Page 34 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

Unlike last night, I felt like I could slip my eyelids closed and get a couple more hours of shut-eye.

“You still there?” Vander asked, voice husky.

“Mm-hmm…sleepy,” I managed after a yawn.

Again, that warm, deep chuckle floated across the line, settling in my gut and grounding me. “Glad to hear it. Do you need to get up soon, or do you want me to keep talking until you fall asleep?”

I barely registered a niggle of surprise. The offer was unexpected and kind. It was disturbing I needed such a brief time of contemplation. “I don’t need to get up for a while. I have a video conference with the designers, and then Divia and I are meeting Lucroy and Peaches at Dusk tonight. We’re going to get some footage of Lucroy in his bar.” Divia said something about Peaches’s friends being there too, but I wasn’t certain. I didn’t know if she wanted them in the show or if they even wanted to be in it.

“I’ll take that as permission to keep talking.”

I didn’t argue. Instead, I worked my way up the bed, snuggling under the covers. On my side, my wings rested behind me. Every once in a while, the top wing fluttered, but it was tucked under the covers and barely moved.

Vander’s baritone ebbed and flowed, easing into my brain and settling the constant background noise. My eyes fluttered closed, and before I knew it, I drifted off. Dreams of Vander Kines made my slumber its own kind of magical. Thoughts of Letty Fox, my charmed life, and fears of exposure fell by the wayside, washed away by Vander’s dulcet tones.

ChapterFourteen

Vander

I didn’t think Parsnip remembered, but I’d told him if I got the charm done in time, I’d deliver it to him at Dusk. Parsnip had sleepily agreed, and I’d worked my ass and magical manipulation skills off to meet that deadline. The bottom line was I wanted to see Parsnip.

Weekends were more crowded, and I’d arrived at what appeared to be prime clubbing time. The line was long, and I dutifully found my place at the end. I was amazed by Dusk’s patron diversity. Every species seemed represented. There were no ogres, and the only trolls were standing guard at Dusk’s gate, controlling who entered and when.

Glancing at the time, I figured even if I had to wait out in the cold for an hour, I’d still make it inside well before Dusk closed. I wasn’t certain if Parsnip would stay that long, but if I saw him exit, it was a simple enough thing to get out of line and go to him. I wasn’t here for the bar experience. I was here for my one and only.

Every time Dusk’s main doors opened, the music got a little louder. As I shuffled forward, the ache of cold seeped deeper into my bones. I had no idea how the dainty female fox shifter a couple of patrons ahead of me in line could stand there in little more than a tank top and miniskirt. Depending on their other half, shifters ran warmer than most species. Still, that seemed to be pushing it in barely thirty-degree weather.

Warlocks ran about the same temperature as humans and had similar hang-ups with the cold. I activated a couple of heat charms and instantly felt relief. When ten minutes easily slipped into thirty, I was thankful I’d thought to stuff a couple into my pocket before I left Richmond.

“Back again?” the troll asked. He was the same one who’d been working the door the last time. Given his light t-shirt and vest, the cold didn’t seem to affect him much either.

“Meeting someone,” I answered with a congenial grin. Getting on a troll’s good side could save you a lot of pain down the line.

“Aren’t we all?” he grunted before holding out his hand. I passed over my entrance fee. It was higher tonight, probably because of the weekend status. I should have thought about that before suggesting meeting Parsnip here. Then again, given how much money he was willing to fork over for a single charm, I doubted Parsnip had the same misgivings about the entrance fee.

With a jerk of his head toward the door, the troll moved his attention to the humans behind me. I didn’t really get the fascination humans had with other species-owned establishments, especially where alcohol was involved. I’d waffled over the years between thinking those humans were brave or stupid. Depending on the human, my opinion was easily swayed to different camps.

The previously muffled music assaulted my ears, and I activated another charm. This was a newer one that I thought had lucrative potential. Tonight would be a good opportunity to see if it worked as well as I hoped. The charm was designed to lower background noise but not conversational sounds.

My heart sped as my gaze took in the patrons crowding Dusk’s dance floor. The place was hopping. I had a flash of worry that I wouldn’t be able to find Parsnip in this mess but quickly squashed that for the foolish thought it was.

“He’s an aqua-colored pixie,” I scolded myself. “How hard can that be?”

Turns out, it was a little more challenging than I’d thought. Heading to the bar, I flagged down the busy faun, Johnny, who’d helped me the last time I was here.

“Warlock.” Johnny grinned. He was on the riser I assumed was behind the bar. Even with the extra height, Johnny was still far shorter than me. “You like our burnt rum that much? Had to come back for another taste?”

I couldn’t see a reason not to order another. That might not have been the reason I’d ventured out, but Dusk did have a damn good burnt rum. “I wouldn’t say no to a glass.”

“That’s the spirit.” Johnny twisted his head to the side, voice raised. “Wendall! Be a good lad and fetch me that bottle of burnt rum.”

Wendall obediently scrambled for a ladder, scaling it with far more dexterity and speed than a zombie should have. I stared, still a little dumbfounded.

“It’s rude to stare like that,” Johnny scolded.

“Sorry. It’s just I’ve never…” I waved a hand in Wendall’s general direction. His back was still to me, so he couldn’t see.

“I know but try to keep a lid on your amazement.”

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