Drawing attention was the last thing we needed right now.
I folded my arms and regarded the pixie. “What makes you think I’d believe that?”
My roommate wasn’t exactly known for her friendliness. Particularly to other pixies. In fact, I was pretty sure she loathed her kind. Except Lowen. She seemed to tolerate him. As such, I had a hard time believing she would have sent a stranger to me. Not after going to such lengths to keep me out of this.
“Do you think I want to be here, fanger? The mad queen called in a favor and I answered.”
Her expression said she regretted that now.
“Why would Inara send you here?” I asked.
Nyx shrugged, cocking one hip as she struck an arrogant pose. “How would I know what she wants with a fang-head? As far as I knew, she hated your kind even more than I do. She just said to keep an eye on you and alert her if you go near the barrow.”
“That’s it?”
“What else could it be? You’re like ten times my size and a vampire. It’s not like I pose a physical threat to you.”
Funny she should say that because I’d seen exactly what Lowen could do. Killing a vampire included. The boat had sailed on me ever considering a pixie harmless. They were as deadly in their own way as any other spook that I’d ever met.
“I’m not sure how much of this story I should believe,” I said, almost to myself.
Inara had spent a little time educating me about pixies and their role in society. Most of the world considered them little more than sharp toothed nuisances. Pixies went out of their way to cultivate that perception. For a reason.
In simple terms, they were spies. The eyes and ears of powerful Fae sent to infiltrate the territories of equally powerful beings.
It worked too. People underestimated them. Vampires like my sire. Werewolves like Brax.
I had too in the beginning.
“Either way, I can’t allow you to return to whoever sent you,” I continued.
The risk was too great.
She’d already managed to infiltrate the wards I could see scattered all over the house like neon Vegas signs. If she could get in here without setting off any alarms, there was a chance she could show others how to do the same.
“You can’t do that.” Some of Nyx’s arrogance faded. “Inara swore you wouldn’t kill me.”
“And I won’t.”
I had no need to. There were plenty of other methods with which to keep her out of the way.
Anger swarmed the pixie’s expression. Her wings fanned slightly, the lull having dried them enough for flight. “You should have dealt with me when you had a chance.”
She went airborne. Her wings buzzed loudly as she zipped toward the window and freedom.
“Alches.”
A disgruntled huff came from my realm guardian. A tentacle unfurled, snapping out to wrap around the pixie. It retracted into a gaping maw.
Alches’s jaw clicked shut.
thirteen
“Don’t kill her,” Iordered, rising from the bed. “In fact.” I grabbed a glass jar that was filled with various odds and ends. Dumping out what was inside. I held it out to Alches. “Put her in here.”
He spat the pixie into the jar.
She was quick to try to escape. I was quicker, slamming the lid into place and trapping her.
