Page 27 of Perfectly Perfect Pixie

Ah, the joy of alpha werewolf posturing.I suppose that was insensitive on my part. As an alpha werewolf, protecting and providing for his pack was as ingrained in him as Peaches’s orchard and bonded land was to him. It was instinct, and instincts were difficult beasts to quell.

Rolling my head, my neck popped. “Peaches came to me,” I simply answered.

“And then you should have come to me,” Sedrick claimed.

“An interesting proposition, Alpha Voss. It seems like we have a bit of a conundrum regarding Peaches’s welfare. We both view him as ours to protect and provide for.”

Sedrick’s lips pressed into a thin line, barely visible through the thick ruff of his beard. Eyes flaring a bright amber before he calmed, Sedrick cocked his head to the side, as if seeing me for the first time. Inhaling deeply, Sedrick leaned toward me.

I knew what he was searching for. Werewolves’ sense of smell was nearly unrivaled. Most species put off pheromones when they were sexually attracted to another. But vampires were different. We were the walking dead. Just like the blood we drank to sustain our bodies, any scent we had was borrowed.

Unhappily huffing, Sedrick fell back into his seat. “Vamps,” Sedrick lamented before he shrugged off his irritation. “I was curious. I don’t talk to Peaches directly much, but most days, I feel like I do. Phil tells me everything he and Peaches talk about. I thought you sounded . . . interested.” Sedrick’s tone was more confused than angered.

I could have played coy or maybe held my cards a little closer to the vest, but where alpha werewolves were concerned, honesty was often best, especially when dealing with an alpha of Sedrick Voss’s character.

With that in mind, I said, “I won’t hide the fact I’m interested in courting Peaches. I will admit that I am uncertain where I wish that courting to go, but I will not deny my desire.”

The problem was I wasn’t certain where exactly my desire led. Or perhaps, how deeply it led. I feared finding the answer to that question would lead me down a road I wasn’t ready to travel. It would also possibly lead Peaches down a dangerous path.

Both of Sedrick’s eyebrows lifted. His eyes had calmed to pools of rich brown. “I haven’t heard of many vamps interested in pixies.”

“And there are several instances of werewolves mating a pixie?” I countered.

Sedrick huffed. “I’ll give you that, but there aren’t a lot of stories, or one story in particular, that end with a werewolf dying because he got a little too close to a pixie.”

Horatio’s story wasn’t restricted to vampire ears alone, but it rarely traveled far. I was only mildly surprised Sedrick had heard of it. “Horatio’s cautionary tale is hearsay.”

“Interesting interpretation.”

“Not really.” I shrugged. “Years pass, and stories become exaggerated. I suspect, one day, information regarding your mating with Phil will become just as colorful. Perhaps it will entice werewolves to seek out their own pixie mates. Or, contrary, the story could twist into something vile and evil. Werewolves of today find the situation odd enough.”

Sedrick’s grin was lazy and pure pleasure. “Gotta say, werewolves don’t know what they’re missing.” Gaze traveling to our drunken, dancing pixies, Sedrick’s eyes softened with affection.

Following Sedrick’s gaze, my eyes caught on Peaches’s hair. He was spinning again, his golden waves flowing out. Pale blond at the crown of his head, Peaches’s hair darkened as it ran toward its tips, the ends a deep golden hue that mocked the sun.

“He’s like pure sunshine.” The words slipped through my lips, dropping into the air with the weight of the truth. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt the warmth of its rays.” And when I was with Peaches, I could almost remember what the sun’s heat felt like. Peaches made me feel alive. And no matter what any vampire said, that was what we all searched for.

“Our own rays of light,” Sedrick readily agreed. “I stand by what I said earlier. The world doesn’t know what it’s missing. If they did, no pixie would be safe. They’d be rounded up and kept like the precious treasures they are. We’re a couple of lucky bastards, Lucroy.”

“Indeed.” Sedrick Voss was correct. I wasn’t sure if luck had anything to do with it or not. In the end, it didn’t matter. I planned on keeping my ray of sunshine, no matter how much it threatened to fry me to a crisp.

ChapterTwelve

PEACHES

The world was a glorious, swimmy thing.

“The lights are soooo pretty.” I was on my back, wings spread across a wooden table, bare feet dangling over the edge. Holding up my hand, my fingers blurred as they danced across my vision. Bursts of giggles erupted from my chest.

Phil and Sedrick had left a while ago. Phil wound up drinking more of the mead than me, and Sedrick had to carry him out of the bar. They’d left to the sound of catcalls. Sedrick hadn’t been pleased and had growled and snarled at anyone who dared to look at Phil. Sedrick had managed to get Phil’s pixie boots on before they left, so at least Phil’s feet would be nice and warm.

I wiggled my toes, testing out their temperature. They were cool but not cold enough to warrant covering them. Toes were meant to breathe.

“Peaches.” Lucroy’s cool voice slithered down my spine, making my bare toes tingle.

I didn’t know what it was, but the way Lucroy said my name made my stomach dip. It felt like I’d swallowed a whole colony of sprites.

Eyes slipping closed, I hummed, enjoying the sound of the background music. Johnny’s honeysuckle mead warmed my belly and gave me a floaty feeling that was heavenly. I didn’t want the evening to end.

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