The seal popped open easily enough, its contents sliding free. I read the words, my eyes going wide with disbelief and horror. A second reading didn’t change their contents. Rage filled me as I firmly stated, “No. I refuse.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d say that. So did they. That’s why I was asked to deliver it.” Kines scratched the back of his neck. His fingers weren’t nearly as blackened as mine, and Kine’s didn’t have nearly the white at his temples compared to me. Kines was a warlock in his young prime. He was already a force to be reckoned with. Given more time, he could likely exceed my own abilities, not that I would ever admit that to the warlock awkwardly standing before me.
I waved the hated paper in the air. “This is ridiculous. Why would they believe I would accept the position?”
Kines shrugged. “Because you’re the best warlock to lead. A lot of serious concerns have come to light now that Danzig’s been eliminated. What he did to you and Hikaru are just the tip of the iceberg. We need someone in charge who’s got a moral compass to guide the floundering masses. You know that Nikodemus.”
I scoffed. “That doesn’t mean me. There has to be someone else. I loathe others. I would be a horrible leader.”
Kines chuckled softly. “Spoken like a true warlock. What isn’t like one of us is your lack of desire for power and authority. The fact you don’t want to do it makes you perfect for the job.”
Growling, I started to throw the paper on the ground. I would incinerate the damn thing. I was getting ready to do just that when Kines said, “Before you do that, think of Erasmus.”
The magic flaring around my fingers died. “What does my son have to do with this?”
“Everything.” Kines moved closer, voice dropping. “Think about it. You could change the way warlocks view necromancers.You didn’t abandon your son, and look what that son turned into. Erasmus is a necromancer success. He’s proof that necromancers aren’t offspring that should be thrown away.”
“Even if Erasmus weren’t asuccess, he should still not have been thrown away. No child should.”
“I agree, and so do a lot of other warlocks. Tradition is a hard habit to break. You being in charge would go a long way to smashing that one to death. We need change, Nikodemus, and like it or not, you’re the only one who’s got the juice, attitude, and clout to enact those changes.” Placing his hand on my bicep, Kines leaned in and said, “I’d follow your lead. You’d have my support, and you and I both know that’s no small thing. Just think about it before you make a mini bonfire of the letter.” With a final squeeze, Kines walked away, leaving me with that hated piece of paper clutched between my fingers.
Time passed in blessed silence. I barely recognized Hikaru’s presence before he whispered, “What’s wrong, Niki?” I didn’t answer. I just handed him the letter. Hikaru was silent while he read. “Are you really surprised?”
I turned on my kitsune. “You’re not? I’m not leadership quality. I’m?—”
“Perfect,” Hikaru said softly.
I huffed. “No creature is perfect, not even me.”
Chuckling, Hikaru slithered around me, his tails wrapping me in soft warmth. “Oh, Niki, how I do love your arrogance.” Hikaru nuzzled my neck, sending a different type of warmth surging through me. “What did Kines have to say?”
I related the conversation, my eyes tracking to my son. Erasmus stood by the back door, Franklin at his side. Cilla and Lydia were nearby, as was Parsnip. They all had glasses in their hands and little plates of food. I didn’t see Helios, but Aurelia stood next to Lydia, almost as if she were guarding her. Two ofthe baby scuttlebutts ran along Lydia’s shoulders, scurrying into her hair and perching on her head.
Lydia’s laughter floated on the wind, quickly joined by Erasmus’s and Franklin’s. Parsnip flew higher, giggling while Aurelia gazed at Lydia with an odd type of fondness. Kines soon joined them. He reached out to touch one of the little scuttlebutts only to barely pull his finger back before it was chomped off. This resulted in a fresh wave of laughter.
“Look at them,” Hikaru said. “So happy. So safe.”
“For now.” I knew all too well that safety was fleeting.
“Possibly. There is a way to keep them safer, especially Erasmus. Vander Kines isn’t wrong.”
My hand fisted to the point of pain. I knew Kines was right. That was part of the problem.
“And not just him. Think of the other necromancers. Those living and those yet to be born. They need you just as much as the warlocks.”
My chest tightened with the weight of what I was contemplating. “It will take a lot of time. We’d have to move. The council is in Colorado.”
“No need to move when you have a kitsune handy.” Hikaru dissipated, reforming in front of me, his arms laced around my neck. “I’ve just gotten this place the way I like it, and I refuse to move into that mausoleum the council calls home. Luckily for you, with me around, there’s no need.”
No, there really wasn’t. I’d need to make a plethora of antinausea charms, but that could easily be done. My gaze didn’t stray from my son. I loved Erasmus with every fiber of my being. Contemplating his eventual loss didn’t just drive a knife into my heart, it twisted with malicious glee.
“You know what you need to do, Niki.” Hikaru’s voice sounded distant despite the fact he was right beside me. “And I’llbe there with you, all the way. Perhaps we can even have a child of our own.”
My attention immediately focused on Hikaru. “I would never do that to Erasmus. I would never make him feel like he isn’t enough, that I?—”
“Shh. Do you really think that’s what Erasmus would believe?” Hikaru twisted around me, forcing me to look at my son again. “Look at him, Niki. Really look at him. Erasmus is happy. He’s secure and confident in not only who he is, but that he is loved. You did that. You and Lydia. It is knowledge so deeply ingrained that it is not easily shaken or broken. Did you ever stop to think that maybe Erasmus would like a brother?”
“I…no, I did not.” I’d only ever been focused on keeping my son safe, on making sure he knew how much he was loved and wanted.
