"You're so screwed."
Sam glanced to Dev before she gave Nick a flat, emotionless stare. "How so?"
"You can't stay here," Nick said darkly. "The Daimons know where you are and they're gearing up for total war."
Dev scoffed. "Tell us something we don't know."
Nick shot a look at Dev that said he thought the bear was an idiot. "You really have no idea. You have kids here and Savitar isn't on your side right now. Stryker knows that and he's planning to take advantage of it."
Dev was less than convinced. "And how do you know what Stryker has planned?"
Nick didn't answer. "Look, you two can stay here and argue, or you can trust me."
Dev hesitated. Part of him still thought of Nick as the same snarky little kid who grew up downstairs hustling pool in their back room and watching over his mom when she'd worked as a waitress for his family.
But that Nick had vanished the night his mom had been murdered by a Daimon and Nick had killed himself in order to become a Dark-Hunter to get revenge on her killer. The boy hadn't been the same since.
More than that, Nick had powers that the average Dark-Hunter didn't. Freaky powers. Every animal instinct in him could feel it resonate. Those powers were extreme and intense. Even worse, they were malevolent and cold.
Corruptive. They came from something a lot darker than the goddess Artemis.
And today...
Dev picked up on something else inside him. Something about Nick was even more wrong than it'd been....
A shiver went down his spine.
Because of that, Dev gave him no quarter. Until he knew whose side Nick was on, he assumed him an enemy regardless of where he'd stood with them in the past. One thing he'd learned the hard way, people turned on each other. "We've shown we can handle anything thrown at us. I think she'll be all right here."
Nick scoffed. "You evaced your children last time. Got them out of the line of fire. They're back. You ready to put them in harm's way?"
Now that went over him like an acid wash. "Are you threatening our cubs?"
Nick's entire expression and stance was unreadable. "I'm trying to save all of you."
Dev wanted to believe him. He did. But something wasn't right and he couldn't put his finger on it. "Look--"
Nick's look turned thunderous and dark. "Why don't you take the hint, Bear, and leave?"
Dev stiffened. "You don't talk to me like that, boy. Not ever."
Sam pulled Dev away from Nick as something weird flashed through her mind. She saw Nick surrounded by Daimons. Saw...
It was gone before she could really get a fix on it. Crap. She hated whenever her powers did that.
Nick narrowed his gaze on her. "We should leave before anyone here gets hurt."
Suddenly, Sam realized what was wrong. Nick was here by himself. Alone. "Who's watching you right now?"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Nick. Who has watch duty on you?"
He scoffed. "No one has watch duty over me. I told Acheron that. All of you are wasting your time. But what ever." He looked past her to where Dev watched them with a stern grimace. "If you don't want to leave. That's fine." His expression turned cold. "Stay. Get killed. No sweat off my balls. I was only doing this as a favor to Acheron anyway."
Sam screwed her face up in distaste. While the attitude was vintage Gautier, he wasn't normally quite so crass.
He dragged his thumb down the side of his face before he sneered, "They're all yours.