Someone spent way too much time on the Internet. Smiling, she stood up on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss on his scarred cheek. "Thank you."
"Ah, cher, that ain't right. Laying lips on me to help another man out? Cold, cher, cold."
She frowned as she glimpsed a different Nick. One who was a lot younger and much happier. It was something he was remembering, too. "You're not as far gone as you fear."
Nick scoffed. "It's hard to know how far down you are when there's not a speck of light to judge the darkness by."
"But the scariest part of the dark isn't what's really there, but rather what we imagine from our own fears."
"Then, cher, you don't wanna ever come to my closet. I promise you, there's a lot more than just skeletons hanging in it."
She could believe that. And that brought her right back to what had started all of this.... "Ren is in trouble. I know it." She could feel it with every part of her.
"You read the note," Sasha said from between clenched teeth. "He said he would meet us at the cave. Bastard could have left a map, or an address, or latitude, or longitude, or something, but nooooo.... he leaves you a note. Screw the rest of the world. Y'all can all die if you want. Just don't make my woman worry about me."
Nick snorted. "You obviously have never had a mother or a girlfriend. You do not go to the bathroom without letting them know, 'cause this hell's fury coming at us? Ring Around the Rosies, baby. I'd much rather face an armed demon horde drunk on the scent of my blood, than one riled woman who's been worrying herself sick about where I've been. Ain't a diamond cut big enough in the entire universe to make that beast smile and save your really important jewels from being drop-locked out your nostrils."
Cabeza froze.
"Something wrong?" Jess asked.
"Not sure. It's a ... feeling." He cocked his head as if listening for something. After a second, he indicated Kateri with a jerk of his chin. "Go on. I'll catch up."
Her heart pounded with trepidation. Please, Cabeza, be the angel I think you are.... "Are you going after Ren?"
"Si."
For that, she could kiss him. "Thank you."
He winked at her. "Hey, I'm Mayan. We live to fight. Don't worry, chica. I'll have him back to you before you miss me." Then, he was gone.
Kateri bit her lip as another wave of worry crashed over her. And with it came anger of tidal proportions. Where were those powers her grandmother and father had promised her? They'd said they would kick in when she needed them.
Well, I need them now.
Unfortunately, neither her powers, nor her parents were listening, and all of them appeared to be on their own schedule. One she wanted to rush. How could she save the world without them?
But that wasn't her biggest concern.
Please be all right, Ren. Honestly, she wasn't sure she'd want to save the world if he was no longer in it.
* * *
Ren spat the blood out of his mouth an instant before Chacu seized him again, and slammed him back into the wall, face-first. The good news? He ached so much, it no longer hurt. The bad news? He ached so much, it no longer hurt to be slammed, face-first, into a wall.
Just kill me already and be done with it.
But they were having way too much fun beating on him. And while he'd stood strong against the Guardian month after month, the Guardian had only been one being. Against nine huge, immortal warriors, four of whom dwarfed him, with thousands of years of combat training each?
Sucked to be him tonight, and he was getting the ever-loving shit knocked out of him. And if, by some miracle, he got out of here in one piece, he was definitely going to feel it later.
"Hold him," Coyote snarled at his attackers.
Two seized Ren's arms and two his legs, while another planted one herculean boot right on his crotch to keep him from resisting. The bald bastard pressed down enough to let Ren know he meant it, but not enough to really damage him.
Yet.
May the gods help his jewels if the bastard sneezed.