Nick’s smile was an ugly thing, like something dead washed ashore that had rotted there.“He put out for you?I guess he’s easy like that.Maybe we’ll keep you around long enough so you can watch him coming back to me.He used to be so good when I had him.”
“Yeah, really good,” James said, licking his lips.
“As if you know anything.As if you care.As if your rotten hearts could understand affection.”
Nick tapped the bowl with his finger.“We don’t need affection when we have this.The demon power juice is better than affection.”
He pulled the gag back up, stoppering Fian’s mouth.I cannot let them do this,Fian thought and struggled against the ropes, against the magic that bound him.
The two witches stood and turned to a camping table of all things.They had placed witch paraphernalia on it.Fian couldn’t see much of it, and he wasn’t sure all of it was even effective to begin with.His blood though, his blood would give them a shot at power.
They began a low chant, the locating spell.It rose like a foul odor from the blood bowl because of the way they wove it, none of it as beautiful and smooth as demon magic.Their sickening intent, too, leached into it, tainting it even further.
Blasted sea ice and cursed shipwrecks,Fian thought, wiggling harder.
“Whoa, look,” said James.“He’s close.Real close.Can this be right?”
No.Oh, please.Don’t tell me you were foolish enough to come back for me, Kai!I meant for you to run to safety!
Nick looked into the bowl, shrugged.“Saves us from having to go and pick him up.Dumb motherfucker though.”He glanced at Fian.“Maybe he liked being with me a lot more than he likes you.”
The two of them walked out the surprisingly sturdy door of the boathouse.It fell shut behind them, leaving Fian alone with his fury and the general sense of being useless, of failing at the one thing that should have been easy: protecting Kai and keeping his promise.
21
KaifollowedMikanotothe northern end of town.A little walk past the last house would take them to a boathouse.There were trees there, scraggly yet defiantly braving the wind and salt the ocean brought.
Kai tried to hide between the brush and the thin trunks, admittedly an effort bound to fail.Mikano though, just strode along the path in the grass and gravel, not formally paved but drawn there by people walking to and from this place.
I’ve never seen anyone take a boat out though.I’m not even sure anyone ever talked about boats or fishing, let alone swimming.They would just meet here once or twice a month, and Nick told me he’d be back late.
“Hey, are witch’s sabbaths real?”Kai asked Mikano, keeping his voice low.
The shark glanced back.“In a way.If humans practice witchcraft, doing it in a group can grant them more power, and working alongside celestial events can add even more to that.”
“You mean, if they met here on the full moon, it was a sabbath?”
Mikano frowned.“If you need to make sense of what they did to you, of how they managed to overpower you, yes, I’m sure that was one aspect of it.But, little dreamer, there isn’t much you could have done to stop them once they drove the hook through your tongue.They would have gotten something physical of yours—hair or spit, that sort of thing, and after that point, you’d have been stuck in the current of their foul spells.”
Kai sighed.“I went on a date with him.I guess he could have gotten a hair then?I didn’t notice.I was about to ghost him, you know?”
“That’s the thing you do with unsuitable relationship candidates.Tom and his bestie explained all about that.I will tell Tickle about it too.Perhaps he will then go and get himself a human phone finally.After all, who else is Tom going to call if he can’t reach me?”
Kai pulled his new and shiny device from his pocket.“He got me this.He said he just wants to use it when he’s here.”
Mikano gaped.“Oh, Tickle.Kai, I do apologize.My brother doesn’t understand that phones are private.Do you like phones, Kai?Texting?”
Kai shrugged.“Sure.”
“I’ll explain to him how important that is in a relationship.You can get matching phone cases.He’ll like that.”Mikano pulled out his own phone with the sleek black case.“Tom got me this as an engagement present, and he has the same.”
The boathouse was in full view ahead of them.
“You know, that is so cool.Guess what else would be cool?”
Mikano put on an angelic smile.“Saving Tickle?”
“Exactly.Do we have a plan?”Kai asked, keeping his voice low.
