Eleven
Nikodemus
I’d spent the last two days oscillating between pacing, uselessly sitting at my workbench, or staring at the ocean. My mind refused to settle. Too many worries paced its breadth, spreading their tendrils of doubt and unrest like weeds invading an abandoned parking lot. I’d had the presence of mind to text Erasmus, telling him to extend his honeymoon as long as possible. I’d even contacted Franklin’s captain, a witch named Loretta Cicely. She’d been understandably surprised by my call. She’d also been very understanding and conveyed that Franklin was free to take as much time away as needed to ensure his and Erasmus’s safety. Considering Franklin’s importance as a homicide detective, Loretta’s permission was even more meaningful.
While Erasmus’s safety took up a large amount of my head space, a new invader had carved out his own growing corner. I hadn’t heard from Hikaru since he left. I should not have found that terribly surprising given his lack of a cell phone. I wasn’t certain how long it took him to travel from place to place in his…dissipated form.
My nose scrunched at the thought. I had no idea how Hikaru was able to disassemble and reassemble his body at will and that bothered me. Warlocks weren’t magic. We manipulated magic to suit our needs. Specifically, warlock magic was destructive in nature while witchcraft was creative. Despite popular belief, neither was good nor bad. As with nearly everything in life, the nature of the one behind the manipulation was what createdgoodandbad.
Hikaru’s dissipation trick appeared to be a little bit of both. Destruction was needed to disassemble his body. Creation was needed to put it back together. I’d always had an insatiable desire to learn, and it irritated me to my core that I couldn’t track the changes well enough to understand them.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I leaned against a large boulder on the cliff’s edge overlooking the Pacific. It would have been a very precarious position for anyone without wings or the ability to work magic. Erasmus had wandered to this cliff edge as a child. I’d had to place a magical barrier along the edge to ensure his safety. Even as a child, he’d been recklessly fearless. It was a wonder my heart had made it through Erasmus’s childhood and teenage years intact.
I knew why I was obsessing about Hikaru’s transformation abilities. Doing so kept my mind from latching on to the fact that he’d been gone for over forty-eight hours. Was he coming back? Had he found those he was looking for? And if so, what had finding them done to Hikaru’s state of mind?
Logically, obsessing over Hikaru was foolish. My attention should be elsewhere. I still hadn’t heard anything further from the Warlock Council. I’d briefly contemplated contacting them myself but that would indicate I gave two shits about their opinion. While I truly didn’t care what their opinion was, I most definitely cared how it was going to impact me and my son. As much as I hated to admit it, Hikaru was correct. My brain didn’twork like Danzig’s. While I was eternally grateful for that small blessing, it didn’t help me in this situation.
I needed to focus on the threat at hand. While I didn’t want to believe the Warlock Council could truly harm me, I refused to allow my arrogance to be my downfall. I’d seen what catering to that personality flaw could do to an individual. Tenzen Huxley was currently peacefully slumbering because he’d been unable to set aside his arrogance.
“Should I be concerned about you?” Hikaru’s soft, playful voice washed over me like soothing lavender. “It’s a long way down, Niki, and I don’t think you’ll like the water or the jagged rocks you’re sure to land on.”
Hikaru’s smaller body settled next to mine. Several of his tails snaked their way around my shoulders, caressing my neck and making me shiver. Hikaru’s pleased hum let me know he was well aware what his furry touch did to me.
“I am too sure footed to fall, but even if that were not the case, I would not land in the water or be crushed on the rocks below.”
Hikaru chuckled. “No. I suppose you wouldn’t.” He leaned against me, his claw-tipped fingers creating soft patterns on my thigh. The motion wasn’t sexual. It was more soothing than erotic.
Quiet descended as we sat there, legs dangling over the precipice. Without intending to do so, my arm slid around Hikaru’s waist, anchoring him closer. He settled in, his head resting on my shoulder. There were no tears, no blubbering or rage. There was only the steady beat of Hikaru’s heart and deep inhales of salty air. I kept my silence, deciding Hikaru would speak when he was ready, and he would keep his peace if he was not.
The minutes ticked by until Hikaru finally said, “I found them.” Those three words were said with practically no emotion, as if they were little more than a simple fact Hikaru related.
I took a moment to compose myself before asking, “All of them?”
“We aren’t sure. There are still a few who are unaccounted for. They could be in hiding, but…”
“But?”
“But, if they were alive, then I should be able to find them, just like I can find you.”
I blinked as those words settled into my brain, creating a new strain of knowledge. I’d wondered how Hikaru always seemed to know where I was—how he was able to find me. While I still didn’t understand thehow, what I did now understand was that I wasn’t special in that regard. He could evidently do it with anyone. That was most likely too simplistic of a definition, but now wasn’t the time to explore the intricacies.
“How many?” I reluctantly asked.
“Eleven.”
“Sweet Gaia.” I inhaled deeply and squeezed Hikaru a little tighter. “Eleven gone.”
“Nineteen,” Hikaru corrected me. “Eight were found earlier. That leaves three still unaccounted for.” There was no inflection, just coldly stated facts.
My eyes squeezed tight as I refused to allow the cold pit in my belly to grow. That already egregious number could have been higher. It had, in fact, been higher. Erasmus’s then fiancé, now husband, Franklin hadn’t survived. He’d died protecting Lydia. Erasmus’s necromancer abilities held onto Franklin’s soul, but if it hadn’t been for Aurelia’s willingness to heal Franklin’s injuries…I forced my mind to go no further. That rabbit hole only led to despair.
I’d gotten lucky. Those I cared for—those I loved—had managed to survive Huxley’s machinations. Members of the Magical Usage Council hadn’t been so fortunate. Hikaru’s loss had to be profound. “I am sorry. Those words seem completely inadequate, but they are all I have.”
I hadn’t realized how tense Hikaru was until his muscles relaxed and he allowed me to support more of his weight. “I know. It’s a good thing Aurelia won’t tell us where Huxley is. I could find him, if I tried, but even I’m not that masochistic.”
“From what I understand, even if you could get to him, he can’t be killed.” Shadow borne didn’t die. The best you could hope for was eternal slumber.
“I know.” Frustration fueled those two words. “And we would never have found them if Alethia—” Hikaru choked on the name. I gave him the time he needed to compose himself. “Alethia’s spirit remained.” Hikaru relayed Alethia’s story. I was familiar with Tabitha Clark. The medium had provided assistance to Erasmus and Franklin last year when they were in Chicago. Last I’d heard, Tabitha was still trying to disentangle the spirits that had latched onto the necromancer, Navarre, who’d been wrongly accused of murder.
