Page 7 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie: Phlox's Story (Perfect Pixie Series Book 5)

Phlox

Two and a half weeks later and no progress. Summer in Virginia settled in, and my body protested. I wanted to stay inside by the air-conditioning vent. I would have sat on top of the damn thing if possible. Peaches and Phil loved this weather. Parsnip probably did too. I’d been told he and Vander would be back soon. I’d gladly switch places with them. The snowy Himalayas sounded like heaven right about now.

Flopped out on my bed, I lay across the sheets in nothing more than a pair of loose, deep blue panties. They were silky smooth and barely left anything to the imagination. I didn’t care about all that. I wasn’t trying to be sexy. I was aiming for cool. I’d cranked the air-conditioning up as high as it would go. I wasn’t sure if Lucroy would charge me or not.

“Fuck it, he can bill my hot ass,” I said, only the constant whirl of the air-conditioning witness.

I was currently at loose ends. I’d called and reassured Auntie Tandra that I was alive. I’d also contacted the Magical Usage Council. Six more known pixies had been abducted and were listed as missing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them. Time was running out. Unlike previous pixie trafficking operations, few of these pixies were found before they faded. Pixies only lasted so long in captivity. Each victim had five, maybe six months and no pixie had ever survived in captivity more than seven months. As far as I knew, Parsnip held the dubious record of longest captured pixie to survive. Another day, maybe two, and he wouldn’t have survived.

I slammed my fist into the mattress. What else could I do? I’d gone out at night, after my shift or on days I had off. I’d wandered the streets alone, the perfect, easy target. Letting loose a growl, my inner shifter begged for release.

“Not so alone.” Those words came out garbled. “Leon,” I hissed. The vamp followed me. It was ridiculous how he thought I didn’t know he was there. And if I knew he was there, then so did others. Leon was sneaky. All vamps were. He didn’t know I had better hearing than your typical pixie. Considering no one knew who was behind the pixie thefts, there was a good chance that whatever the species was, they had just as good of hearing as me. And if not hearing, other senses that allowed them to pick out Leon’s meddling.

Vampires hunted humans for a reason. They were the easiest prey.

I’d sort of been flattered at first. Or maybe smitten. I’m not sure what the right word was. Now, I was just pissed. Leon all but ignored me while I worked in the bar. The sexy vamp barely said two words to me in a night, but the fucker followed me all over town when I wasn’t on duty. What kind of sense did that make?

None.

Tossing my head, my hair spread out behind me, I stared at the ceiling. When had my life gotten so confusing? I was used to working cases alone. This one shouldn’t have been different and yet it was. While everyone was careful not to outwardly appear too concerned, that was as far from true as could be. It was strange, working in an environment where I felt genuinely cared for. I was conflicted. My pixie side relished the attention. My shifter side not so much.

“Ugh. Enough!” Sitting, I pushed off my bed and grabbed a pair of my loosest, coolest pants and top. Shoving Byx’s clips in my hair, I headed for my door and the street. I’d avoided going out alone during the day, mostly to avoid the heat. Also, nearly every report of captured pixies took place during the dark. Daylight wasn’t the prime time to meet my goal. It was, however, vampire free.

Stomping down the stairs, I gave the door leading to Leon’s underground nest the one finger salute. “This is all your fault,” I ridiculously accused. “You’re making me go out in this goddess forsaken heat.”

Quickly raiding Dusk’s main fridge, I grabbed a couple bottles of cold water. If I had to do this, then I’d need hydration. Heading across the bar, I threw Dusk’s door open and released an internal growl. The heat was even worse than I expected. This was going to be a long, steamy day.

“Thanks, Leon,” I grumbled before slamming the door and locking it behind me. Despite my anger there was no way anyone was getting into Dusk during the day. Vamps always had a lot of security around the entrance of their private, daylight dwellings. That didn’t mean I had to make it easier for some asshole with a vampire axe to grind.

No one was getting near Leon. Not on my watch.

* * *

Goddess, it’s hot. I caught my appearance in a nearby shop window and grimaced. I appeared wilted. Pixies flew around me now and again, chatting it up and happy as warm clams. A couple inquired about my health but flew off with a few well-placed reassurances.

I’d ducked into more than half a dozen shops, seeking air-conditioning and a moment to cool off and collect myself. Inevitably, I’d have to head out into the heat again. The setting sun hadn’t cooled the area off. If anything, it was just steamier than it was earlier. I was convinced humidity was a curse upon the world.

Dusk rose in the distance. Bright oranges, deep russets, and mellow yellows lit up the sky around it. The building wasn’t all that impressive. It wasn’t meant to be. Johnny explained that Dusk was built like a fortress, able to withstand all that nature, humanity, and anything every other species could throw at it. Dusk’s beauty lay within its walls.

Unlocking the door, I didn’t have to type in my security code. Lizbeth was already behind the bar, doing inventory and getting things ready. Her eyes widened and her skin paled when she saw me. Lizbeth’s bubblegum-pink hair belied her worry.

“Jesus, what happened to you?” Lizbeth scurried around the counter, quickly pulling out a stool and directing me into it. “Sit down before you fall down. I’ll get some water.” She darted off and I thanked the goddess that she was there and on a water mission.

“Here,” she said before sternly ordering, “drink.”

I didn’t hesitate and downed the contents in less than two minutes. Lizbeth was ready with a second bottle. I drank this one much slower and even managed to savor its cool feel.

“Thanks,” I huskily managed.

“No worries.” Her eyebrows scrunched, creating a tight V of skin in between. “Scratch that. I am worried. Why do you look like something the cat coughed up on the rug?”

I chuckled, relaxing into the cooler room. Dusk wasn’t as cold as my apartment, but it was a damn sight better than outside.

“Thought I’d go for a walk.” Johnny told me Lizbeth could be trusted, but for her own safety, they tried to keep her out of the loop regarding the more dangerous escapades troubling Rutherford Haven’s residents.

“Yeah?” Lizbeth tilted her head, eyebrows still scrunched in concern and confusion. “Not a bad plan. Pixies thrive in this kind of weather, but you don’t look like you did a lot of thriving out there today.”

I waved a dismissive hand, my wings too tired to stir up a speck of dust. “I’m not your typical pixie.”

“So you keep saying.” Leon’s cold tenor made me shiver more than the air-conditioning. Leon’s joints popped, the telltale sound of a vampire on the cusp of transformation. My exhausted body immediately went on alert.

“Lizbeth, you wanna give us a minute here,” I said, never once taking my gaze off the livid vampire fuming a few feet away.

Lizbeth hesitated. Bless her human heart, she really was concerned. “I-I don’t know, Frost. I’m not sure this is the best time to do that.”

“It’s the perfect time,” I reassured.

“Maybe I should call Mr. Moony.”

I considered Lizbeth’s suggestion and shook my head. “Not yet. I’ll let you know if it’s necessary. Now, go on. I’ve got this.” I had no idea if that was true, but whatever had crawled up Leon’s dead ass and died, I didn’t want Lizbeth caught in the crossfire. She was too human-fragile to risk.

“Okay. I’ve got Mr. Moony’s number on speed dial and my finger on the button,” Lizbeth reassured as she walked away, the sound of the swinging door leading to the washroom quickly following.

Sitting on my stool, I reached inside myself. I didn’t have to dig deep. My inner shifter was ready, waiting, and impatient for release. Interestingly, Byx’s hair clips remained silent. I’d need to have a discussion with her. I didn’t think this design worked out the way she planned.

Silence fell like a heavy cloud. Leon stood there, nails shifting to talons before easing back into nails. The process repeated twice before he finally said, “You left the building.”

“Sure did, Captain Obvious. I leave the building all the time.”

Leon tilted his head, and I heard the distinctive popping of his joints elongating. “During the day,” he growled.

“Yup. It’s hot as hell out there.” I reached for my water, stupidly or valiantly ignoring my pounding heart.

“The sun is up,” Leon answered.

I rolled my eyes. “Again with the Captain Obvious. Yes, the sun is up. Well, not now, but it was earlier. I don’t see the problem.” The problem was that I’d nearly expired in the heat. But I didn’t think that’s the angle from which Leon came at the problem.

“You could have been injured. Or captured.”

“That’s kind of the point.” It was the wrong word choice.

Leon lost control of his transformation and soon a scary-as-shit vampire towered above me. Call me an idiot, but I still didn’t scream for Lizbeth to call Lucroy. Did it really matter, though? Lucroy would never get here in time. Either I handled the situation or I was a bleeding husk on the floor.

Hunched, Leon’s eyeteeth elongated to the point they hung past his lower lip. He snapped them at me but didn’t move closer. I could see his internal war, struggling behind his obsidian eyes.

I could shift. I’d have a better chance that way. I’d probably still end up as mincemeat, but I’d get in a few good swipes. Right now, I needed reason, not claws.

“Leon.” I kept my voice calm and steady. “I’m not injured. Maybe a little dehydrated and hot, but not hurt. No one took me. I’m perfectly safe.”

Leon’s roar shook the building. He snapped his fangs, eyes now blown crimson. His talons clicked as he flicked them together.

Call me crazy—and others had definitely accused me of that and worse—but I got off my stool. I must be losing my mind because I didn’t exactly feel threatened. Leon was mad—beyond livid—but that anger wasn’t directed at me. It was for me. Leon was worried. I still wasn’t sure why. There was so much about this vampire I didn’t understand. That didn’t mean it wasn’t true. It was why he followed me at night, why he stayed at Dusk every day and didn’t go home, why he was so angry now. When I’d taken off earlier, I hadn’t anticipated this level of fear. And it was fear. It leaked from every one of Leon’s pores. My shifter side recognized the scent, knew it for what it truly was.

With deliberate slowness, I took one small step, followed by another. I kept my limbs loose and as nonthreatening as possible. I didn’t think Leon wanted to hurt me, but right now, he was running on instinct and sometimes the innocent got caught in the fray. I wasn’t sure I qualified as innocent, but the analogy worked well enough.

Leon fidgeted, as if he couldn’t get comfortable in his own transformed skin. Crimson slowly leaked from his eyes, leaving them a familiar, calm sea of black. Hand outstretched, I settled my palm against Leon’s cheek, rubbing my thumb along his alabaster skin.

“I need you to calm down, Leon. Can you do that? For me?”

Seconds ticked by and Leon’s body remained still. Finally, his joints popped, and his body shrank. Leon still towered above me, but he didn’t loom. When his hands returned to normal, his fingers wrapped around my wrist, holding my palm in place.

Leon’s large eyes blinked, slowly covering onyx in crimson fringed alabaster. There was no inhale, no tension releasing deep breath. Leon stood there, only the methodically slow beat of his heart indicating he hadn’t expired a second time.

“You back?” I asked, making sure my voice remained even and without a hint of fear.

A handful of seconds passed before Leon managed a cold “I am.”

“Good. Lizbeth was worried.” I didn’t mention how concerned I’d been. Never show fear. It was a mantra I tried living by. Some days I managed better than others.

“Only Lizbeth?” Leon tried calling me out on my bullshit.

“She’s the only one I’m admitting to.” I tried pulling my hand back, but Leon wouldn’t release me.

“Leon, I—”

“You will not leave the premises again during the daylight,” Leon demanded, voice still icy.

“Says who? You?” I made a sound somewhere between a hiss and scoff. Only my handler on the Magical Usage Council told me what to do.

“Yes.” Simple. Direct. And painfully to the point.

“Yeah, well, I don’t remember when you were designated my keeper. Oh, there’s a reason for that. You’re not my keeper.” I yanked my hand back, and thankfully, Leon let me go. I had no illusions that if he’d wanted to hold onto me, he would have.

Lips pulled back, the tips of Leon’s fangs peeked through. It was a very emotional vampire response. “You placed yourself in danger today. Did you even tell anyone where you were going?”

“No. There was no need. I’m a grown pixie, I can—”

“It is dangerous out there.” Leon threw his arm out, pointing beyond the building.

“No shit, Sherlock. That’s kind of why I’m here.” I took a step back. When Leon didn’t follow, I took another until I backed into the stool where I’d been sitting. Leon’s arm slowly dropped. Don’t ask me how I knew, but the look in his black eyes was mutinous.

Fuck, I was too damn tired to deal with this. Not to mention I had to work tonight. Plopping down on my barstool, I grabbed what was left of my water and downed it. Elbow resting on the bar top, I placed my forehead in my palm.

Unlike Leon, I needed to breathe and after three good inhales and exhales I felt put back together enough to converse like a grown up.

“Listen, Leon,” I started, hoping against hope he didn’t interrupt me. “While I appreciate the concern, I’m honestly not sure what to do with it.” Or where it came from. “Pixies are dying.” I lifted my gaze. “Dying,” I repeated. “The longer that goes unpunished, the more pixies we’ll lose and it’s a horrible death.” I swallowed hard thinking about what my mother went through. “I don’t have a death wish, but if I can do something to help stop it, then that’s what I’m going to do. And, unfortunately, that means getting captured.” Leon’s chest rumbled but he didn’t interrupt. “It’s my job. No one twisted my arm, I volunteered. I’ve got the best tracking available. Two chips, a warlock charm etched into my skin, and brownie-created hair clips.” I pointed at the silent meerkats lounging within my hair. “Like it or not, I’m the best chance we’ve got.”

Hands tightening into fists, Leon muttered, “I do not like it.”

“No?” I raised an eyebrow. “I never would have guessed.” A grin teased the edge of my lips before I sobered. “You wanna explain why that is?”

Leon twitched. The movement was slight but the equivalent of vampire pacing. When he settled, Leon answered, “I am uncertain.” He licked his lips and his gaze tracked toward my neck. “Your blood…it sings to me.” Leon sounded just as confused saying those words as I was hearing them.

“Huh?” I didn’t have anything more eloquent.

Leon’s dark eyes gazed everywhere but at me when he said, “I do not know how to explain it. Lucroy was equally confused when he met Peaches.”

“What does—” My body stilled, doing a respectable imitation of a vamp. My brain tumbled through his words. They were deceptively simple at face value. Inhaling again, I said, “Peaches is Lucroy Moony’s beloved.”

“I am aware.”

“Are you saying—”

“I do not know.” Leon allowed a hint of irritation into his voice. I didn’t think he was irritated with me so much as the situation. I could kind of relate.

My empty water bottle’s plastic crumpled within my death grip. “Is it just my blood you want?” I asked.

Leon’s gaze finally came back to me. “The packaging is appealing as well.”

“Packaging?” I lifted an eyebrow.

“I have already said you are unique.” Leon said those words as if they explained everything.

“You did. Forgive me for not understanding your meaning,” I sarcastically answered.

“Vampires crave uniqueness. I was offering a compliment.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what to do with that. Evidently my cheeks did because they flushed with a different type of heat. My pixie form was pretty. All pixies were. Compared to Auntie Tandra and photos I’d seen of my mom, I was downright drab. I was also petite. Other pixies didn’t really hold that against me. I figured it was more of an internal issue than external one.

Leon took a cautious step forward. When I didn’t pull back, he took another, and then another until I could reach out and touch him if I wished. I thought about it but kept my hands planted within my own personal space bubble.

“Perhaps I should use more common terminology. You are very attractive, Frost. Every part of you is enticing—the scent of your blood, your intense coloring, your bravery, your wit and determination, your smirk, the way the light shimmers through your blue eyes, the hint of yellow that bleeds through when your emotions are high—there is not an inch of you I do not find appealing.”

Oh. Oh! What did I do with that?My lips parted, shallow pants filling the air. Absently, I wondered if that yellow Leon just described lit my eyes because my emotions were high. Very high.

Clearing my throat, I attempted speech a couple of times before anything decipherable came out.

“I-I…I’m not sure what to say. I don’t think… I mean, I’m pretty sure no one’s ever described me in those terms.” I’d never suffered insults for my size the way I’d heard Phil had. I’d never been afraid my colors were too dull like Parsnip. I’m not sure I would have given a shit if they had. That wasn’t completely true. I was a pixie, but that was only half my heart. My other half couldn’t care less what others thought.

Still, it was nice—no, better than nice—hearing someone else describe you in such appreciative terms. It was even nicer coming from someone who made my dick stand up and pay attention.

Leon’s lips twitched. He palmed my cheek, his talons long gone, his blunt nails gentle against my skin. Leon wasn’t exactly cold to the touch, but he was cool. I leaned into his skin, relishing the feel on my overheated flesh.

“Reciprocation is most likely too much to expect at this point.” The cold indifference typically lacing Leon’s words was absent, replaced by a tinge of playful warmth.

“Hmm…maybe not,” I practically purred, leaning into his touch even more. “You’re not so bad yourself.” I left off “for a vampire.” Leon knew what he was. He didn’t need my reminder.

“Not so bad? I suppose I’ve worked with less.”

I chuckled, the sound rumbling through my bass purr. The sound brought Lizbeth from the washroom. She cautiously peeked through the door. She must have been satisfied by what she saw because she was gone nearly as quickly.

Leon and I stayed that way for a few more precious seconds. His thumb touched my lower lip, running his pad over the surface. I gasped but couldn’t manage much more. Deep in my core, I knew this moment somehow changed everything. My life path was immediately picked up and realigned. The weaving road was now straight as an arrow, wide, and sure. It wasn’t a sensation I could easily describe and yet it was as true as anything I’d ever known.

Leon’s dark gaze slowly slid from my eyes toward my tilted neck. I hadn’t even realized I’d done that. Did he see it as an offer? It was amazing how expressive his onyx eyes were when I paid closer attention.

And if that’s what he wanted, was I ready to offer up a vein? Peaches did it. Previously, questioning him seemed rude. Current circumstances made me reevaluate that decision.

My pulse pounded. I could only imagine what that looked like to a hungry vampire. In that instant, I knew I wasn’t ready. The first niggle of fear rolled through me. It wasn’t overwhelming, simply that spark of self-preservation nearly every individual had. Something must have shifted in my eyes or maybe my demeanor. Whatever it was, Leon stiffened and dropped his hand. I immediately missed the coolness and pressure.

“I will not force you,” Leon said, tone frigid once more.

“I know,” I answered confidently. I shouldn’t have sounded so sure. “I don’t know why I know that, but I do.”

Leon relaxed a fraction. “Good. I do not wish to frighten you.”

I grinned. I just couldn’t help it. “Trust me, I’ve seen a lot scarier than you.”

I’d thought Leon would understand the amusement. Instead, his eyes flared crimson before settling into black again.

“That does not put me at ease, Frost.”

“Sorry.” Given Leon’s reaction to my leaving the building during the daylight, I should have figured that out. What I also figured out was that I didn’t like Leon using my agent name. Coming from his lips, it didn’t sound right. Staring at my fingers, I said, “Phlox.”

“Pardon?” Leon leaned closer but refrained from touching me.

I cleared my throat. “Phlox. That’s my real name. When we’re alone, I’d like you to use it.” There wasn’t a lot of difference between the two names, and yet, Phlox felt so much more personal.

“Phlox.” Somehow, Leon made my given name sound sexy. “I will enjoy using your true name when we interact.” Just as he’d made my name sound different, when Leon said the word, interact, it sounded positively filthy.

“Nice, Leon.”

Leon’s answering grin barely avoided showing fang tips.

The sound of Johnny’s hooves eased into the little bubble Leon and I’d wrapped ourselves in. The sound of the washroom door swinging open, followed by Johnny’s loud “you two are up early” popped our bubble completely.

“No offense, Frost, but for a pixie, you look like shit. Not sure what you’ve been up to today, but I’m sending you upstairs to clean up before you head back down here. Go on, shoo.” Johnny waved me off.

“Aye-aye, Johnny.” I gave a little salute before sliding off my chair. My wings were recovered enough that I could fly, adding a little dust to the air. Johnny quickly covered his nose. Leon’s dark gaze followed my exit. I could feel that lusty stare bore into my back. Johnny might think I looked like shit, but Leon was a different matter. Leon was a different matter altogether.