Page 77 of Perfectly Perfect Pixie

Freddie kept gasping.

Releasing me, Lucroy whispered, “Please stay here with Philodendron and Sedrick. I doubt this will take long, and it will likely be . . . messy. I do not wish to get blood on you, beloved.”

“Oh, I . . .” I had no idea what to say, and instead, I stepped back.

Sedrick laid a hand on my shoulder, keeping me grounded. “I’ve got him, Lucroy. You go take care of business. I’d like to get Phil home to the kids soon.”

“As I said, I doubt this will take long, Sedrick.”

I stood there, watching Lucroy’s graceful limbs walk away. Leon followed.

“I don’t think I wanna watch this,” Phil said, and even though I agreed, I didn’t turn my head. I was King Lucroy Moony’s beloved. I wouldn’t hide from what he was, just as he hadn’t hidden from what I was.

ChapterThirty

LUCROY

Nearly all vampires could hold humans within thrall, but it was exceedingly rare for a vampire to affect another in such a way. Only the most ancient among us had that capability, and I’d heard it was extremely draining. Nirgal stood there, completely at ease and acting as if holding Freddie within his thrall was nothing.

“Frederick,” I stared, Leon at my back, “Did you sicken one of my human donors with the intention of weakening me?”

Freddie twisted within Nirgal’s mental hold. “No,” he gritted out.

My eyebrows rose. “No?” I did not think it was a lie. Freddie couldn’t lie, not when he was within Nirgal’s thrall. “Do you know who did?”

Freddie’s mouth opened, and he looked like he wanted to wail in pain, yet no sound emerged. “N-Nicholas.”

Nicholas stood in the background, cowering. He’d been one of the vampires cozying up to Freddie earlier.

“I didn’t. I—”

“Silence.” Nirgal didn’t even look in Nicholas’s direction. Nicholas looked like he wanted to run but couldn’t. Nirgal had captured him as well.

“Freddie, did you order Nicholas to sicken my human?”

Fangs elongating, Freddie fought the command to tell the truth, but in the end, Nirgal was too powerful. “Y-yes.”

“Thank you, Frederick. I realize that was difficult to admit.” We all knew full well that he never would have admitted to anything had Nirgal not had a hold of him. “If you’d please, Nirgal, I have a couple of other questions I’d like to ask Frederick regarding an incident that occurred at my beloved’s bonded land.”

“Of course, King Moony,” Nirgal answered easily.

I’d been correct. Holding Freddie in thrall was nothing to Nirgal. The added pressure of keeping Nicholas rooted to his spot hadn’t stressed Nirgal in the least.

“Over a month ago, Peaches’s orchard suffered an attack by aphids. The numbers were unusually large and did not appear to be natural. Do you know anything about this?”

Frederick seethed, spitting blood. “I didn’t release the aphids.”

“While that’s good to know, it is not exactly what I asked. Your answer informs me that you do, indeed, know something.” I glanced Arie Belview’s way while I asked, “Was Alpha Belview responsible?”

As expected, Arie roared. “What is this? I came here in good faith. I came here to see justice done for the wolf I lost, and instead, I’ve been subjected to . . . this,” Arie sneered, his focus on Peaches and Philodendron.

Ignoring Arie’s rant, I said, “Answer the question, Frederick.”

Freddie whined, the sound low-pitched yet piercing. “I . . . I asked him for advice . . . I . . . He said nature pixies wouldn’t survive the death of their land and . . .” Frederick panted heavily.

I went in for the kill. “Did Alpha Belview tell you to release the aphids?”

“No.”

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