2. Sedrick
Sedrick
“T his is bullshit, Ray.” I paced the kitchen. My nephew, Dillon, was outside somewhere, hopefully not getting lost in the weed-infested garden. My niece, Ruthie, was by his side, a place she seldom left.
“I know, Sed, but it is what it is. Arie Belview isn’t going to give the kids up without a fight.
Dillon’s already presented as an alpha. Ruthie may well be one too.
Besides, there’s too much money attached to their heels, and you know it.
He will be a pain in your ass until he has his day in court and maybe even after that. ”
Ray was right. I knew he was right. I hated that he was right.
“His own daughter didn’t want him to have a damn thing to do with her kids. I can’t imagine the courts willingly giving them to Arie considering that.”
Kelsie had fought her family too. She’d mated my brother, William, and left her sadistic relatives in the dust. William had threatened to fight Arie and anyone from her family who came after them. A threat from William was no joke. A threat from me wasn’t either.
“Believe me, I get it, and yes, the courts have considered it. So far, they are upholding the will. That’s why you’ve got custody.
But Arie filed a countersuit, and soon, you’ll have to go to court to defend what your brother and sister-in-law wanted.
You’re a good uncle, but you’ve got this sprawling place all to yourself.
Dillon’s seven and Ruthie’s five. How on earth do you plan to take care of them and work without someone to help? ”
Again, Ray wasn’t wrong. That’s why I hired him. Fairies were damn good lawyers. They were so good that few other species took up the profession. A fairy could out-talk and out-maneuver at every turn. It took a fairy to beat a fairy.
I stopped pacing long enough to grip the countertop.
My claws had slipped out somewhere along the way.
I usually had better control of my wolf than that.
When I glanced up, I saw Dillon sitting on a rock outside the garden.
I’d sent the boy out to play, but he was just sitting there.
Who could blame him? Losing your parents when you were just a child?
That shit sucked. It also sucked losing a brother.
William and I hadn’t been close since we were children.
Truth be told, we’d barely spoken to each other since he mated Kelsie.
I hadn’t agreed with the mating. Her family was ruthless.
Every were knew that. William tried to assure me Kelsie wasn’t the same.
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him; I just didn’t want him to get involved with her family.
I wasn’t wrong. William and I might not have spoken a lot, but I knew enough to know Kelsie’s family had been exactly what I’d feared.
And now, here I was, battling an enemy I’d never wanted to take on. Ray insisted I needed to hire a home-and-hearth pixie to fight that battle.
A fucking pixie . I ran a hand over my stubbled cheek. I hadn’t bothered to shave in more than a week.
“Pixies aren’t bad, Sedrick. My sister’s got one that takes care of her garden. She likes the little fella. He does a great job, and—”
“That’s just it. They’re tiny, Ray.” I might not especially like pixies, but I wasn’t prejudiced against them either.
I was worried. Werewolf children were rough-and-tumble.
They growled, clawed, and maimed their way into adulthood.
At least, that was my experience when Will and I were growing up.
We were rough on our parents and each other.
Pixies were small, delicate creatures. Hell, the kids could shred their tiny wings.
“Pixies are tougher than they look,” Ray tried to reassure me. “Quick too.”
I blew out a breath that sounded more like a belch.
My eyes wandered around the kitchen. Dirty plates were strewn across nearly every surface.
And it wasn’t just the plates that were dirty—the whole kitchen, living room, bathrooms, bedrooms .
. . Hell, the whole house was a mess. Since the kids had moved in, there was dirty laundry everywhere.
And the garden . . . gods only knew what Dillon and Ruthie might discover out there.
I wasn’t even sure if it was safe. For all I knew, gnomes had taken over and set up house.
Ray moved closer. Fairies were fearless like that. They had enough mojo that they didn’t need to fear any of us. It was another reason they mitigated the law.
Fingers gently resting on my shoulder, Ray softly cajoled, “Pixies are the best at what they do, and to fight Dillon and Ruthie’s grandfather, you need the best. A judge will look favorably on a pixie. You know I’m right.”
I knew. That didn’t mean I liked it.
“Okay,” I agreed with a nod. “Where do I find a home-and-hearth pixie?”
Ray backed away and opened the satchel he’d brought with him. “I took the liberty of jotting down a few contacts.”
“Great,” I grumbled before saying what I should have. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Sed. I’m in your corner. I don’t like the Belviews any more than you do, probably less. They aren’t getting your kids.”
My kids . That’s what Dillon and Ruthie were now. My kids.
* * *
I stared up at Martin’s Boarding House. It was the second to last one on the list Ray had given me.
So far, I’d struck out at all the other places.
As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one concerned about a pixie’s welfare in my home.
I’d interviewed a couple of candidates. Each and every one had gone flying for the hills when they found out where I lived and what I needed.
As I said, were children didn’t have the best reputation.
Martin’s Boarding House wasn’t fancy, but it was clean. Remarkably clean. It wasn’t in the nicer part of town—sort of bordering the wealthier districts and the slums. Caught in between, you could tell finances weren’t great, but it was well-maintained.
I walked up the steps. Some cracked bricks had been mortared together and still held up well.
The door was old, solid oak. It had been painted recently and looked like it could withstand the next hundred years.
The doorbell sounded like tinkling chimes and grated my nerves.
It was most likely supposed to be soothing.
Given my irritation, I just found it annoying.
I didn’t hear footsteps, but the door opened.
A pixie floated on the other side, her lavender wings little more than a blur.
Soft pixie dust fluttered out and disappeared before it hit the floor.
It wasn’t enough to make me sneeze, but it would affect me if I had to be in a closed-in room with her for long.
“My name’s Posey. May I help you?” Posey looked like damn near every other pixie I’d seen that day. They varied in hair and wing color shades, but they were all petite, lithe creatures that seemed to float on the breeze. That very same breeze appeared capable of blowing them away.
“I’m here with a job offer. May I come in?” I offered my best smile, which Ray told me looked more like a grimace.
“A job offer?” Posey’s wings fluttered a little faster, and a bright smile lit her face. “Please, come in. I’ll take you to Mr. Buttons. You can discuss things further with him.”
I felt the change when I passed through the door.
The breath was nearly knocked out of me, and I stared wide-eyed at Posey’s fluttering wings.
Following, I realized Posey was the keeper of this boarding house.
And not just its keeper but its patron as well.
She protected it. That was why the building looked as pristine as it did.
There was no greater force or protection than a home-and-hearth pixie that had claimed a space as theirs.
Posey was decked out in layers of nearly see-through shades of dark purple and lavender fabrics that flowed around her like water.
I’d seen enough pixies today to realize their choice of clothing was universal.
The fabric looked like it would tear with the slightest provocation.
I couldn’t imagine it holding up against my niece’s or nephew’s claws.
“Right this way, Mr. . . .”
“Voss,” I filled in. “But please call me Sedrick. Sed for short.”
Posey stopped, hovering in the air. Her wings fluttered, but their speed was calm, a reflection of the pixie. “If it suits you, I’ll call you Sedrick. It’s a lovely name.”
I flushed at the compliment. It was silly. It’s not as if I’d named myself. “I suppose my parents deserve the credit for that.”
Posey’s smile grew so large her eyes scrunched closed. Her laughter was light, like tinkling bells. I’d heard a few other versions of the same laughter today and knew it could easily go just the wrong side of grating. Posey’s mirth was soothing instead of irritating.
“We’re almost there, Sedrick.” Posey flew ahead of me but kept pace with my footfalls.
Mr. Buttons’s office was down a few halls and on the first floor. So far, the layout of Martin’s Boarding House was similar to the others I’d had the misfortune of visiting today.
Posey softly knocked but didn’t wait for an answer before the door swung open of its own accord. “Mr. Buttons,” Posey said just as soft and lilting now as when she’d greeted me.
“Yes, Posey.” Mr. Buttons’s voice didn’t sound very pixie-ish.
Posey moved into the room, and I followed. “Mr. Sedrick Voss is here, and he has a potential job opportunity for one of our residents.”
Mr. Buttons rose from his seat, which did little to increase his height. Brownies were like that—short, squat, and no-nonsense.
“Mr. Voss, it’s nice to meet you.” Mr. Buttons came around his desk and held his hand out.
I had to bend over considerably to meet that diminutive hand.
I let him grasp a few of my fingers and figured that passed well enough for a handshake.
Despite our significant difference in size, Mr. Buttons didn’t seem intimidated in the least. Brownies might be small, but they had a wealth of magic packed inside those wee forms. There was a reason Mr. Buttons was so confident, and I wasn’t foolish enough to take his ease for na?vety.
I probably would have reacted differently when I was younger and far more stupid.
“Please, call me Sedrick,” I offered.
“Marty.” Mr. Buttons gave me a wide grin before moving back toward his desk.
Pulling himself up into his chair, Marty Buttons scooted forward and pointed to a chair opposite.
Posey still fluttered over my shoulder and moved with me when I made to sit.
“So, you’ve come here with an employment offer, is that right? ”
“I’m in need of a home-and-hearth pixie,” I answered for the third time that day. I had little expectation this time would be any different from my last two wasted trips.
“Excellent. We have quite a few in residence. Perhaps you could tell me a little more regarding your specific needs.”
With a deep inhale, I rattled off an abbreviated version of my situation, conveniently leaving out the part about my niece and nephew’s sadistic maternal branch of the family.
Marty attentively listened, giving a nod here and there, a downturn of his thin lips, and a raised eyebrow at the more pointed parts of my tale.
Expectations low, I finished on a grumble.
Werewolves weren’t known for their patience, and mine was stretched thin.
Desperation clung to my words, and I hated the feeling.
As much as I loathed to admit it, I needed help, and not just to look good when the trial inevitably came.
I didn’t have the time or skills to dedicate to Dillon and Ruthie, not the way they deserved.
If my brother weren’t already dead, I’d kill him myself, thus defeating the purpose of why I wanted to do him bodily harm.
Love wasn’t the problem. I adored Dillon and Ruthie. I just didn’t have a clue what to do with them—how to raise them and keep my business afloat.
When I finished, Marty leaned back, steepling his fingers. Eyes scrunched, he tapped a yellowed fingernail against his lips.
“Posey.”
“Yes, Mr. Buttons.” Posey fluttered closer. I noted an increased amount of pixie dust in the air. It still wasn’t enough to make me sneeze, but something had riled up Posey.
Marty grinned, showing off needle-sharp teeth. “I believe we might have someone that could suit Sedrick’s needs. Is Phil in?”
“Oh, yes. He’s in his room.” Posey’s voice trembled and fluttered in time with her wings.
“Could you please bring him to my office?”
Posey squealed something I couldn’t understand and wasn’t even sure was a word. She darted out the door and was gone in a haze of sparkly purple pixie dust. This time, I sneezed.
“Sorry about that,” Marty apologized. “As patron of Martin Boarding House, Posey easily gets attached to some of our more . . . unique boarders.”
I twisted in my chair. “And this . . . Phil?” I questioned because that didn’t sound like any other pixie name I’d heard. “Is unique? Is he even a home-and-hearth pixie?”
Marty’s grin widened further. “Oh, most certainly—on both accounts.” His nails clicked together as he tapped his fingers.
“I think the two of you will suit just fine.” Something about that grin pricked a spike of unease in the back of my brain.
My instincts warred with each other. One part told me to run; the other was far too curious to obey.
Curiosity not only killed the cat but got the werewolf into trouble too.