and pushed the door open.
He arched a brow at that. “Were you raised in a barn? You don’t just walk into someone’s house.”
Ash laughed. “I have an open invitation to enter whenever I’m here.”
“Yeah, but what if he’s naked or something?”
Ash led him into the foyer. “I’ve known Kyrian for over two thousand years, and I can honestly say that I have never once caught him naked in his living room.” The door closed behind them without Ash or Nick touching it—something that always unnerved Nick when Ash did it. “Besides, Rosa’s still here. I know he’s not walking around bare-assed with her on duty.”
“Oh yeah.” There was that.
As if she’d heard them come in, Rosa entered the hall from the direction of the kitchen. “Ah, Acheron, good to see you again.”
“Hola, Rosa. Is Kyrian upstairs still?”
“Sí.”
While Ash headed up, Nick went toward Rosa with a hopeful look on his face. “Do I smell something … sweet?”
She laughed. “You live on your stomach, mi’jo. Go, there are cookies waiting for you.”
Nick gave her a Roman salute. “Rosa, I am your eternal servant. So long as you feed me cookies, you may ask and I will do without any complaint.”
“Good. I have a list of your chores on the counter beside the plate.”
Ah, man … Nick bit back a whine. This was his job, and he wouldn’t complain. At least not to Rosa, maker of great food.
Kyrian was another matter. He was subject to the full whiny teenager moodiness.
Nick headed into the kitchen and grabbed a cookie before he glanced over his list. Chewing the cookie, he scratched at his chin.
1. Replace upstairs hall bathroom lightbulb.
2. Get online and research Ferragamo shoes, then e-mail someone named Kell to see if he could convert Ferragamos into weapons.
3. Order a replacement coat for the one that was torn. (See closet for coat.) Make sure it matches exactly.
4. Wash cars.
5. Take out trash for Rosa.
6. Most important, don’t bitch.
Hmmm …
“Rosa?”
She arched a brow as she came into the kitchen. “Sí?”
“How many cars does Kyrian own?”
She paused to consider it. “I believe there are six of them, but I don’t know for sure. I don’t go into the garage.”
Six. Kyrian wanted him to wash six? Was he out of his friggin’ mind? No way. That was too much. It’d take him all night.
Grumbling under his breath, Nick headed for the garage to see just how big these things were. In spite of what Kyrian thought, he wasn’t a slave. He had …
His thoughts scattered as he opened the door.
* * *
“You’re sure they’re not Daimon attacks?” Kyrian asked Acheron as he shrugged on his coat.
“Oh yeah. What I really hate is that one of the kids was killed on our watch. I don’t want that to happen again. So keep your eyes open tonight for predators other than Daimons.”
“Definitely. Speaking of demon spawn … where’s Nick?”
Ash shrugged. “He came in with me, and that was the last I paid attention to him.”
“Yeah, and I was fully expecting him to object to his list of assignments.” Kyrian paused to listen with his psychic hearing. He furrowed his brow as he heard nothing. “It’s too quiet. I better go make sure he’s not harassing Rosa. My luck, she’s put a choke hold on him and I’ll have to explain the bruising to his overly protective, paranoid mother.”
Acheron laughed. “Don’t worry, General. I’ll bail you out before dawn.”
“Thanks.” Leaving Acheron, Kyrian headed straight downstairs and searched for his pain, who never ceased to irritate him.
There was no sign of him.
Not even in Nick’s office. Where could he be?
Kyrian grimaced as he entered the kitchen. “Where’s Nick?” he asked Rosa, who was putting away dishes.
She wiped her hands on a white dishcloth before she answered. “He went out to the garage, and I’ve not seen him since.”
Strange. There was no sound of running water or any sign of the kid out there that he could hear.
A surge of panic seized him. Had the preternatural killer found the kid? Could Nick be lying dead out there, right now?
He rushed to the door and yanked it open, then froze at the last thing he expected to find.
Nick sat on the stairs, completely comatose. He stared straight ahead as if he’d been frozen in place.
“Nick? You all right?”
He didn’t respond.
Kyrian moved around him until he stood in front of him. He snapped his fingers in front of Nick’s face. “Kid?”
Nick blinked before he met Kyrian’s gaze. “I’m not worthy,” he said in