Page 48 of Pixie Problems
“Were you expecting a hole in a cave somewhere?”
“Nooooo, just, you know, not as nice?” I winced and shrugged. You would think I would learn to stop making assumptions, but I never did. I really needed to stop doing that.
The bottom floor was open. Before us was a huge U shaped couch with light beige, plush cushions, a big-screen TV mounted on the wall, a rock fireplace that went all the way up to the massive beams in the vaulted ceiling, a large kitchen with chairs around the middle island, and a second floor that had an amazing metal, vine-like scrollwork on the banister’s landing.
Stairs connected from the left and right. The wood inside was lighter than the outside, and it blended well with the furnishings. We tromped upstairs—well, I tromped, and Finn moved so agilely that I couldn’t hear him from two steps back—and checked out the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs.
Finn opened a door. “I figured you’d like this one.” It was a purple bedroom. There was a purply squashy rug on the floor over wood flooring, a large four poster bed that looked like it had been cut from logs, a delicate lavender print on an art deco wall, and the rest were painted a golden color that toned down the purple furnishings. A plush looking purple paisley comforter and golden pillow coverings made the room look extra homey. There was a fireplace in the corner, a big bathroom and a sliding glass door that led out to a second story balcony.
I eyed Finn. “What about me screams that I would love a purple explosion bedroom?”
He shrugged and stuck the tips of his fingers in his pockets, resting them there while he refused to say anything to incriminate himself. I didn’t know how the people of this town knew my secrets, but it was disconcerting. “Really.”
“You have a purple bike. It looked like you restored that one too, and the paint is custom. So I knew you liked the color. I already had a purple room.” He shrugged his shoulders as if to sayof course I’d give you the room you would like.
Okay, I guess it wasn’t as big of a mystery as I’d thought it was. “Thanks. It’s a great room, and looks comfy and cozy.”
He nodded. “New towels in the bathroom for you to use. I made a store run and picked up some generic shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. If you need anything else, just let me know.”
I wanted to hug him. What was it about these townspeople that made me want to hug them? I sighed, and leaned in, giving him a one-armed hug. He’d gone all out to make this as painless as possible for me, and I wanted him to know I appreciated it. And just like a brother would, or what Ithoughta brother would do, he patted my head and then my shoulder uncomfortably for a minute, before I released him. I sniggered. He wasn’t any better at affectionate gestures than I was.
When I’d released him, he cleared his throat and spoke in a gruffer voice than normal. “My other officers will be here shortly, and I’ll introduce them. Also, Draven’s bodyguards promised they’d introduce themselves tonight.”
Oh. Joy.
* * *
The first daywas behind me, and the night had left something to be desired. I’d nearly shot my bodyguards because they’d both scared the crud out of me when I’d gotten up to get a midnight snack.
Currently the vampire and polar bear shifter were trailing behind me as I scouted the area and tried to find the location that Rhys had given me. His teeny tiny sports car had gotten stuck in the mud.
That would teach him. He needed a truck or SUV, or at the very least a motorcycle. Our cell service was spotty out here, but he’d been able to reach Finn’s main line and request help. We hadn’t picked up my truck yet, so I didn’t know what help I could offer, but I would try. If nothing else I figured the vampire and polar bear shifter could push it out of the muck he was mired in.
The treeline was dense, and because it was fall in the Pacific Northwest, it had rained a lot lately, making the atmosphere in the trees dense with fog and kinda moody. There were tons of fallen branches and leaves littering the ground, and a whole lot of mud. It squelched under my boots as I walked.
“We’re sorry, Miss. Hart,” the vampire, August, said, jogging so that he could catch up and walk beside me. “We didn’t mean to scare you. We’d just wanted to let you know that we appreciate being on your guard detail, and that the coyotes won’t get through us again.”
That’s kind of what I was afraid of. I really didn’t want other people getting hurt because of me, and if I had a choice, I would have stayed away from Moonhaven. But I hadn’t had a choice. I’d had to run somewhere, and as it turned out, this was a very good somewhere.
I looked behind me at Cy who had a hangdog expression on his face, and beside me at August. “It’s okay, guys. It was a genuine accident. I’m just a little jumpy right now.” I grimaced. Or, alotjumpy.
Cy caught up to us with his big, lumbering footsteps. He was another hulk of a man, built nearly to the size of his polar bear alternate form. Bear shifters in general tended to bebig,and it didn’t matter if they were male or female.
“Sorry, Miss Hart,” Cy said.
“Apology accepted. Sorry I almost shot out your kneecaps.” I grinned at him and he smiled in relief that I wasn’t still upset. You pull a gun on a supernaturalonetime . . . I’d been tired, it had been the middle of the night, and I knew Finn had gone in to work leaving me with a few officers at the doors and windows and my personal bodyguards inside the house. How was I supposed to know that they deemed that an acceptable time to introduce themselves and apologize? I should have, maybe. Augustwasa vampire. Their internal clock was all kinds of buggy.
August laughed. “No problem. That’s not even close to the worst thing we’ve experienced.” He and Cy gave each other a look, and I could read a lot of shared experiences in that look, a lot of them scary.
“Guys,” I said, acting on a hunch, “I think you and I will get along just fine.”
Both guys were very vigilant as we walked. “How did his car get stuck?” Cy asked in his ponderous, deep voice. “The mud’s only an inch or so thick.”
I shrugged. “This is Rhys, guys. Anything is possible.”
August—who clearly benefited from the too-beautiful-to-almost-look-at genes that vampires had—gave me a very nosy look. “Are you and he together?”
I wanted to squirm. Vampires and their dumb intuition. “Nope.” I avoided eye contact like I was a suspect in the hot box under interrogation, but I knew August was picking up my change in biochemistry and heart-rate. Seriously, paranormals were theworst!You couldn’t keep your own secrets because they were worse than bloodhounds, picking up every scent and nuance.
