Two
Hikaru
California was interesting. Sort of. I probably only found it interesting because Niki was beside me. He was pointedly ignoring my presence which pleased me to no end. The very fact that he was making such an effort to ignore me proved that I was getting under his skin and bugging the shit out of him.
Of course, he’d attempted to ward the vehicle against my presence. Not that it worked. I didn’t mean Niki any harm. Not really. I wanted to pick at him, poke all his tender spots and gleefully watch his cool, calm exterior fracture into a million sparkling pieces. That was a whole lot different than truly wanting to physically hurt him. I could see the wheels of Niki’s brain churning as he considered how he could tweak his charms to keep me out.
Those mental manipulations were futile. One advantage to being a rare creature is that information regarding what kitsunes could and couldn’t do was nearly nonexistent. We allowed others to learn only so much, guarding our secrets closely. One of those carefully hidden secrets was that kitsune were masters when it came to reading magical manipulation. I could see magical threads, interpret their intention, and work my way aroundthem. I’d yet to meet a magical charm I couldn’t weasel my way through.
Then again, I’d never met a warlock as capable as Niki. Maybe that’s why he fascinated me so much. Sometimes, there was reason for arrogance. Niki had that in spades.
Niki. I internally smirked while watching him drive, his eyes purposefully forward, large hands gripping the wheel tight enough to blanch his knuckles. Every time I called him that, Niki’s heart sped. He would claim it was from irritation. I knew otherwise.
Oh, I irritated him. That was true enough. But that wasn’t the only emotion my presence generated. Magic. I could read it and Niki brilliantly manipulated it. What I doubted any witch or warlock understood, was that power and skill were not completely within the hands of the wielder. That’s not to say that working hard and mastering their skills didn’t improve their abilities, but if magic didn’t gravitate toward the wielder, if it didn’tlikethem, then there was only so much practice and study could do.
Being a kitsune allowed me to clearly see that magic absolutelylovedNikodemus Holland. It danced around and caressed him much as a lover might. I had no idea if Niki could feel it or not. Most likely it was so normal that he didn’t realize the weight of its implication. While I may not fully understand why Magic gravitated more towards some than others, I felt like I had a good idea why it had chosen Niki. One need look no farther than his love and dedication to his necromancer son.
Erasmus Boone. An interesting individual. Small and seemingly unassuming, one would be foolish in the extreme to judge Necromancer Boone by appearance alone. And yet, I had the distinct impression that his son’s abilities were not what Niki held important. Proud, certainly. But even if Erasmus had been a raving lunatic—driven mad by voices of the dearly departed—Niki wouldn’t have abandoned him. There were few things I held with certainty. Niki’s love for his son was one.
Raw anger flushed my skin and made my tails twitch. I’d once thought I was certain of another as well and look where that had landed me. My skin still itched where I’d lost one of my tails. No, not lost, given up. Freely no less. I’d been a fool. More than a fool.
A low, menacing growl slipped through my lips. Niki’s dark eyes momentarily glanced my direction before he remembered he was trying to ignore me. Right now, that determination worked in my favor. Thoughts of Tenzen Huxley made me want to do terrible, rash things.
The raw fact was I’d been taken in by a charlatan. I’d thought…it no longer mattered what I’d thought. Recent events proved just how wrong I’d been. Agent Frost was right, Tenzen’s betrayal cut far deeper than I would ever admit, much further than even Frost knew. Even thinking of it was agonizing. In the end, he’d come for me too. He’d tried to end my life—the life of an eternal being. Then again, perhaps not so eternal. If Tenzen had managed to steal my tails… I shuddered to think of the consequences.
And my tails were exactly what he’d gone after. Only this time, he hadn’t politely asked. Tenzen hadn’t cajoled and begged me to give up more of my magic for his benefit. This time, he’d come at me with the intention to take it all.
Tenzen’s arrogance made him overconfident. He had not anticipated my quick response and in the end had paid for his miscalculations. While shadow borne couldn’t be killed, they could be put to rest. I had no idea where the djinn Aurelia took Tenzen Huxley. I only knew that she buried him so deep no light would ever reach him. Unable to produce his precious Shadow, Tenzen will fade until he falls into an endless slumber.
I could not decide if Tenzen’s fate was satisfying or not.
Arms crossed, sitting sideways on the passenger seat, tails wrapped around me, I leaned against the car door. My ears flicked with irritation. I’d lost even more time fixating on Tenzen Huxley. The shadow borne was my past. The tempting warlock morsel driving us to my new home was my future.
Stretching my right leg, I wiggled further down in the seat, elongating my leg and clawed toes just enough to gently scrape alone Niki’s thigh.
“Stop that,” Niki said while swatting at my foot.
“Oh, so you do know I’m here. And here I thought you were ignoring me.”
Niki’s jaw clamped tight, and the magic swirled around him. The colors were a brilliant kaleidoscope. So many different types of magic were attracted to Niki. It was another reason why he was so powerful. Diversity was the name of the game and Niki had nearly every possible strain to choose from, each eagerly awaiting his touch.
Instead of a growl, laughter bubbled up. This was why I’d attached myself to this sassy warlock. He distracted me from other negative, unproductive thoughts.
Deciding I’d been quiet long enough, I said, “Where did you say we’re going again?”
“I didn’t,” Niki ground out.
“My mistake.” I let that sit there for a hot minute before annoyingly asking, “So, where are we going?”
Niki’s fingers tightened even further. Any tighter and he’d crack the steering wheel. Inhaling deeply, Niki’s chest expanded before a large gust of air was released. His body relaxed and Niki tilted his head back and forth, cracking his neck. “I suppose you’ll simply follow me anyway.”
I snapped my fingers and winked. “Now you’re catching on.”
“Irritating menace,” Niki grumbled. “If you must know,myhome is in Perna Harbor. That is whereIam going.”
I ran the name through my head before shaking it. “Never heard of it.”
“As expected. Are you satisfied now?”
