“No, not like this. The individual is accusing me of making a faulty, potentially dangerous charm.” Niki turned, staring out the window again, head down and shoulders rounded. “What he’s claiming…there’s no way the charm he purchased from my store could have done such a thing. There wouldn’t have been enough magical juice inside to do a tenth of what he’s said.”
My skin itched with curiosity. “And what’s he claiming?” Could it really be that bad?
Hands on hips, Niki kept his back to me. “It was a simple charm, one of the easiest to make and one of my most popular. It aids those who are trying to stop using nicotine-containing products.”
That wasn’t a vice I had but I’d seen signs professing the dangers of smoking. “What was it supposed to do?”
Niki shrugged. “It’s simple really. Once activated, anytime the activator visualizes a cigarette or contemplates lighting up, a wave of nausea sweeps through them. It’s amazingly effective.”
And gross, I thought but didn’t share. “So, what’s the problem?”
Niki’s jaw tensed, working back and forth. “The problem, according to Cilla, is that this man is claiming that any time he thinks about ingesting anything, nausea overwhelms him. Per this human, he’s been hospitalized because he’s becoming too weak and dehydrated.” Strands of Niki’s hair stood on end as he repeatedly ran his fingers through it.
That didn’t sound good. If this went on long enough, it wouldn’t just be a horrid inconvenience, it would be life threatening. “How long does the charm last?”
“Thirty days on average.”
I sucked in a disturbed breath. “Well, that doesn’t sound good. Can it be reversed?”
“Of course.” Niki sounded appalled that I’d even asked. “I am not a shoddy warlock,” Niki stated defensively.
“Obviously.” I rolled my eyes before closing the distance between us and wrapping my tails around him. Unless under the pain of his son’s imminent demise, I did not think Niki would ever admit the comfort my tails brought him. That didn’t negate the fact that they very much offered some needed solace.
“This is ridiculous,” Niki fumed. I could feel his accelerated heart rate. “That is not a mistake I could have made. It is beyond all possibility.”
I didn’t doubt him for a moment. “Are you certain this man purchased the charm from your shop?”
“As certain as I can be. Cilla confirmed the man purchased the charm six days ago. Beyond that I cannot say. Once I have the charm in my hand, then I’ll be able to tell if it is something of my making or not.”
I considered those words, turning them over in my head. “And will you be able to tell if it’s been tampered with?”
“Tampered with?Who on earth would do such a thing? Why would they—” Niki’s expression turned stony. His lips were little more than a thin line of red slashed across his face. “You believe?—”
“I’m not entirely certain what to believe beyond the fact that I believe you. If you say the charm you made and he purchased couldn’t do this, then it didn’t. So, that leaves us with a problem. It could be this charm didn’t come from your shop at all. Maybe he’s getting his charms mixed up. Maybe he purchased more than one. Or maybe it really is the charm that came from your shop. If so, thensomethinghappened.”
Niki’s feral growl riveled a wolf shifter. He tried pulling away, but I wouldn’t let him and tightened my hold. I would have released him if he fought harder. He didn’t.
“We know an old-ass warlock was in your shop not too long ago. That doesn’t mean he did anything, but it’s a bit suspicious, no?” I cocked my head to the side as I stared up into Niki’sfurious eyes. I didn’t want to rile him up further, but it needed to be said. “There’s more than one way to destroy Nikodemus Holland. That’s what Danzig said.”
“This is…warlocks do not do this type of thing. It is anathema to tamper with another warlock’s magical manipulation. To do so is unthinkable.”
“To you. I doubt it’s so out of the question to certain others.”
“Maybe. No one would accuse me of being an optimist, but I have to believe most warlocks would find such a thing unconscionable.”
I didn’t have enough experience with warlocks to argue the point. However, I knew behavior. “It only takes a few to cause trouble.”
Niki grunted. “An unfortunately true statement.”
“The question is, what kind of trouble?”
“This could simply be an anomaly or a mistake on the human’s part.”
“It could be,” I agreed. I don’t think either one of us believed that.
“I need to get my hands on that charm.” Niki’s long fingers flexed before clenching.
I couldn’t agree more. “Then let’s go find this rogue charm.” I walked past Niki, heading for the door.
