Invision - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 0,23
and smelled really nice. But that being said, all they’d done was kiss. Nothing more.
Having been born to a teen mother, and having spent the whole of his life raising her, he wasn’t anxious to start parenting someone else anytime soon. He had enough paranormal brats he was responsible for already. Running after them, and cleaning up their messes, kept him plenty busy.
And then there was Kyrian who was in a special class by himself.
So, no … there was no one who could drain his powers.
Yet the hairs on the back of his neck rose as he had the sudden sensation of being watched. Glancing around the fluorescent-lit room, he caught the gaze of Stone Blakemore fastened on him like he was the barely-clad centerfold of the Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated.
Yeah, that was some major stink-eye. Not like he’d done anything to Stone, ever. He basically left the knuckle-dragging werewolf alone. But Stone had hated him since the moment he walked through the school doors. It was as if Stone had smelled the Malachai in his genes and reacted to it on some primal level.
“Nick?”
It took him a second to realize Kody was speaking to him. “Yeah?”
“Are you all right?”
He blinked slowly. Honestly? He was a little light-headed. “I think so, why?”
“The bell?”
Nick glanced around and realized the room was empty. Kody and Caleb were standing beside him with worried frowns.
What the heck? He’d just been looking at Stone …
Hadn’t he?
“Something’s wrong. I was trying to talk to you both with telepathy. Didn’t you hear me?”
“No.” Kody knelt by his side and brushed the hair back from his forehead so that she could press her hand against his skin to test for a fever. “You are flushed and clammy.” Biting her lip in an adorable manner, she glanced up at Caleb. “Can a Malachai get sick?”
Caleb shook his head. “Not once his powers come in.”
Grateful for her concern, Nick caught her hand and kissed her fingers. “Could it be the Eye messing with me?”
She grimaced at Nick. “Please tell me you left that thing at home.”
“It’s in my pocket. I was going to use it to play the lottery after school.”
She said something under her breath he was pretty sure was a major curse in one of her parents’ native tongues.
“Why?” Now there was the tone an impatient parent used when their kid did something exceptionally bright, like stick tweezers in an outlet.
“It wasn’t good for anything else. I figured it owed me a Powerball for the trauma it’s put me through.”
Spreading her fingers wide, she had an expression on her face that said if she held his Malachai powers, she’d be Force-choking him right now.
Caleb placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. “Remember, you loooove him, Kody.”
“Wondering why.”
“I ask myself that every time you say it out loud.”
“Way to prop up my ego there, buddy.” Nick brushed his hand against his forehead and squinted in an attempt to clear his vision. “You think the Eye’s messing with me?”
“No.” Caleb picked Nick’s backpack up to carry it for him. “But you look weak … like your father used to get right after you’d visit him in prison.”
Kody’s jaw went slack. “What are you saying?”
“I said what I’m saying.” Caleb held his hand out to Nick. “Give me your fist.”
“Why?”
“Just do it and stop whining!”
Suspicious of what he intended, Nick didn’t like that tone. Talk about things that didn’t bode well. And when he obeyed and Caleb used his claw to slice open part of his hand, he knew why. Sheez!
“Hey! They hurt, you dick!”
Caleb ignored his words and cursed as he released Nick’s bleeding hand. “You think that hurts? You’ve got no idea. And we have a massive problem.”
His breathing labored, he retracted his claws and narrowed his gaze on Kody. “You know the cosmic laws. He’s my master. I shouldn’t have been able to harm him, at all. The only way for me to do that…” He jerked his chin toward the blood on Nick’s hand. “Something’s draining the Malachai out of him.”
“How’s that possible?” Kody breathed.
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of it before.”
The color faded from Kody’s cheeks. “Caleb … if anyone finds out about this…”
“Believe me, Nyria, I know.… He’s dead.”
CHAPTER 4
Aeron pressed the heel of his hand to his eye as he tried to keep his skull from splitting apart. Though to be honest, he wouldn’t mind it breaking open so long as it stopped aching like this. Please, anything, just stop hurting …
He