Page 2 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

My nails were no different. But their color wasn’t acceptable. Just like my hair and eyes. It was amazing what a stack of cash and a good warlock could accomplish.

And a bit of your life force, my brain unhelpfully added. I slapped a muzzle on that argument, just as I’d done for the past six years. Nothing in life was free, and if a shortened life span was part of the cost of living my best pixie life, then my internal conscience could go fuck itself.

Divia got her phone back out and shot off a text. She repocketed her phone within seconds and said, “We’re good to go. Mr. Moony just texted me back. He’s awake.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” I flew toward Peaches’s boundary. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. A hum against my skin, faintly itchy but not painful. I had no illusion that anyone who came up against the barrier felt the same thing. You didn’t mess with a bonded pixie’s territory. We were welcome guests, and that made all the difference.

I let Divia and Mike go before me, allowing my pixie dust to scatter behind me harmlessly. Passing through Peaches’s barrier barely sent a shiver down my spine. Divia had the same reaction. Mike probably felt nothing.

We could have driven the car up, but I’d wanted to get a feel for the land. Divia had too. It was part of the process. I knew her mind was working, coming up with the best plan to showcase where Peaches and Lucroy lived—how they lived. Divia would work her magic and make Peaches’s home appear even more wondrous than it was.

Gravel crunched under Divia’s and Mike’s feet, the sound muffled in the cold air. Ahead, I could make out a small cottage. My wings stuttered. I’d known the house was small, but this… I couldn’t fathom it.This is where the king of the Southeast vampire nest would live? Why?

Vampires were notoriously wealthy, especially ones of Lucroy Moony’s age. He could afford to build a mansion out here, but that’s not what we’d been contacted about. A small, modest underground living space. Nicely appointed but minimal. That’s what Lucroy Moony wanted.

My gaze meandered, taking in the extent of the land, of the orchard trees. There was so much room. Why not use it? Stuck out here in the sticks, they might as well have a palatial place to call home.

I shook my head, floating my aqua ombre hair around, the tips catching in the breeze. I didn’t understand nature pixies any more than they understood social ones. And don’t even get me started on home-and-hearth pixies. I couldn’t even begin to imagine it. They actually liked cleaning. I wanted to gag. Who in their right mind wanted to do that? If it weren’t for the disability I hid, I would have hired a housekeeper with the first paycheck I received.

A pang of irritated disappointment lanced through my chest. It wasn’t that I couldn’t financially afford to hire someone; I couldn’t afford it in other ways. How could I explain the silvery gray hairs a housekeeper was sure to find littering the bathroom floor and plugging up the bathroom drain? I couldn’t, and that was the problem.

The dim glow of lights inside the cottage peeked through the structure’s ample windows. The cottage had been built with a nature pixie in mind. I doubted the orchard’s owners ever dreamed a vampire would share the space.

A brighter stream of light illuminated the front of the cottage as the door opened. Golden pixie dust shimmered in the backlight as Peaches flew out the door. Striding behind, hands tucked into sleek, black dress pants, was Lucroy Moony.

“Oh my goddess, I can’t believe you’re here,” Peaches gushed.

Peaches’s adoration hit me in the chest, warming me. His words gave me an added hit of power. Social pixies lived to be adored, fawned over, and held upon the highest pedestal possible. No matter the changes I’d suffered during my captivity, that part of me had never wavered. My outward appearance might have changed, but I was still a social pixie—heart and soul.

My smile was automatic, not even a bit forced. “Peaches.” I held my arms open wide, and he immediately flew into them. Each of us was careful of the other’s wings. I’d never met Peaches before, but all pixies were social creatures. We were the opposite of touch averse.

Pulling back, Peaches immediately flew to his beloved. Snuggling up close, Lucroy wrapped an arm around Peaches’s waist, pulling him in tight and pressing his lips against Peaches’s temple. A pang of sharp jealousy hit me at the genuine affection they shared. That jealousy dissipated when the tilt of Peaches’s head revealed recent bite marks from Lucroy’s feeding. I had no idea how Peaches stomached being Lucroy’s food source.

My mind traveled back to a place I wished I could bleach from memory. I was on the floor, staring through metal bars. I could barely twitch my wings, could hardly produce the dust Jed craved. The ogre became desperate, with violence around every corner. I was fading and could no longer produce the dust his addiction needed. His looming figure, fetid breath, yellowed teeth, and sallow skin swam before me. Early on, I’d prayed to the goddess for release. At that moment, all I prayed for was death.

Peaches’s carefree voice pulled me from the dark memories. “Lucroy’s never seenInterspecies Habitat. Can you believe that?”

I blinked rapidly.

Only Lucroy’s slightly narrowed gaze gave any hint that another noticed.

Divia laughed, the sound like tinkling bells.

Mike shifted, and I figured he was trying to get his stiffened cock into a more comfortable position. Mike was the only male besides me on the team. Sometimes he wore earplugs. He’d either forgone them today or left them back in the car. Sucked to be him.

“Actually, I can easily believe that, Peaches,” Divia crooned, completely nonplussed that one of our latest clients had no idea what we did. “My understanding is that Mr. Moony is over six hundred. Most that age care little for television.”

“True,” Lucroy answered, his voice cool and liquid smooth. I suddenly understood Peaches’s attraction. “I was very interested when television and movies first appeared, but I’m afraid they’ve lost their appeal…or, at least, their novelty. I do not mean any offense by it.”

Divia waved him off. “And none was taken.”

I quietly listened while Divia introduced Mike. It looked like he’d had some time to get his libido under control now that Divia’s voice was back to what most would consider normal. “And given your earlier reaction, Peaches, I believe you are well aware of who Parsnip is.”

Peaches’s face flushed as he nodded vigorously. “I enjoy your show. It’s amazing what you can do. I hope you’ll be able to help Lucroy and me too.”

It was a painfully sweet notion. “I’ll do my best,” I promised. It wasn’t even false. I always did my best for my clients. It was hardwired into me. Do your best, don’t disappoint, be perfect… Social pixies were filled to the brim with those ideals.

“I know you will. I—” Peaches cut off as what looked like fireflies darted through the air, coming in at incredible speeds.

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