“Nikodemus is okay, right?” I appreciated the care in Cilla’s voice, as long as it remained friendly only.
“Overworked, stressed, and angry, but otherwise he’s fine,” I answered, making Cilla chuckle.
“That sounds about right.” Her laughter turned strained. “I’m embarrassed to admit how afraid I was. I’m also grateful for the wards. When Nikodemus insisted on placing them around my home, I thought he was being a worrywart. I told him it wasn’t necessary. I’m glad he didn’t listen to me.”
“Niki takes care of his own.”
“He does.” There was another pause before Cilla asked, “What do you think they wanted?”
I had a few ideas but settled on, “Nothing good, if the wards didn’t allow them entrance.”
“I know,” Cilla quietly answered. “I’m afraid to leave now.”
“Stay where you are. If you need anything, order it delivered and if you absolutely need to leave the premises, call first. I’ll personally come and get you. Do you want me to do that now? Would you feel better staying here, with us?” She could have the room I’d first stayed in. I’d been sleeping in Niki’s room for the last few nights, only now, I wasn’t sneaking in and out like a thief in the night. Niki didn’t just tolerate my presence, he welcomed it.
“No, I…not yet. I’m more comfortable in my own home. If something else happens, I might change my mind.”
“Perfectly understandable.”
Cilla blew out a relieved breath. “I feel a lot better now that we’ve talked. I think my heart can finally settle. Thank you, Hikaru. Please make sure Nikodemus stays well.”
I inwardly beamed. “Don’t worry about that. I’m taking very good care of him.”
Cilla’s laughter sounded much lighter. “I’m certain you are. I’m grateful he has you. Thank you again and take care.”
The call ended, leaving me conflicted on whether or not I should alert Erasmus to the situation. Cilla didn’t know who was trying to breach the warding around her house. I suppose it was always possible Danzig wasn’t behind it, but that seemed about as likely as trolls suddenly becoming concerned with good oral hygiene. Possible, but highly unlikely.
I glanced towards the workroom doorway. I’d left it open and had Niki been so inclined, he could have easily listened in on my conversation with Cilla. My warlock was too focused for that. It was as if the rest of the world didn’t exist right now. No wonder Niki wanted to make certain he was back in his home before working on the charm.
Indecision paralysis threatened as I considered contacting Erasmus. With a heavy huff, I typed in a quick text and hit the send button. Erasmus responded quickly and thankfully hadn’t had anything odd happen yet. The phone rang and I rolled my eyes. Of course Niki’s son wouldn’t be content with a text message.
Hitting the accept button, I settled in for a long and heavy conversation. Good thing excellent communication skills were one of my specialties. Niki had absolutely no idea how truly fortunate he was to have me around.
“Hello, Erasmus.” I smiled as I said his name. “I’m sorry, he’s a bit busy right now…no, everything’s fine…” I was also a masterful liar when the occasion called for it. And right now, the occasion screamed deception was required. I was all too happy to rise to the occasion. Anything for my warlock.
Twenty-Five
Nikodemus
Gaia, I was tired.No, not just tired, I was worn thinner than a slip of cheap paper. Regardless of my exhaustion, I’d finally finished deconstructing the damage Bailor did to Martha Phillip’s charm. Back to its original pale blue, the aquamarine charm was clear as I held it up to the light. Now its activated state would do as it was originally meant. The charm should track down the pain pathways propagating Martha’s migraine and end them.
But was it too little, too late? The brain was a wonderous and fragile organ. I had no idea what damage had been done while the charm was active in its tainted form. Could the damage be truly reversed? Would Martha wake and be able to go back to her previous life? The unknowns plagued me. There was no worse feeling than being able to do nothing but stand by and wait. Patience was not in my wheelhouse. I was a warlock. Our very nature made it difficult for us to accept things as they were.
Leaning back, I scrubbed my hands down my face before reaching for an apparently absent phone. Now that I was more aware of my surroundings, I realized my phone wasn’t the only missing piece. Hikaru was gone as well.
Too tired to use magic to find Hikaru, I decided to go about locating the kitsune the old-fashioned way. Standing, my joints creaked and popped with their displeasure. Cracking my back was agony and bliss all rolled into one odd sensation.
Weariness pulled at my arms and legs as I made my way out of my workspace and into the rest of the house. Voices drew me to the front door, delicious aromas hitting my nose soon after and pulling me closer.
“Thank you!” Hikaru said a little too loudly, making me flinch. The numerous bags clustered around his ankles caused my eyebrow to twitch.
“How much food did you order?”
Hikaru jumped and fisted the shirt over his heart. “Niki! You shouldn’t sneak up on others like that.” Bending over, Hikaru grabbed half the bags. “Be a dear and get the rest.” Hikaru blew me an air kiss as he jostled the four bags in his arms, pleasantly humming the entire time.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice your lack of answer.” I ignored Hikaru’s scoff and bent over to pick up the remaining three bags. I wasn’t certain about the contents of Hikaru’s bags, but mine were filled with different sized take-out containers, not the groceries I expected.
When I entered the kitchen, numerous similar containers were set out on the counter. “What will it be, Niki? There are four different types of soup—chicken and noodle, broccoli and cheddar, potato, and vegetable. Five different types of bread—French, rye, sourdough, and?—”
