Invincible Chronicles of Nick - By Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 0,13

Every mortal creature is born with an expiration date. Some immortals, too. Set by the big clockmaker. But excessive stupidity and moronic tendencies can shorten it. Pissing me off is one really good way to cut yours down to three seconds from now.”

The ice in his voice as he spoke went a long way in making Nick back down. Not that he made a habit of that. Far from it. His mom often called him Snapper after the snapping turtle. Because anytime you sink your teeth into something, you won’t let ago until lightning strikes you. It was sadly true.

However, his survival instinct won out. “So what are we doing, anyway?”

Grim gave him a droll stare. “We’re going to Bubba’s. Isn’t that what you told your mom?”

“Yeah, but I thought—”

“For the first lesson, I can train you anywhere. Just remember, I won’t be seen. You will be.”

Nick considered that. “Bubba’s it is.” He was the one person who wouldn’t even bat an eyelash that Nick was talking to an “imaginary” friend. Heck, he’d probably bring one of his own out to play, too.

“So who sent you to train me, anyway?”

Grim grinned. “I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Then how do I know I can trust you?”

“You’re still breathing, right? If an MOD comes to you and you see them and you live through it, obviously we’re here for your good and not your demise.”

“MOD?”

“Messenger of Death.” The moment Grim spoke those words, Nick saw an image of him standing with his wings extended, his eyes flashing red, and his face a glowing purple skeleton.

“You like to freak people out, don’t you?”

Death grinned. “Absolutely. I love the sounds of fear they make. Music to my ears.”

And on that note, Nick decided it would be best to continue on. No, he wasn’t sure he could trust Grim, but …

It wasn’t worth angering him. So he turned down Royal and made his way to the Triple B—the only computer and gun store in the world—at least that Nick knew about. And that said it all about Bubba, whose logo was him standing over a shot, smoking computer with a gun slung over his shoulder.

1-888-CA-BUBBA

IF I CAN’T TAKE CARE OF YOUR COMPUTER PROBLEMS ONE WAY …

I’LL TAKE CARE OF THEM ANOTHA’

Yeah, Nick knew all kinds of people.

“Triple B?” Grim asked as they approached the sign that hung above the door. “What’s that stand for?”

Nick scratched the back of his neck. “There’s some debate on that. Some think it’s for Big Bubba Burdette. Others believe it stands for Big Balls and Brains.”

“What does Bubba say?”

“He changes it every time someone asks.”

Grim smiled. “I like him already.”

Nick slowed as he saw the damage from the night before. The main window had duct tape over the broken panes. The front door, which had been blasted off its hinges, had been chained in place, and there was soot from the flamethrower all over it.

Yeah, last night had been fun. It was a wonder they weren’t all in jail.

Grim crossed his arms over his chest as he surveyed the mess. “Reminds me of the apocalypse. Shame I missed whatever went down here.”

“It was a zombie invasion, and we barely escaped with our lives.”

Grim scoffed. “What are you? Arthritic? Zombies don’t move fast enough to be a threat to anyone. They do, however, make great targets when you’re bored.”

“These weren’t undead zombies … at least not all of them. There was a group of Mortent demons after me. They found a video game that a friend of mine made that could reprogram the human brain and turn a person into a mindless killing machine. They were using my football team to come after us, and trust me, them boys can move and move fast. We didn’t want to kill them, because it wasn’t their fault.”

Grim screwed his face up as if Nick’s words caused him pain. “Let me give you free advice, kid. Whenever something is coming for you, snap its neck or double tap. Never, ever hesitate. It’s infinitely better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.”

He had a point, but Nick wasn’t his father and he didn’t want to take anyone’s life. Especially not one of his classmates’. He was pariah enough without adding that to his résumé.

Grim pulled against the padlocked chain that was holding the unhinged doors across the storefront. “Any way in?”

Nick pulled out his phone and dialed Bubba’s number.

“Yell-oh?” Because of Bubba’s thick Southern drawl, most people thought he was stupid when they