Page 16 of Pixie Problems
“Have they found the shooter yet?”
The gargoyle slumped, looking dejected. “No,” he said in a deep, gravelly voice. “Master Leto has an army under his command, yet we can’t find a trace of the being that keeps stalking them.” Oh, they were talking about Mia and the supernatural that was after her. Well, I guess everyone assumed it was just one person, but it could have been more than one. I think the security at the Leto villa were afraid it was more than one. I’d heard that a lot of those that worked for Draven Leto were ex-military, and they didn’t mess around. If they were having a hard time finding the person, it was because the assailant was nearly invisible.
Rhys sighed, looking sad again. “It’s okay big guy. You guys will find them.” He patted the gargoyle’s thick shoulder and went back to his other customers, while I tried to make it look like I’d been minding my own business and not eavesdropping.
I felt bad for the puppy. I knew what it felt like to be hunted and let me just say that it isnot fun.I hadn’t been harmed yet, but Mia had. I winced. I needed to go see her again.
On a more personal note, what did it say of the town that I’d chosen to find sanctuary in that they couldn’t find the person going after Mia?
I knew I was about to make a bad decision, but I was suddenly too freaked out to care. I grabbed Rhys’s hand and dragged him through theEmployee’s Onlydoor to the sound of the people at the bar complaining about the loss of their servers. I ignored them.
Rhys’ eyes were glowing mulberry and gold, and I dropped his hand and moved back a few steps, giving him some space. “Rhys, you told me this town can protect me. But they can’t even protect the puppy! Should I leave Moonhaven and go somewhere else?”
Rhys’s mouth tightened, and his purple eyes blazed. “Theywillprotect you. I don’t know what your old town was like, but Moonhaven Cove is full of supernaturals. Not all of them will step in if something is happening to someone, but a lot of themwillbecause they’re genuinely decent people.
“Not to mention Finn is one of the best sheriff’s this town has ever had. He used to be Special Ops in the Army, so he’s seen his share of this kind of thing. Whoever is after Mia and Draven is a professional. As a matter of fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think they were a ghost. They get in, precisely strike, and get out, before anyone notices. And even the best trackers can’t find them. That’s a lot different from a pack of coyotes who can’t string two intelligent sentences together.”
He moved closer, getting into my space, but I lifted my chin—which made it easier to see eye-to-eye with him because he was a lot taller than I was—and didn’t back down. “And I suggest,” he leaned in closer, speaking into the shell of my ear, his voice lowered to a husky whisper that made my stomach tighten and made my whole body shiver, “that you keep your adorable nose out of my business.”
I blinked, and he was gone.
So, yeah, it was probably a bad idea to antagonize the really powerful star elf . . . but I was kinda freaked out! I was trusting that this town would have my back, and for me, I didn’t trust very well. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I could do this. I already had a friend or three, and I was actually starting to like the town. I’d gotten away from the Circle P and my grandparents which had gotten Hux and his pack away from them. That alone made me a lot happier and took the pressure off. Except, now I was alone. I didn’t have my dogs, or my grandparents, or the ranch hands that I’d grown up around and who had taught me so much about life around to help me. It was just me. To be honest, it was a little lonely.
I scowled at that thought, and then sighed. My gaze went to Rhys, and he turned and looked at me. Something passed between us, but I turned away, muttering under my breath at myself. I was not interested in beingthatpixie. The one that fell for a star elf. And besides, I had a coyote pack after me, and an apothecary shop to build capital for. I didn’t have time for romance.
I went back to work, giving Rhys a ton of space because he still glowed with his silvery, dangerous magic. I refused to think about the fact that his magic called to me in a way I hadn’t ever experienced before.
After we cleared the crowd, he bought me a lemon-lime soda—clearly knowing I needed the buzz—and asked one of the waitresses to take over the bar while we went to sit at a table.
The lights in the club were dimmed a little, and the shadows from the candle flickered along the table and the silver scruff along his jaw as we looked at each other, not knowing what to say after our heated words earlier. I swallowed my pride. I did really like this job better than The Tea Hobbit, and I refused to work with Falista anymore. She was way too high strung. Flirty, powerful star elves I could deal with. Pixies whose shrieks hit a high enough register to get the whole town’s dogs barking I could not.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped.”
Rhys ran his hands through his silver hair, mussing it every which way. It was a good look for him. His purple eyes turned glossy for a moment, and then he straightened. “Mia is my best friend. She’s relatively new here, as she told you, and she’s been through a lot since she came. Her car’s been bombed, and she’s been shot at. And all of this is new to her. She didn’t even know she was a paranormal until she saw Draven’s ad in the paper.” His lips twitched. “Puppy really suits her, though.”
I smiled, then drew in a breath, trying to get what I wanted straight in my head before I spoke. “I guess I was thinking . . . if they’re having trouble findingherattacker, they might have the same trouble with Hux’s pack.” I forestalled his next words with a raised palm. “But I see now that they are very different things. Puppy doesn’t have a stalker, she has an assassin. You’re right. Those are in different leagues. I can see how the one would be harder to nail than the other.”
Rhys nodded tentatively. “But?”
I sighed. “But it’s hard to trust right now. Especially with people I’m unfamiliar with. I like Finn. He’s good people. I also liked puppy and Draven.” I smirked. “The rest of you crazies I’m unsure of still.”
Rhys waggled his eyebrows. “That’s not how I hear it.”
The bottom dropped out of my stomach.Oh no. He’d heard already.
“I heard you rescued one of Moonhaven Cove’s very own this afternoon.” He leaned in and his voice dipped low. I tried not to shiver. “I also heard that you have very colorful wings that sparkle.”
I groaned and buried my head on my folded arms on the tabletop.
It turned out I would have to murder my new roommate after all.
Rhys laughed. “It's not so bad. People respect a girl that can ride a motorcycle, pull glass shards out of someone, and rescue a quarter leprechaun from getting shot at by a bunch of illegal smugglers.”
“It sounds so dramatic when you say it like that,” I mumbled into the table, and he laughed.
“Come on. We should get back to work. The customers are getting restless, and Trista doesn’t have a lot of bartending experience.” We’d left the woman who was ringing up the drinks to tend the rest of the bar and it looked like she was overwhelmed as people called out orders to her. She had six drinks lined up on the bar, and she was adding different liquids into each glass like she was an eight-handed octopus.
I sighed as I raised my head. “Okay, but can we please keep the drama and flirting to a minimum?”
