Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page A

asking her out, he shut down the Nintendo and put it back in his pocket. Tomorrow he'd have to face the demon principal and the cretins of his school. To do that, he needed rest.
    And maybe a flamethrower or two.
    Nick was finishing up the leftover cake he'd eaten for breakfast when a knock at the door startled him. Since his mom and all of her friends except Menyara worked until dawn, he wasn't used to early morning visitors.
    His mom went to open the door. In this neighborhood, he expected it to be cops wanting to know about something that'd happened while they slept.
    What was there shocked him to the core of his being.
    It was Brynna Addams dressed in a pretty blue dress and cream sweater. With her dark hair held back from her face by a thin lacy headband, she looked like an absolute angel. One that didn't belong in the run-down crap hole that was their house.
    "Hi, Mrs. Gautier. I'm Brynna--the friend of Nick's from school who's been leaving his assignments at the hospital desk. Since it's his first day back and all, my brother and I wanted to give him a ride ... if that's okay with you?"
    His mother opened and closed her mouth as if she was as stunned by their offer as he was. Turning around, she met his startled gaze. "You know a Brynna?"
    Heat exploded across his face, partly because he was embarrassed by their shabby house when he was sure Brynna had never seen anything so run-down in her life and partly because his mother had a weird look on her face that he didn't quite understand while she stood barely dressed in an open doorway. "Urn, yeah."
    "You want them to take you to school?"
    "I guess so." His stock answer anytime he was unsure of something.
    He picked his backpack up from the floor but before he could shrug it over his uninjured shoulder, Brynna took it from him.
    "Let me carry it. You're still healing."
    Nick tightened his grip as he pulled it back. "No, thanks. I'm not having a girl carry my stuff. Wouldn't be right." And it would make him look like a mega wimp.
    He could tell Brynna wanted to argue, but with a nod, she stepped back and let go of his patched and shoddy secondhand bag.
    His mom moved forward to turn down the collar of the oh so lovely blue Hawaiian shirt he wore--at least this one wasn't so foul it glowed in the dark. "You have a good day, baby."
    Yeah ... She should have just burped him while she was at it. Anything to shoot down his manhood.
    Without a word, he gave her a quick hug since his dignity had already been shattered, then followed Brynna outside to where her brother waited for them in a new black Lexus SUV.
    He let out a low whistle of appreciation. It was an obscenely nice ride. "You know, a car like that in this neighborhood --people gonna think you're both drug dealers."
    Brynna laughed as she opened the door to the front seat and stepped back. Nick ignored her invitation to sit up front and opened the back door.
    "You don't want to be in the front seat?"
    He climbed into the backseat and shut the door before he answered. "No offense, I don't know your brother and I don't want anyone thinking anything funny about us. I'm not even sure why you guys are here. How did you know where I live?"
    Brynna buckled herself in, next to her brother. "Kyrian told us. He's the one who had me drop your homework off while you were in the hospital so you wouldn't fall too far behind."
    He froze. "Do what?"
    "Kyrian Hunter?" she said. "Your new boss? He's an old family friend of ours and you'll see us around at his place from time to time. He asked if we could take you to school and watch out for you, so here we are. This is my brother Tad, by the way. Tad, say hi to Nick."
    "Hi." Tad pulled away from the curb.
    Nick finished buckling his seat belt as he glanced back and forth between Brynna, who was turned around in her seat to look at him, and her brother, who ignored them while he navigated morning traffic. Dang, Tad favored her a great deal. He was just taller and hairier.
    Brynna's eyes