Page 67 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

I’d been afraid my charmed dust would taste different, that the sprites would be able to tell something was wrong. Turns out, my fears weren’t completely unfounded, just…wrong.

High-pitched twittering and squeals that pierced my ears and were completely uninterpretable lit the air. Zipping through the midst of that racket was a single sprite. Only, this one wasn’t lit up like a light bulb. It was a shimmering dot of aqua.

“Oh…oh my.” Peaches twisted, finally releasing my wrist. “I…” Gaze flicked my way, Peaches’s golden eyes were wide as he split his attention between me and the strangely colored sprite.

I stood there, feet rooted on the ground as if I were one of Peaches’s precious plants. My heart hammered, threatening to pound right out of my chest. I had no idea what to say. Panic swamped me, turning my body into a statue of indecision.

Palm upturned, Peaches held out his hand. The shimmering, aqua-colored sprite landed. It was small, but I could see it turn this way and that, examining itself and its new shimmer.

“I’ve never seen this happen before.” Peaches’s eyebrows scrunched, and his lips twisted in concentration. “They’ve eaten Phil’s dust before and none of them have ever turned pink.” Sudden dawning hit Peaches, and he twirled, eyes blown wide again and lips parted with realization. “Oh goddess, Parsnip.”

This was it. Peaches knew something waswrongwith me. He knew I was a complete and total fake. Peaches was about to call me out. He was going to tell me to leave his property, to—

“It ate your dust. I’m so sorry.” Unshed tears made Peaches’s eyes glitter. “I promised they wouldn’t do that.” He shook his head, cupping the wayward sprite within his hand. “In its defense, I don’t think it was really going for your dust. They’re so used to eating mine, and we were so close together. Our dust mingled, and I think it was an honest mistake, but still, I promised and… Oh…I don’t know what to say beyond I’m sorry. I know you were very adamant they do not eat your dust, and I really did intend to keep my promise and…”

The now-aqua-colored sprite flew up to Peaches’s shoulder, nearly hidden in the thickness of his hair. It chittered some, the tone much lower than before. Peaches nodded. “They’re very sorry,” Peaches apologized for the sprite. “As I thought, it was an honest mistake. They promise it won’t happen again.”

I stared, unable to believe what I was hearing and seeing. Did Peaches not realize the problem? The sprite had taken on my color. Myfakecoloring. I blinked, then blinked again. Words were difficult, like they were running through an open field, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t capture a single one.

Finally, I asked, “Is it okay?” I wasn’t a fan of sprites, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be the cause of one’s demise. “I mean”—I swallowed hard—“does it feel okay?”

A quick chitter answered, and Peaches nodded. “They say they feel fine, and again, they apologize.”

“It’s okay.” I licked my dry lips, completely lost as to how this turned into a situation in which Peaches was the one apologizing, hoping I was in a forgiving mood. It was completely ass-backward, and yet I was too much of a coward to correct him. “I can see how it was an honest mistake, but…maybe there needs to be more caution.” I waved a hand in the sprite’s general direction.

The little sprite flew up, buzzed around Peaches, then flew off to join a congregation of other sprites. Within a matter of seconds, every sprite in the orchard surrounded the aqua-colored one.

“I wonder why it changed their color,” Peaches mused. Before I could come up with a lie, he said, “I know so little about them. Traditionally, pixies avoid them, so…maybe this has happened before and we just didn’t know about it. Maybe Mattie knows.”

“Mattie?” I swallowed down another spike of panic.

“She’s the witch that brought them here.”

That panic blossomed. “I see.” I was afraid Mattie would see too.

Peaches shrugged it off, and when he turned his attention back on me, it was with a big smile stretched across his face. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter. They seem fine, and from what I can hear, the other sprites think the change is beautiful. I’ll need to have another discussion with them about not eating your dust. I can tell some of them are jealous and want to be aqua-colored too.”

“Oh, I-I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. I don’t—”

“No, I understand.”

Peaches really didn’t understand.

“You don’t want them to eat your dust, and myself and the sprites promised that wouldn’t happen. I don’t take my promises lightly.” With hands on his hips, Peaches’s wings fluttered, lifting him off the ground, the tips of his booted feet barely touching the ground.

“Thank you. I appreciate your sincerity.”

Peaches beamed. “You’re very welcome. Now”—he reached down, grasping my wrist again—“let’s go see what they’ve gotten done on Lucroy’s den.”

I let Peaches drag me along. I spared a glance at the gathered sprites, praying to the goddess that they really would be okay. I supposed the color change made sense. I wondered how long it would last. I doubted it was permanent, but I couldn’t say for certain and doubted Vander knew either. It was worth an ask, and I’d do so as soon as I was out of Peaches’s sight. At best guess, I figured they could enjoy their new shade until my current charm faded and a new one was activated.

If there truly weren’t any deleterious consequences and if there were more sprites out there, it might have been a lucrative side business.

It was amazing how badly I wanted to call Vander. And not just call but see him. I’d never felt this way about anyone. If I were honest, it was a little frightening. Vander was quickly becoming a drug I didn’t want to give up. But I would need to give him up. I traveled. In many respects, I was a homeless pixie. I was a wanderer, squatting in one city or another.

That wasn’t the kind of life warlocks preferred. And even if Vander didn’t mind giving up his business to follow me around the world, he had Byx to care for. A brownie that age needed stability. There was no way I could take Vander from her or ask Byx to join in my meanderings.

Chest heavy, I gave Peaches my best, fakest smile. I’d perfected the look long before Jed came into my life. Nearly every social pixie did.

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