He brought his hands up to cup her head in a gentle, familiar hold. His hair changed from the sleek demon texture to the soft waves she was used to burying her hands in.

When Kody opened her eyes, she no longer stared into those red, searing orbs, but the beautiful blue eyes that held a part of her no one else ever had. She had no idea why Nick thought Zavid, Xev, and Caleb were more handsome than he was. They had nothing on her sharp-witted, smart-aleck Cajun.

Well, maybe a better wardrobe.

But even in his wrinkled mass of oversized, tacky, hideous Hawaiian shirts, Nicholas Gautier turned heads and left her breathless.

Smiling up at him, she ran her fingertip over his bottom lip. “Ca c’est bon, n’est pas?”

That familiar charming grin that never failed to turn her to mush and get him out of any amount of trouble where she and his mother were concerned curved his lips. “Oui. Toujours, cher.”

How could any male be so dang charismatic? Yes, he had the Malachai’s glamour that charmed people, but his went deeper than that. There was something much more compelling about Nick. Something that made her feel warm and safe whenever he was near. Honestly, she never wanted to leave his company. Never wanted to be any place except right here, in his embrace.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Xev gave her a smug smirk. “Our weaknesses. Forever.”

Kody paused at that thought and let it roll around in her mind.

Had they changed the future already? Could it be possible? If she could call Nick back from his full Malachai form, could she prevent him from ending the world?

Was this the answer they sought?

Dagon laughed bitterly as he pushed himself up from the floor. Pale and weak from what Nick had done to him, he struggled to stand. “You’re a naive child, aren’t you?”

“What?” she asked.

“I can hear the thoughts churning in your mind. They’re written all over your face. It doesn’t matter how much sway you hold over him. In fact, the more of him you hold, the weaker he becomes.”

“How so?”

Xev met Dagon’s gaze before he answered Kody’s question. “Because whatever weakness you have becomes Nick’s weakness. Don’t you understand? What happened to me happened not because I was vulnerable. It happened because my wife and Caleb’s wife were threatened and couldn’t protect themselves. The actions we took were to keep them safe from our enemies. That was our mistake and our damnation. Even Dagon was punished and condemned over his wife’s compassion for her brother, Lycaon. Not his own.”