“I believe so. I only meant to bind them. They would have died eventually. I believe the magic did not wish to wait that long to enact justice.” It was a sobering reminder. Magic obeyed our will by its own choice, and that relationship was a precarious one built on a pillar of trust. These warlocks had defiled that trust.
One by one, their gasped breaths stilled until nothing but silence remained, three bodies lying limp on the floor. Some of those lives had been cut too short. Others had far outlived their usefulness.
Carnage filled the room. Hikaru’s idea of play was akin to a hurricane and left similar destruction in its wake. I was beginning to understand the restraint Hikaru had shown when lovinglyrearrangingmy furnishings.
“Well, that was satisfying,” Hikaru said while staring at his blood-stained claws. “A bit messy, but have you truly had fun if there’s not a mess when you’re done?” When I glanced down, Hikaru’s eyes appeared lit from within, and a wicked grin lifted one side of his mouth. Pressing his shoulder against mine, Hikaru’s grin faltered. “Are you upset with me?” He swallowed hard. “I mean, maybe I could have been a bit gentler, but?—”
“I am upset, but not with you.” I stared out at the waste of life and potential talent. “I don’t believe he was always this way.”
“Who? Danzig?”
I nodded. “I wouldn’t call him a mentor, but when I was younger, Danzig garnered my respect. I have no idea what happened to change him.”
“Perhaps you never truly knew him at all.” Hikaru’s memories sounded a thousand miles away. “We see what we want to see, especially when we’re young and impressionable. Youth is a disease and one of its symptoms is blindness. Another is idiocy.”
We were no longer speaking of Danzig. “I believe the word you’re looking for is naïveté.”
Hikaru huffed and crossed his arms, his gaze pointedly no longer looking at me.
Turning enough that I could cup his chin, I angled Hikaru’s face to me. His eyes remained downcast. “Huxley’s betrayal is not on you. It is not a commentary onyou. The fault lies in but one place, and that is Tenzen Huxley. You’re right, youth makes fools of us all. It is the responsibility of the elder generation to guide the younger through those treacherous waters. It is a grave responsibility, one Huxley not only rejected, but preyed upon. You were never at fault.” Leaning in, I kissed Hikaru’s trembling lips. His stiff body relaxed under my touch, leaning in and soaking up the freely given affection.
When Hikaru pulled back, his eyes were downcast once more and his voice was little more than a wounded fluttering. “He hurt me.”
I pulled Hikaru in, wrapping my arms around him. He could have been speaking of Huxley or Danzig. Either way, I made a vow then and there that no other would have such an opportunity in the future. Resting my chin on Hikaru’s head, I gently rocked us back and forth. It was amazing that such a fierce creature could hold such insecurities and pain.
While a change in venue would be appreciated, a part of me wished I could stand there forever, holding Hikaru in my arms. Right now, he was safe. There was no one left within these four walls that could cause him harm.
“This is nice.” Hikaru’s voice was muffled against my chest. “But I can think of a thousand different places that smell better.” Pulling away, Hikaru crinkled his nose. “I’m not sure what’s worse, the mold or coppery blood scent. It would be a really poor choice for a candle company.”
My lips twitched with humor. “You never know. Humans have peculiar tastes, especially around the holiday they deem Halloween.”
Hikaru’s grin was back. “We should try selling it in your store.”
“Not a chance.”
Smacking me on my chest, Hikaru stepped out of my arms. “I swear, sometimes you are absolutely no fun at all, Niki.”
“But you love me anyway.” I didn’t feel like I was going out on a limb. Every fiber of my being told me that Hikaru loved me.
Cheeks pinking, Hikaru blushed. “I do.”
“That is fortunate. It would be horrid to have a one and only who did not share my feelings.”
Hikaru’s grin grew, stretching his lips, plumping his cheeks, and narrowing his eyes. “Your one and only? You mean that?”
“I would not jest about something like that.” I hardlyjestedat all, and certainly not regarding my feelings for Hikaru. “As I said before, Gaia has bestowed her blessing upon me once again, menace.”
Eyelids fluttering closed, Hikaru collapsed back into my arms. “I was afraid I’d never hear you call me that again.”
I ran my fingers through his hair, relishing in the soft texture. Hikaru’s tails danced behind him, contentedly swaying back and forth, occasionally touching my legs as they moved. “I will call you that so many times you’ll soon be sick of it.”
“Never,” Hikaru reassured.
“You say that now, but?—”
“But nothing,” Hikaru insisted, and who was I to argue. Twisting his head, Hikaru’s cheek pressed against my chest as his gaze scanned the bodies lying on the floor. “What should we do with them?”
I started to answer but it seemed the magic had ideas of its own. Eyes wide, I watched in astonished awe as the warlocks’ bodies diminished, their flesh and bone whittled down to a consistency akin to pixie dust. The substance shimmered before disappearing all together, at least to my eyes. Hikaru was different.
