Page 12 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie: Phlox's Story (Perfect Pixie Series Book 5)

Leon

I thought I’d learned patience over the centuries. Currently, those lessons evaded me. Full transformation allowed me to peer into the air duct, but Phlox was beyond my sight. I’d been able to barely hear him while he’d scurried about. I could only assume he’d found what he was looking for and was currently stationary. I hated him out of sight and auditory range.

Tilting my head and cracking my neck, I relaxed back into a more human personage. I fought the urge to pace. Would I be able to hear as well if I were moving? I didn’t know and that kept my feet planted. I could barely make out the clicking of computer keys on the other side of the thick wall. The sound was dull, and I doubt I would have mentally clocked it if I weren’t so hyper aware.

I stood there, drifting into a dark, welcoming headspace. I needed to find that core of patience and pull from it. Phlox would be fine. He had to be fine. Now that I’d found him, I could not conceive of a life without him.

Beloved. That singular word whispered through my brain and danced on my tongue. Could Phlox really be the one? I don’t know why I questioned it. I’d been suspicious before. Now that I’d tasted his blood, there was no doubt.

The only true question was if Phlox would consent to being my beloved. It was not as forgone of a conclusion as I would like. I would not force him. The very idea made me recoil with disgust. Phlox was precious. He was my everything and harming him would only serve to harm me.

Vampires lived their second lives in search of a purpose. Why were we allowed more time? What was the point in living decade after decade, century after grueling century? I’d been struggling with that question of late. It was an early warning sign. The answer was now so very clear.

Phlox.

Phlox was my reason for existing. Everything I did from now on would be with him in mind. Was this what it was like for Lucroy? I could only imagine it was. I’d thought I understood before, but that understanding was a pale imitation of my current knowledge. It was frightening how completely thoughts of Phlox consumed me and yet that fear was tempered by overwhelming joy. I wanted to scream to the heavens that I’d found my beloved, that, if Phlox was willing, I would never suffer loneliness again. This damn confinement restricted my voice, but it could not quiet my delight, nor the overwhelming peace such thoughts brought.

I would need to speak with Lucroy. Given how much his work meant to him, I could never ask Phlox to give up his position with the Magical Usage Council. However, my protective instincts would not allow him to do perform that job alone. Given how much Phlox had to travel, that might require me to give up my position as Lucroy’s second. The thought gave me pause, but I was not overly concerned. If anyone would understand, it would be Lucroy Moony.

Time floated by. My internal clock tracked the sun’s path. We had a little over an hour before the sun’s rays tipped the horizon. That gave me four and half hours before I would be completely useless and little more than undead meat for the slaughter. Whatever came, Phlox and I needed a plan before that happened.

Faint scratching sounds met my ears. The soft sound of fur sliding against metal became clearer and clearer. Transforming again, I stretched until my eyes tipped over the edge of the duct. I was met with Phlox’s large, yellow eyes. Reaching forward, I plucked my beloved from the duct, cradling his dust-covered fur against my chest as I eased back down into my humanoid form. My actions garnered a rough tongue against my cheek before Phlox fully transformed, leaving me no longer holding fur and claws, but a petite pixie. No, scratch that, I was holding a busting-at-the-seams pixie.

“You have discovered something?” I inquired, keeping my voice low.

“Oh, hell yeah.” Phlox wiggled and his body slid to the floor. He immediately began the equivalent of pixie pacing—flying back and forth, spreading dust all over the room. Fisted hand to his chin, Phlox’s joy turned pensive. I allowed him to mull, but we didn’t have a lot of time to waste.

Thankfully, Phlox came to some type of decision and flew toward me so fast he nearly slammed into my chest. “We need to get out of here. The council needs to know what’s going on.” Phlox tapped his head while his eyes scanned the room. Disappointment replaced his earlier excitement. “I’d really hoped someone would be here when I got back. Someone from the council,” Phlox clarified when I gave him a questioning look. “It should be dark in Rutherford Haven by now. They should know you’re gone too. Surely someone can put two and two together.”

I thought Phlox was most likely correct but didn’t say so.

He chewed on his bottom lip before his gaze fell to the window. “How much time do we have?”

“Thirty-six minutes before the sun crests the horizon. Sluggishness will set in immediately. It will be possible to wake me for another three hours, but after that…” I shrugged.

Phlox gave an understanding nod. “That leaves us two options.” He shook his head. “No, really just one.” He blew out a deep breath. “The good news is that you’re worth something.” He frowned. “The bad news is that you’re evidently worth as much dead as alive. I got a good look at Sylvie’s online conversation, but the username is bound to be a fake. The point is, whoever Sylvie spoke with…they want your demise recorded.” Phlox swallowed hard and he appeared torn between rage and terror. “I’m not sure when they plan on doing the deed, but I can’t imagine they’ll wait out another twenty-four hours. Most likely they’ll wait until you’re immobile and take you outside to await the sunrise. Either that or they’ll cut off your head. The method wasn’t specified, only the need for proof that it is truly you and that you’re nothing but a pile of ash when it’s done.” By the time he was finished, Phlox’s throat was clogged with emotion.

“That certainly doesn’t sound pleasant.”

Phlox slapped my chest, yanking his hand back with the sting. “Damn, I keep forgetting you’re made of granite or something equally hard. Anyway, don’t sound so flippant. I could hardly… I could barely sit still when I learned that. I…” Phlox turned from me, dull fingernails turning into lethal claws.

Moving between his wings, I allowed them to settle along my sides as I slipped my arms around him, pulling Phlox in tight. “I do not plan on expiring this day. Obviously, slipping back into the underground cavern and awaiting execution is not a viable plan.”

“No, it isn’t.” Phlox’s silken hair shifted against my skin.

“Then what do you propose?” I knew what I wanted to do but wasn’t certain it would have the desired outcome.

“We need to take Sylvie and Oxley out. If possible, we need to keep one of them alive. Sylvie will be more dangerous, but she’s probably got more information than Oxley. By his own admission, Sylvie hasn’t shared much with him. But—”

“Witches are unpredictable.”

“Exactly.” Phlox blew out a breath, and the gentle beat of his wings hemmed me in. “She’s not as dangerous as she could be. Sylvie still looks wiped, but she’s probably got a litany of charmed paraphernalia at her disposal. The odds aren’t in our favor nearly as much as I’d like.”

I kissed the top of his head, relishing in his scent. “Well then, I suppose we will need to be extra careful.”

“Yeah. Very careful. Once we’ve got them contained, you can go back underground where it’s safer. I can grab Sylvie’s computer. She’s also got a cell phone on her desk. As long as I’ve got a good signal, I can contact help and by tomorrow night, we should be out of here.”

“Did you learn where here is?” I asked, more curious than anything.

“I did. I’m not sure which one exactly, but it seems we’re in the Canary Islands.”

“Hmm…a beautiful locale. Perhaps we can enjoy an evening stroll along the beach tomorrow.”

Given his wings, Phlox couldn’t turn in my arms. He did lean over his shoulder and tilt his lips up for a kiss. I was more than happy to oblige.

“Troll first?” Phlox asked.

“Troll first,” I easily agreed.

* * *

Eliminating Oxley as a threat was easier than even I’d thought. Although large and powerful, Oxley was no match for me now that I’d supped from my beloved. A fatal blow might not have been necessary if we’d had a better way to contain him. As it was, we could not take the chance of him recovering during the day while I was so vulnerable.

Phlox barely batted an eyelash at the carnage.

With the troll taken care of, we made our way back to Sylvie’s door. Our efforts were met with silence on the other side. I thought it too much to hope she was asleep. Sunrise was mere minutes away. I had seven, maybe eight minutes before the cresting rays impacted my capabilities. Speed was of the essence.

Phlox pointed to the room we’d used earlier and whispered. “I’ll crawl through the ducts again. You come at her in a frontal attack. I’ll be the surprise.”

His plan sounded as good as anything I could conceive. Hastily following our previous actions, I lifted Phlox into the open duct. This time I maintained my vampire form and left the room. I attempted to wait the allotted time I knew it would take Phlox to get into position. The wave of intense magic that suddenly filtered into Sylvie’s closed door erased my patience.

I’d figured the door would be locked. While the magical barricade wasn’t completely unexpected, its strength was.

A hellacious growl rumbled through my chest. I wasn’t sure if she’d been tipped off somehow or if her door was always magically blocked. It was possible she’d heard us dispatching Oxley. Either way, I couldn’t get inside. Not this way at least.

I stared at the thick plastered wall. If this witch thought she could keep me out, keeping me away from my beloved, then she had another thing coming.

I scanned around the area, feeling my magical way along the wall. Sylvie’s magic didn’t extend past the doorway. If Phlox and I were lucky, the reason Sylvie hadn’t reinforced the surrounding walls with magic was because she was still too drained from the transportation portal she’d used to bring us here.

The sound of a metal grate hitting the floor followed by Sylvie’s high-pitched scream heightened my need to get into that room. Arm pulled back, talons extended, I slammed my razor-sharp appendages into the wall. The old plaster cracked and crumbled. Five more punches shattered the wall, and I ran inside.

My entrance immediately drew Sylvie’s attention. Lips curled back in a snarl, words I didn’t understand flew from her lips and fiery light sparked from her fingertips. Taking advantage of the distraction I’d created, Phlox, still in his Pallas’s cat form, launched himself off the bed, claws extended and aimed for Sylvie’s turned back. With her attention on me, she’d ignored a very small, yet potent threat.

Sylvie’s pained screech pierced my ears. Her hands flew to her back as she squirmed, attempting to dislodge Phlox’s claws. Phlox was having none of it. Reeling back, his head shot forward and, fast as a snake, his teeth sank deep into Sylvie’s flesh.

Her second scream of pain was far worse than the first. Efforts increasing, Sylvie stopped trying to dislodge Phlox’s claws and teeth and instead ripped his body off. Holding him by the scruff, Sylvie threw my beloved across the room.

An unholy roar tore through my chest. I didn’t think. I just moved. Instinct is a damnable thing. Thoughts of keeping the witch alive fled my mind. Thrusting my arm forward, my talons punched a hole through Sylvie’s chest. When my hand came out the other side, it held Sylvie’s dying heart.

The witch gurgled, incomprehensible words twisting through her lips. Sylvie expired where she stood, my impaled arm the only thing holding her upright. Pulling my arm back eliminated that last vestige and her body crumpled to the floor, her bloody heart still in my hand.

My bloodlust satisfied, the roar filling my brain faded and the sounds in the room slowly filtered back in. The rapid beat of wings hit my senses before Phlox’s pixie dust entered my vision. But when I glanced up, it wasn’t what I expected.

Sylvie’s heart slipped from my hands, landing with a splat as it joined her body. My crimson washed eyes receded as did my vampiric form. I would challenge any vampire to retain their battle form when faced with a plush kitty with fluttering pixie wings. The wings were proportional to Phlox’s Pallas’s cat form and dust filled the air around him. The scene would have been sickeningly sweet had it not been for the disappointed rage filling his yellow eyes.

Head purposefully pointed down, Phlox’s gaze shot to Sylvie’s very deceased form before that glare focused back on me. I stared at the carnage littering the floor and dripping from my hand.

“I thought she harmed you,” I said defensively.

Phlox rolled his large, yellow eyes before light shimmered around him and he transformed back into his pixie form.

“But she didn’t harm me.” He pointed over his shoulder to his wings. “I can fly, remember.”

It was difficult to forget. “You were in your cat form.” The implication was clear enough. Phlox’s dusty cheeks and averted gaze told he me understood.

“Yeah, well…as you can see, I can fly in that form too.” Phlox got in my face and jabbed a finger into my chest. “But if you tell anyone what you just saw, I’ll make your second life a living hell. You got that?” He jabbed a little harder for emphasis.

“My lips are sealed,” I promised.

Phlox folded his arms over his chest and heavily sighed. “Well, this is a big fucking mess.”

“Indeed. It appears I got here a little too late.” I tensed at the new voice. Wrapping my hand around Phlox, I pushed his body behind me, only relaxing when my eyes caught up with my ears.

“Nice to see you, Ray.”

Phlox shoved me and moved to my side. “Yeah, but it would have been nice to see you about twenty minutes ago,” Phlox scolded.

“Forgive me. It seems Byx’s hair clips did not work as precisely as she hoped.”

Phlox touched the sleeping meerkats and sighed. “Yeah, I wondered about that.”

“She was able to track you to a general location, but it was not precise enough. Vander and Parsnip were on a plane heading back to the United States. It is difficult translocating to a plane while it is in flight. I had to wait until it landed to contact Vander so he could track you better. I’m afraid that took longer than desired.”

“It’s fine.” Phlox blew out a relieved breath. “You’re here now and that’s what matters. The sun will be up soon and—”

“It has risen,” I interrupted.

Phlox’s wings beat and dust filled the room. Whirling on me, he said, “You should have said something! We need to get you underground.” Phlox’s hands fluttered over my chest, patting me here and there as if he couldn’t figure out exactly what needed done.

“It is fine. I still have a few hours before I am completely incapacitated. As long as I stay out of the direct sun, I will be fine.”

Phlox’s lips pulled tight before he shook his head. “It is not fine.” Twirling back around, Phlox asked, “Can you get Leon somewhere safe or do we need to head back down into the underground tunnels?”

“I do not have enough intel regarding this location. Staying would not be ideal.” Ray’s gaze fell on Sylvie. “I will have someone watch the premises. Is there anyone else present?”

“No one alive that I am aware of. There is a troll downstairs. I have not been able to detect any other heartbeats. There are several tunnels below ground. It is conceivable others are there and beyond my senses,” I answered.

“The area will need exploration,” Ray answered as his gaze fell on Sylvie’s computer.

“We need to take that with us,” Phlox directed, pointing at the computer. “With both of them dead, it’s our only source of information.” Phlox sent an irritated scowl my direction.

“I will take care of the computer and return shortly.” Ray barely got the words out before he created an atmospheric tear.

Turning again, Phlox reached around my neck, pulling himself up instead of using his wings. “You look tired,” he said, sounding worried.

“I am, but it is not too bad.” I raked my fingers through his silken hair. Phlox leaned into my touch, rubbing his cheek into my palm.

“I was worried,” he said. “Don’t scare me again, okay?”

I hated to make promises I couldn’t keep, so instead of agreeing, I answered, “I’ll do my best.”

It was all the truth I knew.