Page 11 of Perfectly Perfect Pixie

Leon’s idea had merit, but most vamps that went into the box were less sane when they came out. Starvation didn’t improve a vampire’s personality.

“No.” I finally answered. “Leave it. For now.”

Leon didn’t look convinced, but he shrugged and said, “Whatever you say. You know where to find me if needed.” Done with me, Leon stepped to the side and said, “Nice to meet you, Peaches. Phil, good seeing you again.”

Phil’s voice came from behind the bar somewhere and was barely audible. With Freddie and Leon gone, I could concentrate on where I wanted, or better yet, who I wanted. However, when I turned, I had to look down. No longer hovering, Peaches’s wings were still. His large, round eyes gazed at me as he twisted his hands. I’d never seen Peaches look so dejected, so haunted. Pixies shouldn’t look that way. Especially Peaches.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Moony.” I wasn’t sure when Phil had moved closer. He was still on the side of the bar with Johnny. “We didn’t mean to cause any trouble. Peaches wanted to see you, and it’d been so long since I’d seen Johnny. We didn’t think it would cause a fuss. We can . . . I mean, we can go anytime. We—”

“Nonsense.” Not looking at Phil, I kept my attention on Peaches. With a single finger, I lifted Peaches’s down-turned chin. “You are always welcome in my home, Peaches. You and Phil both. All species are welcome here.” I felt the need to say the last, lest Peaches see me in the same bigoted light as Freddie. “Frederick is an unfortunate anomaly. Erase him from your mind. I know I already have.” I offered a smile, careful to keep my fangs hidden. Freddie deserved that slight; the pixies brightening my bar did not.

“Lucroy’s right.” Johnny slapped the bar top. The sound echoed by the stomp of his hoof. “Phil, we’re gonna get a damn sight busier in the next hour or so. You think you remember enough to help me out?”

Phil’s grass-green eyes shifted from Johnny to me and finally fixed on Peaches. My golden pixie appeared torn, but only for a few seconds. Wings fluttering to life, Peaches rose above the ground in a shower of gold. Shoulders back and head held high, Peaches gave Phil a nod.

“I think I can remember,” Phil proclaimed. “Peaches and I will be okay for a few more hours. We can both help.”

Peaches dashed over the bar, joining Phil.

“We’ll get some more bottles down where you can reach them easier,” Phil proclaimed, not waiting for a response from Johnny before he got to work.

With a couple of ribbing statements, Johnny moved closer to me, leaning across the bar, his voice pitched low enough that only I could hear him. “You wanna be careful of that one, Lucroy. Freddie’s a hot head, but I hear things, and he’s been stirring up some shit. You’re a good king, but even good kings can’t make everybody love ’em. That’s the nature of the beast. They’ll always be malcontents. Most of ’em keep to themselves and silently swim in the background. Then there are the ones like Freddie. He’s too chicken shit to take you on himself, but he’ll keep laying the groundwork, planting well-placed lies here and there. Those lies will have just enough kernel of truth to get others thinkin’ stupid thoughts. And, I hate to say it, but he’s right. You’re not the oldest vamp out there, and the council’s nothin’ to sneeze at.”

I didn’t outright dismiss Johnny’s words. “Most of those older vamps have no interest in holding a place of leadership.”

“Most ain’t all,” Johnny countered, a single eyebrow raised, his whiskey-colored eyes full of concern. “Just watch yourself. And maybe kick that fucker outta the nest before things get too far.”

Johnny walked away, ready to serve a waiting customer. The sway of Peaches’s golden hair and the shimmer of his wings couldn’t completely distract me from the thought that it was probably too late to kick Freddie out. The damage had been done. I wasn’t as ignorant as Johnny seemed to think. Freddie’s seeds of dissent had not only been planted, but they’d sprouted. Kicking Freddie out now would only add fertilizer. The only way Frederick was leaving the nest was through blood and ash.

ChapterFive

PEACHES

Something was wrong. I knew it down to the core of my bonded soul. Last night’s temperature dipped lower than what was comfortable, and I’d spent the night inside the cottage. The sun had barely risen, but I was up and out the door in a flash.

The wrongness was strongest at the western edge of the orchard. My wings beat, scattering pixie dust. The apple trees didn’t mind. Their limbs stretched out, leaves brushing my outstretched fingers. Worry permeated the orchard. It was strongest locally, but all the trees were thrumming with concern.

My heart swooped and then fell. It was fall, and the leaves were far from fresh, but the minute I saw the trees along the western boundary, I knew there was a problem. Hovering, I grabbed the fabric over my chest. My arms and feet were cold. They’d get colder as the adrenaline wore off and the cool morning air took its place.

Reluctantly, I flew closer, my eyes trained on the curled leaves. I knew what I’d find when I unfurled them. I wish I’d been wrong.

Aphids. Hundreds of thousands of them. They were everywhere. Obviously, infesting over fifty trees. And if they were in fifty trees, they were in at least ten times more.

How had this happened?And this quickly? It didn’t make any sense. I knew when something was wrong. The trees let me know. My barrier should have kept them out. I kept the barrier strong, warding against everything and everyone. I’d diminished it the day of the festival, just enough that more could get through as long as they didn’t have ill intentions.

I stared down at the gray insects milling about, completely unaware of the damage they caused. And that right there had been the fault in my thinking. Insects weren’t intentionally malicious. They didn’t think like sentient species. They didn’t have direct ill will. They simply existed, and to continue existing, they needed food.

My heart dropped. My pride had done this. I’d been the one to suggest the festival to Mae and Don. I’d wanted to show off my work, my orchard. I’d wanted my friends to see firsthand what a good nature pixie I was. Tears filled my eyes, rolling down my cheeks and spilling onto my hands.

There were too many. I knew it already. I had no idea how they’d populated so quickly. Did aphids swarm? I didn’t think so. It was nearly inconceivable that they’d multiply so quickly—infest so many trees this fast. And yet, the evidence was all around me.

I needed to speak with Don and Mae. They wouldn’t like what I had to say, but they needed to hear it. We had to save the orchard. We just had to.

* * *

“That’s a lot of aphids,” Titan Gladstone said.

I’d called him as soon as I spoke with Don and Mae. I had no idea if he dealt with infestations other than gnomes. I’d almost called rideshare and hot-tailed it into town to speak with him. Then I remembered Good Riddance Gnome Exterminators employed ogres and thought better of the idea.

---