Sherrilyn Kenyon - Invincible

To my boys, who wanted a book to share with their friends.

For my husband, who has always been the wind beneath my wings.

And as always, to you, the reader, for taking these fun journeys with me.

To all my paranormal investigating friends and colleagues, thanks for all the fun and memories. In particular thank you to Mama Lisa and Tish, the best exorcist and two best psychics I know. Keep to the light, my sisters. Keep to the light.

They say when youre about to die, you see your entire life flash before your eyes.

They lied.

The only thing Nick Gautier could see flashing was Kyrian Hunters vampire fangs. That horrifying sight froze him in place on the elegant mahogany staircase at the front of Kyrians sprawling antebellum mansion.

Im going to die.

Again.

Yeah, since hed attempted to go to school about twenty-two hours ago and found out his principal had been eaten by a zombie, everything and its brother had been after him.

Now his friggin boss was a vampire.

It figured. So much for his paycheckunless the devil could cash it, Nick would never see a nickel of it.

Would this day ever end?

Dude, right now, youre the one whos about to end. That thought finally shattered the terrified fog in his head, which had held him immobile.

Run, dude, run!

He couldnt go downstairs, cause that was where Kyrian stood. The only place to run was upstairs, after his motherwhod already gone into the bedroom Kyrian had loaned them for the night. She was completely oblivious to the fact that they were in mortal danger and that their blood was about to be drained. He spun around to warn her.

Nick! Wait!

Wait, my gluteus maximus. Vampire was shy a few quarts of blood if he thought Nick had any intention of not going Casper on him.

Im too young, too smart, and too good-looking to die. Yeah, and then some. The world needed him to improve the gene pool. Not to mention, at fourteen he hadnt even had his first date yet. Hed only just, this night, had his first kiss. He should have recognized that alone as a sign that the apocalypse was coming and that his death was imminent.

As Nick neared the top of the stairs, Kyrian jumped straight up from the floor twenty feet below and flipped over the shiny railing to land gracefully in front of him and cut off his escape. Kyrians black eyes flashed in the shadows. Dressed all in black and at over six feet in height, Kyrian made a deadly, impressive sight, even with his boyish blond curls.

There was no way to get past him.

Crapola

Nick skidded to a halt. What should he do now? His mom was in a bedroom a few feet behind Kyrian. Hed yell for her, but the last thing he wanted was for Kyrian to kill her, too. Maybe if he kept quiet, Kyrian would only drain him.

Its not what you think, Nick.

Yeah, right. I think youre a bloodsucking demon vampire whos going to kill methats what I think.

Before he could so much as blink, Kyrian reached out and grabbed Nicks neck with some kind of Vulcan death grip. He wanted to fight, but he was as helpless as a pup being held by the scruff. With the inhuman strength youd expect from the undead, Kyrian hauled Nick past his mothers temporary bedroom and into Kyrians upstairs office.

As in the rest of the house, the floor-to-ceiling curtains were drawn shut to protect against the dawning sunsomething that should have clued Nick in that Kyrian was a ghoul from the first moment he stepped into the mansion. The dark wood of the desk blended in seamlessly with the dark green walls. Without breaking stride, Kyrian flung Nick into a dark burgundy leather chair.

When he started to run, Kyrian slammed him back into it. Stop a minute and listen. I know Im asking the impossible from you, but for once in your life, shut your mouth and open your ears.

Im not the one talking.

Kyrian snarled at him. Dont get smart with me.

You want me stupid?

Nick

Nick held his hands up. Fine, just dont eat my mom, okay? Shes had a bad enough life without becoming the Bride of Dracula.

I dont drink blood.

He arched a brow at that. Yeah, right.

Yeah, right. I dont. Im not a vampire.

This from the one with the long freaky canines? Then whats with your peculiar dental problem, huh? And dont even try to tell me theyre fake, Mr. Armani suits and fancy car, cause you aint the type to have false ones, and all that also says you have the money to fix them if you wanted to. Not to mention the fact you dont go out in daylight, and how did you ninja-flip up the stairs just now if youre not one of the undead?

Im gifted.

And Im gone. Nick tried to escape, and again, Kyrian body-slammed him into the chair hard enough to get his attention.

You know about Acheron, and you accepted him. Why dont you trust me?

Acheron Parthenopaeus was a giant immortal something. But even so, hed been nothing other than nice to Nick and his mom. And most important He dont got no fangs.

Yes, he does. Hes just better at hiding his than I am mine. Hes also my boss.

Nick would argue he was full of cow manure, but that explanation actually made sense in a weird way. Ash was more than eleven thousand years old and had seemed a peculiar friend for Kyrian to have. But if the immortal giant was Kyrians boss

That explained it.

Still, Nick wasnt a fool, and he accepted nothing at face value. For all he knew, Kyrian was lying his fangs off. What line of work are you in?

People protection.

Like saving punk kids getting beat to death by people whore supposed to be their friends? I.e. me getting shot by Alan and stomped into the ground by Tyree and Mike a couple of weeks ago. That had been how the two of them had met and what had led to his working part-time for Kyrian after school.

Kyrian inclined his head to him. Exactly.

Nick relaxed a degree as he reminded himself how much he owed Kyrian. But for Kyrian, hed be dead right now. So youre not going to attack my mother or suck my blood?

Good gods, no. I dont need the indigestion. Youve caused me enough of a headache for one night. I dont need any more.

Nick sat in Kyrians chair, staring up at him. If Kyrian wanted to kill him, hed had plenty of opportunities. Instead, hed protected both Nick and his mother and allowed them to spend the night in his mansion.

If you want to know the correct term for me, Im a Dark-Hunter.

Nick digested that word slowly. Which means what? You hunt darkness?

Yes, Nick. Thats exactly what I do. Theres just not enough of it. Now, there was some sarcasm you could cut with a knife.

Nick wasnt amused by it. So you going to explain it or not?

Were immortal warriors who sold our souls to the goddess Artemis. For her, we fight and protect humanity from whatever stalks the night, trying to prey on them. For the most part, that means we track and slay Daimons.

Which are?

To put it in terms you can relate to, theyre vampires who live on human souls. Instead of blood, they take your soul into their body, and once its there, it starts to wither and die. We have to kill the Daimon before the soul is completely used up.

I dont understand. Why take souls?

Kyrian shrugged. Its what nourishes them. They have to keep a living soul in them or they die.

That was harsh. For them and especially for the person they killed to get it.

How do they take souls? Nick asked.

No idea. I asked Acheron that question once, and he refused to answer. Hes good at that.