Page 82 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

“Gently lay the brownie on the couch,” the fairy ordered.

Letty had other ideas.

“She’s mine. Franny,” Letty hollered for the ogre, but Franny was still lost in a drug-filled haze.

She grinned and seemed focused on a spot of what appeared to be empty air. I had no idea what Franny thought she saw, only that she was lost to whatever was truly going on around her. It was sad to see what pixie dust addiction did to ogres.

“I don’t believe your ogre friend is currently available.” The fairy held her arms out, palms open. A faint lavender glow began forming.

“Don’t hurt her,” I shouted and then amended, “Don’t hurt Byx.” I couldn’t care less what she did to Letty.

“The brownie will be safe,” she assured.

Frustration tightened Letty’s features.

“Give her up, Letty,” Parsnip pleaded. “You’ve got what you want, and you and I both know that if you hurt Byx anymore, it’ll go far worse for you.”

Letty’s lips twisted, a malicious grin firmly back in place. Her eyes sparkled with something that struck me as crazy, and I tensed.

“You’ll have to catch us first.” Head thrown back, Letty said the words to a spell, her rapid-fire speech too fast for me to follow. Half a dozen rings and at least that many of her necklaces lit up, flashing so bright I struggled to keep my eyes open. The air thickened, becoming oppressive as Letty’s magic rent the atmospheric space directly behind her.

“Gaia, no!”

She was making a portal. It took a lot of magical energy for a witch or a warlock to create something like that. I doubted she would have had enough juice if she hadn’t stolen it from Byx. If Letty stepped through, she could go anywhere. We’d never find her.

Letty’s laugh pierced my eardrums and rattled through my chest like pneumonia. My eyes flew wide, the side of my face Franny recently pummeled pounding and limiting how well I could see.

The fairy stood there and did…nothing. Panic consumed me, ratcheting up when Parsnip leaped forward, intent on stopping Letty from leaving with Byx.

Her horrid grin still in place, Letty took a step back. I expected her body to disappear, sucked through the portal. My heart thundered, and I braced myself for the worst. But as Letty stepped back, nothing happened. Well, that wasn’t completely true. It’s just that what happened wasn’t what she’d expected. It wasn’t what I’d expected either.

Letty took a step back and got…stuck. The atmospheric rent morphed around her body, trapping her and holding Letty still.

“What?” The strain on Letty’s face was obvious. She was funneling power into her spell, draining the magic she had access to, and it was all for nothing. She couldn’t move. Letty couldn’t go forward, and she couldn’t go back. I had no idea where the back half of her body was. All I knew was that the front half, the part that held Byx, was still here in this room.

Our fairyfriendclosed the distance. “Your parlor tricks are no match for true magic.” The disgust in her voice was the first change in cadence I’d noticed. “Release the brownie.”

I wasn’t sure if Letty released Byx of her own volition. Regardless, the fairy gently pulled Byx from Letty’s grasp, cradling her with far more care than Letty had shown. Turning her back on Letty, the fairy carried Byx back to the couch, softly depositing her. Palm covering Byx’s heart, she closed her eyes.

Those lavender eyes opened a few seconds later, and her face paled. “This brownie is near death. She is severely magically depleted.”

Parsnip whimpered, and I sucked in a heated breath. “Release me. I can help.”

The fairy turned, eyes slightly narrowed.

“He’s not lying.” Parsnip stumbled toward Letty, who still had Byx’s charmed stone tightly wrapped in her hand.

“If you don’t give it up, I’ll chop off your damn arm to get it,” Parsnip warned.

I had no idea how he planned on doing that, but I also didn’t doubt he’d find a way.

Evidently, Letty didn’t doubt him either and reluctantly opened her palm just enough for Parsnip to pry the stone free.

With a noticeable limp, Parsnip made his way to the couch, his traumatized gaze flashing Franny’s way at least twice.

“It’s full of her magic,” Parsnip said, handing the stone to the fairy. The slightly raised eyebrows were the only indication that she realized what it was.

“You can activate this?” the fairy asked.

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