Page 23 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

Basking did sound kind of good. Besides, I needed something to take my mind off my life struggles. I’d done some internet searching and found a couple of leads in Vermont and New York. I’d also come across some options in California. The Northeast was closer, so I thought I’d try there first. Unfortunately, what I needed couldn’t be discussed over the phone. I needed the same thing from them that I’d gotten from Vander Kines. I needed a secrecy pact. That couldn’t be done across the internet.

I needed to speak with Divia and let her know I required a few days off. My final charm would last seven, maybe eight more days before it completely lost power. It would take a few days to make the charms, and I hadn’t even been able to find a warlock to contract with. By all rights, I should be on a plane right now, not at a local bar.

A weretiger male ran up, getting in my face. “You’re Parsnip, aren’t you?” He bounced on his toes, and I wondered if he’d already gotten into a bag of catnip.

“That’s me.” I smiled brightly, throwing out a hip and settling my hand there. Wings fluttering, I lifted off the ground, surrounding my body in a fine sheen of dust. The wind was to the back of the weretiger and blew my dust away from his sensitive nose.

“I knew it!” He threw an arm in the air and fist-pumped. “That aqua-colored hair was a dead giveaway. It’s beautiful.” Stretching an arm out, his fingers ran through my hair. I’d gone through this before. As a television star, I came into their homes weekly. It was hard for my fans to draw a personal boundary line. Even though I’d never met them before, they knew me. Or, at least, they thought they knew me. I was a familiar friend, a smiling face, and a constant presence.

“We’re glad you like the show.” Divia moved to my side, placing herself between me and the weretiger.

He barely spared the siren a glance. “Can I get a picture with you?”

“Sure,” I happily answered, “why not? Divia, do you mind?”

She wouldn’t. My producer had been through this same scenario a time or sixty before. Occasionally, it was the other way around. In the landlocked parts of the country, sirens were rare, and humans often wanted their pictures taken with Divia.

Swiping my fan’s phone, Divia proceeded to take our picture. We kind of got stuck there as others approached, pulling themselves out of Dusk’s entrance line to create a makeshift new one. As the praises rolled in, my energy levels increased. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I felt good and it did little to nothing for my headache, but my ego sure did get a much-needed boost.

When we finally finished, Dusk’s line reformed. In the distance, I thought I saw a couple of flashes. Divia’s attentive gaze tracked the same way, her eyebrows pulled into a tight V, and her lips pinched.

“Let’s get inside.” Divia gave me a little nudge.

“I doubt it’s her.” I wished I felt as sure as my words. “She’s not to come within twenty feet of me. If she does, she’s breaking fairy law.”

Divia hissed, the sound piercing. “You think Letty Fox cares about fairy law?” Divia shook her head while putting a little more force into the push she gave me. “Crazy doesn’t see reason, Parsnip. And that witch is about as crazy as they come. She’s got it out for you. Letty stepped over the line of jealousy and straight into crazy town. Restraining order or no, I don’t trust her.”

I didn’t either, especially knowing why she was after me. Letty Fox wasn’t just a witch. She was a wannabe social media star. She’d auditioned to hostInterspecies Habitat. From what I understood, she hadn’t even been in the final three contenders. That didn’t stop her from blaming me forstealinga job she thought was rightfully hers. I didn’t know how or why, but she suspected something was off with me and refused to let it go. Letty dogged me at nearly every job site. When her attention started coming with threats, I took Divia’s advice and filed a complaint. Fairy law sided with me and agreed to the restraining order. The look on Letty’s face when the judgment was handed down was beyond frightening.

Divia was right to worry.

* * *

“It’s prettier than I thought it would be,” Divia said as we walked inside. The lights were dim but enough to highlight the patrons’ better qualities. “It’s quite the mix. I like it.”

Divia was right again. Several species were represented in the vampire-owned bar. I felt confident Divia was the only siren, just like I was the only pixie, but the mix of different weres, brownies, vampires, witches, trolls, fauns, and a smattering of humans made me feel welcome. A quick scan to check for ogres relaxed my anxiety when none were found.

My wings fluttered in time with the beat of the music. I was careful not to create too much dust. I didn’t want to make anyone’s night out miserable.

“Do you want something to drink? I heard one of the bartenders is a faun. Maybe they have honeysuckle mead.”

Getting drunk off my pixie ass seemed like a lovely idea, but it was beyond stupid. I couldn’t afford to lose control or be hungover tomorrow. I had places to go and warlocks to see.

“I think I’ll stick with water.”

Divia frowned and called me a party pooper, but I didn’t care.

“Well, I’m going to have a drink. I heard King Moony caters to all types of species. I can’t be the first siren he’s had come through Dusk. My money’s on a good bottle of virgin human tears. Preferably male.” Divia’s lips spread into a vicious grin, her double row of razor-sharp teeth on full display.

“You’re evil,” I accused.

“No more so than anyone else in this bar.” Divia’s arm swung out, sweeping the breadth of the bar. I followed its motion, my gaze stopping in its tracks when it fell on a familiar warlock.

“Shit.”

“Problem?” Divia asked before heading for the bar.

I swallowed down my instant anxiety along with my anger. “No. No problem at all.” I meant those words. Vander Kines’s opinion didn’t matter. I wouldn’t let it matter. I had nothing to be ashamed of. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing at all. I would not let him make me think less of myself, like my issues and my solutions to them were pure vanities. Warlock Vander Kines could take a headfirst jump into the shallow end of the pool for all I cared.

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