“Oh! Who knew such filth could become something so beautiful.” Hikaru’s round, wide eyes flicked here and there. He lifted an arm, moving his hand through what appeared to be empty air.
“What do you see?”
“Magic. So much magic, and it’s gorgeous.” Hikaru’s eyes slipped closed as his head tilted back and he inhaled deeply. “I had no idea Magic could do that.”
Hikaru twisted until his back was to my front, my arms wrapped around his middle. “What did it do?” I could feel the magic, but I couldn’t see it, not like Hikaru could.
“It reclaimed them.” Hikaru nudged his head in the direction of the now empty floor. “It broke the warlock’s bodies down until there was nothing leftbutmagic.” His gaze traveled toward the ceiling. “It’s free now. The magic hesitated for a moment. Magic really does love you, Niki, but this magic had a bigger desire and that was for freedom. I think it had been caught in those hate-filled bodies for far too long.”
I squeezed Hikaru a little tighter. “But warlocks aren’t magic, not like brownies and fairies.”
“Everyone, even humans, have magic in them. No, you’re not made of the stuff, but it’s a part of you, just like everything else that makes you who you are. Some of us have more than others. Some of us would be nothing without it. Some have a minuscule amount. Regardless, there is a touch of magic in all living things.” Hikaru tapped a clawed finger against the corner of his eye. “I can see it.”
I had no idea what that must be like. “I envy you.”
That mischievously wicked grin I loved so much returned. “Oh, baby, doesn’t everyone?” That smile still on his lips, Hikaru went up on his tiptoes and pressed his lips to mine. It wasn’t just Hikaru others envied. Given that I had his love and affection, I was now on that desired list as well.
Thirty-One
Hikaru
Niki was on the phone with Erasmus. I wouldn’t exactly say it was an unpleasant phone call, but Niki was getting an earful from his frantic and worried son. I’d told him he should call immediately, but Niki had had other things on his mind. Namely doing me. Or more precisely, bonding with me. That bonding had created its own sort of sticky mess, one I hoped to repeat at least daily going into the future.
My snickered giggle came out sounding like a choking donkey. Niki sent me a questioning look which I waved off. I was fine. More than fine. There was a time not so long ago that I wondered if I’d ever be fine again. Thankfully, those times were gone. Tenzen Huxley would always be a part of me, but he didn’t haunt my present like he did my past. Niki made certain of that, and I was smart enough to let him.
Keir told me he was proud of how much I’d grown, that I hadn’t allowed Tenzen’s betrayal to jade me so much that I couldn’t see what was right in front of me. I thought Keir was full of his usual bullshit but didn’t say so. The poor gryphon had too much on his hands to add my petty squabbling to the mix. Notthat I wouldn’t go there if I thought it might take Keir’s mind off more pressing matters, if only for a time.
Understandably, Keir hadn’t been happy when I’d told him what Danzig said—that there was more hiding within the Magical Usage Council’s walls than any of us knew. If Tenzen had thought it required hiding, that didn’t bode well for whatever it was. I’d argued with Keir that he should blow the whole place up and move the council to a new building. I’d even kindly offered to help place the explosives and set them off.
Surprisingly, Keir hadn’t immediately poo-pooed the idea. In fact, I’d had a few joyous moments where I thought he might actually allow me to blow shit up. Alas, that happy, fuzzy feeling hadn’t lasted. As usual, Keir threw a wet blanket on my plans. Keir thought blowing the place up could metaphorically and physically come back to bite the council in the ass. The crappy thing about not knowing what Tenzen hid around the place was also not knowing if a raging inferno would truly destroy it, or if it should be destroyed at all.
Tenzen hadn’t hesitated to enslave a brownie child to get what he wanted, so who knew what other sentient creatures Tenzen might have captured? And didn’t that just send shivers down your spine, thinking a living creature could be trapped somewhere within the Magical Usage Council Compound, or even elsewhere. I don’t think I’d ever envied Keir, but if I had, I’d certainly been properly cured of that useless emotion.
As if thinking of Keir summoned him, a text appeared on my screen, its request simple.Do you have a moment to pop in?Niki had gotten me my own phone, stating I could leave it in our home. I was currently trying it out, unsure if I’d remember to keep it charged or not. Most likely it would turn into a little more than an expensive paperweight.
Head tilted to the side, I contemplated the request. Glancing Niki’s way again, it appeared as if he might be on the phone fora bit longer. I had no doubt that when he ended the call with Erasmus, Lydia Boone’s call wouldn’t be far behind.
Typing a quick,be there soon, I laid my phone down and crossed the distance to Niki. He leaned my way when I went up on tiptoes and whispered in his ear, “I’m going to make a quick trip to see Keir.”
Covering the receiver with his hand, Niki leaned away from his phone and asked, “Problem?”
I considered the question and shook my head. “I don’t think so. Be back soon.” Keir would have been a bit more insistent if something was really wrong. I left a big, wet kiss on Niki’s cheek, grinning as he gave me a withering look. With a little finger wave, I dissipated and reformed outside Keir’s door. I could have just gone in, but I was attempting to be polite.
“I swear, if I weren’t dead already, you would have given me a heart attack decades ago.” Elvira’s ghost hovered a few feet away.
Within the building, with Tabitha nearby, Elvira could be seen by everyone. I wasn’t certain if every ghost appeared as put together and dressed to the nines as Elvira did, or if she simply liked looking nice since everyone could see her. Every once in a while, Elvira let something slip that made me think she hadn’t looked nearly so primly quaffed while alive. Dead, she was magnificent. A raven-haired beauty dressed to perfection. Clothing didn’t just make the man, they provided a certain type of armor to women too.
“That’s rich, coming from a ghost who goes wherever they want, whenever they want to.” Elvira hadn’t been the bestinfluenceon me while growing up. As one of the few entities within the Magical Usage Compound that could follow wherever I went, Elvira had a penchant for either aiding in my pranks or at the very least, not ratting me out.
Elvira’s plump, crimson lips pulled into an easy smile. “Too true.” She floated toward me, ankles barely visible and her feet conspicuously absent. “Be nice to him.” Elvira’s tone was more concerned than authoritative. “Keir’s… He’s struggling.” Elvira shook her head, her thick raven hair effortlessly floating around her shoulders. “Tabitha’s worried. So am I.” Elvira pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, tugging at it.
My tails twitched as I considered permanently coming back. My stomach dropped at the idea. I would never ask Niki to leave his business in California, and moving back into this building made my stomach drop and nausea creep up my throat. Still, if Keir truly needed me…
“I can see your mind spinning.” Elvira floated even closer. Her spectral hand cupped my face. Elvira’s touch was always cold, sucking the warmth from my skin. “He would never ask you to come back, not permanently.” Not for the first time, I wondered if Elvira could read my mind. “That’s not why he asked to see you.” Elvira’s thumb traced down my cheek before she pulled her hand away. Easing back, Elvira’s head cocked to the side. I’d seen her do that a thousand and one times before. Her medium, Tabitha, was calling her.
“I need to go.” Elvira floated even further away, her form becoming increasingly transparent. “I am one of the few that can go where Director Huxley ventured.”
Elvira disappeared, leaving me alone with the knowledge that I too was one of those individuals. That was the reason Keir contacted me before, to retrieve our fallen friends.
