“I like that you worried, but I don’t like that it affected you this much. I don’t like that you were scared.”
“I wasn’t scared.” I attempted to defend my reaction, which now seemed completely over the top.
“Of course you weren’t.” Hikaru’s tone was placating at best. “I’ll try and be more careful in the future. How’s that?”
How was that?“Impossible to believe.” Hikaru took what appeared to be foolish risks all the time. Then again, if onewas nearly immortal, perhaps those risks weren’t as foolish as I believed.
“Ah, you know me so well.” Hikaru rubbed his nose along my collarbone. I’m not sure what he scented there, but whatever it was made his chest rumble with contentment.
Personally, I didn’t think I knew the kitsune at all. Hikaru certainly wasn’t the creature I’d originally thought him to be. He was…I struggled to place a label on him. What I did know was that Hikaru was becoming increasingly vital to my peace of mind. I didn’t like it when he was out of sight, and I certainly didn’t like it when he did something like fall off a chair. The very thought of Hikaru injured or worse sent a painful shudder through my body. Nearly immortal or not, it wouldn’t hurt to pack a few charms into his pockets. A good protection ring wouldn’t be out of the question either.
“Come on, Niki. Let’s head home.”
Hikaru slid off my lap and I allowed him to tug me along after him, never once arguing that it wasmyhome, not his. Hikaru had been there a relatively short amount of time and yet he’d integrated himself into nearly every nook and cranny.
I drove us back to Perna Harbor and the house that was nowourhome. I typically found driving up the coastline peaceful. This time, my mind refused to settle. I felt disoriented with what had almost just happened. That feeling, combined with my inability to reach some of the names on the list of clients, made me jittery.
Hikaru easily picked up on my unease. Several of his tails found their way to my hip, caressing as I drove. I usually found their presence soothing. I don’t think anything could have pulled me from my funk tonight.
Some of my tension eased as we drew closer to the turn-off for my home. That tension skyrocketed again when I saw the car parked at the end of my long drive. There was only one reason itwould be there and not closer to the house. The warlock standing there, leaning against his vehicle, had intentions that were not benign. My wards might not work on Hikaru, but they had no trouble keeping out ill-meaning warlocks.
“Who’s that?” Hikaru asked, leaning forward and staring out the window. “Is it someone I can play with?” Just like that, Hikaru sounded like an excited toddler. “Please tell me it’s someone I can play with.”
Despite the situation, my lips twitched. “Let’s see what Alistair Raiden wants first.”
“Oh! That’s one of them then?”
I nodded while placing the idling car into park and turning off the engine. “It is.”
“Goodie. You want me to stay here and surprise the fucker later, or do you want me beside you now? Either way is good, although I like surprising them the most.”
Hikaru’s enthusiasm forced a harsh chuckle from deep within. “Why don’t you stay here. For now.”
“Surprise it is. You’re the best, Niki.”
I somehow doubted that but let it go. Getting out of my vehicle, I strode around the front while keeping a weather eye on Warlock Raiden. He was older than me by about one hundred and seventy years, give or take a decade or two. His hair wasn’t completely white, but it was a near thing. Black covered his fingertips past the second knuckle, headed for his hands, and rings covered every available finger. Tall and broad, Alistair and I were of similar breadth and height. When he spoke, Alistair’s voice was just as deep, if not deeper, than mine.
“Holland,” Alistair said by way of brief greeting.
“Raiden,” I followed in kind. “To what do I owe thepleasure?”
In answer, Alistair reached over and grabbed an envelope that had been sitting on the hood of his car. “Warlock Danzigasked me to deliver this. Personally.” A cruel smile twisted Alistair’s lips.
I stared at the black paper, embossed, gold swans covering its surface. It was similar to the letter I’d received earlier. The wax seal was overkill.
Rage and anxiety made an unhealthy emotional cocktail. “You dare come to my home?” I glanced up my driveway. I could feel my wards tickling my left shoulder. We were close and yet outside their protective sphere. “Given your current location, this far down the drive, your ill intentions are clear.”
Alistair’s eye twitched. “And if you came to my home, would my wards not do the same?”
“I’m not sure. It depends on how you have them set. I don’t mean you harm but I am furious. Who’s to say what that fury could lead to?”
Alistair’s shoulders tightened. Standing at his full height, he no longer held the look of someone casually leaning against their vehicle while patiently waiting. “You have always been an arrogant fool.”
I shrugged. “I’ll own the arrogant part, but I’ve never been a fool.”
“Your inability to leave your necromancer child is proof of your foolishness.”
Magic danced around my fingertips. Crafting magic from a point of fury was never wise, and yet that was the emotion fueling my actions. Erasmus would always be a trigger point.
