I scoffed. “I am never out of control.” The very thought was ridiculous.
Hikaru stared at me quizzically before shrugging his shoulders and crossing his arms. “Maybe not before, but you certainly were this time. You’re anger—which is totally justifiable by the way—got the better of you. The magic wanted to do something. Consciously done or not, you were sucking it toward you but it had nowhere to go. If I hadn’t intervened…” Hikaru flinched. “I’m not exactly certain what you would have done, but I don’t think it would have worked out in yourfavor. You don’t need to give the Warlock Council anymore ammunition, Niki. You’ve got to be smarter than that.” Hikaru tapped his temple for emphasis.
Every muscle tightened as my ego bristled. “That is amusing considering the source.”
Hikaru’s eyes narrowed to little more than slits as his finger poked me in the chest. “I might be reckless and a little mischievous, but I’m not an idiot.”
The longer I was with Hikaru, the more I agreed. Still, I didn’t appreciate his earlier implication. Choosing to ignore it, I countered. “They took the charm. Do you realize what that means?”
Hikaru tilted his head. “Probably not completely.”
I barked out a humorless laugh. “Not only can I not examine it to tell if it is one of mine or not, and if so, what happened, but the warlock who currently has it in their possession could alter it further.”
“That’s terribly unfortunate and rather clever. Devious assholes, aren’t they.”
Once again, my mouth opened, words ready to pour out only to get stuck in my throat.
Hikaru used a single finger to lift my chin, effectively closing my mouth. “I told you, Niki, your mind isn’t capable of anticipating what they might do next. You’re too good.”
I scoffed. “I’m hardlygood.”
With a shrug, Hikaru answered, “Trust me, you’re better than most.” Turning, Hikaru’s tails flicked, their tips softly whispering against my cheek. “Let’s get out of here. I need food.”
Standing there, still leaning against the wall, I watched Hikaru’s graceful form practically float down the stairs, his tails dancing behind him. My gaze narrowed, growing focused when I saw a small tuft of fur where there’d been a noticeable absence.
Gaia save us all, an eighth tail was in the making.
Fourteen
Hikaru
Every atom in my body buzzed with heady satisfaction. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d consumed a magical hit like that. No, that wasn’t true. Two hundred and fifty-three years ago. When I’d been younger, it hadn’t been unusual for Tenzen to feed me a little extra magic. I’d always thought he sacrificed a bit of his own to help me grow and make me more powerful—more self-sufficient. Now I wasn’t so certain. Knowing what I now knew, I couldn’t imagine Tenzen Huxley had ever been willing to part with one iota of personal power.
My stomach dipped and twisted, my earlier buzz quickly wearing off as guilt took its place. That magic had fueled my tails, each one granting me greater power and autonomy. I’d always been so proud of my tails. Who had paid the price? Had Tenzen trapped another brownie, draining them of magic and feeding it to me? Perhaps it was another magical being.
The fact was, I’d never know. Tenzen was buried deep enough that no light would ever reach him. Most likely he was already slumbering, hopefully never to awaken. If I could weasel his exact location out of Aurelia, I could reach him. I was one of the few beings that could. But the potential consequences couldbe too great. What if I woke Tenzen and he managed to free himself? It would be one thing if the information gained could inflict change. It couldn’t. The past was the past and there was nothing I could do to go back and change it.
My tails cushioned my backside as I rode shotgun in Niki’s vehicle. Even knowing they might have come from stolen magic, I couldn’t hate them. I couldn’t even dislike them. My tails were a part of me. They defined me and made me who I was. Removing one and handing that magic over to Tenzen had felt like giving a piece of my soul away. That had been seventy-seven years ago and there had been not even a hint of regrowth—until today.
I could feel it—that little nub barely clawing its way to the sky. It was little more than an infant. My other tails would protect it like the precious addition it was. They were already clamoring to caress it. My tails weren’t exactly sentient, but they often acted of their own accord, or perhaps, what I instinctively desired. The tail laying across Niki’s lap was an excellent example. I hadn’t consciously told it to do so. Regardless, it had sought Niki out and gone to him just as I desired to do.
Niki drove, his knuckles tight on the wheel. Niki’s eyes hadn’t even strayed toward me when my tail made contact. I wasn’t certain if that was because he didn’t mind or if he was too distracted to notice. I wasn’t the type of kitsune to idly sit back and be ignored, but I thought Niki might deserve a pass today, especially after giving me such a sumptuous magical meal earlier.
My warlock might not be looking at me, but I couldn’t help staring at him. Niki’s profile was just as handsome and perhaps more impressive than staring at him straight on. Jaw tense and eyes focused, I could practically see the wheels of his intelligent mind working. Despite pushing the surrounding magic into me earlier, Niki’s aura had already attracted more. Colorful magicswam around him, subconsciously enticing him to make use of its power.
Truly, Niki had no idea how glorious he was.
“You’re staring at me,” Niki suddenly said, his eyes never once straying from the highway.
“I enjoy looking at beautiful things.”
Pink flushed Niki’s cheeks. “What an idiotic thing to say.”
“Not at all,” I countered. Tilting my head, I studied Niki’s profile and his ever-reddening cheeks. “You’ve never struck me as averse to compliments. Surely you know how handsome you are.” Considering Niki couldn’t see magic the way I could, I doubted he understood what a vision he was with magic dancing around him. However, the warlock did have eyes and could see his reflection in the mirror. Honestly, there was nothing to complain about.
“My looks are irrelevant.”
Now, that answer intrigued me.“No? How do you figure?” I was genuinely curious. Every species held some form of vanity. Obviously, some were vainer than others, but even trolls and ogres held standards of beauty. Perhaps they weren’t as conventional as others, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.
