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And the Malachai would be no more

CHAPTER 17

"You want me to do what? What part of stupid crawled up your sphincter and died?"

Angry and offended, Nick folded his arms over his chest as he faced Caleb in his run-down condo While it was just the two of theh of the de with him? Ever since Nick had been attacked in school, Caleb had been different toward him It felt like the demon hated the very air he breathed

Nick wasn’t the one with a proble with, Caleb Otherwise, I wouldn’t ask you to do this"

Caleb snarled at hi with is one seriously pissed-off de his neck out for an idiot like you I’et that froht we had"

"No, this is hell," he sneered, "and I’m trapped in it And I’ht your own battles? You want infor he had the strength to lay into hiaped at his so-called protector, who had suddenly become a bad cross between a heckler and an abusive parent "And you think so has crawled up my--"

"Get away from him, Nick"

Nick’s eyes widened as Caleb manifested next to …

Caleb

The two of them stood side by side in front of his ht Same hair Same eyes Same black clothes and curled lips The only difference was that the newco at the corner of his mouth

Ah yeah, this was just like thattakes over the body of the nice security guard

Except the real Caleb wasn’t usually all that war that made them even harder to tell apart

"Which of you’s real?" Nick asked

"The one liainst his shoulder "Can’t you tell the difference between the cute Malphas and the fugly fake one?"

Not really If Caleb wasn’t li, he’d have no clue

Nick frowned at her "What’s going on?"

With her bright purple hair, which tails, Simi let out an adorable sound that defied description "The bounty on your head--" She brushed her hand over his hair to emphasize her words "--and if so you in to have your brains eaten by their overlord, they get freed So win–win Well, not for you ’cause it would probably hurt to have your brains eaten Though the Simi is pretty sure they’d kill you first" She paused to think about that with a strangely cute expression "Then again, some don’t, ’cause they like the sound of screams on the way down I wonder if brains screa on Not ex…"

"Peri, she touched him on the tip of his nose "Experiment Thank you, akri-Nicky Good of you to use your brains while you still have so rinned at him "Sorry The Simi will be silent Until it’s not time to be silent anymore Silent I likes that word Ever notice some words are just pretty to say?" She beamed like a beautiful doll "Silent Sier to her lower lip and pouted "Oh, wait, no The Simi don’t like the way that sounds at all Blah! A silent Sirunted "A hand, please?" Good Caleb was trapped in a headlock by the other Caleb

Nick started forward

Good Caleb threw his hand out and stopped hiet hurt"

"I feel like a yo-yo"

"Better than what I feel like, buddy Trust ood one the moment Simi entered the fray He started for the door, but Simi tossed her hand out and wrapped what appeared to be a sticky rope around him She reeled him to her like a fisherman ready for some swordfish steak

"Oh, no," Si, Mr Meanie-Pants? You don’t hurt people then run That’s just rude" She looked back at Caleb "Can the Simi barbecue him, or is he on the ‘No Simi’ eat list?"

Caleb looked at the demon coldly "Bon appétit, babe"

This time when Simi smiled, Nick saw that her teeth were serrated and sharp With a cry of delight, she vanished with the deest everything that was happening "Si that in his head

Well, that certainly explained a whole lot of her weirdness away But still …

Nick was aghast "For the record, do I know anyone not a deo into the latter or not, though I’ure it out, and I’ll go with your Dewey deciroan "Are you all right?"

"Maybe, but my mom will kill you if she sees that blood on her couch"

Caleb looked down at the big stain that was spreading across the cushion where he lay "I’ll clean it before I go I just need to lie here for a minute You have no idea how aze on Nick "--who told you?"

Um, that was random "Told me what?"

"About your destiny"

Was he serious? "Dude You did"

Caleb cursed, then winced "It wasn’t rabbed me and tossedabout "Who is that?"

"Not a person It’s a place Think of it like a dungeon for deet zapped"

A chill went over hi time with his enemies and he’d had no clue about it

Yeah, that was terrifying and sobering

"So as the last time I spoke to you?"