to Kody “My ive illum and headed for the doors to the outside
Worried about Nick, Kody picked up the bin and carried it after hi this actually worked
As soon as Nick was on the curb that was off holy ground, the deladiator, he waited until they were closer before he slung the thurible up and bathed the 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 coht 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 dee
Savitar joined her, but the de him away from theht against the winged denored 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 iinable hadn’t just happened
The Malachai’s soul was in the hands of his eneainst them
CHAPTER 9
“Kody!”
Dazed, she heard Savitar’s fierce shout, but all she could do was blink as h her and shredded every last piece of her sanity Over and over, she saw her fa what she lovedher world torn apart while she was powerless to stop it
No longer in New Orleans, she saw herself standing in front of Sraosha, Suriyel, and Adidiron after she’d died Their spartan office had been bright and austere Clinical
As were they
Like his brethren, Adidiron was dressed in his ancient bronze armor Golden fair, he’d been so beautiful that it was hard to look upon him at all “Will you serve us?” he’d asked her
Their request to join their league and fight against the Malachai had floored her “Why would you want me? I failed”
His hands folded in front of his were spanned out, Suriyel had stepped forward Unlike Sraosha and Adidiron, he had short dark hair and vibrant gold eyes His skin was a deep caramel that was almost the same color as her mother’s “You are the only one who has ever forced hied to hold him back And you’re just a child In all these centuries, with all the Malachai, no other general ever ed that”