Chapter 20
Twenty
Hikaru
Oh, these warlocks were tricky bastards.
I could see the nasty bit of magic they’d instilled into this most recent missive.
While the paper might be visibly ugly, the wax seal was the business end of the magical bomb they’d hidden inside.
It was like the pin of a grenade—pop the seal and the bomb was triggered.
Danzig hadn’t planned on a kitsune being around when Niki received the envelope. Then again, even if he’d been aware of my presence, he probably wouldn’t have known that I’d be able to see the toxic magic waiting to be released.
I’ll give them this, it was a clever rouse.
I doubt Niki would have thought twice about opening it.
He should have, but that’s not how Niki’s mind worked.
He didn’t expect such deviously underhanded methods.
He wouldn’t have examined the envelope and letter within prior to opening it.
He would have simply been irritated by the thought of receiving it.
In his annoyance, he would have torn it open and BAM!
I doubt Niki would have even known what hit him.
We pulled to a stop and Niki hit the garage door opener, easing the vehicle into its comfy home.
He didn’t ask any questions as he got out.
I could have said something but kept my silence as well.
I’d already disarmed the trigger. That didn’t make me any more excited to hand this damn thing off to my warlock.
Danzig had made a grave error tonight. Niki was mine and I’d lost far too much recently to risk his safety. No one was taking him away from me. Certainly not some ancient warlock and his cronies.
“What’s wrong with it?” Niki asked when we reached the kitchen. His fingers gripped the countertop, knuckles white and clenched fingers pushing against his rings.
I laid the envelope on the countertop. “The wax seal is a trigger.”
“Trigger for what?” Niki calmly asked.
“Something nasty.” I shivered.
“And you know this how?” When I remained silent, Niki scoffed. “Come on, Hikaru. I’m not an idiot. I’ve already figured out you can somehow read magic, although I’m not certain that’s the correct terminology.”
Inhaling, I released that breath and slid my eyes closed.
Niki was right. I’d already either intentionally or accidently let slip too many clues.
Despite what Alistair said, Niki wasn’t a fool.
If I wanted to truly protect my warlock, it was time to come clean.
“I’m not certain how to explain or describe it. ”
“Try.”
I took another breath. “You have to understand, I wasn’t raised with other kitsune.”
Niki’s head tilted to the side and his dark eyes narrowed with curiosity. “I don’t understand. Are kitsune generally raised together?”
My gasped laughter surprised me. “I have no idea. I…I was abandoned.” I rubbed my chest, trying to erase the ache those words created.
“I don’t know why, but Inari created me and then just…
” I didn’t know how to finish that statement.
I had no idea where Inari had gone or why they’d left me.
“I’d barely sprouted my first tail when Tenzen found me. ”
“Sweet Gaia.” Niki reached for me, pulling me into his strong arms. “I had no idea.”
“I think only Keir knows. Or, at least he’s the only one left alive that knows. Everyone else is… They’re gone now.” I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears burning my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Niki whispered soothingly. “Those words are rarely enough, but they are all I have.”
“It’s okay.” It really wasn’t, but what else was there to do?
Pulling out of Niki’s embrace, I took a couple of steps away, needing to focus instead of melting into his skin.
“I don’t want to talk about those days. I’m just telling you because there are things I can do that I truly don’t understand. I can’t explain them. They simply are.”
Niki was quiet for a beat before he said. “Okay. I understand. Just do the best you can and I’ll try and untangle the rest.”
I offered up what was probably a watery smile before that grin faded when my eyes settled back on the black hole laying on Niki’s counter. “I can see magic. I see its colors, its threads, its intentions…it’s all so clear to my eyes.”
“But you can do more than see it,” Niki rightly guessed.
I nodded. “I can weave around it. Dismantle the threads or maybe the intention behind the magic.”
“That’s what you’ve done to my wards.”
“It is. I can wiggle my way through without damaging or affecting the overall ward. Most of the time I leave the magic intact. Sometimes, I tear it apart.” I pointedly stared at the ugly envelope.
Following my gaze, Niki said, “I assume that’s what you did here.” He pointed at the wax seal, being careful not to touch it.
“I ripped it apart.” Those four words were little more than a growl. “It wasn’t difficult. The magic didn’t want to be bound in such a way. In this case, I liberated it.” My chest puffed out with pride. I didn’t regret a single action.
Niki’s gaze flicked between me and the envelope. With a deep inhale, he asked, “And you know this how?”
“Know what? That the spell is destroyed, or—”
“That the magic felt liberated.”
“Ah, that…” I tilted my head to the side, eyes glazing over as I stared at the rainbow of colors swirling around Niki.
Magic didn’t just gravitate toward him, it caressed him as a lover might.
Its movements were languid and peaceful.
The magic brightened here and there with its joy and contentment.
It was eager to please and be of use. Being around Niki was a constant high.
Reaching out, to most, it appeared as if I ran my clawed fingers through little more than air. Maybe a brownie or fairy could see the magic swirling around Niki. I’d never thought to ask. Then again, I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been in the same room with a brownie or fairy and a warlock.
The magic briefly attached itself to my fingers, swirling around them and sending pleasant sparks dancing across my skin. Every time I neared Niki, I got to experience that same feeling. No wonder I was so addicted to this warlock.
Niki’s dark gaze tracked my movements. His jaw tensed before relaxing, and yet I knew he remained vigilant, watching my every move.
“It’s beautiful.” Those words were little more than an awe-inspired whisper. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you can’t see it for yourself.”
Niki raised his arms, staring at his fingers as the magic coalesced, weaving in and around his blackened fingertips. “But I can see it.”
I shook my head. “Not like I can. You can only see it when you concentrate and draw the magic together. You don’t see the threads constantly swirling around you, eager for the slightest command.”
“I…I don’t know what you mean.” Niki stretched out his arms. His confused expression proved my point.
“I know you don’t, and that’s terribly unfortunate.
But to get back to your question, I’ve seen magic all my life.
I can’t explain how I see it or how I know how the magic feels, all I can tell you is that both are equally true.
For lack of a better word, the magic willfully surrounding you is happy.
The magic surrounding Warlock’s Danzig and Raiden are not.
Their spells are held together by way of force and fear.
The magic isn’t happy.” I pointed at the envelope.
“The best I can describe it is that the magic there felt all wrong. It was tainted and longed for release. I gave it that release.”
Niki inhaled, just now grasping the depth of what I relayed. “Dear Gaia, that’s…is this common knowledge?” Niki’s eyes pinched, making his eyebrows appear low and heavy. “If it is, then why wasn’t I aware?”
Arrogant as ever. Fondness warmed my chest. “As far as I know, it is hardly common knowledge.”
A look of relief washed across Niki’s face, softening his hardened lines. “I’m not sure why, but that makes me feel better.”
I scoffed. It was obvious why Niki hadn’t liked the idea that others knew something he didn’t. Still, I didn’t call him out on it.
The softness easing Niki’s features suddenly turned into something akin to horror. “What happened to the magic you liberated? Is it… Did you destroy it?”
I gasped in shock. “Absolutely not! Honestly, do they teach you nothing in warlock school?”
Niki scowled. “There is no such thing. Warlocks learn from their fathers. Mine was near ancient when I was born and he was an excellent teacher.”
I leaned into Niki’s chest, flattening my palms against his shirt. “Down boy.” I bopped his nose, careful of my sharp claw. “I didn’t mean to insult Grandpa Holland. But truly, did you not know that magic can’t be destroyed?”
Niki’s lips parted and his jaw grew slack. “I’ve never been certain. Surprisingly, that isn’t something that is generally brought up during our training.”
I wanted to tell Niki how ridiculous that was, but kept my opinions to myself.
I wasn’t a warlock. It wasn’t my culture to criticize.
What I could do was educate. “Magic is eternal. It’s a type of energy.
It cannot be created or destroyed. It can be changed and manipulated, but it will never disappear. ”
Niki’s heart beat steadily beneath my palms, its rhythm a little faster than typical but not alarming. Staring over my shoulder, Niki’s gaze appeared wonderous—like a child who’d just learned something that broke their world wide open.
Arms wrapping around me, Niki pulled me close, his chin resting on my head. “Thank you.” Niki sounded almost breathless. “I can’t tell you what that means to me, the comfort that brings me. I…other warlocks would most likely find my concerns inane but hearing that magic is eternal is comforting.”