Page 50 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie

Leon’s body shivered, its granite surface slowly relaxing beneath the weight of my palms. Swallowing appeared painful for him and yet he repetitively did it, as if it was more reflex than thoughtful action.

Leon’s fingers gripped my shoulders. For a moment I wasn’t sure if he would push me away or pull me in. Making his decision for him, I leaned in and whispered, “Don’t push me away. If you do, I’ll just be here tomorrow evening. When the sun goes down and you walk up those steps and open the door, I’ll be the first thing you see.”

With a needy groan, Leon pulled me to his chest, holding me tight. His lips were next to my ear, his whispered words tickling my skin. “If I tell you, I could lose you forever. Perhaps I am a coward. I cannot bear the death of the illusion.”

Leon allowed me to pull back enough that I could see his face when I answered, “I’m not an illusion. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. Now, drag me to your lair. We’ve still got a few minutes before the sunrise. That should be enough time for you to explain.”

While he didn’t exactly drag me, Leon did hold me as he descended the stairs. The thick, metal double doors silently closed behind us. The locking mechanism wasn’t so silent and sounded immensely final. It was a good thing I wasn’t bothered by confined spaces.

Treating me as if I were the most precious creature in all the world, Leon deposited me on a soft, backless chair. He’d told me yesterday the chair was purchased with Peaches in mind. I had Lucroy’s beloved to thank for my agreeable accommodations.

I’d hoped Leon would head to the mini-fridge and grab a bottle of blood. He didn’t. Instead, my vampire paced the confined room. His slender fingers slid through his ginger hair, ruffling and displacing the otherwise immaculate strands.

I allowed his pacing, attempting to patiently wait. But time was not on our side. The sun would rise soon and while Leon would remain coherent for a few hours, he would be sluggish and perhaps not thinking as clearly as I’d like.

As Leon made another pass, I reached out and snagged his wrist. He could have easily pulled free but didn’t. Instead, he stood there, allowing my hold.

“My auntie Tandra always says to just spit it out. The problem is generally halved simply by giving it airtime.” I was paraphrasing but thought Auntie Tandra would approve. “Besides, the sooner we start, the sooner we can come up with a solution.” And I was positive a solution could be found. I couldn’t imagine a different scenario.

Dropping his head, Leon moved to the seat across from me. Releasing his wrist, I scooted until my rear barely touched my chair. A part of me wanted to shift, crawl in Leon’s lap, and nestle in close. For now, I fought that instinct and gave Leon his space. When he continued sitting there, silence filling the air, I grasped his limp hands and entwined them with mine.

“Hey, I said I wasn’t going anywhere and I’m not. Nothing you can tell me will be that bad. I promise.”

Leon’s mirthless chuckle sent shivers down my spine.

“You say that now, but I do not know if that is a promise you will be able to keep.”

“You let me worry about keeping promises. Now, let’s start with something simple. Why aren’t you feeding? Are you ill?”

Leon attempted half-heartedly to pull his hands free. I clamped down harder and he gave up quickly.

“That is not as easy of a question as you believe.”

“No, probably not, but considering it’s the one with the most lethal possibilities, I think it’s the most important one.” I’d wanted to start with asking why he was ignoring me, but Leon’s health was more important than my wounded heart.

Leon’s gaze slowly lifted, first to my eyes and then to my neck. He licked his lips and his fangs dropped. I almost released his hands and pulled back. It took all my self-control to remain where I was.

“Fear. I can feel it radiating from you in waves.” Leon’s tone was soft with despair.

I swallowed hard. I could deny it, but what was the point? Leon could feel it and I couldn’t exactly hide it. Honesty, that’s what I expected from Leon and that’s what he needed from me.

“The last time you bit me, it hurt.”

Leon’s soulful wail ripped a hole in my heart. “I would not wish to harm you for the world. To think I hurt you, I—”

“Hey.” I scooted until I was nearly off my chair. “None of that. You were in pain and needed to feed. I asked Peaches about it earlier tonight. He said the bite typically isn’t painful and probably only was because you didn’t have as much control that time.”

“It is still no excuse. Causing you pain is the last thing I would ever wish for. I would rather walk into the sun than—”

“Don’t you even joke about that,” I scolded, my emotions heavy. “You don’t want to cause me pain. Well, that works both ways. Tell me you understand that.”

Leon gave a reluctant nod. I wanted to ask for more but didn’t feel it was the time to push. Ignoring the lingering, instinctual fear, I tried assembling the pieces of the puzzle that were slowly falling into place. My conversation with Peaches earlier, the fact I hadn’t seen Leon drink since he’d fed from me, and then when I did ask him about feeding, his eyes automatically tracked to my neck.

Realization is a damning thing sometimes. While I might not completely understand the picture I was creating, I thought I knew enough to say, “You want to feed from me.”

“Want. Need.” Leon’s words scratched through his throat.

Need? I licked my suddenly dry lips. “Are you…are you telling me you canonlyfeed from me?” Could that really be it? And if so, what in the hell did that mean?

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