Page 35

35

November 3, 2030

“ H ey, Ma! Can I get extra credit in your class if I tell the story about how Simi helped you find Atlantis?”

Thunder clapped through the small shotgun home where Simi lived sometimes with akri, akra-Tory and their two teenage sons, Terry and Sebastos.

Simi laughed as she added more syrup on her pancakes ’cause she was out of barbecue sauce. “You done made akri angry, baby Terry! You needs apologize before Daddy whups your butt.”

With bright blue eyes and dark brown hair, Terry looked an awful lot like akri and akri-Styxx. But then so did their cousin, Ari who was sitting beside him at the breakfast table.

’Course a lot of that had to do with the fact that Ari’s daddy was Styxx and his mom, Bethany. Since the two of them were only a few months apart in age, Terry and Ari hung out together a lot.

A lot, lot.

Bethany and Tory said that they were the twin brothers akri and Styxx should have been when they were little.

And that was okay. Akri and Styxx had learned to be twins and even friends over the years.

Akra-Tory set more pancakes down between them before she brushed the hair back from Terry’s forehead and kissed his brow. “How many times do I have to tell you not to tease your father about Atlantis?”

“I know, but I want to graduate early and get on with my life.”

She snorted at his answer. “You’re seventeen, a senior in college, and you’re immortal. Slow down. You have eternity to get on with your life.” Tory handed Simi a bottle of barbecue sauce. “Not sure how that’ll taste with the syrup mixed in, but …”

Simi smiled as she gladly accepted the bottle, then she poured it over her stack.

“Besides,” Terry pointed at Ari, “it was his idea.”

“Hey! Don’t throw me under the bus. I said we should try to get extra credit and graduate before the spring so we could get jobs with the Squire’s council. Atlantis was all your idea.”

Akri appeared in the room so that he could glare at Terry. “Why do you want to torment me in the morning when you know how much I hate mornings?”

Terry smiled. “Simi told me to.”

Blinking, Simi swallowed her bite. “Uh-uh! Why you want to lie on your sissy like that, Ter-bear? And after all the times the Simi done helped you when you were little and hid things from akri you thought he’d kill you for doing.” She tsked at him. “I even removed the hornays from your bitsy head that I put there when you were two.”

“I know, Simi. I was just kidding. Besides, Dad knows you’d never do that. It’s why he’s still scowling at me.”

Akri ruffled Terry’s hair while Ari laughed at them.

Simi didn’t speak as she watched them go through their normal morning routine. The only thing missing was Sebastos, but he’d spent the night with a friend.

And, of course, Xirena who’d left them a few years back. Her sissy had decided to move in with Drakus. Xirena’s favorite Charonte. They were extremely happy together and Simi prayed that her sissy never regretted leaving them.

But Simi regretted it. Everyone was getting older and going on to new things.

She hated that.

Thorny was right. Change sucked. Although akri seemed completely happy with the change Tory had brought into his life, especially their sons. They made him happier than Simi had ever seen him.

So maybe some change was good?

She watched as Ari and Terry pulled out their phones and started making plans for the weekend. Even in a room with people, they were off by themselves again. Just like when they’d been babies who babbled together.

Something she missed so much.

So no, she decided. Change made the Simi’s heart ache. She missed when they were little and ran through the house like shrieking demons, chasing her and her sissy. They never did that anymore.

They were too grown now.

Akri pulled his phone from his pocket, then turned it on to read it.

“Everything okay?” Tory asked as she set a plate of crispy bacon in front of akri.

“Not sure … It’s from Fang. He’s asking me if I’ve seen Thorn. For some reason, he’s not responding to Fang or anyone else.”

Fang was married to Aimee Peltier, one of the owners of Sanctuary, but he was also one of Thorny’s Hellchasers.

Normally, the Hellchasers could find Thorny easier than Simi could. Thorny always kept an eye on them in case they needed help.

“He was at Club Charonte on Halloween.” Simi took another bite of her pancakes.

“You saw him there?” Akri reached for the bacon.

Simi nodded. “He was fighting with E.T. ’cause E.T. was hanging with some no-good demons. Not high-quality demons like the Simi.”

Terry arched a brow. “Girl demons?”

Narrowing his gaze on his son, akri cleared his throat. “You’re not old enough to be inside the club.” Then he looked at Tory. “Remind me to talk to Xedrix about letting the kids in there. I know he’s trying to be nice, but they don’t need to be hanging out in that club until they’re … eighty, at least.”

Terry and Ari began laughing together.

“Busted,” Ari snickered. “And just to be clear, we didn’t even do anything more than dance with Xedrix’s daughters who were told to report to their dad if we did anything wrong.”

Tory gave him a loving, but firm glare. “No more letting your cousins slip you in when you’re sleeping over with them. Kerryna knows to watch y’all now. And she will.”

Yes, she would. She was a fierce mama-demon. And Simi found it funny that akri was so stern with the boys and yet let his Simi flounce off wherever she wanted to go.

’Course the Simi would eat the heads off anyone who annoyed her, while the boys were much more cautious. They didn’t like the blood the way Simi did.

Even so, they still laughed, completely unrepentant about getting into the club last year.

Akri dialed his phone, but after a few minutes, he shook his head. “Thorn’s not answering.”

That was strange. He always took akri’s calls. Just like he always answered Simi when she sought her Thorny-man.

“Want me to go sees if the Simi can find him?”

Akri fidgeted with his phone. “Normally, I’d say leave it be. He’s a big PITA who can fend for himself. But … I have a bad feeling. If you could check and see, I’d appreciate it.”

“Okies, akri.” Simi finished her breakfast and then went to Azmodea.

Nothing was out of place. Thorny’s office was crisp and clean. Just the way he liked it. His bed made up.

But there was no sign of the big guy. Weird. It didn’t look like he’d been here in days.

“What are you doing here?”

Simi paused in the bedroom at Misery’s mean demand.

“Where’s Thorny?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Misery glared at her. “Obviously not here and you need to leave.”

“I’m looking for Thorn, heifer demon. It’s important.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Charonte. He hasn’t been here in a week. I’ve no idea where he is or when he’ll be back. He doesn’t exactly confide in me. I’m just the servant he hates.”

Well, that wasn’t good, and it wasn’t true, and Simi knew it. Thorny didn’t hate Misery. He felt sorry for her, which was why he’d taken her in. But she’d betrayed everyone, and that was why Thorn kept her at a distance.

Trusting for him was impossible when he knew someone had betrayed others.

Yet even so, he helped a demon who couldn’t be trusted.

That was why Simi loved him. Like akri and Styxx, Thorn had a unique heart and the last thing she wanted was to see her Thorny hurt.

Where are you, Thorn? It wasn’t like him. He didn’t just go away …

Maybe he was at Karma’s?

He might be staying there to help with E.T.? It was as good an idea as any.

Without a word to the smelly girl demon, Simi headed back to New Orleans where Karma lived not all that far away from akri.

Her little pink house looked normal and pretty. Nothing unusual about it at all.

Simi headed to the door and knocked.

She heard Karma fussing under her breath as she came to the door and opened it. Surprise darkened her eyes. “Simi? What end-of-the-world apocalypse is happening now?”

Simi shook her head. “Akri’s looking for Thorn. Last time the Simi saws him, he was with E.T., so I was wondering if he came here?”

Karma scowled at her. “I haven’t seen him since Halloween when we went after our boy.”

That wasn’t good. Where could Thorny be?

“Is E.T. home?” Simi asked.

“Yeah.” Karma let her in the house, then hollered for her son to come to the living room.

After a few seconds, E.T. left his upstairs room in the back of the house. “Geez, Mom! I’m on an open mic. Do you mind?”

“Yeah. All the time. Just not when the orders come from my kid.” She winked at him.

E.T. rolled his eyes, until he realized Simi was there. “Hey, Simi.”

“Hey, baby E. I’m looking for the Thorny-man. I haven’t seen him since Halloween. Have you?”

“No. And I wasn’t hoping to see him again anytime soon given how mean he was at the club. I can do without being chewed out all the time.” He cut his gaze in the direction of his mother.

Ignoring what E.T. implied, Karma duplicated his frown. “Thorn’s missing?”

Simi nodded. “If you hear from him, please lemme know, okies?”

Karma looked as worried as Simi felt. “Absolutely. Let me know when you find him.”

“Will do.” Simi left them and went back to her room in Katateros. Here, she could be alone in the quiet and listen to the ether for Thorn.

Yet for once, she heard nothing. Felt nothing. It was as if he didn’t exist.

“Where are you, Thorny?”

It wasn’t like him to vanish, especially not from Simi. All these centuries, Thorn had been there. Like akri. He was stable and dependable.

But Halloween was always a dangerous time. Things came into this world when they weren’t supposed to.

And one creature in particular used that time to increase its powers.

Wanting to check on him, Simi teleported over to Bourbon Street. It was a huge, dark-gray mansion where she’d spent many years visiting. Her favorite times here had been when Cherise Gautier was still alive. The petite blond had always greeted Simi and brought her some of the best handmade eats. This was where Simi discovered hot sauce-covered Oreos—one of her favorite nummy treats.

Cherise had been amazing. No wonder Nick still missed her.

They all did. Even akri often visited her grave to put flowers on it. As did Nick.

Sighing over the tragedy of losing someone so precious, Simi knocked on the door and waited.

It took a couple of minutes before Nick opened it. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans. His dark-brown hair was a bit shaggy, and he hadn’t shaved today. Still, he was incredibly handsome, even with the heifer goddess’s double bow mark on his cheek. “Simi? What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for akri-Thorn. Have you seen him?”

Shadow appeared instantly beside Nick and nudged him aside. “What do you mean you’re looking for Thorn?”

“He vanished on Halloween, and no one knows where he is.”

Shadow looked up at Nick. “You didn’t do anything to him, did you?”

Nick shoved playfully at Shadow. “You’re such an idiot. I’d rip your head off before I would Thorn’s. He’s one of my protectors and has done me a lot of solids.” He looked at Simi. “I’m not my father.”

That was certainly true. In spite of being the Malachai, Nick helped protect humans. He’d always been a good guy.

Even though it was hard for him because the Malachai blood inside his veins wanted to destroy the world. But his mother’s love counteracted it. That was the one thing Cam had done right. She’d found a way to suppress the Malachai and teach him how to love, and be decent.

Nick’s eyes darkened as he searched the ether. “I can’t find Thorn. Anywhere.”

Shadow went pale. “Neither can I.”

Nick brushed his hand through his dark-brown hair. “How is this possible? Is he dead?”

That word made Simi’s heart stop. Thorn dead? She couldn’t even bear the thought. Thorn could never die. It would destroy her. “No one would dare kill Thorny.”

Would they?

Panic set in as she realized how many enemies Thorn had. Like akri. So many wanted him gone. Even his own father was known to threaten him. Thorn liked to joke about it, but Simi didn’t find it funny. Especially right now.

Shadow rubbed at his arm. “Let me go see if I can find something out with the powers that be. Maybe they know what happened to him.”

Simi nodded as he vanished.

Nick stood awkwardly in the doorway. “Want to come in? I think I have some Tabasco sauce. We definitely have pizza.”

She laughed. “Normally the Simi would never turn down such an offer, but I’m worried about Thorn. Not even hot sauce will help.”

“We’ll find him, Simi. Don’t worry.”

She wanted to believe that. But something about all this seemed wrong.

Thorn needed her. She could feel it. She just didn’t know where he was or how to help him.