Page 1 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie

ChapterOne

Phlox

I checked the address a third time, verifying I’d put the information correctly into my navigation system. As I glanced down, my phone emotionlessly repeated, “You have arrived at your destination.”

“Huh,” I grunted while leaning over the steering wheel and peering out the front windshield. The house wasn’t exactly what I expected, although to be truthful, I wasn’t sure what that vision entailed. As far as homes went, this one was quaint. The outside was well taken care of. More than that, it was a home that gave off the impression of being well tended, or more to the point, well loved.

Late spring revealed a plethora of vibrant plants nestled close to rock-hewn skirting. Shutters framed every window and blooms spilled from window boxes. The setting sun gave the house an ethereal glow. No, not a house—a home.

I expected nothing less of a bonded home-and-hearth pixie. My confusion simply came from the size of the home. It was my understanding that Sedrick Voss was a wealthy alpha werewolf. My source’s information was beyond reproach, which meant Alpha Voss wasn’t one to flaunt his wealth. The were immediately went up a few notches in my opinion.

A different sound emanated from my phone. A quick glance at the clock told me I didn’t have time to take the call, especially considering it was from my Auntie Tandra.

I was in the process of allowing the call to go to voicemail when yips and a sharp howl snapped my head up and drew my gaze.

“What the—” barely slipped past my lips before my eyes widened and my mouth dropped. Openly gawking, I stared as two wolves playfully romped toward the house. They were both large, the smaller one grayish brown, but the bigger, white one was ginormous. I’d never seen a shifted wolf that size before.

I sat there, stunned to silence while my eyes tracked their progress. The main door opened as they trotted up and swiftly closed after they scuttled through. I blinked, my eyes dry and my brain trying to make sense of what I’d just witnessed.

“Trust me, that never gets old.”

I jumped and twisted. My wings senselessly beat against the car seat and my hair caught on my seatbelt. I stared through my window, unsure who I saw. I’d rolled the window down prior to turning the car off. Before I could register what happened, a hand shot through that lowered window.

“Hi, I’m Wendall.”

His smile was so innocent it stole my breath. Blue eyes stared down at me, movement swirled within, rolling like the ocean tide. Wavy blond hair danced with the breeze, revealing slightly tipped ears. I couldn’t see any wings.

Wendall. I mentally tossed the name around until recognition hit.Fairy. Sort of.

Reaching for that offered hand, I slid my fingers into his, the position awkward given I was still sitting in the car.

“Frost,” I offered in return. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“And you.” Wendall’s grin grew. “You’re the agent the Magical Usage Council sent, correct?”

I started to answer but another, cooler, voice interrupted. “Wendall, I believe our guest would like to exit his vehicle.”

“Oh! Yes, I’m sorry.” Wendall ran his fingers through his hair, nervously laughing and stepping back. “I got a little ahead of myself.” Waving a hand toward the house’s door, Wendall added, “Seeing Dillon and Ruthie in their fur always makes me a little flustered. In a good way,” he tacked on. “It’s so much fun watching them romp around. Thanks for reminding me, Ray.”

“Of course.”

Pushing the car door open, I stepped out into the fading sun. Arching, I stretched my back and fluttered my wings. It wasn’t enough to raise me off the ground, but it got the kinks out. My loose pixie pants shifted around my legs, the soft fabric heavenly against my skin.

Deep crimson hair caught my attention causing my heart to skip a beat. Hellfire Rayburn. The fairy stood at Wendall’s side, an arm wound around the smaller human-turned-part-fairy’s waist. His back was to me, that long swath of bloody crimson hair falling to the swell of his rump. Even from this angle, I could easily make out his perfectly tailored suit.

As an agent for the Magical Usage Council, I’d been around more fairies than most pixies. Still, I retained a healthy respect for their power, especially this fairy. Hellfire Rayburn was a legend among fairies. Fairies didn’t particularly like one another. Some got along better than others, but all respected power and every time I heard Hellfire Rayburn’s name mentioned, it was with the utmost respect.

It was a lesson I took to heart.

“Oh, wow.” Wendall’s surprised voice slipped through my internal musings. “I’ve never seen a pixie with hair like that before. Or that type of wing color. It’s really beautiful.”

I didn’t exactly preen. Unlike Auntie Tandra, I wasn’t a social pixie. I’d taken after my mother’s nature. However, all pixies, no matter their affinity, appreciated praise. Shaking my hair, I allowed it to settle, showing off its odd, horizontal coloring. My pixie hair started off white blond at the top and darkened to its tips. However, unlike typical pixies, my hair color was banded. Deep blue was the most consistent color, but varying shades of ochre and gray alternated with it. My wings had similar coloring, although they weren’t banded so much as mottled. It was a color combination that shouldn’t work but somehow did.

“Have you ever seen anything like this, Ray?” Wendall walked behind me, circling my body. I might have been nervous had I not been previously briefed on Wendall Galen—human turned zombie turned alive again. A human mixed with a healthy punch of fairy DNA. No one was certain what threat level Wendall posed. However, it was generally believed that whatever abilities he had, they were tempered by an agreeably tender soul.

I could not say the same about his lover.

“No.” That one word was cool with little emotion. “However, I believe there is more to this pixie than is typical.” Hellfire turned his head ever so slightly, allowing a glimpse of a black pupil ringed by a halo of crimson.

---