Page 96 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

Wendall grinned. “Thanks, I’ll let him know.” Wendall absently scratched at a spot on his arm.

Alarm bells rang through my head when I saw the deteriorated flesh.

Tugging down his sleeve, Wendall’s actions weren’t quick enough to hide the patch of necrotic skin from Lucroy’s view.

Ignoring the decaying elephant in the room, Wendall beamed, lips spread wide and eyes bright. “I’ll go let Johnny know.”

Zipping away, Wendall wove through the crowd on his way back to the bar.

“What just happened?” Sedrick asked. “You two look like I pissed in your drinks.”

I waited for Lucroy to say something, but when nothing appeared to be forthcoming, I said, “I’m not sure why, but his magical signature dipped. It seems unstable. It blinked out and then flared back to life.”

“Life?” Sedrick stared at me. “He’s a zombie. Not sure that’s the right way to phrase it.”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure either, but that was the best way to describe it.”

“Has that happened before?” I asked Lucroy.

He gave a slow nod. “That is the first time I have witnessed it, but Johnny has seen other worrying areas. He came to me, concerned.”

“Well, shit,” Sedrick said. “Does that mean Muriel’s reanimation is fading? I didn’t think that happened. I’ve grown fond of Wendall.”

“I am uncertain. I will contact Muriel and find out.” Lucroy’s gaze shifted past me toward Dusk’s entrance, or more precisely, to a wall close to the entrance. “Interestingly, Hellfire Rayburn appears…invested…in Wendall’s current condition.”

My shoulders stiffened, spine straightening. It was uncouth to look, but I couldn’t help it. I followed Lucroy’s sightline, and sure enough, Ray stood there, holding up the wall. He looked unusually tense for a fairy, with his arms crossed over his chest, gaze tracking Wendall’s movements.

Turning back around, I grabbed my glass of burnt rum, throwing back the remainder, deciding another one or twelve might be in order.

“That bad?” Sedrick asked, leaning an elbow on the table.

I groaned. “Possibly. Let’s just say I owe Ray a debt ofgratitude, and I’ve got a sneaking suspicion it might have something to do with the zombie that just walked away.”

Sedrick’s amber eyes flared as they flicked up to Ray. “I didn’t want to bring up bad shit on a good night out, but Ray told me you’re going to help with Arie Belview. I didn’t know Ray roped you into something else.” Sedrick sounded concerned.

“It’s okay. One, I’m happy to do whatever I can to stick it to Alpha Belview. Two, I already agreed, and I don’t think anyone at this table thinks it’s a good idea to go back on your word, especially when there’s a fairy involved.”

“Shit no.” Sedrick nodded his agreement. “That’s a poor life plan right there.”

“Sedrick speaks truthfully,” Lucroy readily agreed. “However, if you’d allow, if me or my nest can be of service, please do not hesitate to ask.” Lucroy’s gaze shifted to Peaches. Phil had just tossed him into the air, and he was wildly laughing. Lucroy’s eyes visibly softened. “Peaches has become very fond of Parsnip, and I find having a gifted warlock nearby is equally desirable.”

Sedrick huffed. “In a not as stuck-up way, I agree. I can’t thank you enough for helping out with Arie. Whatever you need from me, just ask.”

“Are you going to make him a part of your pack too?” Lucroy asked, a hint of amusement tickling his words.

“Like you said, having a talented warlock around isn’t a bad idea.” Sedrick threw me a wink. “Besides, just like Peaches, Phil’s mentioned more than once how much he likes Parsnip.” Sedrick’s easy-going smile faded. “Pixies haven’t always been kind to Phil, especially social ones. Parsnip’s different. He’s never made Phil feel inferior, never made him feel like his size is an issue. For that alone, I’ll do whatever I can to help out where needed.” A low growl rumbled through Sedrick’s chest. “For what it’s worth, if I’d known what was going on with that witch or where she’d taken the three of you, I would have been happy to show her what an alpha werewolf’s capable of.”

“And a well-seasoned vampire,” Lucroy added with a minuscule head tilt. “I do not like such things happening within my territory.”

“I would have gladly accepted whatever help you could have given. Not going to lie, for a while, I thought it was the end of all of us.” I swallowed hard, remembering Parsnip’s terror when Franny stepped out of the shadows. “Parsnip and Byx would have had it the worst. Letty just planned on killing me. But the two of them…” I couldn’t finish.

Sedrick’s meaty fingers wrapped around my bicep, squeezing. “No one wants to think about that.”

“True enough, but I think we have to.”

Multicolored pixie dust filled the air, dissipating before it drifted low enough to bother the dwarves dancing below our trio of flying pixies. Like Sedrick, I hadn’t wanted to put a damper on this evening of celebration. However, given their choice of mates, my concern was also theirs.

“Meaning what?” Lucroy asked, a single eyebrow arched high.

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