Page 4 of Of Pixies and Promises
“It’s worth it.” Brian nodded. “Every load we bring back means more bullets, guns, and airships. The Professor said that with enough cobalt, we could store energy to power the portal devices.”
“We’d better get these loaded then.”
Sid shucked off the rest of his weapons and protective gear. They weighed him down. Left in only a shirt and fatigues, he reloaded his bucket, gritted his teeth, and headed back to the truck but stopped as he cleared the trees. Someone was inside the truck. Someonenothuman.
Fairyfloss pink hair flashed about the cabin, then disappeared in a blink. Sid’s knuckles whitened on the bucket as he went into Reaper mode. His eyes darted about. His senses strained. The wind rustled the leaves. Insects chirped. The soft sound of voices and the digger floated in from a distance.
And then came the unmistakable buzzing of fae wings.
He slowly put down the bucket but remembered he had no weapons. He’d removed them to lighten his load as he worked.Stupid. He was out of practice. Pink flashed again—this time from behind the truck. Sid didn’t think it had noticed his arrival, so he crouched and peeked beneath the chassis. Two dainty, bare feet padded along the dirt on the other side. The hem of a pale gown and the tips of wings trailed behind.
Female.
Normally, he’d be there in an instant to slice her throat. But his eyes darted to his scarred hand, and he frowned. With Silver, his first instinct had been violence, but look where that got him—confused and with a dodgy hand. No. Maybe it was time to try talking first and using violence second.
Straightening, he walked forward on quiet boots. The closer he went, the more glimpses he caught through the gaps in the windows. With every inch of mystery uncovered, he became enthralled with her.
The wings at her back were shaped like a dragonfly’s. Light shone through the membrane and cast prismatic light around her. She was shorter than him—maybe five-foot-three. Her pretty heart-shaped face crinkled in thought as she inspected the tires. A thin scrap of gossamer fabric barely covered curvy hips and breasts but then flowed down to her feet. The rest of her gown was made from ferns, leaves, and vines as though they’d grown to complement her body shape and hide the most intimate parts. A flat, taut stomach was on display. A tiny pink jewel winked at her belly button. It matched the glossy color of her lips.
She looked like a fairy version of Cinderella on her way to a ball.
What was she doing out here?
Pieces of her puzzle didn’t match the dainty. It started with paint around her eyes that glimmered and streaked down her cheeks like warpaint. It finished with the sharp, piranha-like fangs inside her pouty little mouth.
This pixie was a delicate but dangerous thing.
He’d seen wings like hers pinned in the president’s greenhouse at the top of Sky Tower. He’d also heard about pixies, of course. But had never seen one in real life. From what he understood, they preferred to stay in bug size unless visiting cities out of their natural territory, and then they grew to human size to fit in.
This was the side of Elphyne he’d been blind to. He’d spent so much time hunting the monsters while humans raided that he’d not taken in the beauty.
“What kind of magic is this?” she mumbled as she leaned through the open window and poked the truck’s dashboard.
Magic?His lips twitched in the corner, wanting to smile. He must have made a sound because she glanced up. Their gazes clashed. Long dark lashes framed violet eyes so vibrant that he was shocked. Like him, she was frozen in place. He should be launching at her, covering her mouth to stop her from screaming… but inexplicably, he stepped backward. He didn’t want to alarm her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he warned quietly.
His words shocked her out of stasis. Those prismatic wings fluttered so hard they became a blur, and she flew over the truck to land closer to him.
“Youshouldn’t be here,” she shot back. “And you shouldn’t have been smoking in these parts. You could have set a fire.” She stomped on the crunchy, dead leaves. “Look. It’s kindling.”
He blinked. That bug flying in his face must have been her. He raised his palms. “You’re probably right.”
“I am?” Her eyes widened incredulously, then narrowed as she folded her arms petulantly. “Of course I am.”
Her fangs looked extra sharp up close. And those pouty lips looked extra plump. Like most fae, she was a death wrapped in a pretty package… all the easier to lure prey. They sized each other up. Her violet eyes dragged a slow, assessing path from his boots to his sweat-soaked shirt. Her brows lifted in the middle, and that pouty bottom lip disappeared between her fangs.
Was she checking him out?
Brian burst into the clearing with two soldiers hot on his heels. He aimed his rifle at the pixie. Something lurched inside Sid’s chest, and he twisted to face Brian, arms wide, blocking the pixie.
“Don’t,” he warned.
Brian jerked his gun at Sid. “Get out of the way. She’s risking the operation.”
“I know,” he growled. “I’ll take care of it.”
Just don’t kill her.
