Page 1 of The Pushy Pixies Are Going Down
Chapter One
Winter
“I’m not a detective anymore.”
Those words from Miles’s mouth sent a shockwave through me. Not a detectiveanymore.
What the hell was an ex-detective doing with me, an ex-con?
The Higgins guy—clearly a cop and clearly the ex-partner Miles had spoken about earlier—sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know that. I just… I could really use your help.”
Miles crossed his arms over his chest, looking defensive and upset. “Don’t you have a partner you can bother with this?”
“Not one as good as you.”
The two of them stared at one another for a long moment, and I didn’t think I’d ever felt as awkward as I did right now. I was feeling… out of sorts at this revelation. I supposed I hadn’t actually asked Miles directly what job he’d left, but I still felt… slighted or something. It wasn’t a nice feeling at all and sorta made my belly queasy.
But more importantly, I hated how uncomfortable Miles looked, and I wanted to go to him to offer comfort. But I wasn’t sure I should, not with a cop—a detective—standing right there watching his every move. Sola’s talons dug into my shoulder, and I could tell she was debating flying over to Miles even though he’d clearly asked her to stay with me when this guy showed up.
How dare this random man interrupt what had been a perfect night with my… my guy.
Goliath moved closer to me, and I could tell he was wary of the stranger, so I snapped my fingers and pointed to the spot beside me. My big, white with gray spots Great Dane sat close enough to lean against my legs. The fact he wasn’t barking at this Higgins guy actually made me feel—reluctantly—like he must be a good person.
Higgins’s eyes widened for a brief second, but when Goliath didn’t threaten to eat him, he resumed staring at Miles.
Miles squirmed a bit under the man’s attention, and maybe I wasn’t an empath like him, but I could practically feel his anxiety and uneasiness from here.
I wasn’t surprised that Sola squawked, leapt off me, and flew over, landing on Miles’s shoulder. She was his familiar, so she’d know how uncomfortable he was feeling and would want to help him. I was glad for it since I didn’t know if it was my place to help him right now.
Would he care if his old partner saw us together?
“What the hell is that?” Higgins sounded shocked and possibly a little scared.
Miles absently petted Sola’s neck as he said, “Her name’s Sola, and she’s a firebird. She’s my familiar.”
The man’s eyes were full of shock for a beat before he grinned, the expression softening him in a way I wasn’t sure I liked. “That’s amazing, Miles. I didn’t know you could form a familiar bond.”
Miles shrugged. “Neither did I.”
The two of them were so… familiar with each other, yet I could sense how tentative that awareness was between them.
Not to be left out, Odin meowed and trotted over to the newcomer. To my surprise, the man bent down and lifted the cat into his arms, quietly saying, “Hey, Odie. It’s been a long time, little buddy.” He petted the cat, and he started purring.
Well. I supposed it made sense that he knew Odin, but the familiarity made me feel a little… off—even more off than I already felt standing here like a dud.
Should I leave? Should I let the two of them catch up? Or did Miles want me to stay?
I didn’t know the answer to that, so I blurted, “I can leave if you two—”
“No!” Miles flinched at his own loud voice, and I stared at him with wide eyes. In a quiet voice and with beautiful pleading brown eyes, he said, “Please don’t go, Win. I… I…” He shook his head, looking more unsure than he had in days. “Stay?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
He sagged a bit in relief, and even though I was a little hurt by the detective thing, I really wanted to give him a huge hug and promise him I’d stay as long as he needed, that I’d stay with him forever.
And wow. That wasa lotfor a guy I’d only started dating this past weekend. We hadn’t even been together a whole week yet.
“Thank you,” he whispered, staring at me for an extra beat before facing Higgins. “Why are you here, Higs?”
