“And again, your gratitude is likely premature. All I can offer is my own perspective.”
“I cannot expect more than that. As for Hikaru?—”
“If I see him again, I will pass along your message.”
This time, Keir’s sigh sounded relieved. “You’ll see him.”
“You sound confident.” I didn’t verbalize that I found relief in that confidence.
“I am. Hikaru is…he is a peculiar entity to describe. Hikaru’s actions frustrate me, but that frustration is tempered by sympathy. In some ways, out of all of us, Tenzen’s actions harmed Hikaru most of all. It’s no secret I need and want him here. However, there is a part of me that’s relieved he’s there, with you.”
“As I’ve already said, Hikaru is not here,withme.” Keir’s words made my stomach dip and dive in a nauseating manner.
“Perhaps not currently. But he will be soon.” Again, Keir’s confidence seemed unflappable.
“I believe you are seeing things that aren’t there.”
“Could be. It wouldn’t be the first time. Or more accurately, I was blind to what was going on. I’ve made it my personal mission never to turn a blind eye to what is going on around me again. I’ve seen the consequences of blind trust. I assure you, Warlock Holland, that will never happen again.”
Tenzen Huxley’s actions had left a wounded playing field that would eventually be pockmarked with scars. Considering how long lived most species were, those scars would reverberate for centuries to come. I’d often wondered if Erasmus’s shorter lifespan was more gift than curse.
“Take care, Holland, and please, take care of Hikaru as well.”
Instead of answering such drivel, I said, “Send me the letters. Goodbye, Keir.” I ended the call before Keir could say more. As far as I was concerned, the gryphon had already given me too much to contemplate. He need not add more to my overflowing mental plate. As brilliant as I was, even my brain risked becoming overwhelmed.
My mistake was heading back inside. The disheveled living room was a reminder of Hikaru’s presence and his absence. Turning on my heel, I headed back outside and to the mind-numbing crashing of the Pacific Ocean.
Eight
Hikaru
Were all warlocks this unbearably stuffy and organized? Hovering high in the corner of Warlock Danzig’s office, I took in the lackluster decor. For a moment, I thought I’d accidently translocated to a drafty old European castle. Maybe that’s where Danzig traced his roots. I’d found that a curious hobby across many species living within theNew World. That’s what the America’s had been called during colonial exploration and colonization. Maybe Danzig had been one of those early interlopers.
If so, he obviously hadn’t adapted with the times. At least Niki’s home was modernized. This place looked like a museum. I had a feeling it was all pomp and no substance.
Danzig was reading through an application. I was annoyed to see it wasn’t mine. I would have loved to see the look on his face as this archaic blowhard read through my alter ego’s sexual preferences.
Alas, that wasn’t to be. Instead, I was stuck here, little more than whisps of barely held together atoms. I’d already disabled Danzig’s wards, at least where I was concerned. Danzig’s magic didn’t recognize me as foreign or threatening. Instead, it lappedalong the edges of my consciousness, as if it longed for a different type of magic to interact with. While that might sound arrogant, it was easy for me to see how disturbed Danzig’s magic appeared. It was nothing like Niki’s.
Niki’s magic couldn’t get enough of him. It swirled around him, caressing his skin and teasing his fingertips. The magic that had been pulled into Danzig’s orbit hovered, maintaining its distance, remaining as far away as it was allowed. Danzig’s magic wasn’t nearly as diverse as Niki’s. Its colors were dark, and it vibrated with malice. I wasn’t certain if that malice was directed inward or outward. Regardless, had I been in a solid form, it would have made my skin crawl.
Increasingly uncomfortable and growing more agitated by the second, I’d just decided to head back to Niki’s place when Danzig’s phone rang. I was still on my way out, but a single name caught my attention.
“Boone isn’t in Mississippi? Where the fuck is he?”
Boone. That was Niki’s son, Erasmus. Suddenly, Danzig had my full attention.
“Honeymoon?” Danzig’s back straightened, his muscles taught. “He’s a necromancer. Who in the hell would bind themselves to…that?” Disgust was so ingrained in Danzig’s tone I thought it would take a sledgehammer to dislodge.
Danzig grunted while leaning back in his chair. “Sounds about right. Humans are disgusting creatures in their own right.”
Rage shot through me. I wasn’t certain why. I wasn’t human and shouldn’t take offense. Still, it seemed horribly hypocritical considering warlocks relied on human women for the continuation of their species. Danzig’s own mother would have been human. Danzig’s completely blackened fingers and nearly all-white hair meant his human mother was long deceased.
“When is he expected back?” Danzig’s face scrunched and I wasn’t certain if he was upset or not by what he heard. With a long-suffering sigh, Danzig slouched, as if the weight of the world was now resting on his elderly shoulders. “It might be for the best.” Danzig pinched the bridge of his nose. “Boone somehow managed to defeat Huxley. We may not know how but—” Danzig was cut off and his cheeks flushed red. “We don’t know that for certain.” Another pause before Danzig scoffed. “That’s little more than hearsay. Honestly, ahelpfuldjinn?” Danzig waved a dismissive hand in the air. “It’s an idiotic thought.”
Now, that was interesting. It seemed not everyone was privy to what went down in that dilapidated Mississippi house. Were these fools truly ignorant of Aurelia’s presence and her admittedly odd attachment to the one creature who could truly do her harm? It would seem so. Maybe they weren’t so much ignorant as too arrogant to believe what they’d heard. Instead, Danzig dismissed the idea as little more than dark fantasy.
“Regardless of how he managed it, Boone made it out of Huxley’s trap alive. I still say we don’t need him to get to Holland. There are other ways.”
