Page 14 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie: Phlox's Story (Perfect Pixie Series Book 5)

Leon

I woke with a thirst that was difficult to control. It was tempered by the warm body snuggled up at my side.

Phlox. Phlox was beside me. He’d followed me downstairs and stayed the day. In the quiet space I could hear the rush of his blood as it flowed through his arteries and veins. Phlox’s heart rate was steady and languid. Unless one were in the throes of a nightmare, sleep often did that.

My fangs itched, desperate to drink from the delicious fountain lying beside me. Were I a younger vampire, I might have succumbed to that desire. I don’t know if it was my age or my greater desire to protect Phlox, even against my baser needs, that stayed my instincts.

Nuzzled into the crook of my arm, Phlox’s cheek pressed against my upper chest, the crown of his head tucked into my neck. His wings were spread out behind him and fluttered every once in a great while. One arm was stretched across my chest. My cold, unconscious form hadn’t bothered him a bit. That knowledge eased my mind.

Phlox’s long hair lay across my arm, its silken feel wonderous. My fingers curled into those strands, allowing them to dance and skitter as they slipped through. Perhaps it was the flex of my fingers or maybe it was simply time for Phlox to wake because not long after, he stirred.

Stretching like a cat, Phlox snuggled in closer. Licking his lips, he sighed and whispered, “Good evening. Sleep well?”

“Like the undead.”

Phlox lightly smacked me on my abs before stretching again and rolling back. He couldn’t complete the motion without sitting up and readjusting his wings.

“How about you? Did you sleep well?”

“Mm-hmm. Like a baby.” Phlox yawned. His wings fluttered. It seemed more instinct, or perhaps that was his own way of stretching his wing muscles. Turning, Phlox slipped his legs over the edge before pushing off the mattress. He stretched which made me wonder if it had more to do with his Pallas’s cat side than pixie.

Cracking his back, Phlox loosened a grateful sigh that went straight to my dick. He was a vision. If I could wake to this every evening for an eternity, it still would not be enough time. How had I lived without this? Had it even been living? At the time, I’d thought so. I’d enjoyed much of my second life. Now, looking back and not seeing Phlox there, I realized that living was an overestimation of what I’d been doing. Existing now seemed more apt.

Phlox shuffled across the room. His wings twittered now and again but not enough to lift him off the ground.

“Do you keep blood in here or do we need to head upstairs for that?” Phlox didn’t wait for an answer before he pulled the refrigerator door open and let out a happy sound. “Ah-ha! Found it.” Phlox pulled out a chilled bottle that once would have been appealing. Now, thoughts of drinking its contents curdled my borrowed blood and made my stomach cramp.

“Do you like it heated up?” Phlox questioned innocently while looking around the small kitchen. “I see you’ve got a microwave and there are some cups in the drying rack.” He grabbed one and set it upright on the counter.

I lay there fighting my nausea. “It is of no importance. I am not currently hungry,” I blatantly lied.

Phlox turned, the bottle neck grasped within one hand. “Not hungry?” He glanced at the bottle then back at me, his eyes narrowed, and nose scrunched in confusion. “Vampires are always hungry when they wake up and you can’t tell me what you took from me yesterday was enough to last through today. Especially when you needed extra energy to heal the wounds from the sun.”

“Regardless, I am not currently hungry.” I sat up, forcing my legs over the mattress edge but not standing. “Although, I would imagine you are. I will let you out and so you can—”

“Stop.” Phlox held up a hand before setting the bottle down on the counter with a loud thud. Fisting that hand and settling it on his hip, Phlox’s wings sprang to life, lifting him off the floor. His bare toes dangled. His toenails were a deep, dark blue with a halo of ochre at their tips.

I swallowed, my throat dry. Phlox’s heart rate sped up, and his blood gushed through his body, loud and tempting.

Tapping the side of his nose, Phlox flew a little closer. “You know, I’ve got a pretty good bullshit detector and right now it’s blaring loud and proud. So, you wanna start over and tell me what’s really going on? Because I’m not going anywhere until you spill.”

Tilting my head, I tried to look anywhere but where he hovered. I did not wish to frighten Phlox and yet that is exactly what I was afraid I was about to do. He’d been so understanding. Phlox had lay by my body all day and even cuddled close. Would he still feel the same way when I told him that I could only drink his blood now? Would Phlox understand what that meant? Was it too soon? Would he run from me?

Those thoughts swirled through my brain, leaving me dizzy and even more nauseated. I could barely comprehend the idea that Phlox would walk up those steps and out of my life. He had no reason to stay. He’d completed his mission. Phlox had been captured. He’d gained information that would hopefully prove valuable enough to track down the ringleaders we were after. Would the Magical Usage Council call him back in? Would the assign him another mission, somewhere far from me?

Those thoughts swirled and tumbled with abandon, free-falling through my brain and bottoming out somewhere low in my gut. I’d never felt so cold before.

“Hey. Tell me what’s going on in there.” Phlox gently tapped my temple before following the motion with an equally gentle kiss. “In case you don’t remember recent events, we make a pretty good team.” Phlox leaned back and gave me a wry grin. “I’d like to think I can be helpful now too.”

He had no idea just how helpful I wanted him to be.

Resting my hands on his hips, I cherished the feel of Phlox’s pert bottom resting on my bent legs. His flesh was warm, yet not too hot. It was just the right amount of comfortable.

Still unable to look him in the eyes, I stared at something over Phlox’s shoulder as I asked, “Will the council send you somewhere else now?”

Phlox blinked, his eyes currently a dazzling shade of the darkest blue. “I…I’m not sure.” He swallowed and all traces of humor fled. “I haven’t fully debriefed yet. It probably depends on what can be learned from Sylvie’s computer.” Placing his hands on my cheeks, Phlox cradled my face. “Is that what’s bothering you? You’re afraid I’m about to leave.”

It was one of many fears currently holding court within my psyche. I’d been a vampire too long to put all my cards on the table or at least to show what those cards truly meant. Downplaying my fear, I said, “It is a concern.”

Phlox scoffed, calling me on my bullshit. “Only a concern, huh?” His smile was back. “I think I’ve been too tired to really think things through, but listen, this thing between you and me, I want to explore it more. I’ve probably got some vacation time so even if I’m officially done with this mission, if you want, I can stick around a bit longer.”

Although minimal and probably not noticeable, my arms trembled with relief. A bit longer wouldn’t be enough, but it would be a start. It would give me time to figure out how to tell Phlox just how important he was to me. Somehow, I’d make do with whatever time we had.

Raising the chilled blood bottle, Phlox tilted it back and forth. “Now that we’ve got that settled, how about breakfast?”

Phlox’s ringtone saved me. Slipping from my lap, Phlox took the dreaded blood bottle with him. Carelessly setting it on the counter, Phlox picked up his cell and answered, “Frost.”

Easing back into bed, I rested my head against the wall. Phlox’s voice rose and fell but I found it difficult to focus on his exact words. My mind buzzed and my body ached for sustenance. But that discomfort was minimized simply by the cadence of Phlox’s voice. If Peaches’s voice had a similar effect on Lucroy, no wonder he didn’t mind hearing his pixie talk.

Done with his conversation, Phlox flew back to my bedside. He didn’t exactly appear upset, but he wasn’t happy either.

“Is there news?”

Phlox held up his hand and toggled it back and forth. “Kind of. Hamish is still working on Sylvie’s computer. He’s not sure how helpful it will be. It’s more than we had, but perhaps not enough.”

I internally grimaced. If I’d had better control, we’d have a witch to interrogate.

“Stop beating yourself up,” Phlox ordered. “If the situation had been reversed and I’d thought she’d really hurt you, I can’t be certain what my actions would have been.” Phlox shifted, as if the admittance was uncomfortable.

“Still, I find my actions regrettable.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of those situations cluttering up my past. We make the best decisions we can at the time. That’s all we can do, Leon. Only oracles see into the future, and I wouldn’t wish that burden on my worst enemy.”

I wasn’t certain I wouldn’t wish an oracle fate on my worst enemy, but I understood the sentiment. Oracles didn’t remain sane for long. It was more curse than gift. Caught between ever shifting timelines, oracles were never certain if they were living in the present or future. Their world was built upon grains of ever shifting sands instead of solid rock.

Running his fingers down the side of his phone, Phlox’s voice was low when he said, “Ray’s thinking about bringing a necromancer in.”

Phlox’s words temporarily abated my raging thirst. Given Ray’s previous comments regarding necromancers, the move seemed extreme. “He believes that is necessary?”

“Necessary enough that he’s going to speak with Vander. I guess we really shouldn’t have killed Oxley and Sylvie. Or, at least, we shouldn’t have jumped to killing Oxley as quickly as we did.”

“We did not kill him. I did.”

Phlox waved a dismissive hand. “Semantics. I agreed with the action. At the time, it seemed safest. It’s doubtful he knew much, but I have a feeling he would have cracked easily. You never know, Oxley might not have even known he held important information. You and I both know it’s easy to slip around those we don’t think are competent enough to figure out what were up to. Some of my most successful rouses have been playing na?ve and brainless. You fade into the shadows, little more than background noise. You’re not important enough to care about and pretty soon others are talking like you aren’t even there. Most likely Oxley was the same.”

“A valid point. Regardless, we cannot venture back in time. What’s done is done.”

Clearing his throat, Phlox said, “Warlock Vander Kines and his one and only, Parsnip, arrived at the Richmond airport six hours ago. Peaches said Ray wanted to give Vander and Parsnip a little time to recover from the long flight. We’ll be contacted as soon as Ray finds out if Vander can recommend a necromancer.”

Phlox sat down beside me, shoulders slumped, elbows on his knees, and head hanging. Placing a hand on his thigh, I gently squeezed. “You are concerned.”

“I am. I don’t know much about necromancers beyond the Magical Usage Council echoes Ray’s sentiments.”

“Warlock Kines is conscientious. He will do his best to recommend a reputable necromancer, should one exist.” My necromancer knowledge was woefully inept. “Vander can be trusted. He was very useful during recent events concerning a djinn.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard a little about that. Not as much as I’d like, but enough to know I’m glad I only heard about it after the djinn was contained.”

I wasn’t certain Aurelia was as contained as Phlox hoped. She was currently peacefully napping, but one wish from Peaches would wake her and bring Aurelia back on the playing field. It was anyone’s guess what her disposition would be. Her hatred of Professor Arthur Stover made us friends. Djinn had a long history of killing their masters. I could only hope the same fate would not one day befall Peaches.

Slapping his thighs, Phlox flew off the bed, pushing my hand aside as he moved. “Well, we’re not going to solve the world’s problems by staying down in this underground hole. Time to go up and see what kind of trouble we can get into today.”

I grabbed Phlox’s outstretched hand, my larger one dwarfing his. “Give me a moment to dress,” I said before lifting his hand and kissing the back. Phlox flushed bright red and spluttered something incoherent. That was just fine with me because somewhere along the line, Phlox had completely forgotten about the warming blood bottle taking up space on the counter. I’d take the reprieve while I could. I could go without for another few days. It would hurt and I’d have to watch my temper. Hungry vamps had notoriously short fuses. Regardless, it was worth it. I’d suffer through anything for my beloved. I just needed a little more time, a few more hours to figure out how to tell him without risking him running for the nearest airport.