Every window in the house was covered with shutters and heavy drapes. Every single one. Not so much as a tendril of sunlight came in. How weird was that? His mother was always yelling at him for burning electricity in the daytime.

Stop shaming the daylight, boy. Turn out the lights. Have you any idea howmuch money you're wasting?

Pushing it out of his mind, he reached the door Rosa had mentioned and opened it.

Kyrian satin front of a computer with a headset covering one ear. "Talon, I hear what you're saying. I'm just not listening to it. Look, the kid's here. I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone and pulled the headset off before placing it on his desk.

"Talon?" Nick asked.

Kyrian smiled without showing his teeth—another peculiar habit Nick had noticed about him even back when he'd come to the hospital. "A friend I'm sure you'll eventually meet." He inclined his head toward Nick's sling. "How are you feeling?"

"Cranky. Pain meds wore off and it hurts like a mother."

Kyrian ignored his curt tone and semi-profanity. "Heard you had some problems at your school today."

"I didn't have no problems at school 'cause they wouldn't let me on campus. Makes it a great day if you ask me."

Kyrian rolled his eyes, but didn't comment on Nick's irritable tone. "Have you called your mom?"

"No. Why?"

"Don't you think she might have heard about the attacks at school and been worried?" "I don't see how."

"Nick ... She's your mother. She's going to be worried. Honestly, you have no idea how much your parents love you until something happens to you—then it's too late." There was a note in Kyrian's voice that Nick couldn't quite define. Something like buried pain from a bitter memory that still bothered him....

But that didn't matter. Nick wasn't being stupid or disrespectful. "I know she'd be worried if she knew about it but I know she hasn't heard anything. We don't have TV or anything. Heck, we don't even have a phone. You have to call Menyara and she takes messages to us."

The shock on Kyrian's face set his temper on fire.

"We don't need your pity," Nick growled. "We get along just fine without it and them other things too. You don't need electronic crap to live. You know, people lived for thousands of years without it. There's a big difference between stuff you want and stuff you need."

Kyrian held his hands up in surrender. "Settle down, Nick. I don't feel sorry for you. I didn't have any of that when I was a kid either and believe me, I know how people used to live."

Nick looked around the expensive furnishings that belied those words. It was hard to imagine Kyrian having ever done without anything. "You've come a long way, huh?"

"In some ways ..."

"And in others?"

Kyrian shrugged. "Let me put it to you this way... money doesn't solve your problems. It just brings new ones to your door."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning I hope you never know the betrayals I've had. My father once told me that no friend would ever be loyal to me because of what I had and who I was."

Nick's dad had told him basically the same thing. Trust no one at his back, 'cause all people did was betray. And that they usually laughed while they did it.

But he didn't want to be so jaded. "Was he right?"

"Absolutely not. There was one friend I had who was loyal. But when he died, it left me with others who more than proved my father a wise man. I know it's hard to listen at your age. The gods know I never did, but—"

"The gods?"

Kyrian chuckled, again without showing his teeth. "You'll have to forgive me. I'm a little eccentric sometimes." "Is that why all the windows are closed?"

Kyrian arched a brow. "You're observant. Impressive. Most people don't catch that."

"Yeah, well, few things escape me. I tend to watch silently from the shadows. You learn a lot more that way."

"I'll keep that in mind then." Kyrian stepped from around his desk and handed him the phone. "Go ahead and send a message to your mom. In the event she's heard about your school, I don't want her to worry."

Nick screwed his face up. "Boy, with that kind of uberconsideration, your parents must really love you." Mr. Goody Two-shoes.

Kyrian hesitated before he responded. "My parents died a long time ago. And you know the sad thing? I still miss them everyday. I spent my entire youth fighting with my dad over every little thing and damned if I wouldn't sell my soul to see him one more time and tell him I was sorry for the last words I said to him. Words I can never take back that should have never been said. So call your mom. No matter what kind of relationship you have with your parents, I swear to you, you'll miss them when they're gone."

Nick wasn't so sure about that. He barely knew his dad. His mom was another subject though—he would never intentionally hurt her. Dialing Aunt Mennie's number, he put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Mennie's Creole accent was thicker than normal.

"Hey, Aunt Men, it's Nick. Can you—"

"Boy? Where you been? Your poor mama done sick with worry over you. She's sitting right here, right now, all tore up and crying. She ain't slept or had a minute's peace since this morning when she heard about your school. Shame on you for worrying her like this. We went to the school and everything looking for you and couldn't find a trace of you anywhere. No one would tell her anything and there you sit all nice and fine. Shame on you, boy! Shame on you."

Nick felt like the lowest form of dog spittle as his mom took the phone. It wasn't like Menyara to fuss at him for anything. She usually left it to his mom to do. That more than anything told him how worried his mom was.

"Baby Boo?" Those words wrung his gut. It was his childhood nickname that she seldom used anymore. "You all right?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'm good. I'm really sorry I didn't call. I—I just didn't think you'd hear about it."

"It's okay, Boo. I'm just glad you're all right. It's so good to hear your voice. The police wouldn't tell me nothing about the victims. They said they hadn't notified the families so I was waiting for them to come to my door and ..." She broke off into sobs.

Nick cringed until he was sick. "I didn't mean to scare you, Mom."

"It's okay. It's all good. You're safe and that's all that matters to me. Where are you?"

He looked at Kyrian, who was giving him an "I told you so" glare. "I'm at Mr. Hunter's now. I was at Bubba's store, helping him out this morning since they canceled school. He said he'd pay me double time for it."

"But you're safe?"

"Yeah, I'm safe."

"Oh, thank God."

Kyrian took the phone from his hand. "Mrs. Gautier? It's Kyrian. I wanted to let you know that I'll feed Nick and have him home about seven if that's all right with you?" He paused to listen to her. "Yes, ma'am. I'll take good care of him and won't let anything happen to him. Promise." He hung up the phone.

Nick scowled at him. "Why do you call her 'ma'am' when she's younger than you?" "It's a sign of respect."

That he didn't understand, but he was grateful for it. "Not many people have shown my mom the respect she deserves. I really appreciate it that you do."

Kyrian put the phone in his pocket. "I learned a long time ago not to judge people by what they look like, sound like, or by the clothes they wear. Just because a house is nice and shiny out front doesn't mean it's not rotting on the inside. Your mom's a good woman with a good heart and I'm glad you're mature enough to appreciate that about her."

Nick found a whole new respect for him. "You know? I think I can work for you."

Kyrian gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Glad to hear it. Now shall I show you around?"

He liked the formal way Kyrian spoke sometimes. He went back and forth from typical slang to some old-world expressions that were tinged with an accent Nick couldn't place. "You shall indeed."

Kyrian rubbed his eyes at Nick's bad English accent. "Your duties here will be light. Nothing too strenuous, and if anything aggravates your arm until it heals, don't do it. Last thing you need is to set your therapy back."

Nick followed him to the staircase. "Why are you doing this, anyway? You know what I was into that night and yet you'd let me in here around all your stuff? Aren't you afraid I'll steal something?"

Kyrian turned around on the stairs to give him a harsh glare. "There's nothing you can steal from me that I can't replace. Things mean very little to me." He took a step closer to Nick.

"As for why I'm helping you ... I believe in you, Nick. You remind me of a kid I knew once. Hardheaded to the point no one could stand him. He wouldn't listen and had a massive chip on his shoulder because he wanted to show the world how tough he was—that he didn't need anyone hand-holding him through life, or doing anything for him. Everything had to be learned by his own hand ... the hard way." "What happened to him?"

"He rebelliously joined the army against his father's wishes and met a man who changed his life. For whatever reason, that man had patience. And where others would have justifiably killed the arrogant snotnose for his attitude, his commanding officer saw potential in him. He changed that kid's life and I'd like to pay that debt forward with you."

It took Nick a second to realize what exactly he was saying. "You're the kid?"

Kyrian inclined his head.

"And this dude who changed your life?"

He looked down at the ring on his hand that rested on the shiny banister. "A man named Julian."

Nick shivered at such a god-awful moniker. "Isn't Julian a girl's name?"

One corner of Kyrian's mouth twisted into a sardonic smile. "Trust me, Nick. He was the toughest SOB you've ever met on a battlefield. No one ever defeated him in a fight. He made Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris look like poseurs."

"Is that how you learned to fight like you did when you saved me?"

"Yes."

Nick had to give him credit. Kyrian could definitely handle himself. It was something he'd love to have. "Could you teach me some of that?"

"When your arm's better. For now, I promised your mom I wouldn't tax your strength." Nick growled. "Yeah, but—"

"No buts. Today is only an introduction. I want you to get the lay of the land. Rosa is your direct supervisor. Whatever she says goes. Since I usually work at night, she'll be the one you deal with most when you're here." He turned around and descended the stairs again.

Nick skipped down behind him. "So how many people work for you?"

"Just Rosa and George the groundskeeper.... And now you."

"What about Mr. Poitiers?"

"He's a friend. I have many who do favors for me from time to time."

Nick could respect that. "Must be good to be king."

A flicker of sadness flashed across Kyrian's face before he hid it. "Why don't I show you to your office first?"

That announcement stunned Nick. "I have an office?"

"Yes." Kyrian led him to a room off the kitchen that was bigger than Nick's entire condo. Shelves of books lined the walls. And there were two desks and computers in it, along with nice black leather office chairs. It was an impressive layout. "Rosa has the bigger desk. Yours is there."

Nick walked over to it with his jaw slack as he ran his hand across the top of it. Made of rich cherry wood, it was pristine and beautiful. But it was the large monitor on the desk that really made him smile. "I have my own computer?"

"Yes, and you can do homework on it if you need to. It's hooked online so ..."

Nick's eyes widened even more. "It's online and everything?

"Yes. There'll be times when I'll need you to get information or order things online for me." "Really?" "Really."

Nick didn't know what to say. This was more than he'd ever imagined. When Kyrian had offered the job, he'd figured it was walking the dog, cleaning toilets, or something equally as crappy. Not in his wildest dreams had he thought he'd have his own desk or computer.

In fact, Rosa had already put his backpack there. It made him feel like an adult with a real desk job.

Most of all, it made him feel respectable.

Lifting his head high, he met Kyrian's gaze. "So how much money will I be making?"