Page 58 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

“Very well.”

“Thank you,” I blurted. It was never a good idea to be rude to a fairy. “I mean, I appreciate your help and the information.” I might not have liked the facts Solen had given me, but I was grateful for them.

“You are welcome. And if I might add, congratulations on finding your one and only. I realize this is an auspicious occasion for a warlock.”

“It is, and thank you again.”

“Please let me know if I can be of further service. Warlock Kines, please use caution when dealing with Witch Fox. Perhaps it is not my place to say, but she seems highly unstable. My hands are constrained by the law that governs their actions. Were that not the case, I would have taken care of the situation already. Do you understand my meaning?”

I swallowed hard. I understood all too well. “I believe I do.”

“Good. Have a pleasant day. Please tell Parsnip the same.”

The call ended, and I remained sitting with Parsnip’s phone dangling from my hand. I’d used up a fair amount of its remaining charge and needed to save enough for Parsnip to give Divia a call later.

Staring down at the scarlet, glowing ring on my finger, my cheeks hurt with my intense frown. Why couldn’t others be happy, or, at least, content, with what they had? Greed caused a lot of pain and heartache. Sure, more was great, but at some point, more was simply…more.

Scrubbing a hand over my chin, I glared a hole through the ceiling. I thought I might have taken care of one of Parsnip’s issues. Time would tell if Lance would heed my warning. If not, I had no problem going to the Magical Usage Council and setting them on his stupidly greedy ass.

As for Letty Fox…I didn’t have a clue. I had another phone call to make, but it could wait.

With a heavy sigh, I pushed myself out of my chair. Stretching, my back popped a couple of times, and I activated another pain charm. I’d been right about my awkward sleeping position last night. It hadn’t done my neck or back any favors. The warm blanket overlying my heart argued the discomfort was worth it. I couldn’t find it in me to argue with my heart.

ChapterTwenty-Two

Parsnip

I spent another night at Vander’s and returned to my rental home the following day. It seemed colder than when I’d first walked through the door a few days ago. The actual temperature was the same, and nothing inside had changed. Nothing but me.

Vander’s apartment was small. It wasn’t the kind of place any social pixie would want to be caught dead in, and yet, all I wanted was to hop in my car and drive back. That lovely, peacefully sedating feeling of safety fled with alarming speed, and I was back to looking over my shoulder and jumping at the slightest sound. My stomach was tied up in knots, and acid burned my throat.

“I’m being a fool,” I scolded, though there was no one to hear my self-deprecating thoughts. Parsley wouldn’t be pleased with the roads my mind wandered down.

As if brought about by thought alone, Parsley’s name flashed across my phone, his accompanying ringtone softly chiming.

I’d plugged the phone in to charge and kept it plugged in as I answered.

“Hey, Parse. How is it going?”

“Well. I think. Pom dropped Petunia off late last night. I wanted to get her settled in before I called you.”

I sat on the floor, legs crossed, and pulled a nearby blanket off a chair, suddenly desperate for warmth.

“How bad is it?”

“Not terrible. They found her quicker than some. Her colors are doing well. Pom knows better than me, but I don’t see any reason why they won’t be back to normal in a week, maybe a little longer, but I doubt it.”

“And her mental state?” Sometimes, that was the hardest part. Getting your colors back helped, but sometimes that wasn’t enough.

Parsley sighed. “That’ll take longer. Pom warned me that Petunia’s young, and she’s right. She’s blaming herself, saying that she wasn’t careful enough, that… Well, I won’t get into all the things she’s saying. Besides, you’ve heard it all before.”

I had and had said most of it too. The difference was that my capture had been my fault. “Who took her?”

“That’s the scary part.” Parsley inhaled, and I could hear the hesitancy in his voice. “Listen, Nip, I don’t want to frighten you, but it looks like there’s another ogre trafficking ring that’s started up.”

“Shit.” I slammed my hand on the wooden floor. “I swear, you get rid of one, and another pops up to take its place.”

“You’re not wrong. Pom told me they’re trying to track this one down, but they’re slippery. She’s not even sure ogres are the ones in charge this time.”

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