That familiar red demonic gaze burned into Nick. “I shouldn’t have tried to reset the past. We were born a damned abomination that should never have been conceived.”

His breathing labored, Ambrose fell to his knees on the sidewalk beside him. He looked up with an expression of woeful abandon. “Listen to me, Nick. You have to find the Eye and follow your true course. The one we were meant to follow before I screwed up so badly. Fast! It’s the only hope we have. You have to stay true to our original course. Trust me on this. Please! Do not stray from our path!”

For a moment, his eyes turned to the shade of blue Nick saw reflected in a mirror whenever he gazed in one. “Of all the mistakes I’ve made, the one I regret most is robbing you of the years where you were able to dream of normality. At your age, I knew nothing of Kyrian’s world. Of Dark-Hunters, ancient gods, and Were-Hunters. I was just a stupid kid, with stupid kid dreams.” He laughed bitterly. “I thought I was going to be a fancy uptown lawyer. That I’d have a wife and kids…” His eyes returned to red. “I’m so sorry I took that from you. I just wanted to save us. Give us something to hope for.”

“Wide is the gate that leads to destruction,” Nick said, quoting his mother’s favorite saying, “and many are those who enter through it. But the gate is narrow and the way is straight that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”

Ambrose snorted. “It’s why there’s a highway to hell, but only a single stairway to heaven.” He looked up at Nick. “I’ve lost the war. By fighting, I only made it worse. Find the Eye and reset our course. We have to go back in order to move forward. It’s the only hope we have. The Riders are out and they are about to take you down, little brother. Move fast, with purpose, or we’re both lost. There’s so much you have to do, that I can’t even begin to tell you how to fix it. But the Eye can.” He rose slowly to his feet. “I won’t be able to help after this. You’re on your own.”

Nick gave a short half laugh. “I’m good with that. I came into this world alone, and that’s how I’ll leave it.… I was born standing up and talking back. Cajun proud and Cajun strong from my first breath to my last.”