Page 17 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie: Phlox's Story (Perfect Pixie Series Book 5)

Phlox

Dusk was nearly empty and I was on the last bin of glasses. Johnny left about five minutes ago and Lizbeth only a few minutes before that. All the other workers left even earlier. Sedrick and Phil went home about the same time as Lucroy and Peaches. Both pixies had been away from their bonded areas a little too long and were beginning to show signs of wear by the time they left.

Parsnip didn’t have that problem. Bonded to Vander, as long as his warlock was near, Parsnip could go anywhere he wanted for as long as necessary. Given his profession and need for travel, that was a very good thing.

Leon was on the phone. After the meeting broke up, he’d immediately gone into work mode. The vampire had barely spared me a glance the rest of the night.

A glass slipped from my fingers, crashing into the sink. My inner cat huffed at my clumsiness, but in truth, it was my shifter agitation that probably caused it. My cat wasn’t happy with Leon or, I suppose, the way Leon was ignoring us. I was so confused I wasn’t sure which way was up. Leon was so damn hot and cold. I couldn’t get a read on him. At first, I was upset. Now I was just angry.

“What the fuck’s his problem?” I groused at the dirty dishwater. “I mean, in the beginning, he couldn’t keep his hands off me. He’s transforming and being all huffy and protective and shit and now…” Now what? What happened? And why in the hell wasn’t Leon feeding? His skin held an unhealthy luminescence, his cheeks were hollower, and I’d heard him snap at a couple of employees. That wasn’t the vampire I knew and… I couldn’t exactly finish that statement, despite the fact I knew the word that fit.

I rinsed the final glass and laid it on the counter to air-dry. I’d put them all up tomorrow evening before Dusk opened.

Drying my hands on a towel, I tossed it into a nearby bin. Hands fisted and firmly planted on my hips, I stared at the clean washroom. My wings fluttered and lifted me off the floor, leaving my tapping foot connecting with little more than air.

“This is ridiculous,” I huffed. “I’ve had it. Enough is enough. I’m not spending another day sleepless and wondering what’s going through his head. We’ve got too much shit going on to deal with that too.”

Decision made, I flew toward the door, slamming my palms into it. The door swung open, banging into the wall. My eyes quickly scanned the empty bar. Last I’d seen, Leon was sitting at the back booth, phone in hand and taking care of Dusk’s business.

That’s not where my vampire still was. Leon was at the door leading to Lucroy’s underground sanctuary.

Rage flared. I caught my reflection in a nearby mirror, my eyes no longer deep blue but burning yellow.

“You’re going down without me?” I accused. I wanted to fly at Leon but stayed where I was, hovering in a cloud of angry pixie dust. “Were you even going to tell me? Or are you just slinking off to hide for the day.” I didn’t have independent access to Leon’s hidey-hole. Once he was locked inside, I’d be locked out.

Leon shifted, one hand still on the now open door. If he wanted to dart inside, I’d never be fast enough to get there before the door shut and locked.

Arms crossed, I huffed. “I never took you for a coward, Leon.”

Rage, unmitigated and fierce filled Leon’s eyes, turning them into shimmering rubies. “Coward?”

Oh, he didn’t like that. Good. “I call it like I see it. And right now, you’re scurrying into a vault to get away from me.”

Leon’s mouth opened in a snarl. His fangs elongated and he snapped them. Joints popping, Leon’s transformation wasn’t far off. I’d definitely pulled the tiger’s tail.

With deliberate purpose, Leon’s eyelids slid closed, covering that scarlet glow. His body went eerily still. Seconds morphed into minutes and somehow, I managed to hold my tongue, waiting for Leon to get his emotions in check. It shouldn’t take him this long. Leon had far better control than what he currently exhibited. His current state confirmed all my earlier thoughts. Something was wrong and that something needed fixing ASAP.

Flexing his fingers, Leon’s voice was deceptively cool when he finally said, “Forgive me. I should not have reacted so—”

“Dramatically?” I finished.

Leon gave a slow nod. “That is certainly one word for it.”

I could have kept pushing that angle, but instead I aimed for a direct hit. I was tired of beating around this thorny bush. “What’s going on, Leon?”

“I don’t know what you—”

“Don’t you dare finish that bullshit statement.” I flew forward and punched a pointed finger into his granite-like chest. “You haven’t been feeding. Even by vampire standards, you’re pale. You’re short-tempered, irritable, and wholly unpleasant. And you’ve been purposefully ignoring me all night. Now, what the fuck is going on? I swear to the goddess, if you don’t tell me, I’ll find a way to make you. Don’t ask me how. All I know is that I’ll figure something out.” It’s what I excelled at.

Leon’s stoic countenance fractured, and his lips twitched on the verge of the first smile I’d seen all night. “That might be…entertaining.” His hand raised, as if he wanted to touch me, only to fall to his side, a flash of pain lighting his otherwise onyx eyes.

I moved in closer. Maybe Leon questioned if he should touch me, but I had no such qualms. Placing my hands on his chest, I stared up into his troubled eyes and begged. “Tell me what’s wrong. Please. I’m worried about you.” I was more than worried.

Leon’s body shivered, its granite surface slowly relaxing beneath the weight of my palms. Swallowing appeared painful for him and yet he repetitively did it, as if it was more reflex than thoughtful action.

Leon’s fingers gripped my shoulders. For a moment I wasn’t sure if he would push me away or pull me in. Making his decision for him, I leaned in and whispered, “Don’t push me away. If you do, I’ll just be here tomorrow evening. When the sun goes down and you walk up those steps and open the door, I’ll be the first thing you see.”

With a needy groan, Leon pulled me to his chest, holding me tight. His lips were next to my ear, his whispered words tickling my skin. “If I tell you, I could lose you forever. Perhaps I am a coward. I cannot bear the death of the illusion.”

Leon allowed me to pull back enough that I could see his face when I answered, “I’m not an illusion. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. Now, drag me to your lair. We’ve still got a few minutes before the sunrise. That should be enough time for you to explain.”

While he didn’t exactly drag me, Leon did hold me as he descended the stairs. The thick, metal double doors silently closed behind us. The locking mechanism wasn’t so silent and sounded immensely final. It was a good thing I wasn’t bothered by confined spaces.

Treating me as if I were the most precious creature in all the world, Leon deposited me on a soft, backless chair. He’d told me yesterday the chair was purchased with Peaches in mind. I had Lucroy’s beloved to thank for my agreeable accommodations.

I’d hoped Leon would head to the mini-fridge and grab a bottle of blood. He didn’t. Instead, my vampire paced the confined room. His slender fingers slid through his ginger hair, ruffling and displacing the otherwise immaculate strands.

I allowed his pacing, attempting to patiently wait. But time was not on our side. The sun would rise soon and while Leon would remain coherent for a few hours, he would be sluggish and perhaps not thinking as clearly as I’d like.

As Leon made another pass, I reached out and snagged his wrist. He could have easily pulled free but didn’t. Instead, he stood there, allowing my hold.

“My auntie Tandra always says to just spit it out. The problem is generally halved simply by giving it airtime.” I was paraphrasing but thought Auntie Tandra would approve. “Besides, the sooner we start, the sooner we can come up with a solution.” And I was positive a solution could be found. I couldn’t imagine a different scenario.

Dropping his head, Leon moved to the seat across from me. Releasing his wrist, I scooted until my rear barely touched my chair. A part of me wanted to shift, crawl in Leon’s lap, and nestle in close. For now, I fought that instinct and gave Leon his space. When he continued sitting there, silence filling the air, I grasped his limp hands and entwined them with mine.

“Hey, I said I wasn’t going anywhere and I’m not. Nothing you can tell me will be that bad. I promise.”

Leon’s mirthless chuckle sent shivers down my spine.

“You say that now, but I do not know if that is a promise you will be able to keep.”

“You let me worry about keeping promises. Now, let’s start with something simple. Why aren’t you feeding? Are you ill?”

Leon attempted half-heartedly to pull his hands free. I clamped down harder and he gave up quickly.

“That is not as easy of a question as you believe.”

“No, probably not, but considering it’s the one with the most lethal possibilities, I think it’s the most important one.” I’d wanted to start with asking why he was ignoring me, but Leon’s health was more important than my wounded heart.

Leon’s gaze slowly lifted, first to my eyes and then to my neck. He licked his lips and his fangs dropped. I almost released his hands and pulled back. It took all my self-control to remain where I was.

“Fear. I can feel it radiating from you in waves.” Leon’s tone was soft with despair.

I swallowed hard. I could deny it, but what was the point? Leon could feel it and I couldn’t exactly hide it. Honesty, that’s what I expected from Leon and that’s what he needed from me.

“The last time you bit me, it hurt.”

Leon’s soulful wail ripped a hole in my heart. “I would not wish to harm you for the world. To think I hurt you, I—”

“Hey.” I scooted until I was nearly off my chair. “None of that. You were in pain and needed to feed. I asked Peaches about it earlier tonight. He said the bite typically isn’t painful and probably only was because you didn’t have as much control that time.”

“It is still no excuse. Causing you pain is the last thing I would ever wish for. I would rather walk into the sun than—”

“Don’t you even joke about that,” I scolded, my emotions heavy. “You don’t want to cause me pain. Well, that works both ways. Tell me you understand that.”

Leon gave a reluctant nod. I wanted to ask for more but didn’t feel it was the time to push. Ignoring the lingering, instinctual fear, I tried assembling the pieces of the puzzle that were slowly falling into place. My conversation with Peaches earlier, the fact I hadn’t seen Leon drink since he’d fed from me, and then when I did ask him about feeding, his eyes automatically tracked to my neck.

Realization is a damning thing sometimes. While I might not completely understand the picture I was creating, I thought I knew enough to say, “You want to feed from me.”

“Want. Need.” Leon’s words scratched through his throat.

Need? I licked my suddenly dry lips. “Are you…are you telling me you can only feed from me?” Could that really be it? And if so, what in the hell did that mean?

This time, when Leon tugged his hands, I allowed him to pull free. He leaned back into his chair, allowing the frame to take his weight. His silence was answer enough.

Following suit, I scooted back, sitting properly so I could contemplate what I’d just learned. “Are you certain?”

“Without a doubt,” he quickly answered.

“Well, shit.” It wasn’t my finest verbal moment, but it was all I could contemplate. “What…? I mean, why? Do you know why you can only drink from me now?” Compared to most pixies, I probably had a better, general working knowledge of vampire physiology. That still didn’t mean I knew everything. Besides, currently, my brain seemed to be on hiatus in a location with no cell service.

Leon’s gaze traveled around the room, landing on everything but me. Just when I thought he’d keep his silence, Leon dropped his bombshell. “You are my beloved. Even contemplating drinking another source is revolting.”

I reared back as if I’d been physically slapped. “Beloved?” I knew Leon was interested in me, that we had something I wanted to explore, but that wasn’t a word vampires casually threw around. It was also a word vampires didn’t often use. As far as I knew, few vamps ever found their beloveds. Lucroy Moony and Peaches were the first recorded vampire/pixie bond. Was Leon seriously sitting there telling me we were about to be the second? Maybe there had been others I wasn’t aware of. Word was slowly leaking through the vampire and pixie communities. The possibility opened up all kinds of squirmy cans of worms.

Weighty, nearly suffocating silence tried to steal my breath. I tried thinking through the problem only to wonder if this was truly a problem. I mean, I liked Leon. I thought I might even love him, but for me at least, there simply hadn’t been enough time. I wasn’t a terribly sociable pixie. Most who knew me considered me a loner. I’d never truly contemplated settling down. Pallas’s cats mated and settled to a degree, but they didn’t seek out other company.

A wickedly wry half grin settled on Leon’s face. “Do you regret your earlier promise?”

I didn’t have to think twice and answered an easy “no. I don’t regret it.”

“But you’d like to run,” Leon accused.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what I want to do, but running isn’t at the top of the list. It’s just… It’s a lot to take in.” My mind tumbled over what Leon’s words meant. Sometimes words were weightier than the heaviest elephant. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I was used to solving situations. This one was no different and I needed to approach it like I did everything else life threw my direction—one issue at a time.

Thinking into a far-off future was too overwhelming. The immediate concern was Leon’s health. He needed to feed. He needed to feed from me. Pain wasn’t a foreign concept. I wasn’t one to seek it out, but I didn’t shy away from the possibility either. Currently, it wasn’t my pain I worried over. It was Leon’s. If he bit me and it hurt again, would he be able to get past that? Would the guilt overwhelm him to the point he couldn’t feed?

Looking at his sallow cheeks and dejected spirit, I decided I couldn’t risk it. But as with nearly everything, where there was a will, there was a way.

Standing, my toes dug into the plush rug below. Again, I assumed I had Peaches to thank for my considerately soft surroundings. Leon didn’t try and push me off when I straddled his lap. He didn’t wrap his arms around me either. It was like crawling into the lap of a marble statue.

Fingertips pressed to Leon’s chin, I lifted my vampire’s face. As always, Leon could have resisted the move. I counted it as a win that he didn’t.

Running my hands across his cheeks, I pushed a strand of hair behind his ear, sifting those strands through my fingers. “Leon, look at me.” It took a few seconds, but Leon’s onyx eyes rounded to focus on mine. There was so much desperate want hidden within those deep depths.

“I do not wish to harm you. I—”

“Shh.” I pressed a fingertip to Leon’s lips. “I know you don’t. And you’re not going to. Here’s what we’re going to do.” Pulling my finger away, I shifted the nail into a sharp claw. Leon’s eyes widened when he realized what I was about to do. I didn’t give him time to object. In one quick motion, I sliced through my opposite wrist. Blood welled to the surface. I’d probably cut a little too deep, but I wanted to make certain the wound was large enough to fulfill Leon’s needs.

“Drink,” I ordered, holding my wrist to Leon’s lips.

A groan, guttural and monstrous tore through Leon’s chest. There was a half-second hesitation before he grabbed my arm and pulled my wrist to his lips. I felt the press of his fangs, but they didn’t pierce my skin. His tongue worried the wound’s edges. It wasn’t horrid, but the sensation was far from pleasant.

Leon sucked, mouthing the wound, pulling my blood deep into his mouth and greedily swallowing. The flow probably wasn’t as good this way, but it was safer for me and him. At least, for now. I had no idea what the future would hold. That was a problem for later. Right now, I had one objective and that was feeding Leon.

I gripped the back of Leon’s head, encouragingly pressing his mouth against my skin. “That’s it. Take what you need,” I softly whispered into his ear while skimming my blunt nails along his scalp. “It’s okay, Leon. Everything is going to be okay.” I had no idea if that was true. Right now, it didn’t matter. Right now, the only thing that mattered was this moment, feeding Leon, making sure he was healthy and strong.

Did I love Leon McMillan? My brain wasn’t certain. My heart was positive.