Page 18 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie: Phlox's Story (Perfect Pixie Series Book 5)

Leon

So good.Groans of appreciation and need filled the air, all of those sounds coming from deep within my soul. Not even the first sip of blood I’d ingested after being turned had tasted this divine.

I drank and drank. Licking and teasing the wound to keep it open. The vague feeling of Phlox’s fingers brushing along my scalp soothed me, his whispered words little more than a background melody. I could feel the beat of his heart, pounding fast and hard at first, then slowing into a more languid rhythm. His skin was cool to the touch, but that wasn’t strange. Phlox ran colder than the typical pixie.

The black hole of craving faded and reason slowly took its place. Phlox’s fingers no longer brushed my skin and his head now lay against my chest. Sealing the wound, I finally pulled away, licking every last drop of my beloved’s precious liquid from my lips.

I sighed, the ache in my throat and chest finally eased. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was sated, but the gnawing hunger had abated.

Wrapping my arms around Phlox, I pulled his languid body close. His wings didn’t so much as twitch. They lay there, as unmoving as him. Panic didn’t slam into me. I could still feel and hear the steady beat of Phlox’s heart along with the gentle rise and fall of his chest. I’d taken a little too much, but nothing beyond repair.

“Phlox.” I stroked his long hair, relishing the way it draped over both of us like a silken blanket.

“Hmm,” Phlox responded lightly.

“Apologies for taking too much.” I waited for the guilt to slam into me. That feeling never came.

“’S’okay,” Phlox mumbled. “Sleepy.” His jaw cracked and he widely yawned.

Standing, I felt the weight of the sunrise, my body sluggish and weak. Regardless, I made it to the bed and placed Phlox beneath the covers. Ever careful of his wings, I arranged them so they laid against the bed at a comfortable angle.

“I’m going to get you some water. I want you to drink the whole glass before falling asleep.”

“’Kay,” Phlox muttered, scooting further into the covers.

Making my way to the mini-fridge, I found something better than plain water. There were still a few sports drinks, full of electrolytes and sugar. Quickly grabbing one, I twisted off the cap then helped Phlox sit up enough to safely drink the liquid. He protested a little when I shifted him but nothing terrible.

Phlox managed half the bottle before he pushed it away. Resettling us, before I could pull him closer, Phlox lay half his body over mine and with a contented sigh, he drifted to sleep. I stayed awake as long as the sun allowed, marveling at the magnificent creature willingly cradled within my arms.

* * *

Iwoke before the sunrise, although I knew it wouldn’t be far off. I’d slept a little longer than typical. Phlox was in the same position he’d been when I’d finally succumbed to the sun’s power.

A quick perusal eased any concerns. Phlox’s heart still beat a steady rhythm and his breathing was even and without labor. His warm breath drifted across my skin sending tingly sparks of contented desire all the way to my toes.

With my arm wrapped around his waist, my fingers toyed between his delicate skin and the silky loose pants that drifted a little farther down his rump. Phlox, I quickly concluded, had a very nice rear.

“Are you going to keep fondling my ass?” Phlox sleepily asked.

I started to pull my hand away, but Phlox reached back and held my palm where it was. “I didn’t tell you to stop. I just wanted to know if you were going to keep doing it.”

“I see,” I answered, continuing my earlier ministrations. My answer wasn’t completely truthful. “I was uncertain if my attentions would be welcome.”

“Hmm…” Phlox stretched, laying his palm on my chest and snuggling in closer. “So you were just going to feel me up while you thought I was asleep? Kinky vampire,” Phlox scolded but his snicker told me he wasn’t concerned. Or upset.

Cracking a yawn, Phlox asked, “What time is it?”

I wasn’t certain of the exact time, only that the sun would set soon. “The sun should set within the next fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.” I’d know the instant it did.

“Okay.” Phlox settled down and I thought he might fall asleep again, but his increased heart rate told me that wasn’t the case.

“How do you feel?” I asked, nearly afraid of the answer.

“Fine. A little thirsty and really hungry, but not bad otherwise. I’ll let you know more when I try and get up. We’ll see then if I’m woozy or not.”

I appreciated Phlox’s honest answer. He didn’t sugarcoat things to preserve my feelings. I wasn’t certain if he understood how much I appreciated that.

“Thank you for honestly answering me.”

Phlox shrugged within my arms. “I don’t see a reason to lie. It’s not like I could hide it if I pass out when I stand up. Seems like that would be more alarming than if you knew it was a possibility.”

“A very accurate statement.” Practical. I liked that.

Staring at the ceiling, I wondered if Phlox could see anything in the pitch black of the room. Perhaps I should turn on a light. Unfortunately, that would require me moving from my very agreeable position.

Still, I would do anything for my beloved and asked, “Would you like me to turn on a light?”

“Nah, I shifted my eyes. I can see okay.”

Twisting, I altered my position enough to see Phlox’s eyes. A warm, yellow glow beautifully illuminated them. I offered an appreciative smile and said, “That seems to be a useful ability.”

“It comes in handy now and again.” Phlox grinned before laying his head back on my chest. There was no rise and fall, no breath to move my chest up and down.

“You are hungry. We should get up. It will be safe enough to leave by the time we are ready.” Phlox had food in his apartment on the second floor. Beyond the sports drink, I had little to offer my beloved. I should have planned better. Then again, the overriding thirst had made practical thinking nearly impossible.

“I’m okay for a little longer,” Phlox protested. “I’m good where we are.” As if to prove the point, he snuggled in deeper.

Blissful silence filled the air, but it was not a maintainable silence. Words needed to be spoken. They were words which should have been uttered before the sunrise.

“You’re thinking too hard, Leon.” Phlox tapped a finger against my temple. “I can practically hear the wheels in your brain cranking.”

“It is thanks to you that I am able to think again at all. The thirst was…all encompassing. It was becoming difficult to contemplate anything else.”

I got a whack on the chest for that comment. Phlox shook out his hand, lamenting his forgetful nature regarding the hardness of my body.

“You should have told me sooner. I can’t believe you placed your life in danger like that. Moron.” There was little heat or true anger. Fear was the overriding emotion haunting those crass words.

“I was unsure what your response would be.”

Phlox shot up, wings beating at warp speed. “You thought I’d let you die?”

“No,” I soothed. “I did not wish you to feel obligated. I could not fathom the idea of causing you harm—be that physical or emotional. I did not wish to place such a burden on you.”

Phlox’s wings slowed, a constant shimmer of dust falling around us and dissipating as it landed on the sheets. “And you thought I’d be okay with you dying? How is that logical? Did you not think that would hurt me worse?”

“I… As I said, practical thinking is difficult with the thirst riding you. Besides, I would not have died from lack of blood.”

“No?” One of Phlox’s eyebrows shot skyward. “What? You would have dwindled, fallen into a husked-out shell, barely alive and constantly in pain. You think that makes me feel better?”

When stated that way… “No.”

“Exactly. If this is the kind of nonsense you come up with when you’re hungry, then I’m definitely going to need to keep you fed.”

I stiffened, body going still. My reaction didn’t go unnoticed. Sitting and leaning against the wall, wings spread out, Phlox pulled the sheets closer, twisting the top blanket.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Phlox softly muttered. “I think I said that earlier this morning. It doesn’t seem as big and daunting as it did, but there’s a lot to work out. I’m not going to sit here and tell you I have all the answers, Leon. I don’t. I probably don’t even have half the answers. What I do know is that I can’t bear the idea of you suffering, especially when I can stop it. You told me I’m your beloved.” Phlox stared at me, eyes wide, pupils rimmed in brilliant yellow.

“You are,” I answered easily.

Phlox’s lips twisted. “And you’re positive?”

“I am.” I’d said this earlier in the morning but evidently it bore repeating. Maybe Phlox thought I’d changed my mind.

“But how do you know?” Phlox sounded more curious than upset.

“I cannot answer that. All I can say is that I am certain. I doubt Lucroy could explain it either. It was something he simply came to realize. I would wager my realization came quicker than Lucroy’s, but that could be because I understood the possibility more than Lucroy. When he met Peaches, it was widely thought pixie blood toxic to vampires.” I was grateful Lucroy found Peaches first and was strong enough to debunk the myth.

Phlox stared off into the distant room. “Pixies don’t really have beloved’s. Well, that’s not entirely true. Pixies bond, mostly with land or homes, but as you know, some bond with others. Phil’s an unusual home-and-hearth pixie in that he not only bonded with the house and land, but the occupants as well. Social pixies will sometimes bond with others, but it’s not common. Parsnip and Vander are more the exception than the rule.”

“And you are a nature pixie.” I wasn’t completely certain.

Phlox gave a slow nod. “I am. Although I’m not really that typical either.”

“Because of your shifter side?”

Phlox waved me off. “That too. But even without my Pallas’s cat, I wouldn’t be typical. My mom, Peroviskia, was a nature pixie. She had an affinity for the cold.” Phlox gave a wry grin. “It’s odd. Pixies love the heat, but not my mom and not me. I get it honestly from both sides.”

“Your mother has passed?” Pixies lived long lives and didn’t suffer illness like some other species. Given Phlox’s age, it seemed odd his mother was already gone.

Phlox’s eyes glowed and I realized they glistened with tears. The scent of salt water tickled my senses. “She was captured by an addicted ogre not long after I was born. The ogre placed her out in the heat thinking it would be a good environment for a pixie. For nearly any other, it would have been. Not my mother. She faded quickly. Too quickly to be rescued.”

Anger, swift and vicious surged through me. My beloved should not have been made to suffer such a loss. Hot on the heels of that rage was realization. “That is why you volunteered for this assignment.”

“It is. Not that I had a lot of competition.” Phlox gave a wane smile. “But, seriously, this is important. I can’t typically tell Auntie Tandra about my missions, even when they’re over. Right now, that’s a blessing. I couldn’t put her through that kind of pain. She already lost my mother to that fate. She’d be worried out of her mind if she thought I was willingly trying to get captured.”

I’d heard the name but wasn’t certain of the exact relationship. “Your auntie Tandra is related to your mother?”

“Not by blood. They were best friends. Auntie Tandra—Peltandra to her adoring social media fans—took me in and raised me. Auntie Tandra’s a social pixie. She kept my mother’s memory alive. The house was filled with pictures of my mom, and Auntie Tandra put me to bed with tales of the mischief they’d gotten up to.”

Phlox wadded the blanket up even tighter. Finally sitting, I pulled him into my arms. Phlox came willingly. Phlox’s soft hair fell around us, cocooning our space.

“My human mother passed when I was eleven. My father lived on, but he was a shadow of the man he’d once been. When I was turned, I found comfort in the knowledge that my maker was immortal. Marian was not like typical vampires of her time and cared for me as one might a child.”

“Was?” Phlox gently questioned.

“Immortality is not what many believe it to be. Marian grew tired and lost the will to continue. I saw the signs and yet there was little I could do. She and Lucroy were friends. He tried as well, but in the end, Marian succumbed to her indifference and made the choice to walk into the sun.”

“Oh, Leon. I’m so sorry.” Phlox wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed.

“As am I. It was over a hundred years ago and I still mourn her loss. It is a fate many vampires face. Eternity is not a concept our human minds can understand. The first few decades are filled with wonderous opportunities. Everything is new and adventure abounds. The shine begins fading. Monotony settles in and soon one finds themselves at loose ends. Those ends fray with each passing day, month, and year until one day, there is nothing left to hold on to.” I considered telling Phlox that I’d begun feeling the first twinges of that looming fate, that meeting him had upended that path and set me on a new one, but I did not wish to add that level of pressure.

“Promise me you’ll never do that.”

“Walk into the sun?”

I felt Phlox nod against my chest. “I couldn’t bear it, Leon. Just the idea of something happening to you, I….”

“Hush.” I cradled Phlox’s head. “I have no plans to end my second life just yet.”

Phlox squeezed me again before he pulled away. I allowed the movement. The sincerity filling his eyes nearly broke what was left of my heart.

“I told you earlier that this is a lot to take in and it is. Give me time to process the situation. There’s a lot to consider. No matter what, I won’t allow you to die, Leon. My blood is yours.”

Phlox hadn’t offered up his heart, not yet. For now, his blood would need to be enough.