#Adarian Malachai

[anotherhumanpet]

“More like under his manipulative thumb, but, yes.” Ambrose answered with a nod as he allowed the eternal teen to hold the grimoire. He could practically hear the demon trapped inside scribble an obscene gesture that he’ll no doubt be met with next time he opened the ancient book.

“Well, I don’t know about the current Malachai.” And so his nose immediately wrinkled as a tell of his lie.

“But his father, the Adarian Malachai, was definitely a vile, horrible monster. One that chose to stay ‘locked up’,” he did air quotes around the two words as he spoke, “in a human prison so feast off of and grow stronger from the surrounding malice and suffering of others. All around asshole who didn’t like anyone. I pray his heir was raised by a loving mother and taught better. It would at least mean him joining Achim wasn’t of his own accord, that way.” ~ kaiju-crimson-storyandask

Dennis listened in silence, letting Ambrose explain everything he knew in too-intimate detail about the Malachai without interruption. And about three-quarters of the way through, Dennis began to smile sympathetically at Ambrose. For all the verbal distance he was putting to the Malachai, it was becoming more and more obvious to the eternal teen who the demon actually was. The scrunched up nose confirmed it too.

But those his hunch was also an assumption, and he didn't want to act on such a thing without knowing for sure it was the right move. After all, '"'assumptions make an out of you and me.'

"Well," he sighed after Ambrose was done explaining, "Whoever it is then, if they're unwillingly working for Achim then we help 'em. If they're there willingly though, fuck 'em."

[huntersbrotherhood]

La Historia de Adarian & Cherise (Desde el punto de vista de Adarian)

Adarian había estado siguiendo la pista de un demonio que quería matar y absorber, pero el deseo había huido en el momento en que su dulce aroma lo golpeó. Ella se había ido de compras con sus amigas, cuyos rostros no podía recordar, no tenían importancia. Su atención se había centrado solamente en ella. Su pelo rubio había sido el color de la luz del sol y sus grandes ojos azules, al igual que un cielo perfecto, pero había sido su preciosa risa la que había roto el hielo de su interior, tan llena de vida, tan dulce. Ella lo había capturado en un instante y lo dejó indefenso, había estado tan enamorado de ella que incluso se había matriculado en su escuela y se hizo pasar por un estudiante. Todo por verla, aunque fuera de lejos, durante más de un año era todo lo que había hecho. Sentado en soporíferas clases sólo para poder estar en la misma habitación que ella, como una flor desesperada para llegar a la luz del sol a través de las grietas irregulares de una fracturada pared. Él ni siquiera había intentado conversar con ella, no había valido la pena. Y entonces, un día, milagrosamente, se había fijado en él mientras se sentaba detrás de ella en una clase de historia. Todos los días después de eso, ella torpemente entraba en la habitación a hablar con él antes de la campana como si fuera un chico normal. Por primera vez en su existencia, había anhelado una amistad. De modo que la buscó sin ninguna otra razón, que solo para reír con ella. No le habría hecho ningún daño. Jamás. Pero debido a su falta de contacto con los humanos y la ignorancia de su mundo y sus costumbres, no se había dado cuenta aún apenas, lo joven que era ella en ese momento, casi una niña. Era su inocencia ingenua lo que lo atrajo, cuando él en realidad debería haberla dejado marchar. Incluso entonces, él nunca habría tocado su inocencia si ella no lo hubiera besado. Había sido la primera vez en todos sus siglos de vida que alguien le había mostrado tanta ternura. O cualquier atención. Había abierto las emociones de lo que nunca había conocido antes. Y Que él no podía entender. Nacido para matar y destruir, un Malachai era una criatura básica. No sentía absolutamente nada excepto odio total. No sentía ninguna otra cosa. Sólo un vacío. Y ese maravilloso, hermoso beso... Ella era la única que le había enseñado su pesar y tristeza. Miseria. A día de hoy, él daría cualquier cosa si pudiera recuperar esa tarde y dejarla tan pura como la había encontrado.

  Sherrilyn Kenyon Spain

[calebsmalphas]

I had a dream Adarian started possessing people and coming after Nick again

[incorrectdarkhunterqotes]

Adarian: I have no shame!

Noir: We know about your half-human son!

Adarian: I have one shame!

[welcometomyworldofbs]

Fun fact, I can’t stand Cam. Aunt Mennie. I can tolerate Nick’s dad and Artemis more than I can tolerate her. She manipulates like both Adarian and Artie, but here’s the big thing. The thing that makes me dislike her sooooo much. She is the kind of quote unquote “good guy” that isn’t actually good. Remember when Adarian told Nick that those who claim to be the ‘light side” often do terrible things and feel entitled to do them?? That’s Cam. 200%

I understand that people make huge mistakes that really are unforgivable, but we still should try because that’s the right thing to do for yourself. How-in-the-hell-ever, to those who do bad things, horrible things, and then make the excuse that it’s for the greater good of all? Hmmmm, okay, still doesn’t make it alright. MORE THAN THAT, though, those who say that, and DO NOT FEEL BAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY FOR THE GREATER GOOD???? Screeewww that. THAT, people, is the type of person Cam is. An example is of course getting Cherise raped by Adarian so Nick could be born. She legit told the room, “we didn’t know he’d come when we weren’t ready for him” and that “Cherise totally overreacted to hearing the truth about her situation. First of all you hoe, she did NOT overreact. At all. If anything, her reacting violently was underreacting. Secondly, and I’ll say this until my death, YES SHE WAS MEANT TO GET RAPED, A MALACHAI CAN OOOONNNNLLLYYY BE BORN FROM VIOLENCE. Only born from violence. Not “oh, the Malachai will so totally fall in love with her and they’ll be happy together.” You know, after she talked about how monstrous Adarian was. This is just one example of Cam lying to make her actions sound less evil. Also, she freaking KNEW what happened to Cherise, and had the balls to call Adarian handsome like Nick. Notice how she didn’t respond??? Be it was not a gosh darn compliment and that piece of trash knew it.

Cam manipulates as much as the dark gods, and like them, she does not give a living hell. She feels like it’s her duty. That is something Adarian had said about the side of light and I actually agree with his monstrous butt. They make up excuses and feel entitled. THAT makes me hope Nick doesn’t just up and forgive Menyara when his memories come back. Not until she GENUINELY feels that what she did to Cherise, Nick, Jared, and even Adarian was wrong. Because fact is, it was wrong. No excuses. Adarian was completely inhumane, but that doesn’t mean that what she did was okay. Evil does not breed good. Ever. I will never respect Cam until she- like many others in the series- learns to stop interfering.

[koalala700]

Chronicles of Nick: Infinity Analysis

When I first started doing an analysis, I tried doing a post for the entire series. I realized that it would have been a huge information dump. To better organize my scatterbrained ramblings, I decided it would be best to do this one book at a time. 

Some background: I started out reading the Dark Hunter books and had already finished Styxx by the time that I even got started reading the CON books. There have been so many spoilers scattered in these books and as I try - and fail - to wait patiently for the new SOF series, I’ve been re-reading the CON books and trying to analyze the clues I find. I started coming up with theories about the things I was reading and trying to fit the scenes from the future into an organized timeline of sorts. 

I would like to point out that this is not a review as a first time reader but rather an analysis as someone who has re-read the books multiple times, although I do make nods at my own thoughts when I initially read the book. I am highlighting certain points in each book that I found relevant. Again, please note that this isn’t an analysis or review of the entire series so much as it is me picking apart each book for key points.

With that being said, these posts will contain a lot of SPOILERS. If you haven’t read the books, I would advise doing so before reading this post if you don’t like or want spoilers. 

The biggest focus for me, while reading this series again, was to focus on the future characters and their involvement in the CON timeline. With that being said, the primary purpose of this particular analysis is exactly that. Making sense of the scenes I see scattered throughout the books. I also note certain parallels that are happening in the series. I do my best to kind of stay in order but I'm a little scatter brained so some of what I mention is all over the place and for that I apologize in advance. 

So the first book I want to start with is Infinity. This is the first book in the Chronicles of Nick series. It starts off as an introduction to the characters and sets us in motion for what the series will be about. When we’re introduced to Infinity, we get to see Nick’s past that is briefly mentioned in the DH world. 

While getting an introduction to fourteen year old Nick, we also get a glimpse of the Ambrose Malachai centuries after we know him in the Dark-Hunter  world. For me, the book was entertaining but really the overall take away from the first book was an introduction to all of the characters: Nick, Ambrose, Adarian, Kody, Caleb, and all of the familiar faces we know and love from DH as I mention above. Having originally started out with the DH series, there were a few things I already knew quite a few things about Nick, before even starting this series. This includes: Nick being the Malachai, that he would become a Dark-Hunter, his mother would die, who and what Caleb was and that he knew both Styxx/Bethany.

The series starts out as with Nick, at fourteen, living in poverty and very much an outcast at his school, St Richards. Something I didn’t realize was that this was a school for the supernatural to attend. We get to see characters again from the Were-Hunter series as well as some of the Squires from the Dark-Hunter series. This book introduces who Nick is and is the first time we have a really deep insight into his POV. I liked him enough in DH but after the events of Seize the Night going forward, I was frustrated with his character. I think that is part of what delayed me reading this series as much as I did. I’m glad I rethought that idea because his series really blew me away.  Nick is a lot more than what we see in the DH series and much like other characters we love and/or hate, he is a lot more layered than I initially realized.

This is also the first time we encounter Ambrose in series who poses as Nick’s uncle from his father, Adarian’s side. We find out that Ambrose is there to change Nick’s future so he doesn’t make terrible mistakes that result in the end of the world. While this is the first book we introduce Ambrose, this is also the first book where Nick begins getting introduced to who he truly is. This is one of the first parallels I noted. Most initial novels of a series are an introduction so I'm just stating the obvious but both Nick and Ambrose are introduced as characters and to each other in this novel.

Why me? I don’t understand why this is happening and why they’d give two spits about controlling me. I can’t even walk across the floor without getting grounded. 

“Nick, you are key to some of the rawest, most potent powers ever created. The battles for your possession will scar you in ways you won’t know until it’s too late. If you listen to me, I can save you.”

I’m key? Dude, you seriously have me mistaken for someone else.

“No, I don’t. I, better than anyone else, know exactly how powerful you are and what you can do. And deep inside, you feel those powers too. You’ve spent your whole life denying them. Saying it was Menyara or some sixth sense. It’s not a buried sense. It’s your birthright and you have got to embrace it or you will lose everything that matters to you.”

And if I don’t believe this crap?

Images of a dark, frightening hole flashed in his mind. He saw himself in the future looking a lot like Ambrose. Alone. Bereft.

Tortured.

Most of all, he was inhumane and cruel.

“If they can turn you evil, they will be rewarded and you will be ruined. And everyone you love will pay the price.

“Everyone.”

Nick shook his head in an effort to dispel the horrific images. Terror choked him as he feared becoming the monster his father was. Of becoming the creature he’d just seen.

I don’t want to be evil.

"You can’t just say it and make it so. It’s not that easy.”

Of course it is. My mom tells me all the time that we decide between good and evil. What we are is completely up to us.

“And things drive us to make decisions that are beyond our control. Just like your mother. You know how much she hates dancing and yet there she is every night, right on time, often working double shifts to bring in more money. For you. And you haven’t been betrayed yet, Nick. You don’t know what that’s like. What it does to you. The scars it leaves that never fade.”

Not true. Alan, Mike, and Tyree had all betrayed me.

“And you want their blood for it.”

I want to bathe in it.

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. That’s the evil seducing you. The malevolent power that is crawling through your blood tempting you onto a treacherous path that will cost you everything you love and hold dear. You have to let that anger go before it’s too late. Vengeance always turns inward and it will consume you until nothing’s left but an empty hole that nothing can fill.”

Nick bristled as he saw that night again—the glee in Alan’s eyes as he pulled the trigger. They shot me!

“And they will pay, but not by your hand. Trust me. Karma has her own plans for them and what she has in store is more painful than you could ever dream.”

I don’t know about that. I have one great imagination. And letting it go is much easier said than done.

Ambrose laughed in his ear. “Believe me, I know.” Infinity

This conversation mentions a few things I already knew and points out what will happen if Nick doesn't accept his destiny and his powers. However, the point I want to take away is the “karma” that Alan and Tyree end up experiencing. The more I read and re-read, the more I wonder if Ambrose knows everything that is going to happen. It’s not himself that he’s trying to stop. He knows his son is the one who will end everything and that comment seems like a sly little way of adding foreshadowing. We see what ends up happening to them in Invision. 

The conversation continues and Ambrose explained what Nick really was. There is also some sympathy towards his father, Adarian. By the end of CON, Nick also understands his father and puts away his hatred of him. I spend time going back and forth wondering how much Ambrose knows and remembers about CON. Is it from his own experience as a father that he understands? Is it just from growing as the Malachai and being consumed by hate that he understands? Or does he remember from CON what his father did for him in the end and the choices he was forced to make? 

“We”—he indicated the two of them—“are the last of a cursed race. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it’s our prime nature to hurt others. When they’re weak and hurting, we swoop in for the kill. But I’m hoping you have enough of your mother in you that you’ll learn to curb those impulses and learn to let things go that I never could.”

Nick hoped so too. I don’t want to be anything like Adarian.

That eerie red tint returned to Ambrose’s eyes—not that Nick needed a reminder that the creature net to him wasn’t human. “Neither did he and he’s not quite the jerk you think he is. In time, you’ll understand him better than you’ll want to. And together, if we’re lucky, we’ll keep you from following in his footsteps. In the meantime, I have to reach you everything I know as quickly as I can.”

Why the rush?

Orange flickered in his red eyes, like dancing flames. “My time’s running out and soon I won’t…” His voice trailed off.

You won’t what?

“I won’t care anymore. About anyone or anything… not even you.” Infinity

When I began reading this book, I was thinking it made sense that Ambrose went back (assuming he didn’t know about who would truly rise to take power after him). If you’ve read about Nick in the current timeline, he’s not in the best of places. Nick lost so much in the current timeline that it stands to reason that he would want to change things, if he could. It should be noted though, from the glimpse to the future, that it isn’t going very well.

“Why can’t I stop it”? he snarled. Why, with all of the powers he’d mastered, all of the elements he controlled, couldn’t he prevent a mere fourteen-year-old boy from being an idiot? No matter what he did, certain events kept unfolding.” Infinity, 329.

This was pretty fascinating to me as someone who had only read DH. Given what I understood about Nick in DH, he didn’t even know about the supernatural until he was out of high school but in CON, he knew about it sooner. This was first brought up in Night Pleasures. It seemed noteworthy that nothing was changing, despite Ambrose having gone back in time and that certain events happen differently or sooner.

This gets explained later in the books why nothing is changing but it was always one of those tidbits when I first started reading that really made me think - that gets the wheels in my mind turning. While re-reading this scene in particular, it seems like maybe things are changing. Maybe he did make an impact but the end of the series just brings us back to square one but Ambrose doesn’t realize this yet. Time-travel is different in every universe but I imagined initially that any changes Nick made would automatically affect Ambrose. 

Another conversation that I think is kind of important but can’t really explain is the one between Ambrose and Caleb. 

“Caleb leaned forward, between Nick and Ambrose, then said in a low tone, “By the way, boss… you’re not as covert as you think, and I’ve heard everything you told the kid in the car.” He looked straight at Ambrose. “Nice coat, but I prefer the black suit you had on the last time we met.”

Ambrose made a Vader move that made it looks like something had grabbed Caleb in an invisible choke hold. “Don’t push your luck, Malphas.”

Caleb relaxed as Ambrose moved away. “You know, Nick, I like you so much better than that prick.”

For some reason, Nick wasn’t sure that was a compliment.

400, Infinity.”

What does Caleb mean by “the last time we met”? That is something I still haven’t been able to figure out. Is this a hint towards everyone going to the future at the end of the series? Or is this simply Caleb’s coy way of saying that he’s seen him before with Nick. I may be reading too much into this (like some of the other scenes) but some of the conversations and events are hard to make heads or tails of.

The more you read this book though, the more bits of foreshadowing you encounter. One scene that was definitely foreshadowing - that has already played out in DH - is Nick’s death by Ash’s hands. This is one of the more obvious ones, assuming you read DH first. 

“At least let me get laid before you kill me... So you have to wait a good ten years before you snuff me. Deal?”

..... “Ten years, huh?”

“Yeah, you can kill me when I’m twenty-four, provided I’m not still a virgin, but not a day before that.” 

“All right. It’s a deal... provided you keep your trap shut.” 

“Trap nailed shurt, sir.” 

“But at twenty-four...” Ash let his voice trail off. 

“I’m all yours, babe.” 

204-205, Infinity.

Neither character at this time realizes the implications of this conversation. I know Ash doesn’t implicitly swear this, but it seemed like both him and Nick had just set both of their futures in motion by speaking this aloud. As the final fate, Ash pretty much just said what Nick’s fate would be. Ironically, Nick doesn’t realize that he, too, has called on his own death. It seems like this is one of the events that I think completes the circle when it comes to time-travel. Ambrose wants to prevent Ash from being the cause of his death, but what if this scene is proof that it was always meant to happen that way? Like a pith point.

This is also not the first time that one of the two of them have said something that sets Nick’s future into motion. I’m pretty sure in Dance With the Devil or The Dream Hunter (I can’t remember which), Ash actually makes a comment about Nick living and dying for his mother. Madoc then makes a cryptic comment about it being a shame that Ash can’t see his own future (or more appropriately, those close to him). This scene in CON reaffirmed for me that this was always going to play out this way. 

The further you get into the series, the less things started making sense (in regards to what we are made to believe so far). That’s a big part of why I made a point to start writing out notes for myself. The thing that was hard for me to understand were some of the times that we get scenes from the future compared to the knowledge that the characters in CON have. It isn’t until the end of CON that some of that confusion is cleared up. 

The first thing that confused me was about when the time-travel began and this scene was probably a little over mid-way through Infinity. We see that Ambrose has started time-traveling centuries after the timeline in CON,

“Ambrose grabbed the bookcase and slammed it to the ground, spilling the ancient books he’d carefully collected for centuries across the floor of his stygian office.” Infinity, 329.

Here’s what kind of perplexed me when I first read this. As previously stated, Nick wasn’t always my favorite character in DH. I did understand why he was so angry at the world, after the events of StN, but if centuries had past since his mother’s death and his conversion as a DH, why go back now to change his future? What changed?

While I also knew he definitely had some moments where he is infuriating in the series, it seemed odd that he would actually end the world centuries after his mother’s death if that is the supposed catalyst is the reason for his downfall. Especially when it seems like, later in CON, he’s starting - I say starting, not that he has completely - to come to terms with his mother’s death (in Time Untime, for example). Why not end the world once he found out what he was in DH and unlocked his powers? I always imagined that if it was a future Nick changing the events in CON, it would stand to reason that the future Nick would be closer to the timeline in DH than one that was centuries in the future.

There is another thing I found worth noting. We find out that Ambrose has no idea who Kody is and doesn’t remember her. This scene was initially weird to me because if she becomes a part of his past, why wouldn’t he remember her? Any changes he had made would affect his current memories. Until you get to the end of the series, this is a little confusing. Even going on the assumption she was added to a timeline and had not been there before, Ambrose would still know her from Nick’s memories. 

Nick flinched as he forced that memory away and turned his thoughts to something he’d said to himself earlier. “Who is Nekoda?”

Artemis gave him a blank stare. “Never heard of him.”

“Her, Artie. It’s a girl.”

One of her perfect brows shot up as a jealousy darkened her green eyes. “What kind of girl?”

“I don’t know. Nick knows her.”

“You are Nick.” Her tone was testy.

“Exactly. How can I not know who she is?” How could he not have seen her as he looked back? For some reason, she was a complete ghost to him. No matter what power he used, he couldn’t find this piece of his past. Even with certain aspects altered, he should still be able to hone in on her.

Yet he couldn’t.

Why?

Artemis shrugged her thin shoulder, “You forgot her. It happens. You were human… once.” 333-335, Infinity.

While confusing when first reading this (assuming I knew how I time-travel worked), I didn’t think much of this scene at first. It later made me wonder if this meant that she was hidden from him, similar to how Tiyana was (in Inferno, Nick learns the store she works at was cloaked from him). What’s I think is important to note about that parallel to me is that Tiyana in DH was Nick’s possible future. She could have been his wife and mother of his children.

We get the impression from the start of the books that Kody will be important and they both have feelings for each other. How does that impact Ambrose, though? How did Ambrose not know about her? It tells me that she’s important to his future later on. It also leads me believe that when Ambrose started time-traveling, she either hasn’t been born yet or he just hasn’t met her yet. For a while, my theory was that she was already born but Ambrose didn’t know her. I also thought that this scene was interesting because at the end of the series, like Artemis says, Nick does end up forgetting about her. A little bit of foreshadowing perhaps? 

As far as the first novel goes, all in all, it was really good. It pulled me and definitely had me wanting to read more. I had several questions after my initial read. Nick is the Malachai. We know this from the DH series but it goes into a lot more depth in CON. In Infinity, my biggest question was why Ambrose was losing his humanity so long after his mother’s death. I was initially curious about Nekoda and who she truly was and her impact in the series. The first glimpse we got into who she truly is was mentioned briefly in Infinity. 

But as he reached it, an unbidden image went through his head. It was Nekoda…

Only she wasn’t the girl he knew who made him laugh and who kissed him on the cheek. She was something else entirely. Dressed in armor, she looked like an ancient warrior, complete with a helmet and shield.

And a sword she was driving straight through his heart.

368. Infinity

I would also like to put a pin in the scene where she drives a sword through his heart, as the person she would actually be fighting isn’t Nick. It’s Cyprian, as he is the one who ends the world. Wouldn't this mean she came close to defeating or defeated Cyprian? Or is it just a metaphor for her mission in the past?

The other scene with Nekoda that I thought was a nod to where she truly comes from is this comment by Simi. Nekoda is from the future where the Malachai has destroyed the world so it stands to reason that nothing could be scarier than that. As a first time reader, both of these scenes didn’t mean much to me at the time other than a reference to why she was sent back in time. 

Simi came up to lean against Kody’s shoulder. “Oh, the Simi thinks you’ve seen things much, much scarier than that.”

Nekoda paled a bit, but didn’t elaborate.

456, Infinity.

If you’ve read the entire series and re-read it, we get what is, in my opinion, the first bit of foreshadowing about Cyprian (Nick’s son).

Ambrose had learned long ago to fear anyone he let near him whose past and future he couldn’t see. Any time he’d make that particular mistake, the person had done their best to destroy him. 459, Infinity.

Don’t get me wrong, I do understand that Ambrose is specifically referencing Kody here and that comment about trying to destroy him does come to a head in Inferno. To me though, it seems like the implied implication here is pointing to just more than that (having read of all of CON). 

Later on in the series, Cyprian is revealed to be his son. Someone would would be “near” Nick but whose future and past he cannot clearly see. It is also interesting because once we are introduced to Ambrose’s son, what does he spend most of our interactions with Nick doing? Trying to destroy him. 

SK is one of those authors that doesn’t write things in her books for no reason. What she writes has some deeper meaning or intention, foreshadowing. I feel like the books leading up to us finding out about Cyprian are scattered with foreshadowing of his arrival into the series. I could just be reading too deeply into things but who knows.

The next post I make will be in regards to the next novel in the book Invincible. The first few books have a couple of points that I would like to mention but it really doesn't get in depth until we get to the last few books. Putting some of these scenes together is helping me make sense of some of my theories I have while reading. Like I mentioned before, I initially tried to make one large post about the entire series but it became a convoluted mess so I decided it was probably better to split it up, book by book. Thanks for reading and please feel free to share your own thoughts, comments, theories as I would love to find more readers who analyze this series as much as I do. 

[stygian-omadas-epic-chronicles]

Death Doesn’t Bargain (Deadman’s Cross #2) extended excerpt

Kalder was stunned by Thorn’s unexpected confession. How could the demon bastard have set him free into the world again, if he really knew who and what Kalder was? What he was capable of doing? It made no sense. . “You knew?” Savitar accused.             “Of course, I knew.” Thorn was indignant. “I’m not stupid. I leave that precarious state up to you, surf-for-brains.” Savitar sent a blast of fire straight at Thorn. Thorn returned it in full measure. “Don’t you even start with me, Chthonian. Or I’ll wedge your surfboard sideways into a piece of your anatomy you won’t ever forget.” “You traitorous bastard!” That sobered Thorn who stalked Savitar like a savage predator after the beast who’d wounded it. Rage bled out from every part of his body. “How dare you of all creatures accuse me of that!” Now it was Savitar’s turn to be indignant. “I beg your pardon?” “Beg all you want, but you won’t get it. And you heard me. As if your hands are any cleaner in this fight than mine, or that you’d be any less likely to switch sides. If you ever think for one heartbeat that I’d shift loyalties to my father, then you’d best think again, and remember that the day I do, I’d kill my son and wife in the process. So fuck you, Chthonian! And your suspicions! You can take them both and shove them up your ass and down your throat! My ties to the right side of this fight are a whole lot stronger than yours will ever be!” “Wife?” The captain gaped. Thorn froze instantly. Then took a step back as if suddenly remembering that he and Savitar weren’t the only two on the island. His features paled as he glanced about, and he became acutely aware of just how many had borne witness to his slip of the tongue.     Savitar gave him an evil smirk. “Yes, punkin’ we all heard what you said. Want to keep going? What other interesting tidbits are you planning to let out in the midst of your verbal spewage?” Thorn narrowed his gaze. “Careful, punkin’, you know what they say about those who live in glass houses.” “They get a lot of sunshine?” Thorn sneered at his sarcasm. “I was thinking they get covered in a lot of bug shit, myself. But tomato, tamahto.” Savitar twisted his jaw in a way that said he was barely restraining the urge to punch him. “You really make it hard not to gut you some days.” “Ditto.” “Well, I should have known . . .” Cameron gaped as a man appeared next to her and Kalder who was equal in height to Savitar. Which was to say, he was gigantic. Only instead of muscular, he was lean, yet every bit as lethal and powerful. There was no mistaking his power that said he could easily match the rest of them. And then some. The only difference was that he had exceptionally long black hair and eyes of mercury silver that swirled like the sea during a storm. Aged eyes that said he’d seen more than his fair share of trouble and misery. And he wore a plain black woolen coat more akin to the captain’s than an ornate one that was favored by Thorn, Bart or Will. At his approach, Thorn and Savitar stepped apart like two errant children who’d been caught squabbling by their parents, and wanted to hide their misbehavior before a grand spanking ensued. “He started it.” Savitar jerked his chin at Thorn. “Acheron!” Janice shouted in happiness. “Get me away from these idiots!” Cameron’s eyes widened as she realized that this was the mysterious Acheron Parthenopaeus who led the Dark-Hunters— the group of warriors charged with protecting mankind from the Daimons who preyed on them and their souls. Unlike Thorn’s Hellchasers who sent demons back to their dimensions after they escaped or broke whatever rule had allowed them a temporary reprieve, or the Necrodemians such as her brother who killed the dark demons who refused to go, or were too dangerous to be corralled without risking danger to the world or to humanity. Pausing in front of Savitar, Acheron arched a quizzical brow. “Question. Who locked my Huntress in a cave?” Kalder raised his hand. “That would me, but she’s free to leave at any time. I only did it to protect her from the sunlight.” “Then I won’t kill you.” Acheron made a sharp turn back toward Savitar and Thorn. “And you two idiots. . . . Seriously? We have a major demon infestation, buckling gates, and a Malachai on the loose, and you two are fighting like infants right in the middle of it all?” With a perturbed sneer, Savitar crossed his arms over his chest. “You know, you’re not so old, or so big, that I can’t spank you.” Sancha raised her hand to volunteer. “Might I have the honor of it? Or I could hold him down if you’d like. If he struggles, all the better, I say.” Acheron scoffed at her offer. “Careful, love. My bite is much worse than my bark.” She flashed an inviting grin. “Counting on that, love. Definitely, counting on that.” She gave him an inviting wink.

Now it was Thorn’s turn to smirk. “What can I say, old Ack? They were damned for a reason. And some, more so than others.”

Acheron shook his head. “Makes me glad I just have to wrangle Dark-Hunters. And a few stray Dream-Hunters and Weres.” “And I have to wrangle morons.” Savitar gestured at Thorn. “With the Lord King of them all standing right there in front of us. So I dare you to ask him about (parts removed for SPOILERS ). Go ahead. I dare you.” Acheron went still for about a heartbeat and a half. His eyes rippled red as his black hair fanned out. Yet unlike Savitar, he didn’t react. Instead, he pressed one finger to his temple as if suppressing a migraine. “Thorn . . . tell me you had a good reason for what you did.” (parts removed for SPOILERS ) Sadly, I miscalculated how long it’d take me to get to him, and Vine’s resourcefulness (parts removed for SPOILERS ) For that, I apologize.” Thorn cleared his throat pointedly. “To you, Ash. Not to surf-bum.” Thorn sighed heavily. “Hindsight, stupid plan. But given that I was in battle at the time, with Michael and Gabriel breathing down my throat and all manner of hell breaking loose, it was the best I could come up with.” Savitar finally calmed down. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?” “You didn’t give me a chance, psycho-douche.” Acheron held his hand up. “Enough, children! With Adarian running loose in the Caribbean, we have enough problems without you two going at each other. Now play nicely, or I’m feeding you both to she who won’t be named.” Thorn rolled his eyes, then turned to curse at Kalder. “Of all the islands in all the worlds. You had to land on this one? Really?” Kalder shrugged. “I’ve always had bad aim.” Zumari laughed at that. Unlike him, the Maasai warrior was renowned for his skills at throwing knives and spears. “No lie to that. You should see him at a spear toss.” Growling low in the back of his throat, Thorn faced Mara and Devyl. “How long will it take for you to make a new ship?” Mara bit her lip as she considered it. “From scratch? Months. But I could bond with one quickly.” Her amber eyes danced with amusement. “You wouldn’t happen to have a spare one just lying about, would you?” They all turned toward Acheron. At first he appeared irritated by the fact that they deferred to him, but with a sigh, he resigned himself to it. “Frigate or sloop?” he asked the captain. Devyl grinned. “First-rate, man-o’-war. I’ve always been partial. Besides, me aeromages need the room to maneuver in battle. And me lady doesn’t like to be cramped.” Acheron nodded slowly. “All right. I’ll have one docked and ready by dusk.” He jerked his chin at Savitar. “Can you manage to be hospitable until then?” “I’d rather be disemboweled. Or better yet, disembowel them.” “Sav . . .” He sneered at Acheron. “Don’t give me no lip, twerp. How’d you come by that wonderful pirate coat you’re wearing again?” Acheron gave him a droll stare. “Moral of the story isn’t to draw first blood. It’s to draw last.” Savitar rolled his eyes. “Fine. But remember you owe me. And Thorn owes me twice.” “Me?” Thorn groused. “Why do I owe you?” “I didn’t eat your little Thornkateers when they showed up on my beach without an invitation.” Thorn sputtered in indignation. “Need I remind you that you personally recommended about half of them for my crew? Doesn’t that make them Saviteers?” “Or would that be saboteurs?” Belle asked with a wicked gleam in her eye. In complete synchronicity with one another, Savitar and Thorn turned their heads to glare at her. And with the same, exact grimace of disdain. An impressive feat, indeed. Bart laughed while William grimaced. “Do those two always argue like an old married couple?” “They do,” Acheron said with a sigh. “Be grateful, you’ve only had to listen to them for a few minutes. I’ve had this shite ringing in my ears for over ten thousand years.” Bart scratched at his beard. “And you’re still sane?” Acheron shrugged. “That’s a matter of opinion. Besides, sanity’s overrated.” “But silence isn’t. So let there be silence on my island. And peace, boys and girls. You can camp in the Omegrion chambers since I doubt the Were-Hunters will be visiting— and they better not be visiting ‘cause I can’t take any more creatures here today. There’s a reason I live in seclusion! Means I tend to eat anything that intrudes on it!” Savitar growled again. “Acheron, since he apparently has nothing better to do with his immortality than stick his skinny little nose in where it doesn’t belong, can show you where that is, then see about your ship so that you’ll be gone before I finish with my siesta. Thorn will watch you while you’re there, and make sure none of you piss on my rugs.” Thorn sputtered. “Excuse me?” “I tried to make an excuse for you once and this is what happened. I got stuck with you being a pain in my eternity. So be a good parent and mind your children while I nap. Keep them out of my underwear drawers and off my furniture for the duration of their stay.” And with that, Savitar vanished into thin air. Thorn ground his teeth. “Is it too late to summon an angry sea deity and sink this place?” Acheron gave him a cocky grin. “I can think of a vicious goddess of destruction who would love to help you out in that department. Especially since she’s not overly fond of him. However, there is one serious downside to releasing her.” Will cocked his head. “That is?” “End of the world,” the captain answered. “Hence the whole goddess of destruction moniker, lad. Goes with the territory.” “Mmm,” Acheron concurred. “Much like Sallie’s soul, once she comes out of her container, she’s a little hard to put back in it.” “Aye, but the last time she came out, she sank Atlantis.” Thorn glanced about the island. “This is considerably smaller than that. I’m thinking . . .” A bolt of lightning flew at his head. Thorn deflected it. “You missed me, Savitar.” A coconut hit him in the back so hard that it left him face down in the sand. “No, I didn’t.” The disembodied voice was plain and clearly Savitar’s. “I seriously hate you, Chthonian.”

[katsbookcornerreads]

Another fabulous read from The deadman's cross series!!! I adore this series and it's amazing characters so much!!! This is Xuri and Valynda's story and it was a awesome page turning read with plenty of action,passion and emotional moments as well.The gods and villians are plenty and still going out of their way to make everyone's life hell. The deadmen are fighting baddies left and right , with Adarian Malachai in the lead !! All valynda wants is to be human again and to get revenge for xuri's betrayal ,but their is more to the story and xuri won't stop til valynda knows the whole truth. Their was a lot going on in this book and some old favorites stopped by like ash,savitar,thorn,Hades and my girl the simi!!! Love her and her barbeque sauce!!! And some new character's from the mysterious and powerful goddess Circe who is the captain of a ship of forsaken and damned women. Will valaynda make a bargain with this powerful goddess or Will she help Adarian destroy the world and xuri along with it.!! So intense!!! And their also be Dragons!!!! Yes I said Dragons!!! Not just any dragons either but hot,sexy warrior sea dragons and I'm very interested in both Nazar and his brother Karawan !! They sound delish!. Captain bane and the crew of the deadmen are back with one hell of a adventure,so sit back get comfy and enjoy the ride I know I did!! Until next time luv's💖💋 https://www.instagram.com/p/B2SqvIhgVWs/?igshid=1jnb0ts1gqscw

[eloquentisms-a-blog]

tag drop.

[sallux]

Finished Infamous!

Okay a couple things stuck out in this one lmao They don’t say his name but they do mention madoc in infamous they even say that he was shielded by zeus’ curse(I'm assuming it's his god hood that kept him from inheriting the Malachai) but like how did I forget this?????? Oh and it was a low level demon that possessed a guard and told Adarian about him. Also since original timeline Addy died around Nick's 10th birthday I gotta assume he never found out about Madoc Ash knows about Caleb and Kody but has zero clue about nick Kody does a hell of a job not crying at the sight of her uncle but like I mean it's been what centuries? Since her dad and brothers died. I'm just saying I cry at the mere mention of Styxx so like seeing Ash would Def have me tearing up (though who her family is isn't even eluded to in this book so¯\_(ツ)_/ ¯.) Caleb says he lead verlyns army (was this foreshadowing????? Maybe probably who knows lmao) And last but not least Nick made a deal with artemis to save kody (I don't remember if/how this comes into the story though like at all) On to Inferno!!

[booksandwords]

At Death's Door by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Deadman’s Cross, #3 Read Time: 2 Days Rating: 4/5

The quote: Pish to the posh on that. I don't believe in catering to male egos. Figure yours is large enough already. Why make it grow any larger? — Valynda Moore (to Adarian Malachai - Valynda is a total badass, shes takes no shit from no man)

Let me start by saying this is quite a difficult book to review and rate. I'm giving it 4 stars because it is for fans. I'm not sold on this being a book that is able to be gifted or picked up by a person with no knowledge of Sherri's works. There is a lot of assumed knowledge and interconnectivity. It feels like a lot and can be quite overwhelming if you don't know Sherri and her Hunter world. For some background on where I am on that, I've read about half of the Chronicles of Nick, and come and go from the Hunter world (Dark, Were and Dream-Hunters). I've read maybe half a dozen and really want to read more. While the previous two books could be read without confusion, this one it depends on the reader.

To start with the relationship in play here is very different from the two before it. Valynda and Nibo have been lovers for years her lack of a body makes it difficult but they make it work. That relationship and Valynda's insecurities are used against her because Adarian is around doing his Malachi thing. Perhaps the element that requires the most adjustment is the names. Valynda uses the name Xuri for Nibo, his true name, she is basically the only one that does, including him. He and everyone else refers to him has Nibo.

The plot isn't predictable, and I appreciated the core of the ending. It is paced well and can be followed with ease largely. The characters are the complication, that is where the connectivity comes in. The characters from the previous books make appearances. There is are some plot holes but I've read Deadman Walking and Death Doesn't Bargain in the last 3 days so they are recent for me. The story does end though in a largely satisfying way, there are some loose ends but nothing pressing. The two main characters Nibo and Valynda are charming, I wanted their happiness. I liked that we knew what they didn't, that there was no malice between them, but that they were conspired against. Nibo in particular is nothing like what I was expecting, the man is honestly terrifying, he wields an awful lot of power for the Hunter world, even if he does belong to an entirely different pantheon. Overall it is a pleasant read.

Some dot points to just get down some of the things I really liked.

The whole The Flying Dutchman plot point.

Belle's story. No one deserves the shit Sherri has gone through and this story just hit close.

I think At Death's Door was supposed to be the last story in a trilogy, if there is a third it will be Jake and Sancha. Sancha getting some peace made me happy.

There are so many great quotes about women and life in here. Mostly from Nibo which I didn't expect.

It paints an interesting picture of Jaden. I know of Jaden. But he's a little more selfless than I thought.

The illustrations above the chapters are lovely. I liked the variety. So much of it was tied to Nibo and his people. The illustration of Nibo and I'm assuming Valynda is gorgeous. I love it

SIMI CAMEO!!!! "Baron Sexy! It's so good to see you!" - Simi on Nibo. And Simi my love I can 100% get on board with that. Also, Simi in 1700s clothes is still the cutest thing.

I did find the theme to the Deadman's Cross novels. Devyl, Kalder and Nibo are all on friendly-ish terms with the big 3 from the Hunter world (Sav, Ash and Thorn), Kalder in particular. All three man ave similar personality traits even if their skill sets are different. These 3 books are all about very old, nearly immortal men with serious darkness within them and their younger women, their calming forces, anchors to their humanity. Devyl and Mara age is not an issue they are both ancient but I got the feeling that he was older than her. Kalder is as old as Devyl, Cam is human (ish). Nibo is complicated but essentially he's long, long dead, Val is also complicated but they met when she was 16ish. As with virtually all of Sherri's relationships the women are in total control, whether they know it or not is a completely different issue.

A word of advice there is three ways to read At Death Door, 1. know the Hunter World, 2. know the basics and keep a wiki nearby or 3. let it all wash over you and stay for the Deadmen. I went with option 2. I used a wiki a lot a tried to keep everyone and their insane families, names and interwoven stories straight. But it is a lot, the Hunter world is a lot. Deadman Walking and Death Doesn't Bargain do not prepare you for At Death's Door. They are glimpses of the Hunter world this is all in. I would like to know where it fits chronologically though. The 1700s. The epilogue gives some clues but not enough.

I think I will need to read this again. While this is a long review I feel like I haven't done the book justice. I think I need to reread it now I know the plot. To find what I missed, the connections, the people. I do recommend it but only to people who enjoyed books 1&2 and Sherri's fans

[kellysreadingnook]

Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon Chapter: Six

Summary: Nick braces himself and Simi materializes in front of him. She invites him out to eat, but Nick declines as he is grounded. She disappears and Nick realizes that it wasn't Simi that made the alarms go off. He metally calls Caleb and he picks up that its Noir and he's coming for Nick. Caleb calls Nekoda and he vanishes to warn Adarian. Nick asks Nekoda who Noir is and Nekoda explains that he's one of the six primal gods and that he and his father are what fuel him, the majority of his power coming from the Malachai. Nick asks for more information and Nekoda explains the whole thing. At one point, there were six primal gods, three for the positive and three for the negative. For the positive side, there was Verlyn who was in charge of vegetation and fertility and an earth god who kept everyone fed, Cam who was the goddess of white and gold and the sun goddess with gifts of love and light, and Rezar the god of lust, fire, and passion. These three gods created the Chtonians, their police force. For the negative, there is Braith, the goddess of war and metals and who taught mankind how to forge weapons out of the earth to fight each other, Azura who is the goddess of water who lures unsuspecting people in and then drowns them, and then there's Noir, the god of all things dark and deadly. After Braith taught man how to fight, Verlyn, Cam, and Rezar created the Sephirii to be the protectors of man and the consorts of the primal gods. Nekoda also reveals the name of the Sephiroth, Jared. When this happened, Braith and Azura were furious and created the Malachai in response. Nick then realizes that Nekoda is related to one of the primal gods, but won't say which one. Then Nick asks Nekoda questions about his birth and she makes Nick realize that his conception was through violence to do violence. Using her powers, Nekoda takes him into the past to show him the moment of his birth. Nick is shocked to find out that his mom did consider giving him up for adoption at one point, but decided against it since he was her blood. Then we switch to Adarian. Caleb has arrived and relays that he has been found. He also explains that whatever it was tried to gain access to Nick's room. He dismisses Caleb with an even firmer order to protect Nick. Then a guard is possessed and its revealed that Adarian had impregnated a goddess and that the things after him had known about it for centuries. Adarian then realizes that he could infuse his other son with Nick's blood and combine all three Malachai. Then he decides that its time to pay Nick a visit. Reaction: Hmmmm.... Prediction: Its pretty obvious that there's a hint that Nick's mom was raped. As for Nekoda, I believe that she is related to one of the positive gods, narrowing it down to either Verlyn, Cam, or Rezar. I'm leaning towards Cam though.

Tomorrow's chapter: Seven

[calebsmalphas]

Do you think Caleb has nightmares about Nick? He was severely abused and tortured by Adarian and Nick looks exactly like his father. We've even had a couple scenes where Caleb shows genuine fear towards Nick. Like he'd have nightmares about Adarian but now instead of it being Adarian hurting him it's Nick sometimes?

[welcometomyworldofbs]

READ THIS OR FACE MY OBSESSIVE RANTING A$$!

A Malachai isn’t just a demon, you dinguses. I see so many people complaining that Nick is an A$$hole and an idiot because he just hates Ash oh so much. All I’ve gotta to say to y’all is “didn’t you read the freakin’ books?” Look, you’re right, he’s being a HUGE a$$ atm. But, um, hello?? HE IS AN EMBODIMENT OF SOMEONE ELSE’S ANGER, HATE, AND POWER?? Did y’all seriously skip the entire history with Monakribos and the whole beginning? The first Malachai born from Monakribos’ body was nothing but a demon, an embodiment of his hate. People, Nick is very very different from every other Malachai- he’s got a soul, loving (living) mother, and he’s capable of much more than his predecessors. But he still has a piece of that same hate, anger, and raw hunger for vengeance like his fathers before him, because THE CURSE DIDN’T JUST POOF AWAY WHEN HE WAS BORN. He is still an embodiment of Monakribos’ hate, but he isn’t JUST that, like his fathers were. They didn’t have souls because they were purely evil- not actual beings that are capable of being more than the sum of their parts. Why? Because they didn’t possess the same things Nicky did- he was exposed genetically and environmentally to certain things like love and compassion that allowed him to be capable of those things.

For Pete’s sake, people, Nick doesn’t freaking hate Ash uncontrollably because he’s nothing but a big baby- in the book At Death’s Door, a lot of this stuff is explained- and I imagine Sherry was surprised at how few people are connecting all of the dots. Imma say this a million times- NICK HATES ASH RIGHT NOW BECAUSE MONAKRIBOS HATES ASH RIGHT NOW. Adarian explained the Malachai’s hatred of Apollymi’s son (Ash) was literally because they have a loyalty to her. Why? BECAUSE THEY AREN’T ANYTHING BUT HER FIRST BORN SON’S EMOTIONS! Ash won’t release his mom, for good reason, but Monakribos would still be furious that his mother is locked in a prison because of his little brother not wanting to release her. People, Nick doesn’t view Apollymi as his mom. How-in-the-hell-ever, his mother was murdered. You notice how is the whole Chronicles of Nick series, Nick isn’t hateful to Ash? Notice how he doesn’t try to hurt him for what he’s supposedly done to his mom (i.e. left her in a hell realm)? Because he knows, feels, that his mother was at home, or work, or wherever. Point is, he couldn’t feel that hatred for Ash then because he had his mom, and he knew where she was and that she was safe. After she died, Nick was left without a mom. What better time for a demon to kick in, for Monakribos’ want for his mother, to kick in, then after Nick lost what meant most to him? It even says, on Sherry’s official site, under Nick Gautier (DH), that Nick forgave Ash months after his mother’s death. MONTHS, not years. It then says, in the same darn paragraph, that Nick does not understand the darkness he’s feeling. You guys have got to start doing your research and connecting the dots, cuz it all makes more sense than you think. But stop saying crap like Nick needs to get over his mom’s brutal death- not only is that dumb, but you would never say that to yourself or to someone in real life. Secondly, pay the hell attention to the history because it explains why our Cajun baby has turned dark. For goodness sake, IT’S NOT HIS HATRED THAT HE’S FEELING. Nick doesn’t despise his bestie for his mother’s death. Yes, that’s what he makes it sound like, but he FORGOT EVERYTHING! Remember how his MEMORIES were kind of ERASED?? He doesn’t remember crap about Monakribos, people. He doesn’t remember why he feels all these dark emotions and where they stem from. All he knows is that that b.i.t.c.h. Cam (Aunt Mennie) keeps telling him to stop being hateful. Because of course that would do it. I can’t stand her! She manipulates Nick to thinking it’s all his own demonic darkness when she knows more than damn well what a Malachai is. An embodiment. Nothing more. Nick is something more, though, but she’s trying to make him believe that this is all his own fault that he’s become this and that he’s just making something out of nothing. It’s not nothing, and she knows it. Nick. Does. Not. If I hear one more child complain when they haven’t read, imma cry and scream at how lazy some of y’all are being. Please ask questions and READDDD. Read the dang bios under the characters. Read the damn comments Sherry makes. PAY ATTENTION TO THE DANG PLOT you should know by now that nothing she says is without reason! Thank you, for listening to my TEDtalk. And read, dang nabbit, before I split my head trying to rant to y’all in my head.

[intrepidmare]

Illusion post re-reading commentary

I got to say that the scene of Nick and his dad is one of my favorites from that book. I know it seems that Adarian holds not even a good feeling for his son and he only got a twisted love for Cherise. However, we can’t deny Adarian helps Nick... grudgingly and aggressively, but does it anyway.

Fine, he does it for Cherise’s benefit. Although, is it his only motivation?  I wonder if deep deep deeeep deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep down he doesn’t hate Nick that much. 

idk, maybe I’m crazy and thinking way too much into this. What do you guys think?

[dexaria]

Nicky and his Da are facing certain death and discussing True Names...

Adarian: Speak that name out loud three times and [Caleb] can be summoned to you. Anywhere. Anytime. It is the name of owning.

Nick: Please, Lord, please. Tell me that mine isn't Dickless Nicholas.

Adarian: What?

Nick: ...

Adarian: ...

Nick: It's not Nick the Dick, either, right?