“Apologies,” he said as if reading her thoughts. “That wasn’t the invitation I had in mind. You’ll have to bring in candles from the hall if you want light. I have no need for such things.”
He went inside while Gem collected two lanterns near his door. She set one on the bedside table and the other by the fireplace. The water turned on in the bathroom, and while Niko showered, Gem tipped the candles to empty the pools of wax. The action exposed more of the wick, allowing for a brighter burn.
She decided there was no point in shouting through the archway, which would only remind her that he was naked in there, probably covered in suds. Instead, she marveled over how simplistic his room was. People usually filled their private space with the things they loved. Raven enjoyed red accents, Wyatt had a strange affinity for cats and gargoyles, Shepherd hoarded weapons, and Niko had blankets. That was about all he had in his room that stood out in her mind, very soft blankets. Texture was important to him. He’d gone out of his way to install wood flooring, and even the towels in his bathroom were ultra plush. But Niko didn’t collect anything, not unless one counted the katanas mounted on his wall.
Niko emerged from the pitch-black bathroom, towel-drying his hair. The towel around his waist was short, and when he turned away, she could see his Keystone tattoo. They had all inked themselves in inconspicuous places. Gem’s was on the bottom of her right foot.
“Why did you put your tattoo on the back of your knee?” she asked, staring at his right leg.
After he finished drying his hair, he flipped the towel over his shoulder and started selecting some clothes to wear. “Have you ever seen me in shorts?”
She smirked. “You never know what I might slip into your wardrobe.”
“I have something I wish to do, and I want you to come with me.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see. Can you run down to the courtyard and get a shovel? I’ll meet you there.” He slipped into the bathroom with a handful of garments.
Gem loved surprises. She dashed out of the room and down to the courtyard without delay. Good thing she hadn’t put on a pair of chunky heels. Her purple stacked sneakers clashed with her outfit, but they sure made running a lot easier.
When she reached the courtyard, she noticed Switch had dragged the glider out onto the lawn. His torso and arms were already brown, and when she glanced down at his bare feet, she imagined him having chalk-white legs.
“Don’t get any ideas about nude sunbathing,” she called out.
He chuckled. “Now that you mention it, I might have to even things out.”
Gem veered right. Just past the hot tub in the covered veranda was a tool shed. Viktor had hired a Breed lawn service company to do all the big maintenance, but the team still pitched in to do basic gardening in the courtyard. There were different types of shovels, some long and others wide. Not knowing what Niko had in mind, she grabbed the wide one and headed back.
Switch grinned as he looked over his shoulder at her. “Digging for treasure?”
“I’m digging your grave if you don’t keep your pants on.”
As much as Gem loved snow, she also adored spring weather. The birds were singing, including a mockingbird. The native wildflowers provided an array of colors in the courtyard, and the weather made her want to plant a long row of purple flowers alongside the veranda wall.
Niko stepped outside, wearing his usual black T-shirt and pants. He squeezed out a few drops of water from his damp hair and walked onto the grass. “Let’s cut through and go out the back way.”
The courtyard was centered within the walls of the mansion. He had no need for Gem to guide him around the winding trails that he’d memorized. When they reached the door, they briefly went inside until they exited through the back door that opened to the expansive estate.
Gem used the shovel like a staff and sliced the earth every other step she took. “Where are we going?”
“Switch told me which direction to head, but I can see it just fine. The power lingers.”
When she caught sight of the black tree, she began dragging the shovel instead. The wind crept up from behind and blew her hair in front of her face. Now that their lives were back to normal, she wanted Claude to return so he could touch up her roots. Gem hated her natural hair. It was so pale it almost looked white. Why couldn’t she have been blessed with Kira’s amazing locks? She’d even settle for Raven’s black hair or Blue’s sable brown. Her thoughts danced around dye jobs in a futile attempt to avoid thinking about her last moments with Niko’s book.
Once they reached the charred spot, she stared down at the blackened earth. The burnt area spanned about ten feet in diameter, and even though the wind had blown the loose ashes away, the intense energy must have burned the dirt all the way to China.
“This is an eyesore,” she remarked. “It’s nothing but ashes. Do you want me to cover it up with fresh dirt?” She drove the spade into the ground. “Maybe we should buy some sod.”
“That’s not what I had in mind.” A gust of wind carried away more of the ashes at their feet. Niko reached into his pocket and withdrew the opal stone. “This doesn’t belong with us anymore. We must return it to the earth.”
“Why not keep it?”
“For what purpose? Taking something without fair trade is bad karma. I spent centuries protecting the world from a book I stole, and it cursed me. Raven may have bartered for the blade, but we’ve taken all we need from it. This is no ordinary stone; it still has some of your energy within it and always will. We can’t begin to understand the residual power it holds, and if you keep it, you risk losing it. Someone might tap into that power, maybe even use it to tap into your power.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Here. Let’s trade. I’ll dig the hole, and you can bury all that negative energy.”
She took the stone and handed Niko the shovel. While he cut into the black earth, Gem ran her thumb along the smooth opal and decided she didn’t want it. In a strange way, it did feel cursed. It was a destroyer, and she’d seen it in action.
After he dug a deep hole, Gem knelt and dropped the stone in the damp earth where it would live for millions of years. Unless Viktor decided to sell the property and someone built houses or shopping centers over the spot. But even then, the bulldozer would simply move all the dirt aside. She took the shovel from Niko and filled in the hole as best she could.
She wiped her brow and swung her gaze to the eyesore a few yards away. “What about the tree?”
“What tree?”
She grinned sheepishly. “I set a tree on fire.”
He flattened the earth with his boot. “I wish I could have been awake to witness that awesome power.”
Light sparked at her fingertips from the compliment.
Niko’s hair had dried in the soft wind, and it looked like ribbons of ebony. “I always knew you were capable of great things with your gift.”
“I guess if I’m going to harness that much power, I might as well use it for something good. Now that I know how destructive it is, Viktor’s probably right that I shouldn’t play with fire like I do. I might get burned. Literally.” She handed him the shovel, and they headed back to the house.