Page 21 of Perfectly Perfect Pixie

Arie huffed, crossing his still-beefy arms over his chest. Used to, that move would have pulled at his suit jacket, threatening the seams. The strain now was far less evident. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“An interesting response, considering I have yet to expound upon the matter.”

Arie waved a dismissive hand in the air. “I don’t need to hear it. I haven’t done shit to you, Sedrick, or that hideously large pixie he’s claimed as a mate.” A low grumbling growl rumbled through Arie’s chest when he said Sedrick’s name, followed by a well of disgust when he scathingly spoke of Phil.

Leon stiffened beside me but otherwise remained silent. Anyone who’d spent time in the bar while Phil had been tending it had a soft spot for the overly large pixie.

Hands still clasped behind my back, I stared, unblinking, at Arie. “As you know, others were mentioned as part of Sedrick Voss’s pack. I believe there was mention of dwarves, a smattering of humans, and another pixie.”

Arie’s thick eyebrows rose, the whites of his eyes briefly more prominent before a low, grating chuckle filtered through his mouth.

“The yellow one?” Arie taunted.

I bristled, unable to keep from rising to the bait. “Peaches,” I answered before correcting Arie’s color choice. “And I believe he is a golden-yellow.”

“I beg pardon,” Arie sarcastically quipped before a smirk lit up his face, softening his features yet making him look increasingly hideous. “So, the rumors are true. I wasn’t so sure. I didn’t take you for the slumming kind,King Moony,” Arie openly mocked. “A pixie? I also hadn’t taken you for a fool. But if you’ve got a death wish, then far be it from me to get in your way.”

My hand shot up, arm stiff and unyielding as Leon lunged, fangs snapping. Arie’s gaze drifted and locked on to Leon. I’d give Arie Belview this: he contained his fear well. It was still there, glinting in the yellow of his wolf-bright eyes.

The were Arie had brought with him didn’t have the same control and transformed, clothing ripping, shredded fabric littering the ground. The wolf would have leaped to his death if his alpha hadn’t ordered, “Hold.”

We were in a deadly standoff. I hadn’t come to shed blood tonight, not that I was morally opposed to it either.

“Now, Arie,” I cooed, “I know that wasn’t a direct threat, was it?”

The corner of Arie’s lip twisted. “Of course not. Only an observation.”

“As I thought.” I lowered my arm, and Leon backed down. He was still wound tight, and I wouldn’t want him any other way. “Now, back to business. It seems Peaches’s orchard, the one he is bonded to, has recently been infested by a rather alarming number of—and uncharacteristically large—aphids. The number is large enough to be a true threat. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about that, would you, Alpha Belview?”

Arie snorted, finally lowering his arms, allowing his hands to dangle at his sides. I barely caught the retraction of his claws. “Are you accusing me of something?”

As Arie’s claws diminished, mine grew, pressing, ready to free Arie’s carotid artery from the flesh surrounding it.

“Should I be accusing you?” I countered.

Arie’s chuckle was low, deep, and full of something close to joy. His obvious pleasure heated the blood I’d ingested only hours before.

“No, you shouldn’t.” With a casual shrug, Arie said, “It sounds like a natural enough occurrence to me. I know fairy law, King Moony, and haven’t broken the oath I took. Should what’s befallen this pixie’s orchard be ofunnaturalcauses, then perhaps you should look a little closer to home for its cause. Vampires don’t like weak leaders any more than weres and tend to takecareof their own.”

My body stilled, eyes filling with red. Tilting my head, my neck popped and elongated as my shoulders widened and my arms lengthened. It wasn’t a full transformation, but it hinted at how close I was to losing control.

“Lucroy?” Leon’s concerned voice filtered through the blood-red haze covering my eyes.

The air around me went still as if it knew a predator was present, and all and sundry went into hiding. The beasts had little to fear from me. The werewolves were a different matter. Sadly, my nestmates possibly were too.

Arie remained as still as the surrounding woods. He had a hand on his subordinate’s scruff, holding him steady. No one dared move, including me.

“Lucroy. I need you to calm down.” Leon’s tone remained soft and cajoling.

I latched on to that voice, forcing calm into every one of my veins. Slowly, my body returned to its more humanoid shape. Popping my neck, I twisted my head until I felt comfortable in my own skin again.

“Apologies, Alpha Belview.” It hurt my pride to concede, but at the end of the day, it was a small price to pay. “It seems I momentarily forgot myself.”

Arie’s jaw tensed, his gaze flicking between Leon and me. Shoulders tense, Arie proclaimed our meeting at an end. “As I said earlier, I don’t have time for this shit. I’ve got more important things to do, and I’ve already wasted enough time on these insults. The next time you want to accuse me of something, you better have evidence to back it up.”

“Oh, Arie,” I chided. “We both know that is rarely possible.”

This time, Arie’s smirk was full of pride. “Is that so?” Face hardening, Arie turned and ordered, “Come, Matthew.”

---