Page 99 of Hybrid Heroics

His death was imminent, just like the rest of these cretins.

He wasted no time lobbing magic at me, his lightning bolt soaring through the air toward my face. It held no power, no sizzle, no pain.

Aoiden was a weak man playing in a league too far above him.

He was simply too stupid to understand that would lead to his demise.

I swatted the pale yellow magic out of my face with my bare hand. I didn’t need to throw spells or shields up to defend myself from him.

With each step I took in his direction, another bolt sailed toward me. He didn’t want to fight me without his magic because he knew he wasn’t capable.

That was why he had wanted me to solve his problems. As soon as he saw his son was strong enough to do damage, he led his loan sharks to our home, nipping at his heels for their money.

I would have let them kill Aoiden for us if they hadn’t threatened Miller, Murphy, and our ma. But there came a point in every kid’s life where he stepped into a bigger role, consequences be damned.

No one touched my family and lived. It might take me months or years to catch them, but I did. I had no issues with being patient.

This was something I shared with my mate, minus the patience. She was all about instant gratification; I thought delayed gratification was sweeter.

I continued batting Aoiden’s attacks out of the air, watching him grow more frustrated as each strike fell to the ground, fizzling into nothing.

Twenty feet lay between us, but the closer I got, the larger his retreating steps grew.

He was backing into a forest where hellhounds prowled. It wasn’t the smartest idea... But Aoiden wasn’t really bright. His magic shone more than his brilliance, but neither was memorable.

I wondered if Cronus, Atlas, or Helios lurked in the dark woods, though the crunch of bones told me they were busy. Alric had brought a feast for the demon-eating hounds, presenting them with delicacies they hadn’t tasted before tonight.

The next bolt that flew at me was a little stronger than the last. Aoiden was reaching deep into his well of magic, and he would burn out in a minute. Years of drugs and drinking had smothered his natural abilities, not that he had ever compared to Aoife Lynch in power.

He got lucky when the Fates gifted him my ma. She got the short end of the straw. Her mate had been a handsome, well-traveled bachelor with nothing to bring to their relationship except problems and addictions. By the time the twins were born, Aoiden had run through Aoife’s inheritance. Even the money she hid had been found and snorted up his nose or pissed away on bad bets.

He hadn’t spent it by himself, though. He’d had a steady drug buddy with him all the time. I hadn’t realized who that man was until tonight.

Gus was a bigger piece of shit than Aoiden, something I wouldn’t admit to him. They were both scum to be stepped on. But Gus was Gustave Malin, the sperm donor to one of my closest friends.

How had I not pieced this together sooner?

I knew that answer. Novak never spoke of his father, and each time we brought up the subject, the nightmares in his eyes grew darker. We stopped pushing when we saw the effect it had on him.

But also, I hadn’t heard Gustave’s last name, only knowing him as ‘Gus, that vampire bastard’, because that was what Aoiden called him. I hadn’t wanted either of them around, so I hadn’t struck up conversations.

Novak was finally getting to settle his problems with his DNA.

I almost felt sorry for Gus, because I knew what my friend was capable of.

Almost. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over his death unless Novak was suffering from it.

Somehow, I doubted he would.

I had overheard too many stories about the Malin family, too many things that Gus bragged about. Too many things that now made perfect sense.

I understood Novak on a different level now.

Aoiden was two steps away from having his back in a corner. I let him throw one more bolt just so I could catch it.

His reaction was fury and worry melting together in his charcoal gray eyes. He thought the magic was hurting me, and that was why I swatted at it. Or maybe that I was showing off.

I wasn’t.