Blowing out a heavy breath, Niki all but deflated. “I would have torn the damn thing open, read what it said and then shoved it back in Alistair’s smug face. I would have allowed my anger and pride to override my common sense.”
Pride really was a damnable thing. I wasn’t much into the Christian religion or their god, but I thought that was something they might have gotten right.
“To be fair, I don’t think you imagined Danzig would do something so devious.”
“No, that’s true, although I should have.” Clearly agitated, Niki ran a jerky hand through his thick hair. “I cannot believe I am admitting this, but you were right. My brain doesn’t work like theirs do. I wouldn’t have thought it was anything more than a way to intimidate and annoy me further. I wouldn’t have suspected anything more underhanded. The fact I’m getting these damn things at all is bad enough.”
I beamed. “I knew I was good for you.”
Niki rolled his eyes so far I feared they might get stuck staring through the back of his head. “I would not go that far.”
“Of course you wouldn’t. Lucky for you, I can see well enough for the both of us.” Ignoring Niki’s heavy sigh, I reached for the now magically inert envelope. “Now, let’s see what these jackasses have to say.”
Niki didn’t try and stop me. He simply gripped the counter behind him, leaning heavily on its sturdy surface.
Using a claw, I sliced through the wax seal and slid out a piece of equally black paper—minus the swans. It was also minus something else very important. It was completely devoid of writing.
“Well, what threats are they making now?” When I didn’t respond, Niki asked, “Hikaru, what does it say?”
Instead of answering, I turned the empty paper around, showing Niki its blank belly. “Looks like the message was never meant to be words.”
Niki’s face flushed atomic red.
Twenty-One
Nikodemus
I growled, low and deep, incapable of sensible speech. Magic slipped through my fingers, headed for the seemingly blank piece of paper. I searched, thinking perhaps there was a message that wasn’t meant to be seen by nonmagical eyes. But there was nothing. “Did you erase the message when you dismantled the magical intention?” I was still grappling with everything I’d just learned regarding Hikaru’s capabilities.
The kitsune merely shrugged. “I don’t think so.”
My eyebrow twitched. “You don’t think so?”
Hikaru sighed dramatically. “It’s not an exact science, Niki.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, once more begging for patience. “How sure are you?”
Tilting his hand back and forth, Hikaru answered, “Ninety percent.”
“Oh, that’s…” It was far more certain than I’d imagined.
“Like I said, it’s not exact, but I’ve been doing this for a few centuries.” Hikaru had the audacity to wink. Not that I found his cheekiness nearly as annoying as I should. In fact, I was growing increasingly fond of his irascible spunkiness.
My neck and shoulders ached from tension. I needed to activate a pain charm, but I’d already run through the two I typically carried with me. The fact I was in such need was telling. Rubbing my throbbing muscles alerted Hikaru to my pain.
Dissipating, Hikaru manifested behind me, his nimble fingers quickly took over for my clumsier ones. “We need to find a way for you to let go of some of this tension.” I felt Hikaru lean over my shoulder, his warm breath whispering against my neck. “I can think of a few ideas.”
Three days ago, my protest would have been automatic. Now all I seemed capable of mustering was a low grumble that was neither denial nor permission.
Chin resting on my shoulder, Hikaru’s hands slid down my arms, wrapping around my chest. His arms were small enough that his fingers barely met in the middle. I could feel Hikaru’s tails trail up and down my legs through the fabric of my pants.
“I think you like that idea, Niki.” Voice smokey low, Hikaru’s words went straight to my groin, thickening my cock. A low chuckle rumbled through his chest as his right arm snaked further south, cupping my growing arousal and pulling a deeper groan from my chest. “I think you like that idea a lot.”
Attraction and desire didn’t always make sense. Those emotions were often powerful enough to override logic. I shouldn’t want Hikaru. Calling him a menace wasn’t simply a fond nickname. There was truth behind that singular word. And yet, what I should or shouldn’t want made little difference when faced with not only my body’s carnal reaction, but my soul as well.
By all rights, Hikaru shouldn’t fit into my life, and yet no other had ever felt so naturally right. While I loved Erasmus’s mother, Lydia, I’d never felt this kind of craving—this soul-deep need. I’d enjoyed my romantic time with Lydia, but I’d never thought it was forever. I’d never considered her my one andonly. The fact I was even considering that when contemplating Hikaru struck an odd sense of fear and anticipation through my heart.
Hikaru’s slender fingers dug deeper, easing their way up and down my clothed erection. My breaths came quicker and harsher as my heartrate sped.
