Page 81 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

“You heard me, and more importantly, the fairy court did too.”

And how exactly did I know that?

It might have been the fairy standing behind Letty Fox.

The fairy she was totally unaware of.

“No, you don’t get to—”

“Warlock Vander Kines, you have broken your oath.” Fairies always sounded calm, their speech often devoid of inflection. This one was no different.

Despite Letty’s height, this fairy stood at least a head taller. Her hair gleamed silver, and a few lavender highlights pulled behind her pointed ears. She was dressed in a matching lavender pencil skirt and cream blouse. Her feet were adorned by two-inch heels. She was immaculately cool.

Letty spun. Byx, still unconscious, flopped unceremoniously in her arms.

The fairy followed the movement, dark eyes sharp and calculating. Those eyes drifted to Byx and narrowed significantly. Her expression didn’t improve when she took in Parsnip’s collapsed body, kneeling close to me on the floor, one wing bent at an odd angle. Franny was leaning against the wall, lost in a drugged-out haze.

Letty didn’t wait for the fairy to speak. She started weaving her lie immediately. “Thank the goddess you’re here. These two held me captive. Me and the brownie.” Letty lifted her arms just a little, highlighting Byx. “I just managed to get away, but I was afraid they’d follow. Now that you’re here, you can take them into custody.”

The fairy’s gaze raked over Letty again before settling on me. “Interesting, since he is the one in chains, and you are free.”

“I…I just barely managed to get them on him. He…” Letty’s tale ran out of steam.

“And the wound to his head, his stripped charms, and obvious dehydration.” Moving a hand in Parsnip’s direction, she added, “And this damaged pixie?”

Letty’s shoulder snapped back as she gathered her indignation around her. It was nearly impossible for Letty to hide her obvious fairy disgust. “You can’t prove anything. The warlock is the one who broke his oath. Strip him and be gone.”

I chuckled, low and raspy. “Fairies aren’t that stupid, Letty.”

“Besides, thereisproof,” Parsnip added. “She filmed it all. Or live streamed it. I’m not sure which. Either way, there will be a record. Once something is on the internet, it can never be fully removed.”

Parsnip was right, and the irony was beyond fitting. Letty’s desire to be adored and followed by millions would be her ultimate undoing.

Letty shifted, pulling Byx tighter. Byx didn’t even twitch. I could see the sluggish rise and fall of her chest, and her head dangerously lolled across Letty’s arm.

“Byx.” I pulled against my chains, no more successful this time than the last time.

Parsnip wasn’t chained. He was exhausted, and I was afraid his wing was broken.

On shaky legs, he managed to stand. For every step he took toward Letty, she retreated two. I’d seen a lot of different expressions on my one and only’s face. I’d never seen that level of sheer rage.

“Release her,” Parsnip demanded. “She’s not yours, and you’ve already done enough damage to her.”

Letty gripped Byx tighter. “She’s not yours either.”

“No. If she belongs to anyone, it’s Vander. Byx’s mother left him legal guardian.”

The fairy moved, shifting ever so slightly, weight on the balls of her feet. I had no idea what this fairy had been before fairy law was enacted. Considering she’d answered the call of my broken oath, I could only imagine she’d been some type of soldier or enforcer. Her current stance reinforced that theory.

“What has happened to this brownie?” the fairy asked.

“Nothing,” Letty snapped. “Just an accident. I was on my way to take her to a healer.”

“Liar.” Parsnip’s hands fisted. “You drained her. You stole her magic. I don’t know how you did it, but I know that’s what you did.”

“That’s a serious charge.” The fairy’s tone didn’t so much as raise an octave. “Draining another of magic against their will is forbidden.”

If there was one species fairies were very wary of, it was brownies. As I’d told Letty, fairies weren’t idiots. They knew just how powerful brownies were, what a clusterfuck it would be if their nature weren’t as docile as it was. It was in every species’ best interest, especially fairies, to keep brownies happy. Capturing and draining one of their own was not conducive to that plan.

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