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“The slobbering hell-h “Yeah Good terainst the headboard as a wave of nausea consumed him “Do you live here?”

“Unfortunately” Panicked and nervous, Ash stood up fast The moment he did, the chair he was in ”

“Who?”

Ash didn’t answer Instead, he vanished at the same time a door appeared in the wall to Nick’s left A tall, dark shadow entered At first, Nick thought he was hallucinating

But no, it was real

Throwing his head back, Nick cackled with laughter at the last thing he’d ever expected to walk into this roo

The ancient Atlantean he kneell paused at the foot of his bed with an arched brow Standing at the alht Nick was used to, Acheron was back to his in-your-face bad on bad The only thing different was his long blond hair But the swirling, inhu

The “real” Acheron Parthenopaeus narrowed those swirling silver eyes on Nick “That’s not the reception I’hed “Yeah, well, I’m an idiot”

“Apparently” Acheron waited severalto stop that anytiled to control hiain He just couldn’t stop laughing

Until sorabbed him by the throat and lifted him from the bed to pin hiht out of him

“Better” Acheron folded his arms over his chest “Now that I have your full attention, tell er to lay hands to you”

“I’m irresistibly cute”

“And you’re about to be a stain onhard to paint over Makes reselling a bitch”

Acheron scowled at him “How is it you’re human and not afraid of me?”

“Told you, I’irlfriend She will gleefully corroborate my rampant stupidity and probably add ht Nick forward until he was hanging in front of Acheron, who eyed him pointedly “You don’t want to play with s that annoy rown adults into therapy, especially anger ement”

The expression of irritated disbelief on Acheron’s face was alain, but self-preservation kept hi “What gives you your strength?”

“If I said Wheaties, would you let ht to the floor “I should hand you over to Thorn and let him dissect you”

“That would probably ain, I ask you why”

Obviously, this Acheron wasn’t as clairvoyant as the one Nick knew at home

Time to do what I do best Play stupid and see what Ash knows about all this

“He thinks I’ “You?” Could he have put any le word?

But Nick wasn’t offended He found it rather aht? I think Thorn was sniffing fu Inhalants rot the brain and shrink the important equipment Make you delusional and cause you to drool”

Acheron ignored his segue “Why would he think that?”

Nick shrugged with a nonchalance he definitely didn’t feel “I told you Inhalants Bad bad stuff, that”

Indecision was plain in those eerie swirling eyes It was obvious Acheron was trying to discern the truth “I know you’re lying toI just can’t tell what” His eyes flared red “Tellto swihts

Let’s hear it for us stubborn Cajuns Malachai powers or not, Nick was the most obstinate and steel-willed creature ever born No one picked his brain without his consent Not even the great andlike everyone else So I usually battle it with my extraordinary powers of aweso… Tell you what, let’s see just how long you can keep this up in the cage”

Nick ood I should have kept uest roohting ring that was enclosed with steel bars Welco to his feet, Nick bit back a sht e “Not et blood on o at you first”

Nick cracked his knuckles “Fine Send in the hell-ot a score to settle with a couple of theht flash blinded Nick an instant before smoke filled the area in front of hie Aamon demon—the same kind of beast as Zavid And as with Zavid, this one was dark-haired and seriously pissed off

Bracing himself, Nick stood steady He refused to show fear to any creature It just wasn’t in hio check out the well”

“Grandpa! Please, stop You’ll kill hi to bite hiirl who held on to his arnize the Si randdaughter and snapped his fingers

The demon on top of Nick vanished instantly

Man, wish you’d done that an hour ago His breathing ragged, Nick tried to push hithe wolf away from his neck He had a few bites on his arms and shoulder and a busted lip, yet all in all, it could have been a whole lot worse