Page 11 of Pixie Problems
I don't know exactly when the hero-worship started for pixies and elves, but centuries later it was a love of epic proportions. I had no part in it and felt like slapping Falista for bursting my eardrums and being generally annoying, but I composed myself like a boss and waited on their table with complete professionalism.
Draven Leto suggested I work at the star elf's business, The Laughing Elf. The handsome elf, Rhys Liakis, gave me his business card. The job sounded really good, but I wanted to check the place out before I committed either way.
The girl, Mia, grinned at me a little too much, but I forgave her, because I could tell she was one of those cute-as-a-puppy types. The ones you couldn't help but love. She complimented my tee-shirt and slipped me her number when they paid. Not in a I'm-into-you kind of way, but in a I-am-a-puppy-and-puppies-need-friends kind of way.
I laughed and pocketed her number.
I was just rinsing out the chamomile pot to make another batch when loud popping sounds came from behind me. I spun, and my eyes widened before I dropped quickly to the floor and flattened myself behind the counter. And just in time, because the front glass windowexplodedinto a million shards.
I peeked around the counter and saw that Mia was using her body to protect the two guys with her, which I thought was idiotic but heroic, and she was getting shredded by glass. It had exploded outward, and much of it looked like it was currently embedded in her skin.
I winced. Ouch. Poor puppy pincushion.
The shots petered out, and then stopped, and I started army crawling toward Mia as Draven Letowhooshedout the door, ostensibly going after the shooter.
Mia was pale and shaky, and her friend, Rhys, was hardly any better. Were people around here just useless in a crisis, or what? And then a few tears slipped down Mia’s face and my soft, gooey heart kicked in without permission. I sighed and got them behind the counter just in case more shots were fired. Mia and Rhys talked softly while I used tweezers to pull as much glass as I could out of Mia’s skin. Poor girl. She’d be healing for weeks unless she could get her hand on an elven healing potion.
By the time Finn had come and taken my statement, and Mia had been carted away to the hospital, Mrs. Button came out to help me clean up, and Falista had gone home, unable to handle being in the tea shop without big, dripping tears down her face.
I was disgusted. Honestly. And she called herself a pixie.
I stopped by the Leto mansion on my way to the Sheriff's Office after work, but Mia was sleeping. I left some Pixie Rub for her cuts, which was better than anything she’d be able to get at the hospital, and made my way to see Lucky. I was picking up my key today and moving in. Finn was nice enough to want to help. And Lucky said she’d do me a favor and not help. I couldn’t help but grin at her.
The Sheriff's Office was hopping and Finn and Lucky had their hands full helping and dealing with people and problems. I wisely left them to it and went to find the break room. Technically, I wasn’t supposed to be in there, but eh. I figured I wouldn’t get into too much trouble.
I was eating one of Finn’s yogurts that he’d marked with a sign under it that had said “Touch and you die” when I sensed the presence of a powerful paranormal. I looked up and met the grey eyes of a man that looked like a walking billboard for cologne...or underwear. He could do underwear. He washuge!At least seven feet tall, with a huge barrel chest, thick arms and legs, dark, milky skin, and piercing, light grey eyes. His dark hair was curly and messy, and his hands looked like they could wrap themselves around my throat with no problems whatsoever, even with room to spare.
Genie. He had to be. He had so much power roiling off of him that it made my stomach turn a little. Intense levels of power on paranormals always did that to me, and I had no idea why. It made my teeth and bones ache.
“Well, hello,” he said, in a rich, chocolate voice. “Who do we have here?” And then he saw what I was eating and laughed. “Someone with a death wish, I see. Finn has been known to put officers on leave without pay for eating his yogurt before.”
I spooned another creamy strawberry-flavored bite into my mouth and puzzled over the man in front of me. He was gorgeous. Not my type, but gorgeous. And he was healthy, thank goodness.
“Who’re you?”
He straddled a chair at my table, and sat, looking me over. Not in a skeezy way, but in a curious way. Then he held one giant hand out, and it swallowed my own several times over when I shook it. “Nicky Steele. Nice to meet you. Pixie, right?”
I nodded. “Genie?” I guessed.
He smiled and winked. Yep, he was a genie. Genies were known to be crazy flirty. I’d never met a shy one, although that would be something I personally wanted to see. Maybe a bucket list item. I personally didn’t see what the draw was with someone who had cosmic powers, but most women and paranormals flocked to them like they were a jug of water in a seven-year-drought.
Well, okay, he was handsome. If you liked the underwear model type. I eyed him as I scooped more yogurt into my mouth. I’d missed lunch, and I was starving. There was also a roast beef sandwich in there belonging to a person named Daisy that I had my eye on.
“You been a cop long?” I asked, curious.
He smiled. “I’ve been on assignment, undercover. I haven’t been in the office in a while. There was a leprechaun out front that was swearing over her computer like a sailor on leave. She new?” he asked, and I smirked, because it was asked in an oh-so-casual tone of voice.
He was interested in Lucky. Hmm. I narrowed my eyes. Lucky and I weren’t close friends yet, but I did know how to ferret out the bad from the good, and I wanted to start off on the right foot with her. I had to stick my nose into her business. I just had to. Lucky was probably capable of telling jerks to get lost, but she also looked capable of being painfully shy and avoiding potential love interests because she was afraid of her curse.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, turbo,” I told him. “Tell me about yourself, and I’ll think about putting in a good word for you. Start with home. Are you an only child?”
“Nope. Youngest of five boys. Mom was a mortal, Dad and brothers are all genies.”
I crunched on a chip he offered, and contemplated what it would have been like for the poor woman who somehow kept her sanity with a husband who was a genie, and five genie sons, all in one household. “I feel very sorry for your poor mother. She must be a strong woman.”
Nicky happily devoured his ham sandwich and nodded. “She’s truly an angel. But more of a military-grade angel.”
I laughed. Yep. She would have to have been. I shuddered. Too many genies.
