Inferno (Chronicles of Nick #4)

Inferno (Chronicles of Nick #4) Page 41

Crap.

Caleb turned and walked away, leaving Nick alone with Zavid, who had transformed into his human body.

Zavid glared at him. “You should have let him kill me, Malachai.”

“You don’t mean that.… C’mon, let me take you home and get you cleaned up.”

“I’m not a pet,” Zavid growled ferociously.

“And I’m not a master. I just wanted to help.”

Zavid scowled as if he didn’t understand the language Nick was speaking. “Is that all you wanted?”

“Honestly? I would give any and everything to have a normal, average life.” Sighing in disgust, Nick helped Zavid up and then he flashed them to his condo, where Kody had already put his mother to bed.

Nick showed Zavid how to work the shower, then left him to it.

Exhausted and concerned about the things Caleb had named, he joined Kody in the living room and pulled her into his arms. He pressed his forehead against hers. “Are we good or are we enemies?” he asked her, needing to know where they stood.

“We will only be enemies if you make it so.”

Friends could kill as fast as enemies. She didn’t say those words, but he was learning to catch those underlying loopholes.

Wanting to trust her, but afraid of what might happen if he did, he kissed her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “We’ll try to sort some of this out when I’m not so tired I’m dizzy.”

Kody kissed his cheek. “All right. Sleep tight. Don’t let the Hel Hound bite.”

“You are not funny.”

She wrinkled her nose at him, then touched his lips with her fingers. “Tomorrow, my Cajun. It’ll be a whole new day.” And with that, she stepped back and left him.

Feeling older than Acheron, Nick stumbled into his bedroom and threw himself onto his bed. He wanted to stay awake and help Zavid acclimate to this world. But the moment his head touched the softness of his pillow, he was out.

Yet as he closed his eyes, there was a bright flash, followed by a light whisper.

Be careful what you wish for.…

You just might get it.

EPILOGUE

“Nick? Honey? You’re not really asleep, are you?”

Nick blinked his eyes open as some loud song he didn’t know made his ears ring. In fact, he was surrounded by all kinds of noise. Like a party.

What the…?

He lifted his head up from his folded arms to find himself not in the bed he’d fallen into, but at a …

Prom?

Scowling, he scanned the darkened room where his classmates were partying hard. His jaw went slack. But what floored him most were the people sitting at the table with him. Caleb was to his right, but instead of the pretty boy jock he was supposed to be, Caleb was a bit heavyset and wore a retainer.

Retainer? Was it a costume party of some kind?

And Simi, who was wearing an understated pink frilly dress down to her ankles with a sweater buttoned up to her chin, held Caleb’s hand. Demon … Simi …

Casey was beside him, wearing a pair of thick glasses and an outdated dress that looked like something from the 1980s. Is this a dream?

It was too real for that, and yet …

“Nick, are you okay? You’re looking a bit under the weather.”

No. He was definitely not okay. He felt like someone had just sucker-punched him as his gaze locked on a short, stubby … geek whose eyes and hair were all too familiar.

No … it couldn’t be.

Could it?

“Stone?”

He beamed. “Yeah, buddy. Should I call your dad to come get you? You don’t look like you should be driving.”

“I can take him home.”

Nick went cold at a voice he didn’t want to recognize. No, no, no. There was no way he was here. His stomach tight, Nick was terrified of where his nightmare would take him this time. Don’t look. Don’t.

But it was like a train wreck. He couldn’t help himself. He had to know.

Stop!

The moment he turned, he knew he’d died and gone to the real hell. That was the only plausible explanation that he could wrap his head around. The only explanation that made sense.

Because this …

This was the freakfest of all time.

It was Ash—five feet tall with short brown hair and blue eyes. And in a pink tux …

Nick laughed at something that was a lot scarier than it was funny. But he didn’t know what else to do … except scream, and that might get him put in a straitjacket. Maybe I’ve already lost my mind.

Yeah, that was a little more acceptable than this current nightmare.

He swallowed hard, then returned his attention to Stone. “Can I ask a weird question?”

“If you must.”

Raking his hand through his hair, Nick tried to figure out why he was having this screwed-up dream. What had he eaten?

But for now, he had no choice except to ride this … horror out.

“What’s my dad’s name?”

They all laughed.

Yeah, so not funny. He forced himself not to insult them for their ridicule. “C’mon, guys. Just play along and answer the question.”

Ash snorted, then answered in a nasal tone. “You know your dad, Nick. Michael Burdette. He’s an accountant who works with Caleb’s father.”

Caleb had a dad, too.…

Sure. Why now? And fat, flying fairies made Nick’s clothes every night and left them for him in the bathroom.

Nick arched a brow at Caleb. “And your father would be…?”

“What is your problem, Nick? You know my dad is your dad’s best friend and has been since forever. Caleb Fingerman? Hello? Mark’s my dad.”

Nick started laughing and laughing. He couldn’t stop. Yeah, this was all insane. “Okay, joke’s over, everyone. Ha. Ha. You got me.”

“What joke?” Ash, Caleb, and Stone asked while the women looked at him as if he was the one who was nuts.

Unable to deal with it anymore, Nick rose to his feet and curled his lip. “You know, for a joke to work it actually needs to be funny … and this is not even a little.” Angry at them, he stormed off to the bathroom to splash water on his face and wake up.

Something had to get him out of this hell and back home.

But the moment Nick looked into the bathroom mirror, he froze in absolute horror. Not only was he in an ugly blue tuxedo that he’d never wear, his hair was blond, and his eyes were an average gray color.

I’m short?

His heart pounding, he checked his legs to make sure they were intact.

They were.

And yet he was only five foot eight.

No …

More than that? His powers were all gone. Every last one of them. He had nothing.

Nick gaped at the face he saw in the mirror that wasn’t his. He pinched himself and shook his head. It was him. Somehow he’d morphed into a short, blond dude.

Unable to accept it, he tried everything he could to wake up.

It’s not a dream.

Somehow this was real.

Madaug walked in and sneered at him. No longer skinny and nerdy, he was six foot four and ripped. “What you looking at, Burdette?”

“Burdette?” Nick repeated, looking around for Bubba.

Madaug shoved him. “Nick Burdette? Can’t you even recognize your own name?” He rolled his eyes. “Damn, boy, how dumb are you?” He went over to a urinal.

Stunned, confused, and horrified, Nick stumbled out to the prom that was filled with people he knew but didn’t recognize. Reaching for something, anything to prove this wasn’t happening, he pulled his wallet out and checked his license.

It was the “new” blond him in the photo, but what hit him like a kick in the crotch was the name.…

Nicholas Michael Burdette.

“What the hell has happened?”

And more important … how could he undo it when he no longer had any power and his allies were now woefully normal?