A Tail Like No Other: Book Two
Pixie of Frankenstein
What do you do when your mate is a shape-shifting feline? Well, I don’t know about you, but I emanate extra pixie dust. That’s what I did when I first met Victor Frankenstein. Of course, back then I thought he was going to eat me, but that’s beside the point.
Currently, I’m looking forward to him eating me – in an entirely different way. Alas, I’ve always been somewhat small – I’m a pixie, damn it, don’t laugh. Therefore, he’s ten times my size. Worse, my poor mate is under a curse from an evil witch.
To complete our bond, we have to embark on a quest to defeat her and make me human-sized. I suppose it could be worse. He could be changing into a slug, not a cat. At the very least, his fur makes for nice bedding.
What? Don’t glare at me. I have my priorities in order. I will succeed. After all, I am Larue, pixie of Frankenstein.
Note: This book is written in first-person point of view.
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Fantasy, Shape-shifter
Length: 42,197 words
PIXIE OF FRANKENSTEIN
A Tail Like No Other: Book Two
Scarlet Hyacinth
EVERLASTING CLASSIC
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove
PIXIE OF FRANKENSTEIN
Copyright © 2013 by Scarlet Hyacinth
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-539-3
First E-book Publication: October 2013
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
About the Author
PIXIE OF FRANKENSTEIN
A Tail Like No Other: Book Two
SCARLET HYACINTH
Copyright © 2013
Prologue
If you look in the dictionary under the world pixie, you’ll probably find all sorts of definitions. Well, it depends of the particular tome you’re using, but either way, most folk agree that we’re small, generally mischievous creatures with a fondness for living in secluded forests.
However, pixies are mostly thought of as nice. I am not nice. In fact, I can be sarcastic, bitchy, and outright mean at times. I can’t say it’s made my life hard in any way, or that this side of me hides any particular torment or dark secret. It’s just the way I am, and even the people who don’t like it accept it.
In spite of this, though, I’d always been somewhat of a closet romantic. In my heart, I’ve always dreamed of The One, the perfect mate. The only people who must have guessed this were my friends, Dineiro and Vesper.
But not even they had expected the way my other half ended up appearing in my life. Like most strange tales, it started one dark and stormy night…But no, I’m getting ahead of myself. It started one morning, when, as always, I decided to roam the Laughing Forest in my homeland of Merlinia…
Chapter One:
In Which a Pixie Forages
A few weeks earlier
“Larue! Where are you, Larue?
I sighed as my mother’s irritated voice reached my ears. Scanning the scroll I’d been reading, I made a mental note of the point I’d reached and resigned myself to not being able to finish it until later. It was quite unfortunate, since I enjoyed learning everything I could get my hands on. I’d next to exhausted our village’s library, which was one of the reasons why I enjoyed spending time with my friends. Dineiro might have left his family a long time ago, but he’d learned quite a bit before he had, even if he didn’t always realize it.
In fact, Dineiro was quite useful as a rule, especially since I could hide in his pouch in times of need. Alas, the dragon wasn’t here right now, which left me unprotected and forced to face the wrath of the pixie who’d given me birth.
“Yes, Mother,” I called out as I pocketed the scroll in my tunic. “What is it?”
She flew up to the tree I’d been hiding in and crossed her arms over her chest. “You were supposed to go foraging with your father. Why are you still here?”
I suppressed the urge to wince. In my zeal to finish the scroll, I’d completely forgotten about my promise to help my father gather supplies. I might not have been a very nice guy, but I acknowledged the fact that everyone needed to contribute for the welfare of our village.
“I’m going now,” I promised her, already abandoning my comfortable, leafy nest. “Sorry.”
She huffed, but as always, she couldn’t get mad at me. Instead, she kissed my forehead and slid her hand into my tunic as she did so. I released a yelp of surprise and dismay as she stole my scroll. “Mother!”
“I’ll
place it back in your room,” she replied to my undignified squeak. “You shouldn’t have such a valuable item while roaming in the forest anyway.”
I couldn’t protest to that, so I nodded. “Do be careful, honey,” she added. “I know how you tend to get distracted at times.”
She had a point, but she also knew that I had a great sense of orientation, and would never actually get lost in the Laughing Forest. Even so, I nodded to reassure her. “I will.”
Without further ado, I flew away, already mapping a trajectory in my mind. I snatched a foraging basket from next to our home, balancing it on my arm with the ease of practice. A couple of other pixies waved at me as I passed them by, and I absently greeted them, just barely remembering how to be polite. Some of them had displayed an interest in me ever since I’d come of age, but so far, I’d refused all of their overtures.
I knew the general direction where my father would have headed, so, at first, I decided to follow. However, once the hustle and bustle of our village disappeared into the silence of the forest, I predictably grew more interested in exploring. The chuckles and snickers of the trees made me wonder if they were laughing at my lack of focus or at some existential joke I couldn’t even begin to grasp.
Naturally, these musings didn’t distract me from my purpose. In spite of my mother’s words, I never had failed my village, and didn’t intend to. As I flew around, I found plenty of bushes and picked various fruit that caught my eye. I found that this deep in the forest, there were areas very rich in the resources I sought, far more than in the spots my kind used on a regular basis.
Soon, I found my basket was full, which meant I needed to go back. I couldn’t actually go further anyway, since it had grown quite heavy and it would hinder my progress.
I was just about to head toward my village when a bright glow in the distance caught my eye. Instantly, my naturally curious side perked up. I decided that I could afford a few more minutes to investigate.
Spotting a tree that looked a little more benevolent, I flew to its side and placed the basket in its hollow, murmuring a small plea as I did so. A whispered chuckle came as the arbor agreed to guard my loot while I went gallivanting on my own.
Reassured, I fluttered in the direction of the glow. When I reached my destination, though, my gaze fell on something completely unexpected. A path in all the colors of the rainbow shone just a few feet away from me. Every sense in my body buzzed with its magic, and I recoiled, sending pixie dust flying all over the place.
I knew what it was, of course. The Rainbow Brick Road was legendary. A million stories had been told, all revolving around the fact that it guided people toward their destinies. But then, pixies did like their tales, so at this point, even we had begun to doubt its existence.
I closed my eyes and pinched my arm, wondering if I’d hit my head against a tree branch while flying and was dreaming the whole thing. When I opened them again, though, the glow of the road was still visible. I peeked at it again, in awe at the importance of the moment.
A pixie I might have been, but I didn’t know how to handle such a situation. The path held many potential dangers, and I couldn’t risk stepping on it, not just yet.
Dineiro. I had to talk to Dineiro, as soon as possible. My friend was a fairy dragon, and even if he hadn’t found his affinity yet, he could give me an opinion on what this could mean.
With that in mind, I flew back toward the tree and grabbed my basket, thanking the tree for guarding it. I would take it to the village then meet up with my friends. The three of us could figure it out somehow.
Chapter Two:
In Which a Storm Explodes and a Feline Attacks
That night
Dineiro’s pouch was warm, making me feel safe in spite of our less than ideal circumstances. Alas, my earlier discovery had led us to run into a human slayer, which the dragon seemed to be attracted to. I suspected the slayer, Kirril, might be Dineiro’s mate, and I was happy for my friend. Sadly, because of this meeting, we’d ended up far away from the Laughing Forest, into the Forgotten Steppes.
Now, night had fallen, and we were at the mercy of the spirit hunters. I had to admit I was afraid. Pixies were beings of magic, and we were very vulnerable to such creatures. I trembled in Dineiro’s pouch, feeling small and stupid and helpless. My own powers helped me communicate with nature and defend myself from normal threats if need be, but they wouldn’t be enough this time.
Bunny-shifter Vesper reached for me, his paw gentle on my hand. He was larger than me, and we didn’t always get along, but in fact, we were great friends. “We’re going to be fine,” he whispered. “You’ll see.”
I doubted it a lot. The sun hadn’t set yet, and I couldn’t feel any tension in the air, but I knew it would happen. We were sitting ducks, well, sitting dragon, pixie, bunny, and magical horse. We’d made camp in the middle of the plains, together with the slayer and his mare, Magda, but I very much suspected they wouldn’t be able to help. Sweet Goddess, Kirril hadn’t even known about the spirit hunters’ existence.
At last, darkness started to set in, and I was proven right when the green plains around us disappeared, melting into a barren desert. I tried to bury myself as deep as I could in Dineiro’s pouch, but even it could not protected when the storm exploded around us.
It was…I couldn’t even come up with words to describe it. The chaos suddenly threatening to sweep us away sent wind, hail, thunder, and rain over us. The slayer attempted to hold his ground, but even his bulk couldn’t stop the power of nature, now wielded by the hunters.
I screamed as the wind began to pull Dineiro and Magda up into the air, but my voice was lost within the roar of the storm and the strange laughter around us. To his credit, Kirril abandoned the sword he’d been holding and reached for Magda’s reins and Dineiro’s paw. Sadly, the anger of the tempest was too intense. I tried to hold onto Dineiro, but it was to no avail. Both Vesper and I slid out of his pouch, as if stolen by an invisible hand.
The last thing I registered was the wild storm holding me in a strangely solid grip, and then the exhausting panic plunged me into darkness. I didn’t know how much time passed while I floated in the far more comfortable unconsciousness, but I began to stir when a strange sound reached my ears. It seemed like…a purr?
My eyes shot open, and the first thing I saw were two gold-green eyes looming in front of me. I screamed, and immediately fluttered away. My instincts caused me to emanate more pixie dust which I threw at my foe, all the while glowing brighter to confuse it.
The strange creature sneezed and recoiled slightly, and as we put some distance between the two of us, I realized the culprit behind my scare was a black cat. It looked huge to me, but it was probably a normal size for an animal its breed.
After a few seconds, the feline no longer seemed put out by my attack. It began to leisurely saunter toward me, with that elegant yet somehow threatening gait only a cat could pull off. I decided I wouldn’t let it scare me any longer and shot up straight into the air.
This proved to be a mistake as the cat leapt at me and with a well-aimed blow, sent me falling back on the…floor? No, it wasn’t a floor. Oh, Goddess. The hard surface I landed on seemed covered with a soft, embroidered fabric. There were candles, plates, and glasses somewhere to my right. I was on a table.
Because I’d gone way beyond fear at this point, I melted it into anger. I shot to my feet, hovering just over the table. “I won’t let you eat me,” I shouted at the cat. “And if you try, I’ll give you indigestion.”
That was obviously not a convincing threat in the cat’s eyes. It released a disturbingly human chuckle and grinned, which again, startled me. “You were right, Igor,” he said. “He amuses me.”
Igor? Who in the world was Igor? I got my unwanted reply to that question when a tall shadow loomed over me, practically drowning out what little light I got in this strange place. “Indeed,” Igor said, chuckling. “I daresay our friends truly outdid themselves this time.”
I felt a chill as I remembered what had happened to me and Vesper. “What did you do? Where is Perry? Where are my friends?”
Much to my shame, I couldn’t keep my voice from trembling. I wasn’t only scared for myself, but also for Vesper, Dineiro, and even Magda and Kirril. For whatever reason, my question seemed to snap the feline out of his amusement. “I assure you no harm has come to either of them,” he said almost earnestly. “We don’t mean to hurt you.”
“Uh-huh. I bet.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glowered at the feline. “And you expect me to believe that? You must be crazy.”
The cat stole a look at the tall man. “Igor, would you inquire into the welfare of Larue’s friends?”
As the shadow departed to do the feline’s bidding, I realized three things. The first and blatantly obvious one was that the cat gave the orders around here. This Igor person was only an aid of sorts. The culprit for my predicament remained the so-called animal, obviously a shape-shifter. I actually managed to steal a look at the famous Igor as well, and realized that he was a dark elf. This brought me to the third and strangest thing.
“How do you know my name?” I asked the cat, not even trying to hide my frustration.
“I know many things,” the black cat replied a little smugly.
Naturally, because I hated self-righteousness like that, I threw some pixie dust at him. “An actual reply, please.”
He took a step closer, and this time, I held my ground. Well, my air, since I was still flying, my wings quickly beating behind me and holding me aloft. Oddly enough, as I gazed into those big, hypnotizing eyes once more, I didn’t feel frightened anymore.
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