Page 30 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

“The construction workers should be here tomorrow. They’ll be happy to see you came through for them with the excavation, Peaches. The three of us will get together soon to discuss design.” That was typically my favorite part. I wasn’t truly the designer, but I never shied away from throwing in my two cents here and there. “Some of our discussions will need to be filmed, but we always go through things a time or two before the cameras start rolling.” We’d found over the years that made for a lot better show. Most viewers liked a little drama, and we were more than happy to deliver. However, all-out arguments didn’t go over well in our demographics.

“Excellent,” Lucroy said. “Apologies, but I received a message from my second, Leon. There was a warlock in the bar last evening looking for you. I have Warlock Kines’s information if you wish.”

My cheeks heated. “I…uh, I’ve actually already contacted him. Thank you though. I appreciate Leon’s care.”

“Think nothing of it.” Lucroy’s black gaze briefly settled on me before focusing back on his beloved. I took it as the dismissal it was meant to be.

With a final wave I wasn’t certain either of them saw, I headed toward the car. I checked my phone to see if I had any messages from Vander. He hadn’t given me an exact timeline, only said my charms would be done before I needed them. I don’t know why I trusted him, but I did. He’d promised, and that was no small thing for a warlock, even if it hadn’t been a fairy-endorsed pact.

“You ready?” I asked Mike before climbing into the passenger side.

“Everything’s stowed, safe, and secure,” Mike easily answered.

We drove down the lane. When I turned, I saw Lucroy standing there, Peaches held so close I couldn’t tell where one stopped and the other started. The sprites had returned, surrounding the couple in twinkling stars. Even knowing sprites were responsible for that fairy-tale atmosphere, I couldn’t help but marvel and wonder if I’d ever seen anything that stunning. I wondered if anyone could ever love me as much as Lucroy obviously loved Peaches. The thought sobered me, closing the shades on the fantasies running through my head.

There was no way I could risk it. Loving someone, allowing them that close, would expose my secret. I couldn’t keep something like that from another. They’d see me without the charm. They’d see what I really looked like, and that would be the end of the fantasy. No one could possibly love a gray-shaded pixie.

ChapterTwelve

Vander

“What are you working on?” Byx scrambled onto the stool next to my workstation. Head cocked to the side, she said, “I can see some of the magical threads. It looks complicated.”

“It is, although I’ve worked on tougher projects.” I focused on another thread of magic, weaving it into the amethyst stone. The first charm would be the most difficult. After that, the others should run smoother. I was trying to make a charm that lasted more than two weeks. I was confident this one would last at least twenty, maybe twenty-one days if pushed. It would be to my detriment if it werepushedtoo hard.

“What changed?”

“What do you mean?” I absently asked, my focus on weaving delicate magic.

“Come on, Van. I just said I could see the magical threads and they’re directly tied to a pixie’s magical signature. There’s only been one pixie in this shop for the last three, maybe four months. You’re working on a charm for Parsnip.” Byx kicked her legs, banging them against her stool.

When I glanced up, Byx glared at me through narrowed eyelids, arms crossed over her chest, and lips pulled into a thin line. She never liked being out of the loop, and it was eating her up inside that I’d made a silence pact with Parsnip.

Holding up my left hand, I wiggled my ring finger. “Your mamma’s ring, for starters.”

“Yeah, but knowing you, that wasn’t enough.”

I thought back on why I was sitting there, weaving a complicated magical charm I didn’t fully understand the need for. Oh, it wasn’t that I didn’t know what it did. Sort of. It was mostly a color charm. They weren’t illegal, but most lasted a few hours, maybe a day. They were popular around Halloween and when the elite or celebrities held costume parties. They were meant to conceal, confuse, or amplify for a brief time. They weren’t charms specific to an individual. Sometimes they were species-specific, but most didn’t have to be.

This one was both, and that made it an entity of its own. To be what Parsnip needed, this charm required more—a greater sacrifice. And that was what bordered on illegal. Parsnip knew he had to give up some of his life force to engage the charm. What I didn’t think he knew, what that idiot warlock, Lance, hadn’t told him, was that it constantly drained Parsnip’s energy. I wasn’t sure if that meant an even bigger ticket punched out of Parsnip’s allotted time on Earth or not. I didn’t want to find out, and more than that, I wanted to nip both in the bud.

“Van,” Byx whined. “Come on, you gotta give me something.”

I wanted to give Byx a lot. I wanted to spill everything I knew, but I couldn’t. Mattie was right. A fairy-sealed pact was nothing to sneeze at. If I broke my end of the bargain, the fairy authority would know instantly. Within seconds to minutes, they’d show up at my doorstep or wherever the hell I was when I made that idiotic decision. I doubted I’d get much chance to explain why I’d broken the pact. They’d strip me of my abilities, leaving me little more than a hollowed-out shell of a warlock.

Warlocks that lost their ability to manipulate magic didn’t last long. Most lost the will to live, and those that did manage to hang on until the end of their life span were often morose, twistedly thin, and hardly recognizable. It wasn’t a pretty end.

With a shrug, I finally answered, “I’m not sure what to tell you, Byx. Parsnip’s my one and only. Your mamma’s magic is as spot on as ever.”

Byx deflated, slumping in on herself, arms still crossed but loosely. “It was irritating, her always being right.” Animosity was lacking even though the words were harsh.

“Tell me about it,” I easily agreed. “It was damn frustrating.” Memories of Georgiana were never far away and were always a twisted bag of regret mixed with overwhelming fondness and love.

“Don’t worry.” I set Parsnip’s charm aside so I could focus on Byx. “I figure you’re right on track to follow in her footsteps.” I offered a wry grin and was rewarded when Byx rolled her eyes, a loopy grin lighting up her face.

“You suck at the whole cheering up thing. You know that, Van?”

“Yeah, Georgiana told me that too.” I gave Byx a wink and ducked when she threw a nearby crystal at my head. It landed with a thunk a few feet behind me.

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