Page 40 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie

Tapping the side of his nose, Phlox flew a little closer. “You know, I’ve got a pretty good bullshit detector and right now it’s blaring loud and proud. So, you wanna start over and tell me what’s really going on? Because I’m not going anywhere until you spill.”

Tilting my head, I tried to look anywhere but where he hovered. I did not wish to frighten Phlox and yet that is exactly what I was afraid I was about to do. He’d been so understanding. Phlox had lay by my body all day and even cuddled close. Would he still feel the same way when I told him that I could only drink his blood now? Would Phlox understand what that meant? Was it too soon? Would he run from me?

Those thoughts swirled through my brain, leaving me dizzy and even more nauseated. I could barely comprehend the idea that Phlox would walk up those steps and out of my life. He had no reason to stay. He’d completed his mission. Phlox had been captured. He’d gained information that would hopefully prove valuable enough to track down the ringleaders we were after. Would the Magical Usage Council call him back in? Would the assign him another mission, somewhere far from me?

Those thoughts swirled and tumbled with abandon, free-falling through my brain and bottoming out somewhere low in my gut. I’d never felt so cold before.

“Hey. Tell me what’s going on in there.” Phlox gently tapped my temple before following the motion with an equally gentle kiss. “In case you don’t remember recent events, we make a pretty good team.” Phlox leaned back and gave me a wry grin. “I’d like to think I can be helpful now too.”

He had no idea just how helpful I wanted him to be.

Resting my hands on his hips, I cherished the feel of Phlox’s pert bottom resting on my bent legs. His flesh was warm, yet not too hot. It was just the right amount of comfortable.

Still unable to look him in the eyes, I stared at something over Phlox’s shoulder as I asked, “Will the council send you somewhere else now?”

Phlox blinked, his eyes currently a dazzling shade of the darkest blue. “I…I’m not sure.” He swallowed and all traces of humor fled. “I haven’t fully debriefed yet. It probably depends on what can be learned from Sylvie’s computer.” Placing his hands on my cheeks, Phlox cradled my face. “Is that what’s bothering you? You’re afraid I’m about to leave.”

It was one of many fears currently holding court within my psyche. I’d been a vampire too long to put all my cards on the table or at least to show what those cards truly meant. Downplaying my fear, I said, “It is a concern.”

Phlox scoffed, calling me on my bullshit. “Onlya concern, huh?” His smile was back. “I think I’ve been too tired to really think things through, but listen, this thing between you and me, I want to explore it more. I’ve probably got some vacation time so even if I’m officially done with this mission, if you want, I can stick around a bit longer.”

Although minimal and probably not noticeable, my arms trembled with relief.A bit longerwouldn’t be enough, but it would be a start. It would give me time to figure out how to tell Phlox just how important he was to me. Somehow, I’d make do with whatever time we had.

Raising the chilled blood bottle, Phlox tilted it back and forth. “Now that we’ve got that settled, how about breakfast?”

Phlox’s ringtone saved me. Slipping from my lap, Phlox took the dreaded blood bottle with him. Carelessly setting it on the counter, Phlox picked up his cell and answered, “Frost.”

Easing back into bed, I rested my head against the wall. Phlox’s voice rose and fell but I found it difficult to focus on his exact words. My mind buzzed and my body ached for sustenance. But that discomfort was minimized simply by the cadence of Phlox’s voice. If Peaches’s voice had a similar effect on Lucroy, no wonder he didn’t mind hearing his pixie talk.

Done with his conversation, Phlox flew back to my bedside. He didn’t exactly appear upset, but he wasn’t happy either.

“Is there news?”

Phlox held up his hand and toggled it back and forth. “Kind of. Hamish is still working on Sylvie’s computer. He’s not sure how helpful it will be. It’s more than we had, but perhaps not enough.”

I internally grimaced. If I’d had better control, we’d have a witch to interrogate.

“Stop beating yourself up,” Phlox ordered. “If the situation had been reversed and I’d thought she’d really hurt you, I can’t be certain what my actions would have been.” Phlox shifted, as if the admittance was uncomfortable.

“Still, I find my actions regrettable.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of those situations cluttering up my past. We make the best decisions we can at the time. That’s all we can do, Leon. Only oracles see into the future, and I wouldn’t wish that burden on my worst enemy.”

I wasn’t certain I wouldn’t wish an oracle fate on my worst enemy, but I understood the sentiment. Oracles didn’t remain sane for long. It was more curse than gift. Caught between ever shifting timelines, oracles were never certain if they were living in the present or future. Their world was built upon grains of ever shifting sands instead of solid rock.

Running his fingers down the side of his phone, Phlox’s voice was low when he said, “Ray’s thinking about bringing a necromancer in.”

Phlox’s words temporarily abated my raging thirst. Given Ray’s previous comments regarding necromancers, the move seemed extreme. “He believes that is necessary?”

“Necessary enough that he’s going to speak with Vander. I guess we really shouldn’t have killed Oxley and Sylvie. Or, at least, we shouldn’t have jumped to killing Oxley as quickly as we did.”

“Wedid not kill him. I did.”

Phlox waved a dismissive hand. “Semantics. I agreed with the action. At the time, it seemed safest. It’s doubtful he knew much, but I have a feeling he would have cracked easily. You never know, Oxley might not have even known he held important information. You and I both know it’s easy to slip around those we don’t think are competent enough to figure out what were up to. Some of my most successful rouses have been playing naïve and brainless. You fade into the shadows, little more than background noise. You’re not important enough to care about and pretty soon others are talking like you aren’t even there. Most likely Oxley was the same.”

“A valid point. Regardless, we cannot venture back in time. What’s done is done.”

Clearing his throat, Phlox said, “Warlock Vander Kines and his one and only, Parsnip, arrived at the Richmond airport six hours ago. Peaches said Ray wanted to give Vander and Parsnip a little time to recover from the long flight. We’ll be contacted as soon as Ray finds out if Vander can recommend a necromancer.”

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