Page 54 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie

Anger, swift and vicious surged through me. My beloved should not have been made to suffer such a loss. Hot on the heels of that rage was realization. “That is why you volunteered for this assignment.”

“It is. Not that I had a lot of competition.” Phlox gave a wane smile. “But, seriously, this is important. I can’t typically tell Auntie Tandra about my missions, even when they’re over. Right now, that’s a blessing. I couldn’t put her through that kind of pain. She already lost my mother to that fate. She’d be worried out of her mind if she thought I was willingly trying to get captured.”

I’d heard the name but wasn’t certain of the exact relationship. “Your auntie Tandra is related to your mother?”

“Not by blood. They were best friends. Auntie Tandra—Peltandra to her adoring social media fans—took me in and raised me. Auntie Tandra’s a social pixie. She kept my mother’s memory alive. The house was filled with pictures of my mom, and Auntie Tandra put me to bed with tales of the mischief they’d gotten up to.”

Phlox wadded the blanket up even tighter. Finally sitting, I pulled him into my arms. Phlox came willingly. Phlox’s soft hair fell around us, cocooning our space.

“My human mother passed when I was eleven. My father lived on, but he was a shadow of the man he’d once been. When I was turned, I found comfort in the knowledge that my maker was immortal. Marian was not like typical vampires of her time and cared for me as one might a child.”

“Was?” Phlox gently questioned.

“Immortality is not what many believe it to be. Marian grew tired and lost the will to continue. I saw the signs and yet there was little I could do. She and Lucroy were friends. He tried as well, but in the end, Marian succumbed to her indifference and made the choice to walk into the sun.”

“Oh, Leon. I’m so sorry.” Phlox wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed.

“As am I. It was over a hundred years ago and I still mourn her loss. It is a fate many vampires face. Eternity is not a concept our human minds can understand. The first few decades are filled with wonderous opportunities. Everything is new and adventure abounds. The shine begins fading. Monotony settles in and soon one finds themselves at loose ends. Those ends fray with each passing day, month, and year until one day, there is nothing left to hold on to.” I considered telling Phlox that I’d begun feeling the first twinges of that looming fate, that meeting him had upended that path and set me on a new one, but I did not wish to add that level of pressure.

“Promise me you’ll never do that.”

“Walk into the sun?”

I felt Phlox nod against my chest. “I couldn’t bear it, Leon. Just the idea of something happening to you, I….”

“Hush.” I cradled Phlox’s head. “I have no plans to end my second life just yet.”

Phlox squeezed me again before he pulled away. I allowed the movement. The sincerity filling his eyes nearly broke what was left of my heart.

“I told you earlier that this is a lot to take in and it is. Give me time to process the situation. There’s a lot to consider. No matter what, I won’t allow you to die, Leon. My blood is yours.”

Phlox hadn’t offered up his heart, not yet. For now, his blood would need to be enough.

ChapterNineteen

Phlox

Erasmus wasn’t what I expected. Then again, having never met a necromancer, I wasn’t really certain what to expect. Black on black clothes? Dark eyeliner and eyeshadow? Sallow cheeks and a morose demeanor? Yeah, none of those things seemed to fit the man casually sitting in Peaches’s living room. The area was small, Erasmus even smaller, but the diminutive necromancer sucked up all the space.

Erasmus’s shaggy, dark brown hair gave the appearance he’d just rolled out of bed. His clothing did nothing to persuade me from that opinion. Erasmus’s faded t-shirt looked like it was a couple washes away from falling completely apart. His baggy cargo pants were equally worn with frayed edges kissing his tennis shoe-clad feet. Dark leather straps covered his wrists and his fingertips ended in dark blue painted nails.

“Pops said you need my services.” Erasmus smiled easily, showing off perfect white teeth. Erasmus leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “I saw the amount he said he’s charging, but the thing is, this is my business, not Pops’s.”

“Are you asking for more?” Parsnip asked, tone biting.

“Nah. Less, actually. I’m not greedy. You’ve got a problem and I’m a possible solution.” Erasmus leaned back and shrugged.

“Maybe he’s not as much of an asshat as his father,” Parsnip said, cocking his head to the side, taking in Erasmus’s comfortable posture.

Far from offended, Erasmus’s grin widened. “I’ll pass your opinion on to Pops. It’ll make his day.”

“I’ve no doubt,” Vander lamented. “Gaia, I need a beer if I’m gonna get through tonight.”

“Sorry, Van. I’ve got apple cider and water. No beer,” Peaches apologized.

Vander waved him off. “No worries. I’ll self-medicate when I get home.”

Parsnip rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything else.

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