Invision - Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 0,80
that this time, the demon Malachai was his son who’d killed him that day.
The first time he’d seen that vision, he’d thought it was him transposing his face over Kody’s brother’s.
Now …
He blinked and turned to face her. “I’m so confused.”
“Maybe this is what Grim meant when he threatened us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rule one … what’s the best way to defeat your enemies?”
“Psychologically.” Leave it to Caleb to know that. “You beat them down in their mind and it’s easy to beat them down in their body.”
She nodded at him. “Exactly. Maybe that’s what this is.”
“But Ambrose was the one who told me to get the Eye.”
“The Eye of Ananke?”
He turned around as Menyara rejoined them. “Yes, ma’am.”
She made a sound of supreme noise. “Child, you don’t want any part of that. It’ll make you crazy.”
“Too late for that. It’s already happened. And it won’t stop spamming with crazy junk mail, either. How do I turn it off?”
“That’s the problem. You’re the Malachai. You can’t.”
“Lovely. That warning would have been much nicer before I touched it.”
Menyara cupped his chin. “As if you would have heeded any warning.… One day, child, I hope you will learn to ask and look before you leap. You’ve always been too fast to act first. Look at what you’re falling into, after you’re already on your way down.”
She was right and he hated that about himself.
Tapping him on the nose, she moved her hand to quickly smack his bottom before she stepped around him. “Now. What was this about another Malachai?”
Nick nodded. “But in my visions, I’m always older when he kills me. And so is he.”
“Like he was hidden and brought in to kill you at a specific time and place?”
“Well … I hate the sound of that. But now that you’ve put it that way, that’s exactly what it’s like.”
Kody scowled. “How could they get his child and he not know it?”
Menyara gave her a droll stare.
“Same way Jared had Cherise,” Xev said slowly, “and has no idea she was ever conceived or born. It’s easy to hide a baby from his father.”
“It’s what I begged Cherise to do with Nicholas and Adarian. But she refused. It’s almost as if some part of her knew what had been done to her own father, and she didn’t want to do that to another.”
Nick rubbed his chin. “I’m thinking this has to be Grim. It would make sense, right? What better way to get ahold of a Malachai and control him than to raise your own?”
“In that case, I have an easy solution.” Caleb pulled a butterfly knife from his pocket and twirled it open. “Xev, hold him down.”
Nick made a most undignified sound as he teleported to land behind Kody for protection. “Hey! Look at me learning my powers finally. That was an impressive jump.”
“Yeah, but not far enough.” Caleb started for him again.
Kody blocked his path. “Okay, you’ve had enough fun. No more threatening the Malachai.”
“Who said it’s a threat? I think it’s a viable option. No one will miss it.” He looked to Xev. “You’re with me on this one, right, brother?”
“It would save the headache later.”
Nick went pale as terror consumed him. “Mennie, help!”
Oh dear heaven, even she appeared to be considering it.
“Menyara!” Nick whined.
“Ach, you’re right. If it’s meant to be, it would serve no purpose to maim him. However…” Menyara paused to pin him with a meaningful glare. “Until we figure this out, you need to make sure you keep your fishing pole in its closet. And not go visiting someone else’s pond with it.”
Nick screwed his face up at her. “I am extremely uncomfortable with this entire line of conversation. And have no fears, my fishing pole is quite happy where it is. It ain’t going nowhere.”
Sighing, Caleb closed his knife. “And I better not hear about any alien abductions or probes, either.”
“You know,” Nick snapped at them. “On second thought … I liked it a lot better when the two of you didn’t get along.”
As soon as those words were out of his mouth, Menyara cocked her head. She turned slowly to face Xev. “What happened to your hair and eyebrows?”
Caleb moved to stand between them as if to protect his brother from the ancient goddess. “Our father did it. If you have an issue with it, I suggest you take it up with him.”
“You’re defending him now?”
“After everything I’ve done against him, he saved my life when he didn’t have to.”
Menyara opened her mouth to respond,