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Good He knew firsthand hoful it was to be alone in a hospital No one should be stuck like that

Getting out of the car, he locked the door, then retrieved his stuff from the trunk

Nick hesitated "Where do you think I should put the keys?"

"Under the mat on the front porch You can text her and let her knohere they are"

"You’re brilliant"

Ash broke out with a cocky grin "I know"

Laughing, Nick did what he said He was on his way back to the street when a weird ent through hiined it until he saw the way Ash stood on the pathway, tense and alert

Completely still

"You felt that, didn’t you?" Nick whispered

Ash gave a subtle nod

"What is it?"

"I’m not sure" Ash moved closer to Nick as if to protect him "And honestly, Nick, that’s what concerns me It’s not often I don’t have an answer"

You should have killed hi words caht, Nick wasn’t sure it was real

You have to take your place…

"Do you hear that?" he asked Ash

"Hear what?"

The air around the in the eye of a hurricane

Before Nick could react, Acheron used his powers to teleport them from Casey’s house, into Nick’s bedroom in his condo The quickness of it disoriented Nick to the point that he thought he’d hurl

Choking on bile, he forced his stomach to back down "Next time, warn a brother before you snatch him around, Ash That stuff’s harsh and I’d hate to barf on your expensive boots"

"Yeah, and I’d hate to have to kill you for it, too"

Nick started to respond until he looked up and realized that for once Acheron wasn’t wearing his opaque sunglasses He was i truths about his friend

One … without those sunglasses on, Acheron was absolutely beautiful His every feature was perfectly sculpted like a major work of art

But what really slapped hi hu silver … like e Nick had never seen or heard of anything like theht-sensitive eyes of a Dark-Hunter

They were the eyes of so far more powerful and ancient

"Dude," Nick breathed "What’s the deal with your eyes?"

The sunglasses returned immediately to cover them "Sorry about that You okay?"

No, he wasn’t "What are you, Ash? Really?"

"The last of my kind on this earth You know that"

Yeah, but … "Did all Atlanteans have eyes like yours?"

"No"

"Why do they swirl?"

A tic started in Ash’s jaw, letting him know that Ash was extremely self-conscious about them … which must be why he always kept them covered no enetics Your eyes are as much an anomaly as mine Just more people happen to share your"I’h, I think they’re cool as all get-out Can I see the on a wall for your amusement"

"I didn’t mean it that way"

Ash held his hand up in irritation "I know, Nick I do But I’ve taken a lot of grief over theh the centuries You’ve no idea … and it is a serious hot button for me"

And Ash wasn’t as calm as he appeared Nick made a mental note of what he’d said in the car about his tee

"I still think they’re awesoative aspects of a deformity people have never understood"

In that moment, Nick had an epiphany of what Ash’s childhood must have been like Ancient societies had been even less tolerant of people ere different than h schools And for whatever reason, Ash had been raised without his parents to protect him

Oh yeah, his past s-u-c-k-e-d

"Did your brother have eyes like you?"