Page 4 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie: Phlox's Story (Perfect Pixie Series Book 5)
Leon
My usual blood blend tasted stale. Reheating it didn’t help. Swirling it didn’t help. I had a sinking feeling nothing would. I hadn’t tasted Frost’s blood and yet, instinctively, I knew nothing could compare. Was this what Lucroy had felt? Was this what had driven him so hard to buck centuries of cautionary vampire lore?
Perhaps.
The sun would rise soon. I could feel it deep in my core. It was survival instinct, hardwired into every vampire. Lucroy said he could still feel it, knew when it was time to go to ground. The sun no longer threatened Lucroy’s life, but he also didn’t feel on friendly terms with her either. Lucroy said he believed the sun merely tolerated his existence in deference to his beloved.
I had no idea if Lucroy was correct or not. Gaia was not my mistress. Vampires had no god or goddess we prayed to. Perhaps in our first lives, but not our second ones. Gods and goddesses ruled the living. They cared not for the dead.
Red rimmed my otherwise clear glass, coating the edges as I swirled the warm blood, aerating it, hoping against hope that it would improve the flavor. Another sip proved my hopes futile.
Forcing the fluid into my mouth and down my throat, I drank my meal like a shot, grimacing when finished. Staring at nothing in particular, I thought back to the unusual pixie two floors above me. Frost was up there. Unlike me, he could leave the premises any hour he wished. Frost leaving without me rankled. It was ridiculous and completely unlike me. I’d known the pixie for less than an hour.
“Foolish,” I said into the empty room.
Allowing my stoic mask to fall, my lips pulled into a deep grimace. Fingertips dancing along the armchair, my mind refused to settle. This pixie should be nothing to me. Unlike other vampires, I hadn’t fallen on the pixie bandwagon. I didn’t frequent pixie bars, hoping one would grant me a sip or two. While I enjoyed Phil, Peaches, and Parsnip’s company, I did not seek them out either.
“Why this pixie?”
Expectedly, the room had no answer and my voice merely echoed in the quiet.
It was a puzzle. Typically, I enjoyed puzzles. While I’d managed to keep my life from becoming too stagnant, I could admit numbness had crept in, encroaching along the edges of my existence. I should welcome this new, tantalizing conundrum. And, in a way, I did. What I did not appreciate was the concern that accompanied it.
Frost was here by order of the Magical Usage Council. He was an agent. Frost wasn’t even his true, given name. I hadn’t had the opportunity to speak with Lucroy long enough to learn the general plan. He’d simply told me to expect an agent and that they would be working in the bar with Johnny. At the time, the details seemed trivial.
Not so now.
Sunrise inched closer, making my mind and limbs increasingly sluggish. If I didn’t make it to bed soon, I’d uncomfortably awaken in this chair come sunset.
Pushing out of my seat, I rinsed my glass and set it in a nearby drying rack. I’d essentially taken over Lucroy’s home. It was still decorated to his tastes. Only the blood in the mini-fridge spoke to my occupation. The space was safe and functional but didn’t feel like home. Honestly, nowhere inspired that feeling.
Slipping off my shirt and jeans, I crawled into bed in little more than my boxer briefs. Pulling the sheet up, I barely had time to cover myself before the sun’s arrival slowed my reflexes, muddying my thoughts and movements.
* * *
“What can you tell me about Frost’s mission?” Lucroy’s ass barely hit the booth seat before the words slipped past my lips.
With a slightly raised eyebrow, Lucroy settled into a comfortable position before answering. “I do not believe there are any restrictions I am aware of.”
Good. That was very good. Waking had not diminished my desire for more details. Watching Johnny show Frost around the bar had only fueled the need.
“Is there anything specific you wish to know?” Lucroy apathetically questioned.
Twirling the fresh glass of blood Lizbeth dropped off earlier, I attempted to mimic my old friend’s demeanor. “I was only curious how Frost’s presence might impact Dusk, our nest, and our customers.” Inwardly I congratulated myself on my logical reasoning.
“I see.” I could tell nothing from Lucroy’s tone. “That is reasonable. I should have considered this when I accompanied Frost here last night. It was an oversight on my part.”
I waved Lucroy off. I hadn’t meant to imply anything nefarious. “It is understandable. You needed to get back to Peaches.”
“Indeed. When it comes to my beloved, I am afraid I become singularly focused. It is fortunate I have you to remind me of my duties toward our nest.”
Lucroy was a different type of vampire king. As far as I was concerned, other kings and queens could take a few lessons. I couldn’t think of another nest where their ruler referred to the nest as ours. Traditionally, vampires lorded over their territories and didn’t share power. While most had seconds and underlings that held more power than others, Lucroy Moony was the only vampire that I knew of that truly thought of those underlings as equals.
“I did not mean to imply otherwise.”
“Of course not, Leon. As for your earlier inquiry, the Magical Usage Council is as dismayed as the rest of us regarding the lack of progress into the latest pixie smuggling ring. They have had no more success in their attempts to reach the masterminds than us. As such, they have decided to approach the issue in a decidedly different way.”
My already slow heart skipped a beat. I suspected I would not like this new approach. “How so?” I reluctantly asked.
“We have all been attempting to infiltrate the group from the angle of conspirator. The Magical Usage Council decided to send someone in a bit more covertly. From my understanding, their intention is to use Frost as bait.”
This time, my heart came to a dead stop. “Bait?” The tips of my fingers itched, my talons ready and waiting for release.
Lucroy interwove his fingers, casually placing his clasped palms on the table. “Indeed. It is an intriguing plan. Sedrick, Vander, and I spoke of this option but none of us could fathom willingly placing a pixie at such risk.”
“Does Peaches know?”
“About the Magical Usage Council’s plan or that we considered the idea previously?”
I had meant the latter but answered, “Both.”
“He was at the meeting last evening and is aware of the risk Frost is taking. As for our earlier thoughts on the matter… No, he is unaware. Sedrick, Vander, and I believed it unwise.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. “Peaches or Phil would have volunteered.” Given Parsnip’s history, I doubted he would willingly place himself in that situation again. While undeniably brave, Parsnip’s underlying fear would likely impede his cognitive abilities.
“All too true.” Lucroy’s eyes briefly bled crimson before he regained control.
My gaze drifted toward Frost when Johnny let out a happy “whoop” followed by a round of applause. Johnny eagerly put Frost’s wings to good use and had him restocking the top shelf. A mix of shaded blues and ochres surrounded Frost in a haze of pixie dust. It truly was a unique combination.
“And what protections have been offered to Frost?” Centuries of practice kept the growl from my voice.
“According to Frost, two implanted tracking microchips along with a charm of Vander’s making and hair clips provided by his brownie ward, Byx. It is my understanding these charms are tracking devices as well.”
Such devices could be removed, and I said as much. “Microchips and charms are easily discovered.”
Lucroy’s grin stopped short of showing fang. “I believe Warlock Kines found a way around that problem. The charm is imbedded within Frost’s skin—below the surface. According to Vander, the charm will be impossible to remove and nearly as impossible to locate.”
A tiny fraction of my unease subsided. I still wasn’t a fan of this strategy, but I understood it.
“Forgive me, Leon, but you seem ill at ease with this plan,” Lucroy said.
Body stilling, I considered my words. “Perhaps my control is slipping.”
“Only I would notice, my friend.”
Lucroy’s words pulled my gaze from Frost. Lucroy was right. We could read each other better than most. I doubted any other, besides Peaches, would be able to parse out his current concern.
Relaxing, I offered a weak “I am unsure I understand and am even less certain I can explain it.” Being truthful and indicating vulnerability was not a typical vampiric trait. Vulnerable vampires didn’t live long within our harsh society. My relationship with Lucroy—the trust we’d built over the centuries—allowed me to show that quality now.
“Understood. Should you require a listening ear, mine are always available.”
“Thank you,” I answered sincerely.
Lucroy waved me off. “Think nothing of it. You have been a solid and reliable confidant over the years.”
While that might be true, I still valued Lucroy’s offer.
Another round of clapping, laughter, and clomping hooves filled the air. My gaze automatically shifted, zeroing in on the latest pixie to grace Dusk’s floor.
What was it about Frost that captured my attention and made me crave his blood?