Page 9 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie

Phlox

I bristled and pixie dust scattered. It was a good thing I was surrounded by vampires that didn’t need to breath. Then again, I thought right about now that Leon asshole deserved a good sneezing fit.

Chin jutting out, my inner cat pulsed, pushing at my skin and begging for release. Of course, that form was smaller than my pixie body, but that form also had claws and teeth. Mister High and Mighty Vampire wouldn’t see that coming.

Clamping my jaw tight and clenching my fists, I put on my biggest, fakest smile. Auntie Tandra would be so proud if she could see me now.

“Haven’t you heard? Good things come in small packages,” I barely refrained from hissing, going for snark instead of outright hostility. Did this asshole think he was telling me something I didn’t know? I’d been petite all my life. Auntie Tandra said it was probably because of my father’s genes. According to her, my mother had been typical pixie size. Pictures I’d seen certainly backed up Auntie Tandra’s claim.

Leon appeared taken aback. A low, alarmingly warm chuckle slipped past his lips. “Apologies, that was a shitty opening.” A lazy grin tilted his lips, not even close to showing fang. Still, it was more emotion than I typically witnessed in vampires. Maybe this one was young yet. Although, I found that difficult to believe considering Lucroy introduced him as his second. Surely you had to be a little older to earn that title.

“It was,” I breezily agreed, refusing to sweep the comment under the rug. “The council does not view my size as a detriment, and neither should you.”

Leon held up his hands, palms out. “No, you are right. I—”

“What have we got here?” A faun appeared from behind the bar. A connecting door to a back room swung in his wake. His kilt swayed around his thighs, revealing fur-covered legs that ended in hooves.

“Johnny, this is Frost. He is—”

“My newest employee,” Johnny said, interrupting Lucroy mid-sentence. “Excellent.” Johnny clapped his hands, nearly making me jump. “Since Wendall’s not here as often, we could use the extra help and those wings will make getting supplies off the top shelf easy-breezy.” Clomping forward, Johnny held out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Frost. I’ll tell you the same thing I told Phil. You work hard, follow the rules, and don’t cause any trouble and we’ll get along just fine.”

Auntie Tandra would tell him I hadn’t always been good at following the rules. Truth be told, I found a lot of rules were itching to get broken. However, I knew the stakes and took my position seriously. I had a job to do and part of that bigger job was playing the part of bar employee. I needed to be convincing and planned on playing my part well.

“I’ve got nothing against hard work,” I truthfully answered.

“Fantastic.” Moving his attention to Lucroy, Johnny said, “I’m heading out, boss. It’s been a long night and my hooves could use a soak. I already sent everyone else home.”

“As always, your work is impeccable, Johnny,” Lucroy easily answered. I had to admit, Lucroy Moony was one of the most agreeable vampires I’d ever met, or at least he was the most praiseful, especially for a king. Most vamps were expectant divas. Glancing Leon’s way, I sincerely hoped he wasn’t one of those. If that were the case, I couldn’t guarantee Johnny that I wouldn’t cause trouble. I refused to continue swallowing insults from self-important vamps.

“Leon, you want me to show Frost to his apartment before I leave?” Johnny asked.

“That won’t be necessary. As you said, you are tired and I am more than capable. I will see you tomorrow evening. Have a good rest.”

Throwing Leon an odd two-finger salute, Johnny turned and headed back toward the door he’d entered through earlier.

“See you later, Frost. Be down no later than six p.m. Lizbeth and I will get you up to speed and useful in no time flat.” Johnny chuckled as he walked away.

“Leon, do you require anything further?” Lucroy politely asked.

“No. I’ve got it. You head home to Peaches. The sun will be up soon. I know it is not dangerous to you any longer, but I also know you are not used to it and the sun makes your skin itch.”

“Too true. Thank you, Leon. If you need me, call. I will stop by tomorrow evening to check on things.” Turning to me, Lucroy kept his hands tucked away, his face a mask of perfect vampire emotionlessness. “Frost, should you require anything, please let Leon, Johnny, or me know. I wish for your stay here to be a comfortable one.”

“Thank you,” I sincerely answered. Although I still hadn’t seen the apartment, I felt confident I’d been forced to stay in worse places while working for the council.

With nothing further, Lucroy turned and silently walked down the hall leading to the garage and his vehicle. My rental was parked in the same lot, taking up a tiny fraction of space. I had a couple bags containing my belongings I needed to get and asked, “You want me to get my things before or after you show me the apartment?”

Leon’s facial features mimicked Lucroy’s. Vamps were uncannily good at that unsettling uncaring façade.

“Now would be fine. Do you require assistance?”

“No. I’ve got it.”

“I will wait here then.”

Zipping down the hall, I made quick work of getting to my car and pulling out my bags. Thankfully, pixie clothes were lightweight and nothing else I had was much heavier. Reaching in a final time, I snagged my cell phone. I had another missed call from Auntie Tandra. I really needed to do more than send her a quick text message letting her know I’d arrived and was fine. I owed the pixie who’d raised me so much more than that.

Back inside, a bag in each hand, I said, “Ready.”

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