Page 36 (1/2)
Stunned to silence, Caleb couldn’t move as those words sank in It wasn’t possible How could Nekoda be …
"You’re her daughter?"
"I aed from her current pink tee and jeans into the leather arhter than her mother’s and she was shorter But the features were the same Especially the shape of her eyes and lips The shapely build of her body
No wonder Kody had been so fearless in their fights Her oddess of Order and Justice
Clasping his fist to his shoulder, he fell to one knee before her and lowered his head "I pledged my eternal troth to yourher eyes at Caleb’s sincerity "Out of enerals, you were the one she prized above all others The one she trusted ain "Then why didn’t you trusttime in captivity to a e even the strongest and ed mine"
"I know I should have told you sooner But I didn’t dare Not while my orders conflicted with yours"
Caleb turned suspicious at that Bathyht and justice over murder She would never condone the murder of even an innocent Malachai "Your mother sent you to kill him?"
"No The powers I serve did It is because ofhim"
She nodded "I don’t see thehis life"
"And your love of hiht red
"Don’t deny it," he said, cutting her off when she opened her mouth to speak "I can see it as plainly as a flare over an open sea at hed wearily "When I was sent to kill the Malachai before he took all of his father’s powers, I wasn’t expecting to find Nicholas Gautier"
"Yeah, aze at her "So what do we do?"
"Right now? We find hiuity with life, death, and fate …
Kody was definitely not her mother
Instinctively, Nick threw his arround The s ca hi!
Forget driving, this was theclipped a wire and he careened sideways He caught hi
"This is awesolanced around tohe wanted was to look stupid while doing soet me now!" he dared his enemies
The words had barely left his lips before someone shot a ball of fire at him He jerked away fros, he didn’t have the best control So he ended up sla to leave a s
Nick headed out for the Mississippi River There, he’d only have to avoid bridges
Why do you choose to suffer?
Nick slowed as the voice rang out in his head "I don’t"
"Then why do you not join us? You are a Malachai You don’t have to put up with anyone insulting or belittling you Ever You have the power to be anything you want To have anything you want"
"Fine, then If that’s true, there’s only one thing I desire I want to go home!"
"Why? Explain to o where no one wants them I have seen how they treat you What makes you desire that?"
Nick slowed evenin his head You know, the freaky voice has a point Why did he want to be put down by others? Was he not abused enough as a kid?
But that was childish, he suddenly realized There are two sides to everything
It was Ash’s wolf story…
"What you are focused on are my nuisances," Nick told the voice "And I have no desire to see theain"
"I can’t"
"Why?"
Nick laughed as he finally understood the point of this journey … and the way hoiven it to him… "You know the answer You wrote it in ht
"It can be given, but never taken
"It can be stepped on, but cannot walk
"It can fly, but has no wings
"It can sing, but has no voice
"It can be broken, but still it works
"It can be left, even while it follows
"And though it’s easily commanded, it can never, ever be demanded"
The shadow fluttered in front of him with an arched brow "Do you know the answer?"
Of course he did "My heart"
The shadow appeared impressed "In all these centuries, you alone have learned our riddle"
"Does that mean I can leave?" Nick asked hopefully
The scenery faded until they were again in the dark cavern But this time, there was only the one door that had noThe phantoround to tower over hiht to it "Don’t have to tell , he looked back at the spirit I seriously hate that word "Yeah?"