Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page A

he’s
    …”
    When she didn’t finish the sentence, he finished for her.
    “Evil?”
    She laughed and brushed her hand through his hair. “No, not evil. But working for him wil change you, I think. Hopeful y for the better. I just wanted to say that you should be very careful with what you learn from others and who you let into your life.”
    Her emotionless tone gave him pause. Mennie knew things, lots of things, before they happened. Her clairvoyance was unrivaled. “Is that your wicked psychic powers talking again?”
    “Maybe it’s my wicked overprotective ways.” She kissed him on the brow. “You be a good boy for me, Nicholas. Always.
    ”
    “Yeah, okay.” He wasn’t intending to be a bad one, since the last time he’d done that hadn’t gone wel for him. As it was, his shoulder was on fire and he had months of painful therapy ahead to get his arm to work right again.
    Believe me, I’m done with this. Next time he saw Alan and group, they were the ones who were going to be limping.
    ’ Cause I’m gonna put my foot so far up their butts they’re going to burp shoe leather.
    Or in the case of Nick’s cheap shoes, man-made material, whatever that was.
    He frowned as she stepped away to join his mother and Tiffany. There was something cold in the air that made his neck tingle.
    Dismissing it, he ate his cake then joined the others, who kept playing old seventies songs. Gah, could we please move the music forward to the correct decade? What is it with old people and their music?
    Wel , at least it wasn’t disco.
    The party didn’t last too long, since his mom was afraid of making him too tired. One by one they left until it was just him, his mom, and Mennie.
    At his mom’s urging, Nick headed to his bed while they cleaned up. He was on the verge of fal ing asleep when his mom disturbed him.
    “You ready to go back to school tomorrow?” Hardly. He’d real y like a few more decades before he had to go back and face the mutant idiots. …
    But he didn’t tel her that. Man up, Nick, and take it. “I guess so.”
    “Okay, but if you don’t feel like it, let me know. You’re stil healing and I don’t want you to do anything to stress yourself.” Yeah, but he was already so far behind he wasn’t sure if there was a shovel big enough to dig his way out of his back work. Any more days and he’d have to repeat a year.
    Kill me first.
    She brushed the hair back from his forehead before she tested his brow for a fever. “Mr. Hunter said that he’d have a car waiting to pick you up after school and take you to his house. He promised me that it was just an introduction for you and that he wouldn’t make you do anything too hard. You okay with that?”
    He reverted to his standard answer. “I guess so.” She rol ed her eyes. “Al right then. I’l let you get your rest.
    You let me know if you need anything. Oh, and I had to put those flowers your friends Bubba and Mark sent to you in the hospital out on the front porch. They didn’t real y fit in the house. Leave it to them to overdo it.”
    That was one way of saying it. Bubba had practical y sent him a tree, with one little note.
    Hospitals wig me out unless I’m the one being tended.
    Sorry we’re not there, kid. Get wel soon. Remember next time … Double tap.
    Bubba and Mark
    Nick watched as she left and then closed his “door.” Rubbing his sore eye, he ignored her talking with Menyara until he heard his name mentioned.
    “You think this mess wil stunt his growth, Mennie?” Menyara laughed. “No, chère. Your boy’s going to be a fine, tal man one day. I promise you.”
    “I don’t know. My dad was awful y short. Barely five foot four.
    I know Nick’s tal er than that now, but I’m scared to death he’s going to stop growing and be a munchkin like me.”
    “That’s ’cause you’re Cajuns, child. You’re supposed to be short. Be weird if you weren’t. But Adarian’s a tal , handsome man and his boy’s going to be just like