Caleb felt his teeth sharpen and elongate in response to that threat. "I command legions."

"And I command you. Never forget that."

If only he could. "One day I'm going to break free of you, Malachai."

"And until you do, you will do exactly as I order. Now guard my boy and his mother. Let nothing happen to them. Do you understand?"

"I understand. But how am I to train him if I can't have him attacked?"

Adarian's lips curled into a sardonic smile. "You're resourceful. Find a way. And remember, I'm in this jail because I choose to be. I can leave it and come for you anytime I want to."

It was true. Adarian lived here because he fed off the cruelty and evil of others. This prison was like living in an Energizer factory as far as he was concerned. It kept him superstrong and able to deflect anything that came at him.

Except for his son. Nick's presence could weaken him instantly. Little prick had no idea that by avoiding his father, he was allowing Adarian's powers to remain at full strength, which put the rest of them at a major disadvantage.

Adarian pulled him closer. "You better not betray me, Malphas. Not in this."

Caleb would accuse him of loving the boy, but he knew better. This wasn't about love. It was about power. If Adarian could keep Nick alive and awayfrom him, he could rebuild his army through Nick and there would be no power on this earth or beyond that could stop him. None.

Other than Nick, the only one who was capable of bringing down the Malachai army was now imprisoned and kept as weak as a sick kitten. While Adarian's powers grew, Jared's deteriorated under the care of a vicious guardian who had no idea just how important her prisoner was.

The balance of power was shifting, just as it'd done in the days before recorded history. Then the bloodiest of all battles had raged. One of the fiercest soldiers, Caleb had barely survived it and the memory of it burned inside him. The fight withAdarian's father had cost him everything.

Now he was servant to his son.

Life really sucked.

"I will obey you ... master." That title stuck deep in his craw.

Adarian smiled. "Good boy. And remember, my son must be evil to the marrow of his bones. You have to turn him. No matter what it takes. Do you hear me?"

"What if the only way I can turn him is to kill the mother?"

Adarian seized his throat again. "You touch one hair on her head ... you allow anyone else to, and I will make you pay in ways you can't imagine in your wildest nightmares. Cherise is mine and no one else is to ever lay a hand on her."

That was the one order Caleb couldn't understand. Again, he would attribute it to love, but there was no way the Malachai could love anything except himself and his quest for power.

Bowing low, he backed away from Adarian.

Caleb had to force himself not to sneer as he retook his raven form and flew through the wall. But once he was out of sight, he used his talons to flip off the demon lord.

Protect the boy, my arse.

What irony, really. The fate of the entire world, of humanity and demonkyn, was in the hands of a fourteen-year-old boy who had no idea of the untapped powers he'd been born with.

A fourteen-year-old boy whose biggest fear was getting grounded by a mother who wouldn't even be a decent snack for Caleb and his kith. What a waste of power.

And I'm the schmuck wio has to protect him.

Not just from the demons, but also from the werewolves like Stone, and others who had a natural inclination to pick on Nick because they could sense that he wasn't quite human.

Caleb let out a tired breath. Would his indignities never cease?

CHAPTER 12

a.

Hello? Mr. Human Boy Person? Can you hear the Simi? Or are you dead? Hello?"

Nick came awake to someone poking a hole in his upper arm with her fingertip. "Ow! Would you stop poking on me?" He opened his eyes to find one of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen leaning over him.

Dang...

Teach me to be rude before I find out wio's assaulting me. Cause this girl was f-i-n-e and he was more than willing to be her victim anytime she wanted to invade his personal space, even if it was with nothing more than her fingertip.

Her long black hair hung in pigtails and was streaked with bloodred. She had on a studded leather choker that matched the black leather corset she wore. Probably around the age of seventeen or eighteen, she had a pair of red eyes (must be some of those weird contacts) that were ringed with black eyeliner. Her lips were also bright red, like her fingernails. And her features were absolutely perfect. Dressed in a really short black and red skirt, she had purple leggings and a pair of bright red Doc Martens that were accented with a skull-and-rose motif.

She cocked her head in a gesture that reminded him of a bird as she eyed him with consternation. "Why you sleeping on the ground out here, Mr. Boy Human? The Simi don't think this is a safe thing to do. Comfortable either. Someone might think you dead and steal something or they could kill you.

Maybe not if they think you dead already, but then again, people do weird things all the time—like killing dead people even though they're dead. Is that overkill or is that just dumb? Never mind. So you should probably get up soon and not sleep here. Did you lose your bed? Or are you one of them special people who don't have a bed but sleep outside instead? Some of them can be real nice. Some even offer the Simi drinks, but akri says I can't have any 'cause it'll give me indigestion. Not like rubber does, but worse. So says akri." She had a strange singsongy voice that was endearing and adorable.

But it made understanding her a little difficult, especially with the headache he had. "What?" Nick asked.

She let out a long-suffering sigh. "You one of them humans can't follow Simi speak. That's okay. This why the Simi don't bother talking to most humans 'cause, no offense, you all weird. Some of you even stupid. Real stupid. Like stump stupid. It's the lack of hornays, I say. See, only really smart creatures have hornays ... except for them moo moo cows —they not bright. But akri says there's always an exception to every rule. So they would be the exception to the hornayone. But they taste really good so the Simi will forgive them for bringing down her bell curve of superior intellect over all the other nonhorned subspecies."

She narrowed her eyes on his head. "Hmmm, I bet you'd be really cute with hornays. Not that you're not cute right now, but you're a bit young. You're only what? Four in human years? Oh wait, that's wrong, isn't it? You ninety?"

Was she serious? "Fourteen."

"Oh." She put the tip of her finger to her lips as she considered something. "I wouldn't have guessed that. Still, you're young. So can the Simi help you find a place to sleep that's not dangerous? My akri can help if we need him to. He always does."

Nick shook his head. "Who are you?" What planet are you from? Obviously Planet Insanity was missing a local, long-term resident.

She held her lace-covered hand out to him. "I am the Simi, and who are you, Mr. Boy Human?"

He shook her hand carefully in case her lunacy was catching. "Nick."

Letting go of him, she picked at the edge of his sling. "You gots a wound, don't you? Did you have that before you went to sleep on the street?"

"Uh, yeah." Nick pushed himself up and Simi sprang to her feet beside him.

Dang, she was tall. At least six feet. Of course some of that was augmented by the platform boots.

Frowning, she leaned forward and touched his neck. "You bleeding, Mr. Nick. Are you supposed to do that?"

Nick brushed her hand away so that he could feel a cut there. He tried to remember what'd happened, but for his life he had no memory of it. The last thing he remembered was leaving Caleb and heading toward Bourbon. "Is it bad?"

"The Simi wouldn't suggest being around no Daimon with that 'cause they might be hungry and it look mighty tempting to drain your blood out and feast on your soul, but it not gushing or anything. I think you'll live." She paused again as if thinking about it. "Yeah, that's right. People only die when it gushes and don't stop. If you don't live though and drop dead from it, can the Simi eat you? Akri says the Simi can't eat no living people, but he never said no about them newly dead people. Maybe that's why he don't let me near them fresh dead. But—"

"What are you talking about?" Nick interrupted her. "Are you for real?"

She blinked innocently. "What you mean?" Biting her lip, she looked at her hand. "The Simi's not turning invisible again, is she? Ooo, that would be bad. I promised akri I wouldn't do that no more in public places. But sometimes the Simi can't help it. Kind of like putting barbecue sauce on salads. It's just mandatory and reflexive 'cause you gots to kill the taste of the ick rabbit food."

Nick stepped away from her. She was nuts with a capital N. Was there any female left in New Orleans under the age of twenty who hadn't lost her mind?

Kody...

Yeah, he definitely needed a Kody shot rightabout now.

He cleared his throat as he looked at Simi. "No, you're not turning invisible and I'm sure I'm late so I better get going...."

She stepped in front of him to stop his leaving. "Did you hear that sound?"

"What sound?"

"Zombies! They're coming for us. Wheee! Yum!"

Ian St. James was alone in his big brother Madaug's room. He wasn't supposed to be in here. Ever. Under penalty of severe mutilation and much shouting by their parents. But Madaug always had the coolest games, which he refused to share with his little brother. The big poop head.

What he doesnt knowwont get my arm frogged. ... Yeah, Madaug had run out the door hours ago and he didn't seem to be coming back anytime soon. Which gave Ian plenty of time to sneak on Madaug's computer and play his brother's latest creation: Pokemon Death Trap Fever. His brother had taken all the characters from Pokemon and merged them with the ones from Mortal Kombat. Like Charizard now had acid spit and could rip the spine out of other characters while laughing at them. It was a bloodbath death match that would leave their mother fainting if she ever knew.

But what she didn't know wouldn't get Ian grounded.

Grinning, he booted up, then cringed at Madaug's stinky manga wallpaper that bordered on hentai ... another thing their mother would die over. The cartoon girl had so little clothing on she might as well be naked. And the way she had her leg lifted up, kicking ... he gagged.

Ew!

"I just don't get it." Ian put his hand up to block the view of the girl as he went into the menu to find the games. His brother kept telling him that he'd get it in a few years, along with hair in weird places and body odor. Honestly, Ian liked being ten and had no desire to grow up and smell, especially if it meant smelling like Madaug.

He shivered at the thought as he read through the games. He paused as one in particular caught his eye.

"Zombie Hunter?"

Madaug hadn't told him about this one. Oooo, it sounded good. Double clicking on it, he waited for it to load. Rubbing his hands together, he giggled, knowing he was getting away with something that would really anger his brother if Madaug ever found out about it.

And Ian loved getting away with things he wasn't supposed to be in.

Suddenly, he heard a sound outside the door.

Ian jumped, terrified it was Madaug coming in to discover him in his room on his computer. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead. His brother would beat him until he screamed like a girl.

Killing the power to the computer, he shot from the desk. His heart hammering, he went to the door and opened it.

It wasn't Madaug.

It was some tall and scary guy he'd never seen before. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen as he glared down at Ian. "Brains," he growled.

Ian rolled his eyes. Puh-lease. What was it with teenagers that they thought something that stupid would intimidate the big kids? "I'm not a baby. You can't scare me with that stuff." He lifted his chin defiantly.

Until the guy grabbed him and bit him in the shoulder.

Screaming out, Ian did what his mom had always told him to do whenever a guy, not one of his brothers, grabbed him. He hit him in the nuts as hard as he could.

The zombie staggered back, but he was still in the doorway, blocking him from leaving.

Panic swelled as lan's lips trembled. I'm so sorry I'm in your room, Madaug. Ill never come into it again unless you tell me to. I swear....

That was, as long as the zombie didn't eat his brains.

Ian ran to Madaug's desk, looking for a weapon. Dang it, his geekified brother didn't even have a trophy to bash the zombie in the head with. All he had was a half-eaten ham sandwich, a Yoda bobblehead, an empty can of Dr Pepper, potato chip crumbs, a greasy two-day-old pizza box, a bunch of CDs, and a glasses case. All of that was worthless.