With a dreamy look on his face, he licked his lips and replied, “It’s obvious that she’s beautiful, but her blood is unlike anything that I’ve ever tasted and it triggered feelings that I’ve never experienced before.” After a deep sigh and with eyes unfocused, he added, “She’s absolutely irresistible.”
*~*~*~*
To Styx’s surprise, he found Cassandra in the tavern’s office standing next to a large fireplace as if she was waiting for them to arrive. After chanting a quick spell, the firewood next to her burst into flames. When she saw Nikki jump in surprise, she said, “Forgive me for startling you. I assumed you prefer it warm, right?”
Nikki nodded and Cassandra motioned for her to come forward and take her place. When she saw Nikki’s bite mark on her neck, she said, “I’m so sorry that my awful godson did that to you. May I offer my assistance in fixing your wound?”
Nikki shook her head and said, “I can heal it on my own.” She walked over and, as soon as she felt the flames tickle her skin, she couldn’t stop her body from wriggling in dance-like movements against the projected heat. The room filled with gentle, high pitched sounds resembling a combination of wind chimes and birds, while the air filled with sparkling glitter. Nikki covered her mouth and forced her body to freeze. With her wound now healed, she said with embarrassment, “I’m sorry. I have a difficult time controlling my body’s responses when in my natural form.”
Bee waved off her concerns and said, “Don’t apologize. When I was much younger and a whole lot thinner, I used to dance around the campfire all of the time. The sounds and movements you make are beautiful and, obviously, they’re a part of who you are. Never be afraid to be you around any of us.”
While Nikki went back to enjoying the heat, her spots slowly swirled to a calming pale blue. She took a moment to examine her surroundings that, with the large fire a blaze, gave the room a warm and inviting feeling. Instead of standard construction, the theme from the tavern carried over into this room and it resembled the inside of an old world thatch hut. Based on the large wooden desk and filing cabinets, Nikki guessed that it was used as the tavern’s office, but the drying herbs, bottles, and other items hanging from the ceiling or sitting on shelves told her that the room served other purposes as well.
Styx regained Nikki’s focus when he said, “I suspected that you were somehow connected with Fairies when you ordered a drink that only their kind love but, I have to admit, having a Pixie in this room truly shocks me.” He turned to Cassandra and, seeing the lack of surprise in her expression, he asked, “You knew, didn’t you?”
Cassandra replied, “I suspected, but I honestly didn’t believe it myself until I saw her true form emerge.” She looked over at Nikki and said, “By the way, this look is so much better than that Human costume. You’re stunning.”
When Bee seconded her thought, Nikki replied, “What I am is irresistible, and I don’t mean that in a good way. You saw the way the blood drinkers in the crowd reacted to the real me—especially the Vampires. I’m like a fix for a desperate drug addict. To live in the magical world, I’m forced to hide in the shadows or lethally defend myself, always watching my back. And I hate hurting any creature for any reason.”
Cassandra asked, “Why didn’t you disappear to someplace safe? It took me most of my life to be able to hone my magic enough to appear and disappear, and I still have to concentrate exceptionally hard to make it work. But I know that your kind are a powerful force and dematerializing at will is a natural ability.”
Nikki hated to acknowledge the realities of her situation, but she needed someone to understand. She said, “Styx was absolutely correct when he said that I’m unique. It’s true even among Pixies. Not only am I blue, I have these ridiculous spots that televise my mood like I’m a giant mood ring and I poof Pixie dust like a party favor. Worst of all, I’m trapped in my physical form.”
Bee asked, “You can’t dematerialize?”
Nikki shook her head and asked a question in return, “Can you imagine walking around the world looking like I do right now? All of you look Human enough that you could fake your way through their world, but I could only go out on a dark Halloween night.”
Bee walked over to her and, taking her hand, she asked, “I’m assuming that there are more of your people. Can’t they hide and protect you?”
Nikki let out a loud laugh without humor. “Instead of protecting me, they need to be protected from me. With my unique characteristics, I know that I’m not pure Pixie; I’m a defect. Although the villagers were kind and tolerated me, I was a burden on their Pixie life style.”
Styx asked, “How did you end up here, living in the Human world looking like one of their own?”
“Every once in a while, my kind would let other magical creatures touch our world. The visitors were mainly from the witch and warlock community. During one of these visits, I’m assuming that I was conceived. Although my mother never told me who my father was, my unique skills lead me to believe that he was a warlock. As I grew up and my presence within the village caused things to go terribly wrong, I convinced a visiting warlock to secretly help me. Working together, he taught me how to focus my magic to create an alternative appearance. After working day and night to perfect my look, I found my own way to disappear. When I was ready to venture out on my own, I said goodbye to my old world. That was ten years ago and I haven’t gone back. Although it’s been very hard and I’ve been forced to flee many cities after accidently exposing my true self, I refuse to give up. I had hoped that coming here to San Francisco would be the place that was going to work. This city embraces those that are different and I thought I would fit in. I was even able to make a true friend. But, now that my secret has been revealed—to Vampires of all creatures—I guess it’s time to move on again.”
Styx replied, “I sympathize with your situation, but you don’t belong in a Human world and running isn’t the answer either. There must be a way to make this work without forcing who you are into the dark.”
Nikki wished he was right, but she didn’t see any way to make it work.
*~*~*~*
As they continued to talk to Nikki, in the main part of the tavern Devin kept staring at the office door that hid the one he couldn’t force out of his mind. Although others tried to talk to him, he heard nothing and an inner panic continued to grow inside him. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but he needed to see the Pixie. When he could handle it no more, he ignored his table-mates’ warnings and approached Grippin and the branch bars that blocked the entrance to the office.
Devin stared up at the massive man and said, “Please let me pass.”
Grippin stood firm, ignoring the request.
Devin tried again. “I just want to apologize.”
He got a low, menacing growl as a response. When others decided to attempt to help Devin in his goal, the crowd became overly excited. They also wanted to see the Pixie again and were willing to fight for the privilege.
*~*~*~*
Styx turned toward the door and, hearing the growing rumble of the crowd, he asked, “What’s going on out there? I need to take care of this before they rip my tavern apart again.” He turned to Bee and asked, “Can you find Nikki a place to hide, just in case?”
Bee guided Nikki into a small bedroom and said, “Stay here until I come for you. Lock the door behind me.” She then turned and left the room. Once Bee was back in the office, Styx opened the office door.
They found Devin dangling upside down from one of Switch’s vines, insisting that he needed to see Nikki. Cassandra shook her head in disgust and said, “Serves you right.” After watching him squirm for several minutes, she said sweetly to Switch, “My dear friend, would you be so kind to let him go so that I can have my turn?”
Switch gave Devin one last shake, making his captive gasp, and then released him. With a bang, he hit the floor in a crumpled heap.
While Cassandra scolded her godson, Styx and Bee tried to tame the chaos. Nikki heard the
growing roar from the crowd and she hunted for an alternative way out. Finding nowhere to run, she wielded her camouflage magic, but this time adjusted her appearance so that she didn’t look like the Human Nikki either. She became a blonde haired woman that resembled a shorter and less flashy version of her Human friend Jackie, right down to the overly tanned skin. She threw on a cloak from Styx’s closet and walked to the bedroom door, opened it a crack, and peeked out. After several people forced their way into the office, including a rather distraught looking Devin, Nikki slipped into the crowd. Although she wanted to say thank you to Bee, Styx, and Cassandra for their kindness, she knew she would never get out if she made her presence known. Instead she blended into the chaos and left the room.
Once she spotted a gap leading to the tavern’s exit, she raced to her escape. She prayed that her car would start. After several tries, Nikki took in a deep calming breath and whispered to Lady Bug as she caressed her steering wheel, “Please sweetie. I’ve done enough damage for tonight. Start so that you can take me home.”
As if hearing the pain in her voice, Lady Bug’s engine finally turned over and the tires screeched as Nikki sped away into the darkness.
With Nikki gone, the air within the tavern quickly cleared of her unusual magic and, with it, the heightened emotions suddenly began to wane. While Styx forced everyone back into their seats, Devin continued to hunt through the back room. Not finding the one he was desperate to see, he raced from the office and asked in a panic, “Where is she?”
Bee looked into Styx’s bedroom and, after confirming her fears, she returned and announced, “She’s gone.”
Chapter 5:
Love the One You’re With
Nikki managed to find her way back to the main road and across the bay. As she headed toward her apartment in an older part of Berkeley, her mind swirled with conflicting emotions. Should she go home and pack to start again in a new city, as she had done so many times that she had lost count? She couldn’t head back to the Pixies with her wings between her legs, because they would’ve moved the village several times by now and she had no idea how to find them.
She stared out the car windows at the lights of the city. If her heart didn’t hurt enough, another pain stabbed her when she realized that she had quickly grown to love the city around her. She loved wandering around the many bookstores on Telegraph Avenue and picking obscure music at Rasputin’s music store. When she glanced down at the deeply tan skin on her hand, a third option flashed in her mind. The city was large and very diverse. Maybe she could stay if she created a whole new Human persona and started over, but the Vampires now knew of her existence and would hunt her down. If they found her, no Human disguise would protect her.
By the time she walked into her one room apartment, she wasn’t any closer to answering her questions than when she ran out of Mistyx. After tossing her keys on top of a box and Styx’s cloak over the back of the chair, she put her Human form to rest and let her true nature emerge. After stretching out her wings, she felt something extremely soft rub against her ankles.
She looked down and said with sadness in her voice, “Hi Cupcake.”
The small cat jumped into Nikki’s arms and, while purring loudly, rubbed her furry face on her friend’s cheek lovingly. Nikki kissed her cold nose and said, “Thanks. I love you too.” Cupcake’s affection had the ability to make Nikki smile no matter how bad her day had been. As she carried her toward the bathroom, she scratched her behind the ears and said, “I had quite a night and I fear that we may have to move again, but not tonight. Right now I want a hot shower and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Although Cupcake licked Nikki’s hand in sympathy, she wouldn’t complain about moving out of the place they currently called home. It was very cheap, which was Nikki’s primary requirement. Since she refused to use her magic for personal gain, she had very little money and, given her situation, she couldn’t take on a Human roommate without exposing her secret.
The one room studio apartment they lived in was a converted storage room and provided the fundamentals she required—a mattress on the floor for a bed, a clothes line strung across the wall for her limited wardrobe, and a small refrigerator, stove, and sink formed a kitchen. It also had a closet sized bathroom and hot, running water. The other reason she rented it was, although there were gaps around the window sill, it had a perfect view of a small park located next to the building.
While Nikki showered, Cupcake sat on the counter and listened as her roommate replayed every minute of her eventful night. Nikki appreciated that Cupcake growled and hissed at all of the right times in the story. Once out of the water, Nikki grabbed her favorite Hello Kitty pajamas that she had purchased several cities back when she tried fitting in as a commuting college student. She had to leave campus abruptly when her camouflage slipped.
As Nikki stepped into the black shorts covered in the white cartoon cat character, the familiar cotton brought back fond memories of her brief time living a carefree college life. After she tied on the matching halter top whose design left her back open so that her wings didn’t have to fight for space, she turned to Cupcake and said, “Worst part of tonight was that, no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get the face of that asshole Vampire who bit me out of my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I hate him and I’m thrilled to have survived the experience, but it’s like his fangs are still latched on to my thoughts and refuse to release me.”
Cupcake growled menacingly and swiped her paw in the air with her claws fully extended. Nikki chuckled and said, “Agreed.”
After Nikki folded in her wings and crawled into bed, Cupcake took her normal sleeping spot—curled on Nikki’s upper chest with her face tucked against Nikki’s neck, while purring gently. After lying in bed for several minutes with Devin desperately calling to her in her thoughts, Nikki whispered, “Turn your motor up, please.”
Cupcake’s soft sounds quickly grew in volume until Nikki’s body vibrated. Nikki closed her eyes and concentrated with all her might on the sound in an attempt to drown out any other thoughts.
*~*~*~*
Back at Mistyx, Devin was pacing like a caged animal within Styx’s office, muttering Nikki’s name over and over. Styx turned to Cassandra and asked, “Is Devin’s behavior caused by whatever spell you put on him earlier?”
“I fear it might be. He must be feeling the pain being projected subconsciously by Nikki. The spell only lasts a day or two, so if we give him enough time and with Nikki’s continued absence, Devin should slowly return to normal. Although I hate to see him this way, I hope he learns something from this.”
Although many tried, no one seemed to be able to get through to Devin, so his friends ended up guarding the doors to prevent him from racing out to find the object of his obsession. They all knew that he wasn’t in his right mind and, odds were, if he got out he would end up getting himself trapped in the open as the sun rose.
*~*~*~*
Much to Cupcake’s displeasure, Nikki slept extremely restlessly. She had non-stop dreams about Mistyx and Devin, both begging for her return. As her thoughts swirled with confusion, her mind blended Devin into her recurring shifter nightmare. When she cried out to Devin to save her instead of the village protectors, her scream tore her from her sleep. She shot up in bed and, with her body shaking in fear, she frantically scanned the bedroom looking for the one she needed more than air to breathe.
She yelled into the darkness, “Devin!”
*~*~*~*
At the same time, Devin suddenly stopped pacing, whipped his face toward the tavern entrance, and yelled, “Nikki!”
As Devin fought to get out the door, Grippin jumped in again. He slammed the Vampire to the floor and a branch pinned him to the ground to prevent him from hurting anyone in his flight for freedom. Once he was subdued, Blade forced him to go back into the office where Grippin took his place as guard at the office door. This time he was preventing Devin from getting out instead of in.
*~*~*~*
In a blink of an eye, Nikki found herself slamming on the brakes and screeching to a stop in front of Mistyx. She didn’t recall a single second of the trip, but there was no time to dwell on the mystery. She had yet to reach her true target.
The cat dug in her claws to hold on as Nikki jumped out of the car and raced into the tavern. As soon as she entered, she slid to a stop. Cupcake crawled back over to her shoulder and peeked out to see where they were. While Nikki panted so hard that she was about to pass out, she scanned those assembled in front of her.
Those remaining in the room were stunned silent as they stared at the one standing in her overly revealing pajamas and matching fuzzy cat slippers. The outfit was framed by her Pixie deep purple hair, extended wings, and a cat perched on her shoulder like a pirate’s parrot.
As Cupcake hissed protectively at the gawkers, Nikki called in desperation, “Devin!”
In the office, Devin heard a familiar voice and, in an unexpected burst of strength, he pushed through Blade and Grippin to race out the office door. As soon as Nikki and Devin made eye contact, Nikki’s wings fluttered excitedly. She shot herself across the room and slammed against his chest, knocking him into the wall behind him. She wrapped herself around him and, as their bodies touched, both their pulses and panic started to calm. By the time Styx joined them, the odd couple’s minds had returned to them. Realizing what they were doing, they peeled themselves apart.
Mistyx Sonata (Mistyx Series Book 1) Page 5