Hoping for the best, Nick went to the peephole to glance out, then passed a droll stare to Xev. “Put away your paranoia. It’s just my godmother. No doubt, the police contacted her about the attack on my mom, and she wanted to check on us. She’s barely five feet tall, and ninety pounds soaking wet. I don’t think we have anything to fear. And she’s probably terrified. Last thing she needs is for you to give her a heart attack.”

Unlocking the door, he opened it and pulled the tiny Creole midwife who’d helped bring him into the world into his arms for a tight hug. “Hey, Aunt Mennie.”

She squeezed him back while her sisterlocks tickled his nose. “Hey, Boo. I hope you don’t mind. But given all the weirdness I wanted to come by and check on you and your…” Her voice trailed off as her gaze went past his shoulder to Xev. Instantly bug-eyed, she gasped audibly.

Not thinking anything about her reaction, since most people tended to greet Xev like a cross between a leper and Bigfoot’s bigger and nastier older brother who was jacked up on steroids, Nick shut the door. “Menyara, this is—”

“We know each other, don’t we, Cam?” Xev’s voice was so cold, they could have used it to flash-freeze helium popsicles on the Pontchartrain Bridge in August.

Menyara staggered back and would have fallen had Nick not been there to catch her.

“Mennie? Are you all right?”

“What have you done, Nick?” she breathed in a horrified tone as she continued to stare at Xev as if he was the devil incarnate. “What have you done?” she repeated.

Xev glared at her. “Interesting that you would blame him, when this all started with you and your siblings.”

Shaking her head, Menyara dragged her gaze to each of them in turn—Xev, Simi, Kody, Cherise, and Nick—before she closed her eyes. “Who unlocked Nick’s powers? For the love of the Source, why would you do such a thing? Have you any idea what you’ve done?”

Sheepish, Kody bit her lip before she explained their actions. “We had no choice. Nick’s ousia had been split from his body by his enemies who wanted to weaken him enough to kill him. It was the only way to save him and return him to this dimension and save his life. Had we not moved fast, he’d be dead now.”

Menyara let out a weary sigh as she sat down on the armchair and hung her head in her hands. “You should have come to me before you acted.”

“I tried. I really did.” Kody started forward, but Xev stopped her.