my own destiny and it is one screwed-up mess that I’ve made of it …
And as he looked around at Caleb and Xev, a new respect for them rose up inside him. Like Kyrian, they’d been handed a raw deal by life. Both of them had made sacrifices for others and paid a bitter price.
Would it have been worse had they acted selfishly? That was what Kyrian had done. He’d taken the selfish route and his life had turned out no better.
If anything, his was worse. While Caleb and Xev had lost their hearts, it’d been through the actions of others who had taken what they loved. To the end, their wives had been loyal to them.
Kyrian’s tragedy had been through the betrayal of the woman he’d given up everything for. She had carved his heart out and handed it to him.
Pith points.
Yet his friends had stood up through the rubble of their annihilated lives, dusted themselves off, and carried on with a resolute strength Nick couldn’t fathom. Undaunted. Indefatigable.
Just like his mother.
And for them, he would fight the Malachai darkness inside him. Just like they had. Just like they continued to do every day of their lives.
Every great legend begins with that one person who raises an angry fist to the sky and flips off the gods in defiance.
Acheron was right.
And that was what Nick had been doing since the moment he came into this world as a sick baby. Defying the odds. Defying expectation. Defying authority.
Defying his destiny.
And he had no plans to change his ways now. He knew no other way to be. “All right. Point me to the hell-monkeys. It’s time to make them my bitches.”
“Excuse me?” Kody gaped at him. “Your mother would be horrified.”
“Probably. Most of what comes out of my mouth horrifies her.” He gave her an adorable grin. “I have to admit, it surprises and embarrasses me, too, most days.”
Laughing, she gave him a quick kiss. “And that’s why the good Lord made you so adorably cute. Otherwise the impulse to drown you would override all others.”
“Ah, cher, what have I told you about baiting the gator? You say such things and it just makes the devil in me want to say something even worse.”
But as they reached Menyara’s store, Nick sobered at what greeted them there.
Ah, crap …
Tabitha Devereaux stood on the sidewalk outside the chained doors with her zoo crew. That was bad. Worse was the fact that her zoo crew included Madaug’s older brother, Eric. Although Madaug was right. Sometimes it was hard to say if Eric was his brother or his sister.
Tonight was definitely one of those nights. With his hair dyed as black as Tabitha’s, he had it braided up on one side and wore more makeup than Tabby. In fact, the sharp angles of his thick eyeliner looked like he must have gone to the same store Vawn had for instruction on how to wear it, and the black eyeshadow and matching lipstick.
“Why is Eric in a dress?”
Aeron rolled his eyes at Nick’s question. “It’s a kilt, man. Learn the difference.”
Well, that explained the combat boots. But … “If it’s a kilt, why’s he wearing a … Kode, help me out here? Blouse? That’s what that frilly thing’s called, right?”
“Yes, Boo. It’s a black silk blouse with lace French cuffs and a ruffled cravat. And as much as I can’t believe I’m going to say this, it is Tabitha’s shirt. I’ve seen her wear it before.”
Cravat. Nick mouthed the word and made a face at Caleb, who laughed at him.
“Don’t mock the boy, Nick. Least his clothes don’t glow in the dark.”
“Sorry, Cay. Without Madaug here to do it, I felt the inexplicable need for it. Besides, unlike M-dog, I’d never say it to Eric’s face and hurt his feelings. I’m merely getting it out of my system before we approach and it slips out against my will.”
Nick winked at them. “And, I have to say that I admire the man for the self-esteem that allows him to leave home looking like that. And I envy him the mirror he owns that told him it looked good, ’cause my mirror cackles at me every time I glance in its general direction.”
As they approached Tabitha and her group, Nick glanced about for a sign of Simi, but didn’t see anything.
“Hey, Tabby. What’s up?”
She gestured at the closed store and the broken glass on the sidewalk. Luckily, the storm shutters were still in place so that she and