Inferno Read Free

only reasonable explanation. No normal, sane person would care whether or not he hurt the feelings of a woman sent to kill him.
    Except for Nick-Moron-Non-Normal-Gautier.
    Nick dropped his gaze to the pink heart necklace she wore that he’d given her to celebrate their anniversary—and their escape from another near-death adventure. It had been a token of how much he loved her, and to let her know that her life meant a lot more to him than his own—that he would gladly die to protect her.
    And yet she’d known the whole time that her mission here at St. Richard’s was to end his life.
    Ain’t this the crap heap? I swear my undying loyalty and she swears to take my head.
    Why was he even surprised?
    Because, in spite of the fact that he was half demon, he wanted to believe in the goodness of others. That deep down people were decent. Even nonpeople people.
    And as her gaze held his, he no longer saw his chemistry classroom or any of his classmates. Everything faded from his sight, except Nekoda. She looked so sweet and innocent. Just like any beautiful teenage girl. No one would ever guess she was anything except normal.
    Same with Caleb. With his dark hair and eyes, and perfect build and features, Caleb was the quintessential Mr. All-American Rich Kid. He bore no resemblance to the winged demon Nick knew him to be.
    For that matter, Nick looked normal on the outside, too. Well, except for the hideously foul Hawaiian shirt his mother had guilted him into donning. The only bright side to wearing it was that it’d been known to blind a few enemies sent to end his existence. Or crack them up so badly that he was able to get in a cheap shot before they killed him.
    And it served as a great female demon repellant. Human, too, for that matter.
    But Nick was anything but normal.
    I know what I am . That wasn’t the question. He, like Caleb, was demonkyn, born and bred.
    Nekoda’s species was the one up for grabs.
    Who are you?
    No. What are you?
    He’d asked her that question repeatedly. And every time, she’d refused to answer, and now he knew why.
    Which meant she could be human, god, demon, soul-sucker, shapeshifter, Fringe Guard … there were so many creatures he’d learned about over the last year that he couldn’t even begin to guess her origins.
    For all he knew, she was some heart-eating ice cannibal. That at least explained the cold, bitter ache in the center of his chest.
    “Are you planning to take your seat any time in the near future, Mr. Gautier? Or should I start class while you gape blankly in the center of the room?”
    His classmates laughed.
    Nick turned to glare at Grim over his shoulder. The famed reaper stood before the whiteboard, where he’d written the name “Mr. Graves.”
    Yeah, you are whacked, Grim. Totally.
    But only Nick saw Grim’s true form—that of a handsome blond man in his mid-twenties. Heck, he even saw Grim’s scythe that was secured with a strap across the creature’s back. To the rest of the room’s occupants, including Nekoda and Caleb, Grim appeared as an average, chubby, middle-aged man in a cheap brown suit.
    Yeah …
    Nick would laugh, but Grim might take that as a personal challenge and decide to help Kody kill him. Yet what Nick couldn’t get over was Grim’s presence in this room.
    It was a sad day when Death had nothing better to do than pretend to be a substitute chemistry teacher.…
    No, it wasn’t that simple. Someone in this room was going to die soon and Grim was here to toy with his victim. Nick could feel it with every inhuman part of himself.
    But who?
    Knowing he wouldn’t have an answer today, he smirked at Grim, which probably wasn’t the brightest idea. But far be it from him to ever let his common sense stop his stupidity. “By all means, commence … Mr. Graves . The last thing I’d ever want to do is keep you from your business.”
    Death gave him a lopsided grin. “Wise, boy. I knew you could be taught.”
    Nick didn’t miss the