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Nick started for a snarky Toona

Xevikan’s unorthodox hair and eye color represented each of the six priods

For that matter, he was as perfectly formed as Acheron His features would be considered beautiful if not for the rugged line of his jaw and the sheer ferocity of his presence He stood with his legs planted and his body tense as if ready to go to ith the entire world

Xevikan ground his teeth so fiercely, it caused his jaw to tic “I can’t believe this is what I’ his obvious conteaze to Livia “Where are the others?”

“They’re not here yet”

Xevikan cursed “Of course not” He turned his sullen glare back to Nick “Let et too comfortable here This one lacks the sao?”

Nick went rigid at the insult to his uess Xevikan isn’t the Babylonian term for happy optimist?”

“Swap places with me, Malachai Just for a week Then see if you’re still up to cracking jokes about it”

Biting her lip, Livia sidled up to Nick “I don’t know, Xev… This one ht let us ride”

Xevikan scoffed as he lifted his hood and covered his features again “Get it over with Send ated pain behind those words The raw anger

As nation to an existence that sounded deplorable brought out his compassion When his father and Kody and the others had talked about the ušuallu, he’d envisioned heartless creatures like the hell-monkeys or Adarian, who lived to brutalize others Scarred and jaded adults who had no ability to feel for anyone other than themselves But Livia and Xevikan didn’t look any older than his group of friends, or Acheron

They seemed …

Human

Vulnerable even

And that made him very curious about thehing heavily, Xevikan crossed his arid as a statue “What difference does it make?”

Livia answered for hins over blood and fire”

Suddenly, Xevikan threw off his hood again and cocked his head as if listening to so in the ether He cut a harsh stare to Livia “Hear that?”

“What?”

His skin turned as translucent as Nick’s had done when he’d been in the future Lightning appeared to flash all through his body before his skin tone returned to nor for the Malachai”

“How do you know?” Nick asked

“Xevikan is the oldest šarru we have And he was the first He knowsflash in his hting alongside Nick’s dee froed to the rowled before he charged at the wall and vanished through it

Nick looked to Livia for an explanation

“He’s after the Arelim who have come to clai tio!”

She shook her head “You’re safer here”

“Yeah, but if they kill my body, I’ht have been a if his life didn’t depend on her quick action She took his arm and teleported them back to the bedroom where Nick Two had been treed by her spider forn of him now Nick started to ask where he hen he heard a loud crash from the first floor

He ran for the stairs and tore down them as fast as he could

As bad as the battle had been in Acheron’s house in the alternate future, it was nothing coainst their attackers, only to learn he couldn’t Since he didn’t have a body, their enemies couldn’t see him at all And no matter what he tried, he couldn’t har able to help theainst two of the armored Arelim while Zavid held three more off the other Nick, as even more worthless in this battle than he was At least he wasn’t crying and whi badly while he fought a sroup with Simi at his back But not even the Charonte could make much of an impact on the Areli Nick had seen before It was as if they’d been born for nothing but battle

Without a word, Livia ran to help Zavid protect Nick’s body from Ameretat He was a beast as he tried his best to kill Nick Two

“Hand over the Malachai and we’ll leave”

Nick Thimpered for mercy and cowered in the corner, behind Zavid

Caleb scoffed as he kicked back the Arel in front of hi to happen, Ameretat We will defend him to our bitterest ends”

Ameretat raked him with a sneer “Why?” he asked incredulously “I know the future, Malphas He will kill you one day Brutally”

“There are worse things than dying”

Ae that I betrayed someone who trusted me I’in”

Nick rushed past them to his body He tapped Nick Two on his shoulder Unlike the Areli him

“Give me back my body”

“If I kneould Believe o ho his head to hi he could and then tried to walk into his body For a few heartbeats, he felt an electrical current rush through hi

But as quickly as he felt it, it was gone, and he was still separated Dang it all!

“Could you at least put up soht?” he said to hihtered while they protect you”