Free Instinct by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page A

“We’ve had a bad morning and my mom’s missing. Caleb’s sick and—”
    â€œWhat do you mean sick?” Xev asked, interrupting him.
    â€œHe has some kind of cold.”
    Xev’s jaw dropped. “No. It’s not possible.”
    Nick exchanged a frown with Kody as he caught the underlying tone of Xev’s voice. “You know what’s wrong with him?”
    â€œAre any other gods infected?”
    Nick shook his head. “Caleb’s a demon, not a god.” As soon as he said that, he remembered that wasn’t entirely true.
    â€œMalphas is a demigod. We have the same father … Verlyn. And while a demon can’t get sick, there was an illness my mother crafted that can strike down the ancient gods, including Caleb, should he come into contact with it.”
    Nick struggled with that concept. “That doesn’t even make sense. How could something make a god sick and not a demon?”
    â€œWhen it’s strictly targeted to them. It was biological warfare, designed to take down an entire pantheon at my mother’s command. She was rather bitchy that way, back in her time.”
    Kody gasped in alarm. “Does that include you?”
    Xev laughed. “You honestly think my mother would spare me any pain?” He pointed to the words of his curse on his torso that showed exactly how little his mother had cared whether or not her son was left to wallow in eternal misery.
    She winced visibly at his coldly stated answer. “What about Nick? Can it hurt him?”
    Xev studied Nick like some science experiment that had been badly mutated. “He might have some immunity now that he’s generations removed from the goddess who birthed the first Malachai. That part, I don’t know. I’m not even sure it’s the same illness as the one I saw on the ancient battlefields. But it’s the only thing I can think of that would make Caleb ill. He should be immune from any other known disease.”
    That at least made sense. Finally. “What of my mother’s kidnapping?”
    â€œI know nothing of her being taken. I swear. She was in the kitchen, getting ready for work, when I came in here to sleep. That’s all I know of her whereabouts. Had I heard anything, I would have protected her with my life.”
    Nick inclined his head to him. “All right. Get dressed. We’ll be in the kitchen, waiting.”
    Xev was dressed before he finished speaking. “Show me where they grabbed your mother. I’ll see if I can detect anything about her assailants.”
    Nick arched a brow at Kody. “Dang, I need to remember I can do that when I’m running late to school. Those ninja dressing skills are handy.”
    She snorted at his misplaced humor.
    Nick took them to the rear of the condo, but didn’t open the back door since the police were still there. He jerked his chin toward them. “Who or whatever it was attacked her and Mark as they were getting into his Jeep. Busted him up enough that he was sent to the hospital.”
    A strange look descended over Xev’s face.
    Nick turned toward Kody. “Is he having a vision or does he need to go potty?”
    Kody shoved at him. “Nick,” she chided.
    â€œWhat? It’s the same look the toddlers used to get on their faces in the crying room I had to help monitor as part of my charity work when I was going through Confirmation.”
    She groaned out loud. “You’re awful.”
    â€œI’m the Malachai, baby.” Nick winked at her to let her know his cocky attitude was a joke. “Goes with the territory.”
    Xev’s eyes glowed the same way Caleb’s and Nick’s did whenever they accessed their powers. That was not a joke.
    Nor was the dark, shrieking cloud that was headed straight for them.
    At first, Nick thought it was another swarm of mosquitos. Yet as it drew closer, the sound was unmistakable.
    It was a murder of