Page 90 of Purrfectly Peculiar Pixie

“Holy shit,” I stammered, mouth open. Leon slid a single finger beneath my chin, closing my gaping jaw.

“Aurelia?” Wendall asked, gaze flicking from the djinn to the warlock she’d neatly snatched.

Aurelia’s narrowed eyes scanned each and every one of us. “I am fulfilling Peaches’s earlier wish,” she simply answered, and yet, that explained nothing.

“My beloved made a wish?” Lucroy sounded just as confused as the rest of us.

“He wished for me to do what I wanted,” Aurelia stated.

It was a dangerous wish. I wondered if Peaches understood just how dangerous.

Phil’s fresh scream sliced through our inaction. When Ray took a step forward, flaming sword held high, Vander placed a hand on his arm and said, “I’ve got this.” Striding forward, Vander’s darkened fingers flew through the air at lightning speed. “Better warlock my ass. Young, stupid, and dangerous is more like it.” Done with his casting, Vander slammed a hand into its center. The diamond holding Ambrose’s spell shattered, glimmering pieces falling to the ground like sparkling rain.

Phil’s cries subsided into heart-wrenching whimpers until an even more disturbing silence took hold. Dillon’s and Ruthie’s echoing whines added unwelcome background music.

Safe for now, we crowded around the Voss werewolf pack. Arie’s screams of fury sounded from outside Peaches’s boundary. Ignoring his growing ire, all our concern was for Phil. He still appeared horribly ashen, and his skin was slicked with cooling sweat. I could hear the frantic beat of his heart, the rhythm far too rapid.

Dillon shifted, naked as the day he was born. Kneeling beside Phil, Dillon ran his fingers through pink strands of hair. It was the only part of Phil that didn’t look faded.

“Uncle Sed…” Dillon’s lower lip wobbled. He was still a child. Ruthie too. They’d already suffered the loss of their mother and father. The fear wafting off the young shifters was palpable. “Is Phil…?” Dillon couldn’t finish that scary sentence.

Sedrick gripped Phil tight, but the pixie remained unconscious and limp. “He’s going to be fine, Dillon.” Ruthie nuzzled in, licking Phil’s face again. Sedrick’s fingers fisted her fur. “He’s going to be just fine.”

I noticed the tremble in Sedrick’s arm. Phil wasn’t the only one physically suffering. They were essentially double mated. Sedrick’s wolf had claimed Phil and Phil’s home-and-hearth pixie nature had bonded to Sedrick. While Phil had suffered the brunt of the blow, Sedrick wasn’t well either.

“Philodendron needs to go home,” Ray said.

Peaches’s wings fluttered, spreading golden-yellow dust. “Ray’s right. We need to get Phil back to his home. Sedrick, Dillon, and Ruthie need to go too. Phil’s bonded to all of them. He’ll stand the best chance if he’s surrounded by that bond. It will help heal him, just like my land heals me.”

“I’ll take him,” Wendall said, pulling our attention to him. “I’ve been working with my fairy side. I can create a portal. Ray should stay here. He’s better in a fight than me.” Swallowing hard, Wendall’s gaze latched onto Ray’s. “I don’t want to leave you, but I think I should stay with them. If something happens, they’ll need a quick exit and—”

“And your plan is sound,” Ray answered, skimming his fingers through Wendall’s wavy blond strands of hair.

“Trinket should stay with you. She’ll give ’em hell.”

“I would be honored to fight alongside the scuttlebutt.” Without further prodding, Trinket hopped from Wendall’s shoulder to Ray’s. Her prehensile tail immediately wrapped around Ray’s arm, holding tight. Twittering, Trinket sounded distressed.

“It’ll be okay.” Wendall scratched her side. “I’ll see you soon. Right now, I need to get Phil home.”

Legs shaking, Sedrick picked up Phil, cradling him in his arms and close to his chest. “I’m sorry. I want to stay, but—”

“Take care of Philodendron,” Lucroy said. “And yourself. Allow us the pleasure of dispatching Arie Belview. You have already paid enough for his trespasses. Let your pack carry some of your burden.”

Sedrick sucked in a harsh breath. “An alpha never had a better pack. Pixies, vampires, warlocks, fairies, humans, dwarves… No alpha has ever been prouder, or more grateful. Thank you, Lucroy.”

Stepping beside his king, Leon answered, “It is our pleasure, Alpha Voss.”

“Ditto on that,” Vander answered. “And don’t worry about Ambrose. He’s out for the count. Activating that shitty charm took a lot out of him. When I shattered the damn thing, Ambrose went down like a sack of potatoes. He’ll be out for a long time and when he does come around, he’ll wish he were still out cold.” With a head shake, Vander lamented, “Damn waste of talent.”

“Bye, Ray.” Going up on tiptoes, Wendall planted a heated kiss on Ray’s lips. “Don’t do anything stupid. If you do, Aunt Silvidia will kick your ass. And if she doesn’t, then I will.” With a final squeeze, Wendall’s fingers trailed down Ray’s arm before those same fingers lifted, creating an atmospheric tear. With the support of Dillon and Ruthie, Sedrick carried Phil across the threshold.

Before they could vanish completely, Dillon yelled into the forest, “Come on, Shawn.” The smaller gray wolf darted from the orchard edge, disappearing behind Dillon right before the tear closed.

With the loss of the wolves and Wendall, our numbers significantly dwindled. Peaches shivered, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. The balmy summer night wasn’t the cause of his chills. When I saw him physically flinch, I knew he was in pain too.

“Beloved?” Lucroy’s hands took hold of Peaches, stilling his actions. “What is wrong?”

Peaches grabbed his forehead. “He’s trying to break through.” When Peaches raised his head, his eyes were pinched, and deep grooves marred his forehead. “Arie won’t succeed, but what he’s doing doesn’t feel good.”

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