"Where are you going?"
"To see Nick."
She scoffed. "Do you really think that will be productive? The man hates your guts more than Stryker does. You'll be lucky if he doesn't pull your spine out through your nostrils."
"Nice to have Miss Merry Sunshine back again. Any other Eeyore outlooks you'd like to share?"
"Just one. If you leave here, War can find you again. What are you going to do if that happens?"
"Leave bloodstains on his best shirt."
Her eyes darkened. "You're not funny, Ash. You said it yourself. This island is the only place safe from War."
"And I'm not a wimp, baby. I'm a god. I'm not going to hide out here because I'm afraid of getting hurt. I have to warn Nick that he has an enemy after him. I owe him that much."
She folded her arms over her chest and gave him a determined glare. "Then I'm coming with you."
Like hell. He'd tie her down before he allowed that. While she had some of his mother's powers, she didn't have them all, and unlike him she wasn't used to battling for her life. "I'll take Xirena with me. But you will stay here and not argue with me."
She growled at him. "You stubborn man."
He gave her a charming smile he hoped would melt some of her ire. "I learned from the best."
"Yeah, I know. I've met your mother."
LEAVING THE DEMON XIRENA OUTSIDE TO KEEP her safe should a fight break out, Ash paused inside Nick's house as he felt for the Cajun's presence. There was no heartbeat to be heard.
But there was an undeniable power here. Ancient and cold, it set off every warning in Ash's body.
Ready to battle, he flashed himself upstairs to Nick's bedroom, where it felt the strongest. As soon as Ash manifested, a tall, lean redheaded man turned toward him. Eerie yellow eyes were filled with torment and power, and set in a face so delicately chiseled it bordered on pretty. His shoulder-length red hair framed his face perfectly. Dressed in black Goth, like Ash, the man was someone he hadn't seen in centuries.
"Jared?"
The Sephiroth inclined his head respectfully. "Long time no see, Atlantean."
"Why are you here?"
Jared sighed before he set one of Nick's Voodoo dolls back on his dresser. "Probably the same thing that you're doing here. Looking for Nick Gautier. I suppose my only question to you is if he's your friend or foe."
"Does it matter?"
His face steeled. "Not really. I just want to know how angry you're going to be when I kill him."
"Very."
Jared sighed. "Damn shame, that. But it changes nothing." He walked around the room, absorbing Nick's essence so that he could track him.
Ash used his powers to shield Nick so that Jared couldn't get an accurate reading. "Why are you so interested in Nick?"
Jared flicked at the black leather containment collar around his throat with his thumb. "Not my place to question why. I'm merely here to obey like the mindless supplicant they've forced me to become."
Ash flinched at the reminder of slavery. A common bond they shared and one he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. He would give anything to free the being before him, but Jared's kind of slavery was never-ending.
"Can I ask a favor of you?" Jared said in a tone that told him how much he hated to ask for anything.
Even so, Ash was cautious. Favors seldom turned out well for anyone. "Depends on the favor."
Jared gave him a tight smile as he pulled his black leather coat off and exposed the dragon tattoo on his forearm. "Nim. Human form. Now."