Neon Spark (Dark Magic Enforcer Book 5) by Al K. Line Read Free Book Online Page A

becoming, or already part of her inner circle were given two choices—become immortal, or die. All accepted the former offer. As her influence grew, so did the number of vampires, until she was unstoppable, head of the Yakuza within a decade. Her people were everywhere.
    The Vampire Council could do nothing to stop her. She had no time for their petty politics, she wanted her own form of Council, one where the gangster life and loyalty were the prime driving forces.
    She got it, still had it.
    "And this is all down to Rikka," I said after Mitsu had finished getting us up-to-date on Japanese Hidden life. "When she killed my parents she did it because of a deal she made with Rikka. He wouldn't tell me what it was, but this must be it. He paid her, simple as that."
    "I am so sorry about your boss, Spark. That is terrible thing he did, and I never thought he was bad man." Mitsu took some convincing that it had been Rikka and Kimiko working together. She had known him a long time, although they hadn't been in touch for many years. She thought for a moment. "I think it go beyond money. When she came back here, which was right about time your parents die, maybe few years after, she had more than just money."
    "What else did she have?" I couldn't see what else would have made a difference to how she had managed to progress and build her empire.
    Mitsu looked at us nervously, all of us entranced by the history lesson and the insights into a culture we had no hope of understanding. "She had books. Secret books, special books. Books of magic." She took a breath and continued. "Just a year or two ago she received large number of new ones. Dangerous things, very powerful. People were scared and they talked."
    "Goddamn that man!" I knew exactly what books Kimiko had been given recently. I'd discovered a hoard of exceedingly dangerous tomes full of magic spells and knowledge that should have never been written down, information that should only ever be passed verbally from teacher to student.
    It was a job for Rikka that resulted in me finding them, so, naturally, he'd taken them. I assumed he'd destroyed them or locked the collection away somewhere very safe, maybe given them to the Council. I hadn't asked and to be honest it didn't cross my mind after his death. I was too sad and too damn angry to think about much else apart from revenge. I'd tried my best not to think about how Rikka had been directing my actions my whole life.
    What else would surface now he was gone? "So this was the deal he made with her. He gave her money and he gave her access to our world, to learn magic. Hell, you never said she could use magic."
    Mitsu looked at my face, at the others, and said quietly, "Forgive me, I thought you all knew this thing. Kimiko Cocchi is not only Boss, she is most powerful witch Japan has ever known. For a hundred years she has ruled the Hidden. Nobody dare try stop crazy lady as she can do such terrible things. She has access to secrets no other Hidden know and her magic very strong. This woman has absorbed everything we take so many years to learn and master. Kimiko has library full of magic and she cannot be beaten."
    My tea had gone cold. I was, to put it mildly, a bit annoyed that Kimiko was some kind of uber-vampire-witch hybrid. Seems like it wasn't going to be so easy to kill her.
    I'd damn well try, though.

 
     
     
     
    A Moment
    Dancer, seemingly already over the worst of the break and unable to keep his eyes off Mitsu, offered to take us all out to lunch.
    Mitsu was as surprised as I was by the rapid healing, and Dancer looked guilty, like he'd done something without really thinking about the consequences. Grandma and Kate said they had other plans, I declined out of courtesy and because I needed time alone to think, and a very relieved Dancer practically ripped his new skin off his face he was smiling so wide when Mitsu lowered her gaze and said demurely that she would love to go for lunch.
    She warned him about being