Page 19 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

“Do you have any idea what that might be?” I was cautiously optimistic.

“Not really.” Peaches deflated and sent his beloved large, puppy dog eyes. “What about you?”

“Apologies, but I do not know. However, Johnny knows Wendall best, so perhaps we should inquire with him.”

“Good idea.” Peaches hopped up, standing on the bench, and hollered, “Johnny!”

Lucroy’s bare-bones response was a barely suppressed grin. At my raised eyebrow, Lucroy simply answered, “I enjoy his enthusiasm. I have learned to appreciate life again since meeting my beloved.”

Romantic love was a concept I’d never understood. I loved my queen, the law, and the land of Fairy. I could appreciate others’ strengths and held respect for as many fairies as I harbored contempt. I had those I did not wish harm to befall and had even come to understand the odd meaning of attachment and perhaps friendship. I certainly felt an odd…connection to Sedrick and the mismatched pack he’d managed to cobble together. I did not relish the thought of something sinister befalling that pack, and when this situation with Wendall was secure, I planned to put more energy toward bringing Arie Belview to heel.

But romantic love? That remained an elusive mystery. It was not a conundrum I cared to solve. Assuming Wendall agreed to my bond, I could see myself possibly becoming fond of him, but I couldn’t imagine more than that. In all my centuries, I’d never felt that way before. I didn’t know why this slip of a zombie would inspire such feelings now.

“Whatcha need?” Johnny asked, the sound of his hooves heavy against the empty bar room floor.

Peaches anxiously waved the faun over. “You know Wendall pretty well, right?”

Cocking his head to the side, Johnny studied the bouncing pixie. “Yeah, I suppose. Why?”

With a gentle tug on Peaches’s loose shirt, Lucroy eased his pixie back down to his side, settling Peaches there.

With a voice like cool steel, Lucroy asked, “Is there something Wendall desires? Something that would make him happy? Perhaps a gift of some kind, something that he would not purchase for himself. It could be something small or large. Price would not be an issue.” Lucroy didn’t bother looking my way when he said the last. He didn’t need to. Price really was no concern.

“Huh?” Johnny’s head tilted in the other direction. “You wanna buy him a gift?”

Lucroy’s palm slid up Peaches’s neck, holding him tight and stilling Peaches’s answer. “Humor me, Johnny.”

“Okay, sure, boss.” Johnny shrugged before tilting his nose toward the ceiling. Rubbing his fingers across his chin, Johnny’s mouth pursed in thought. Finally, he seemed to settle upon something but looked uncertain.

Lucroy easily picked up on the emotion and said, “Feel free to speak your mind, Johnny. I desire the truth.”

“Okay. It’s not anything creepy or weird. It’s just, since he’s staying in the apartment above the bar and all, I’m not sure what you’ll think. Also…” Johnny worried his bottom lip. “I’m not really sure how good of an idea it is, what with his situation being kind of unstable. I mean, it might not be fair to the animal.”

“Animal?” Peaches couldn’t remain silent. “What animal?”

“None yet. That’s the point. You asked me what Wendall might like, something he wouldn’t get himself. I’ve heard him talking to Lizbeth more than once, saying that he always wanted a pet but couldn’t really have one when he lived with his aunt and uncle. A lot of apartments don’t allow pets either, and that’s all Wendall could afford when he moved out and started college. He was talking about getting a pet, but then…” Johnny waved a hand at his arm, indicating the lesions that had shown up in similar locations on Wendall’s skin.

With a headshake, Johnny said, “Wendall didn’t think it would be fair to get something when he’s not sure how long he’ll be around. He also wasn’t sure what you’d say, boss. I told him I’d be happy to ask, but Wendall told me not to bother. Anyway, I think that’s what he’d like most, but like I said, not sure if that’d be a good idea considering no one knows how long Wendall will be here.” Johnny sounded genuinely heartbroken at the thought.

“I thought about offering to take the critter in myself, you know, when the inevitable happens. I think a pet might be good for him when things get rough.” Johnny winced.

“A pet.” Peaches sounded intrigued. “That might be good.”

My mind twisted and turned. An animal of some sort might be a good idea. It was well known, if not truly understood, that humans enjoyed keeping creatures of questionable intelligence within their homes. They would often spend exorbitant funds keeping up with their care and feeding. While such things might not appeal to most species, humans had an odd soft spot for the furry, feathered, and scaled.

“It is a sound suggestion.” Most likely I confused Johnny when I answered instead of Lucroy.

“Thank you, Johnny. As always, I appreciate your input,” Lucroy said, dismissing Johnny.

“No problem, boss. Whatever we can do to make things better for Wendall. He’s a good guy, and he’s gotten a rotten shake in life.”

“Indeed, that seems to be true,” I answered. “Before you leave, may I ask if you’ve noticed a human hanging around, paying a little too much attention to Wendall? This human doesn’t exactly appear to fit into the crowd.”

That got everyone’s attention, but it was Johnny who asked, “How so? What makes him stick out?”

I wasn’t completely certain. “More of a feeling than anything. However, his clothes do not fit him. I am not saying they are ill of fit, more that they don’t look like a natural fit. I do not believe he is the club-going type, and yet—”

“He was here,” Peaches interrupted.

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