Acheron snorted. "Depends on the neighborhood...." He paused to talk into the phone. "Hey, Kyrian, you might want to finish that shower and get down here. Your home was just invaded by zombies while Rosa and your boy fought them off. Just FYI."

Well, that explained why Kyrian hadn't heard the commotion and come down to investigate it.

Hanging up the phone, Acheron walked over to Rosa and whispered in Spanish. Nick wasn't sure how he understood, since he personally didn't speak Spanish, but he did. "Forget everything that happened. The food spilled on the floor by accident and nothing out of the ordinary took place. No attack. Just another day...."

He looked at Nick, who took a step back in severe trepidation of what this stranger was going to do to him. When Acheron lifted his hand, Nick bolted for the front of the house.

Get out of here. No\M That was a crazy demonic-sounding voice in his head, but he didn't question it. He just ran like mad.

Rounding the staircase, he skidded to a halt as Acheron appeared directly in front of him out of thin air. Only this time,

Nick didn't see Acheron in the body of a young man. He saw ...

Someone with fangs, mottled blue skin, black lips, and horns. The image was there in a flash and then gone. Like a freaked-out hallucination.

What had been in that gumbo?

It's supernatural.

I dont believe in that. Yet how could he deny what he was seeing? This wasn't normal. This wasn't chemical-induced, bioweaponed zombies.... There was no logical way for Acheron to have gotten in front of him and just appeared like that. Just like the door slamming shut when he entered the kitchen, or the flash of light.

It was impossible.

Utterly impossible.

No longer sure what he could believe, Nick swallowed. "What are you?"

Acheron scowled. "Completely perplexed. You remember everything that happened." It was a statement of fact and nota question ... as if Acheron was inside his head.

"Yeah. Duh. Not like you're going to forget the killer zombie stalkers and psyched-out kitchen staff. What kind of freak show is this?"

Acheron gave an evil laugh. "You have no idea, Nick. But my question is: Why are the zombies after you?"

"Oh heck no, bud. The question is: Why you got horns on your head and black lips?"

Acheron's smile faded. "What?"

"I saw you a minute ago when you freak-flashed in here. You had horns and blue skin. What are you?"

Acheron returned that question with one of his own. "What funky vegetables you been eating? Meth is death and inhalants can kill you, kid. You should stay awayfrom them before they destroy your last three brain cells."

Yeah, right. "I'm stone cold and you ... you're not human. I know you're not human."

That irritating grin returned to Acheron's face. "Very few people are."

"Ha, ha. I saw you, man. What you did to the zombies when you arrived and with Rosa.... I know you're not human. Are you going to kill me because I know?"

Acheron paused as he considered his options. Nick Gautier was a lot more than he seemed. At fourteen, Nick's mind should have easily been wiped by his powers, like Rosa's had been. Not that Acheron liked to use those powers on anyone. As a rule, he seldom did, but there were times when circumstances demanded it.

Killer zombies exploding in a kitchen happened to be one of them.

And it wasn't until someone was older that they developed the ability to block that particular talent of his. And even then only the stoutest of wills could stand against his powers.

Come to think of it, no mortal human being had ever stood against his powers. Only gods and a handful of demons could fight or circumvent him against his will.

More than that, somehow, some way, Nick had glimpsed his true god form.

How?

Kill him and be done w'th it.

That was probably the most logical thing to do. But Kyrian, for whatever misguided reasons, had his heart set on saving the kid. Closing his eyes, Acheron used his powers to see into the future—to what would happen if he killed Nick.

Nothing was there.

Just a vacuous space of nothingness. Crap...

Two weeks ago, when Nick had been injured, he'd seen the kid's entire life from start to finish as clear as a summer sky. Now he couldn't even glimpse what Nick had bulging in his front pocket.

This is so not good.

Because that meant only one thing—this kid was going to significantly impact his life somehow and the Fates had blinded Acheron to him to prevent him from interfering with Nick's choices.

/ hate it when this happens. It was why he tried to never let anyone near him. Why he had no real friends other than his demon companion.

This little bugger in front of him was destined to alter his future. No wonder he couldn't use his powers against him.

Sighing, Acheron opened his eyes. There was no need to fight destiny. He'd learned centuries ago just how useless it was to try. Might as well embrace the inevitable and introduce myself. Because anytime someone had tried to alter his future, it'd only made things worse. Much worse.

"I'm Acheron Parthenopaeus."

Nick snorted. "Dang, and I thought my name sucked. Your parents must have really hated your guts." If he only knew....

"Call me Ash. It's easier and takes a lot less time."

Nick held his good hand out to him. "Nick Gautier. Now what are you again?"

"He's the best friend you'll ever make or your last enemy."

Nick looked up to see Kyrian coming down the stairs. "Oh, I get it," he said sarcastically." 'Cause he'll kill me if I tick him off. Ha, ha, ha."

Kyrian rolled his eyes.

Acheron let out a long-suffering breath. "I'm not saying a word, General. I told you the kid was going to be more trouble than he's worth. So far, I'm right."

Nick took a step closer to Acheron and said in a low tone, "Does Kyrian know about... you know? Your particular weird ness?"

"He does indeed. Rosa, not so much. So let's keep that on the down low around her." "Gotcha."

Kyrian paused beside Acheron. "I take it Nick saw something unusual?"

"Not too unusual," Nick said. "If you live in a friggin' video game."

Acheron shook his head. "He handled it well for the most part."

Nick scoffed. "Ash is omitting the part where I freaked out and ran like a girl. Did you know your housekeeper can handle a knife like a street fighter and has no qualms about hacking people up with it?"

"Well that was a random switch in topic," Acheron said to Kyrian.

Kyrian laughed. "Yes, Nick. I know all about her knife-welding talents. It's why I hired her. And if I were you, I'd keep that in mind should you ever feel the need to lip off to her. She doesn't take it well."

"Don't worry. That desire ... effectively quelled." Nick put his hand in his pocket as he digested everything that had happened over the last few minutes. "So you have a psychotic housekeeper with some serious ninja knife skills and Acheron would be what to you?"

There was a sudden awkwardness between them, so thick it permeated the air around them. "Ahhh," Nick said as he understood why they weren't explaining it. As the old saying went, opposites attract. "You two are special friends."

Kyrian frowned. "How do you mean?"

Acheron passed a peeved look to Kyrian. "He thinks we're a couple."

Kyrian took a step away from Acheron. "No. No. No. Definitely not. Not that Acheron is not an attractive man, not that I've ever really noticed whether or not he's attractive, but male is not my type."

Nick looked back and forth between them. On the surface, the two of them had nothing in common other than they were both badasses. "Then how do you two know each other? 'Cause aside from the money thing you seem really normal and Ash ... really not."

Acheron cocked a brow. "Are you telling me that you have no oddball friends?"

"Uh, not like you. Mine just do weird things like eat Jell-0 through straws and get thrown out of Kroger for eating samples. They're nowhere near as weird as you."

Acheron tsked. "I would disagree. I don't drown myself in Eau de Duck Urine or look for werewolves in the swamp, unlike some people you know."

"Yeah, okay, so Bubba and Mark walk off the beaten path into Planet I Don't Know. But they don't do that creepy mind wipe stuff or slam doors without touching them."

"How do you know the wind didn't catch it?" Acheron asked.

"Would that be the same wind that somehow blew you through the house to land in front of me?"

"Could be. Hurricane force. It is New Orleans, after all. It happens."

Nick gave Acheron a droll stare. "No offense, I ain't Dorothy and I didn't see no house land on a woman in striped socks. But if you believe all that, I have a house on a hill in the bayou to sell you. By the way, how do you know about Bubba and Mark?"

Ash got really quiet.

Kyrian's face was completely stoic.

"What?" Nick prompted.

Ash cleared his throat before he answered. "I get bored sometimes. Infinite power... local lunatics. There's just times when you really need to screw with someone's head and Mark is such an easy target. He wants to see, and a few well-placed shadows go such a long way in making him happy, and me entertained."

"Dude, you're so wrong." But Nick could almost understand that. "And the zombies? You plant them too?"

"No. I'm as clueless about them as you are. In fact, I came over here to warn you"—he turned to Kyrian—"about them. Believe it or not, I don't know how many are infected. But it seems to be mostly teenagers, and Nick's school's the nucleus for it. Ground zero as it were."

Kyrian looked as confused as Nick felt. "How can you not know, with your powers?"

"As hard as it is to believe, even for me, there are things I can't decipher. This would be one of them. Someone else is shielding them—probably whatever entity created them. And I don't know who that is, but the bokor seems to be targeting school officials and nerdy students."

Nick stiffened. "Why you look at me when you say the word 'nerdy'?"

Ash flipped up the tail of Nick's hideous blue Hawaiian shirt. "Normal people don't dress like that." Nick brushed his hand down the front of his shirt and gave a confident tilt of his head. "Hey now, I make this look good. And you're a fine one to talk. Why you wearing those sunglasses inside when it's dark, Geek boy?"

Ash let fly a cocky grin." 'Cause no matter where I go, the sun is always shining on me."

Nick was completely unamused.

"Nick?"

He turned at Rosa's call. "Yes, ma'am?" "Didn't you tell me you hadn't eaten?" "Yes, ma'am."

"Then you come in here and have something before you waste away." She paused as she entered the doorway of the kitchen and saw Ash. "Acheron? When did you get here?"

Ash indicated the door over his shoulder with his thumb. "I came in the front door a few minutes ago."

Rosa's brow was creased with a stern frown. "Strange. I didn't hear the bell."

Ash smiled. "You know me, Rosa. Silent like a ghost."

A chill went down Nick's spine at what Rosa was saying and about her lack of memory where Ash was concerned. He should probably be running for the door, but there was something about Acheron he actually liked. And while the guy looked like he could sweep the floor with Rambo, Nick sensed a kinship with him. Almost like they were long-lost brothers. It was so strange and yet...

Stay away from him. Ash is evil to the bones. He wll destroy you. Nick shook his head at the deep voice that echoed in his ears.

For a second, he felt like he was losing his mind.

"Are you coming, Nick?" Rosa asked.

"Yes, ma'am." His stock answer for most women since his mom really didn't like the word "no." Dutifully, he made his way to Rosa and to the food he was starving for.

Acheron watched while Nick made his way to the kitchen. He didn't know why, but his gut told him that Nick was somehow key to what was going on. It was like a presence was here. One he couldn't see, hear, or touch.

He could only feel it like a hidden shadow. Malevolent and cold, it sent a shiver down his spine. It was pure hatred, but he couldn't tell who it was directed at.

Him.

Or Nick.

Kyrian lowered his tone so that neither Rosa nor Nick would hear him. "What aren't you saying?" "Ever have one of those feelings you can't shake?" "Every damn night."

Ash gave a short laugh. "Still planning to set Nick up as your Squire?"