"You're late."
Jess grinned, making sure to keep his fangs from showing as he did so. He turned at the deep, accented voice that had come from behind him. "Didn't know Grandma was keeping tabs and setting curfew."
Two inches taller, Ren had his long, jet black hair pulled back into a single braid that trailed down his back. Even without that pissed-off expression, he was intimidating as all get out. At least to those who could be intimidated.
Jess definitely didn't fit into that category.
The only color on Ren's body was the bone and turquoise choker he wore as an homage to his Native American heritage-other than that, he was swathed all in black from head to toe. Jess asked him once what tribe he belonged to, but Ren had refused to answer. Since it didn't matter to Jess, he'd never asked again, even though they'd been friends for well over a hundred years.
Jess scratched at his whiskers, wishing he'd shaved a little closer. "I thought you were communing with Chocolate tonight."
Ren shook his head. "Choo Co La Tah."
"Isn't that what I said?"
Now, there was a pained expression for you. It was quite impressive. "For a man who was born speaking Cherokee, I don't understand why you can't pronounce things correctly."
"Ah, potato, potahto. Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things?"
"It does if you ever come into contact with him. Believe me, your mixed Cherokee blood won't buy you any tolerance where he's concerned."
Yeah, that was the thing about immortals. Many of them weren't exactly good natured. Many more were downright intolerant. And as for Choo Co La Tah, Jess was more than acquainted with him, but it was one of those things he never talked about. "Then I'll just make sure that I call him Exalted Being."
Ren laughed. "Wise choice."
Jess decided to change the topic to what had bothered him a few minutes ago. "So was that you flying above me as I rode in?"
"You saw me?"
Jess shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't you know, I sense everything around me." Even before Artemis had bestowed him with psychic powers, that was one ability he'd had from birth. No one had ever been able to sneak up on him.
Pulling a gun behind his back and shooting him was another story. Only someone as close to him as Bart had been could have killed him that way. Had Bart been a stranger, it would never have happened.
"And here I thought I was being stealthy."
Jess snorted. "With that girly caw you let out? Did a frog crawl down your throat and die, or what?"
Ren let out a short heh sound. "You better be glad I like you."
"I am indeed, for I have seen how you throw a knife, and it is truly awe inspiring. Now, if you don't mind..." Jess started away from him. If they stayed together too long, they'd deplete each other's strength. It was a fail-safe the gods used to keep Dark-Hunters from combining their powers and taking over mankind.
"Wait."
Jess paused.
"Choo Co La Tah wanted to warn me that something unnatural is coming from the west."
The direction of death for the Cherokee. He didn't know if Ren's people had the same beliefs as his mother's or not. "Yeah, okay. I'll watch for Daimons coming up the street."
"This is serious, Jess. We're nearing the Time Untime when everything resets. Of all men, you know what happens if things get misaligned."
Yes, he did. The Mayans weren't the only ancient Americans who had calendars. Many of the tribes had similar rotating cycles, including the Cherokee. "2012 ain't here yet."
"No, but the return of the Pale One has been sped up by whatever is coming. Be careful tonight."
Now, this was getting annoying, with everyone pecking at him like a bunch of hens. "Andy told me the same thing earlier."
"Two warnings. One night."