“Don’t give me that shit line again.” Erasmus rarely raised his voice when speaking with me. “I’m worried about you, Pops. If you won’t accept help from me, maybe I can ask Aurelia if she’d be willing to?—”
“Absolutely not. The djinn and I barely tolerate one another.” I tried to remain civil to Aurelia for the sake of my son. Also, it wasn’t wise to get on the bad side of a djinn, especially one with as loose of a leash as Aurelia’s. Aurelia’s current master, a pixie named Peaches, was far too lenient with the all-powerful djinn. I still wasn’t certain if I thought Peaches was a genius or afool. Then again, most geniuses teetered on the edge of madness, failure, and brilliant success.
“Pops.” My name was said on a long sigh. “I can’t just leave you out there alone. You need to meet me halfway.”
I wanted to bristle at the fact that Erasmus didn’t think I could handle this situation on my own but that would be immensely hypocritical. “I am not alone.”
Again, there was a pause. “I know you’ve got Cilla. She’d great and all, but a squirrel shifter isn’t much of a match when it comes to the Warlock Council.”
“Yes, I have Cilla, but she wasn’t the one I was referring to.” I cleared my throat, my gaze tracking toward the hallway leading to the bathroom. I could still hear the water running. I’d already discovered Hikaru loved long showers. Steeling myself, I said, “The kitsune is here.”
“Hikaru?” Erasmus sounded one-half disbelieving and two-parts fascinated. “He hasn’t, I don’t know, drifted off somewhere else yet? Huh. That’s… I’m not really sure what that is.” This time, when Erasmus paused, I could hear him talking to someone in the background, most likely his husband, Franklin. Though low and barely audible, Erasmus said, “He says Hikaru’s still hanging around.” I rolled my eyes as Franklin’s mumbled voice filled the void, too low for me to make out his words. I could glean enough when Erasmus answered, “I don’t know.” When Erasmus spoke again, it was louder and directed at me. “Franklin wants to know if Hikaru’s actually being helpful. I want to know that too, by the way.”
“He’s being surprisingly helpful,” I answered. I wasn’t about to expound upon all the ways the kitsune was aiding me. The cold, sticky mess in my pants wasn’t a matter to discuss with my son.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Considering what Phlox said, I’m surprised.” Phlox, also known as Agent Frost, was a colleague ofHikaru’s. Phlox was one of the survivors of the massacre Tenzen Huxley unleashed upon the Magical Usage Council.
“Yes, well, perhaps Agent Frost doesn’t know Hikaru as well as he believes.” My defensive hackles were well and truly raised. I didn’t like others talking poorly about my kitsune.
This time, the pause on Erasmus’s end was deadly silent. That silence was charged with something I was hesitant to describe.
“I see,” Erasmus finally answered.
I wasn’t certain if that were true or not. My son was oddly intuitive and typically saw the right of things. In this case, I wasn’t willing to expound upon my relationship with Hikaru. At least, not yet. If the kitsune really was my one and only, Erasmus would need to know, eventually.
Clearing my throat, I said, “I really do have everything in hand.” It was a lie, of course. Not that I didn’t plan to have everything under control soon.
“Okay, if you say so. Just know that if you need anything, anything at all, I’m just a phone call away. I know you want to protect me, but that goes both ways. I love you, Pops. You’re always worried about losing me, but I worry about losing you too. Do you understand?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. This love between my necromancer son and myself was something Danzig could never understand. Sadly, it was something most warlocks would never understand. I often thought my inability to abandon my necromancer son was a sign of my own inner weakness. Erasmus and Lydia had argued with me that it was no such thing. I was beginning to believe I was the one who’d been in the wrong.
“I understand,” I finally answered when I thought my voice was strong enough.
“Don’t do anything foolish. I mean it, Pops. You’re very capable and I know you’re strong, but you’re not invincible, no matter how much I wished that weren’t true.”
Erasmus’s concern warmed my heart. “I will endeavor to contain my foolish reactions.”
“Yeah, right. Just know that if you don’t, I’m aiming Momma your way. You hear me?”
Erasmus’s threat wasn’t an idle one. I definitely did not want Lydia hounding me. “I hear you loud and clear.”
“Good. Honestly, you can be so damn difficult sometimes.” I chose to graciously ignore Franklin’s laughter in the background.
“I love you, son. Safe travels on your return.”
“Thanks, Pops. Love you too.”
Erasmus and I ended the call at the same time. When I set my phone down, it was to see a dripping kitsune standing in the hallway, the towel loosely wrapped around his hips teetering on the edge of release.
“Shower’s free.” The edge of Hikaru’s lips tilted up, exposing a slight tip of fang.
I shifted, the nearly dried cum in my pants making me wince in discomfort. My filling cock also had a little something to do with that. Now that I’d fully embraced my attraction, there was nothing holding me back. My dormant libido had been fully revived. Perhaps my refractory period wasn’t as long as I’d thought. It was definitely a subject to explore at length.
Sliding past Hikaru through the narrow hall, I heard the snap of his towel and the sting of wet fabric against my ass. Hikaru’s joyous laughter followed me to the bathroom. When I stared into the mirror, it wasn’t my typical scowling face staring back at me. Lips tilted, my almost-there smile softened my features and relaxed my eyes. I had to admit, Hikaru was right again, he was definitely good for me.
Twenty-Two
Hikaru
