Page 41 of Perfectly Perfect Pixie

I appreciated Leon’s support. “Without thought or hesitation,” I reassured my friend.

“See, just like he said.” Leon drank down the remainder of his blood and went back to the bar. “I’ll just stand over here and observe. Don’t think another thing about me.” Setting his glass down on the bar, Leon leaned his elbows on the counter, looking extremely bored. With any luck, he would remain that way.

Peaches squirmed, face twisting this way and that as emotions rattled him. “I’m still not sure about this.”

“Nor am I. Do you want to change your mind?” I had to offer, though it killed a part of me to do so.

“No.” Peaches shook his head. “Goddess help me, I should probably run for the door, but I don’t want to. I think if I do that, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Relief loosened my tight muscles. “If that is the case, then we will start with a couple of sips and see how things go from there.”

“Okay. That sounds reasonable. How . . . uh, I mean, where do you wanna take it from?” Peaches’s cheeks flushed a fetching shade of red. His blood rose to the surface, pounding through his veins like a siren’s call.

I inhaled, bringing in the intoxicating scent that never failed to arouse and soothe me. Red swam through my eyes as anticipation hit me hard. I needed control. I couldn’t let my vampire instincts get the better of me.

“Give me your hand.” My teeth elongated. They didn’t fill my mouth yet, but they pushed against my gums, tingling in the most delicious way.

Without hesitation, Peaches thrust out his right hand, palm down, as if he expected me to raise it to my mouth for a gentlemanly kiss. Cupping that precious trust, I turned his hand palm up. Peaches’s blood raced through his arteries and veins, their path clear as day to my sight.

My nails elongated into sharp points. “I’m going to prick your finger, Peaches. It will just be a small cut, but I’m afraid it might be uncomfortable.” Vampire saliva could make the experience pleasurable, but since I’d decided to refrain from using my teeth, at least at first, I wouldn’t be able to soothe the wound until I began feeding.

“It’s okay. I get stuck by branches all the time,” Peaches reassured me.

I inhaled again, taking Peaches’s scent deep into my core. It was frightening how desperately I wanted this pixie.

Unable to wait longer, I gave a final glance in Leon’s direction, making sure my friend was willing and waiting. Leon gave a single nod of reassurance. It was all I needed.

With a quick flick of my nail, I sliced into Peaches’s index finger. Precious beads of red rose to the surface like lifesaving crimson bubbles. Peaches took a sharp breath, but that was the extent of his reaction. With the tip of my tongue, I lapped the small drops of blood.

Heat raced through me, spreading like wildfire along my tongue. My mouth tingled with pleasure like I’d never known. Not even my first sip of blood had been this exhilarating. Barely three drops managed to leak out before the wound sealed closed.

Dropping Peaches’s hand, I leaned back into my chair, savoring the taste and accompanying sensations.

“Lucroy?” Leon’s voice wasn’t close. I could easily tell he hadn’t moved from the bar. I was still in control. “How do you feel?” Leon kept the worry from his tone. He truly was a master of his emotions.

“Good.” It was a simplistic word, hardly befitting how I truly felt, yet I couldn’t seem to form a more coherent thought.

“Do you feel sick?” Peaches shifted forward, butt barely perched on the edge of his chair. He’d shifted enough that his wings now had room to move, and golden dust encircled him like a halo.

I took a moment to evaluate my body. Did I feel ill? No, far from it. I felt like I could take on the world, like even the sun need not be feared. Perhaps that was the true sickness of pixie blood—false bravado.

“Lucroy? Are you going to throw up? Was it that bad? Do you need to purge it out or—”

“Hush. I’m fine, Peaches. I don’t feel ill at all.”

“Thank the goddess.” Peaches gripped the fabric on his chest, wadding it up and pulling it tight. “I was afraid . . .”

He didn’t finish the thought. We all knew what he was afraid of. Leon and I were too. No one else in my nest knew what we were doing, what I was attempting. Leon would keep it secret until we knew for certain.

“Come here.” I motioned for Peaches to sit on my lap, and he readily came. Crawling on top of me, Peaches cuddled close, burying his worried head in the crook of my neck. Golden hair flowed over my arm.

“You good, Lucroy?” Leon moved closer. We’d discussed this earlier. A few sips were all I’d try—at first. If that worked out well and there were no obvious side effects, I would move on to larger and larger quantities. I was done for tonight and still in complete control of my sensibilities.

“I’m fine, Leon. Thank you.”

“No worries.” Leon’s gaze glanced at the pixie in my arms, my body most likely hidden in a sea of golden hair and gossamer wings.

Leon schooled his features well, hiding his feelings. “Let me know when you’re ready for him to head back. Bree will be waiting.”

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