24. Phil #2
A single, dark green eyebrow raised, and his nearly black eyes raked up and down my body. It was a calculated perusal, not a bit sexual. In fact, his barely contained smirk told me everything I needed to know about what he thought of me. I’d seen that look in more exaggerated terms far too often.
“Phil, I presume?” His voice was as smooth as his appearance.
Dillon didn’t like the fact he knew my name, and his growl went up an octave.
Without taking my eyes off the fairy, I reached back and placed what I hoped was a calming hand on Dillon’s shoulder.
“Yes. And you are?”
“Forgive me. Few things surprise me, Phil, and despite being forewarned, your . . . appearance did just that. I’m afraid I forgot my manners.
” He held up his hand for a traditional human shake.
Rude as it was, I didn’t reciprocate. Our guest didn’t act surprised.
He dropped his hand and said, “My name is Hamish McIntyre. I’m Mr. Arie Belview’s attorney. ”
“Go away,” Dillon yelled. My attempts to keep him back hadn’t worked, and he came up even with my leg, wiggling to try to get in front of me. “We don’t want anything to do with you,” Dillon followed up, as if yelling at someone to go away wasn’t motivation enough.
Mr. McIntyre barely spared Dillon a glance, and that brief moment was more condescension than irritation. “Yes, well, be that as it may, I’m afraid I can’t do that. Your grandfather has gotten word that there is a gnome problem and—”
“That problem has been solved,” I hastily interrupted.
I didn’t like that Hamish was here, especially with Sedrick gone.
Sedrick had given precise instructions that no one was allowed around Ruthie or Dillon without his say, and this fairy was more than qualified.
Later, I’d chastise myself for not looking to see who was at the door before I opened it.
“Yes, so I’ve just heard from Mr. Voss,” Hamish answered.
“If that’s the case, then I don’t see what business you have here.”
He knew we were home alone if he’d just spoken with Sedrick. I couldn’t imagine Sedrick had given Hamish permission to come onto his property without him here. Sedrick hadn’t called, and there was no message from him to expect a visitor .
Hamish stared at me like I was a child. “You can hardly expect me to take Mr. Voss’s word for it, can you?”
Dillon chuffed and squirmed against my hold. I had no idea where Ruthie was and could only hope she was tucked away behind us.
“Yes, actually, that’s exactly what I expect you to do,” I answered easily. “And if you don’t believe him, then you can contact Mr. Gladstone at Good Riddance Gnome Exterminators for verification.”
Hamish grinned, showing the very tips of his pointed teeth. It was rude fairy behavior, and I took it for the slight it meant. “Nothing like seeing for yourself, though, is there?” Hamish looked around the outside of the house.
Besides the garden in the back, Sedrick’s home was immaculate inside and out. I’d made sure of that and wouldn’t let this fairy intimidate me or make me feel inadequate. I was an excellent home-and-hearth pixie.
Unlike me, Hamish would be an excellent card player.
But the fact his expression was blank told more than he wanted.
Hamish couldn’t find fault with Sedrick’s home either, and I got the distinct impression he was well and truly trying to find any little scrap of imperfection he could take back to Arie Belview.
There was no way I would allow Hamish McIntyre into the backyard to see the mess the exterminators had left in the garden.
“I assume it’s around back?” Hamish took a step away from the house. “Should I walk around, or would you be so kind as to allow me to go through the house and into the backyard?”
I gripped Dillon harder. “As to the first question, the garden is out back. As to the second, you may not go through the house to get there. As to a question you should have asked, you may not go around the house to see the garden either. This is private property, and Mr. Voss hasn’t told me that you have permission to be here.
If you want to contact him and schedule a time when Sedrick is on the property, that is up to you, but until then, I agree with Dillon. We’d like you to leave.”
Hamish grinned, showing more teeth. My hackles rose, and despite the ache in my damaged wing, they fluttered, and pixie dust swirled through the air. “Really? And how do you propose to stop me?” He had the audacity to laugh.
Dillon lost his internal struggle, and within the blink of an eye, he transformed into a wolf and slipped through my grasp. As soon as his four paws hit the ground, Dillon lunged. Hamish’s grin turned into a full-blown smile filled with anticipation. Panic seized me, and I screamed, “No!”
The shutters suddenly slammed into place, sealing up the house, the door behind us the only way inside.
Dillon stopped, four legs braced far apart, ready to spring forward at the slightest provocation.
I knelt on the ground beside him and wrapped an arm around his neck.
I’d felt Dillon’s teeth before and didn’t care to feel them again.
That didn’t stop me from trying to protect him.
The feral grin lighting Hamish’s face vanished.
For the briefest moment, shock took its place, but that was quickly replaced by his blank facade.
Hamish’s gaze focused on something in front of Dillon and me.
I couldn’t tell what, but it consumed his attention.
Reaching out, Hamish tapped a finger against the air.
He did that two more times in slightly different locations before he pulled his hands away and tucked them behind his back.
Stepping away from us, Hamish’s eyes wandered the breadth of the house. It wasn’t the disinterested stare of before. This was sharp and calculating. Shivers ran up and down my spine, and my wings fluttered madly, spilling pixie dust into the air without a care.
When Hamish’s gaze focused back on me, his pupils were ringed by shades of green and gold. With a curt nod and an almost indifferent “Interesting,” Hamish turned and walked away.
I stood in the doorway long enough to ensure Hamish was truly gone. At some point, Ruthie grabbed my thigh, squeezing tight. Settling my hand on her head, I did my best to comfort her without messing up the braids Dillon had diligently placed there.
Confident we were alone again, I said, “Excitement’s over. Let’s go inside and have some lunch.”
Dillon licked my hand before he headed into the house. Ruthie followed. Bending over, I picked up Dillon’s shredded clothes. Were children were definitely harder on their belongings than pixie children.
I closed and locked the door. Inside, the house was dark, with shuttered windows blocking the sun.
Leaning my forehead against the heavy wooden door, I whispered a pixie prayer, asking Sedrick’s home to keep us safe and protected.
Reassuring warmth whispered through my skin and settled the rapid beat of my wings.
I wasn’t sure why Hamish McIntyre had turned and walked away. I was just relieved he had.
* * *
S edrick got home late that night. He’d texted to let me know he’d be late and to go ahead and feed the children.
I tried to control my anxiety. I wanted Sedrick home, but Dillon and Ruthie had been on edge all day.
Dillon wanted to stay up and keep watch until Sedrick got home.
It took a lot of convincing and a very sleepy Ruthie to persuade him that going to sleep was the best way he could help his family.
Dillon was still recovering from the gnome attack and its aftereffects. He needed the rest.
Sedrick got home even later than I thought he would.
The children were already tucked into bed—Ruthie’s room this time, which meant I’d probably sleep in Dillon’s bed tonight.
Sedrick looked exhausted. Despite the time he’d had to take off recently, I understood enough about the mine to know they were swamped right now.
Sedrick hadn’t shared why, but I got the impression something big was happening.
“I left a plate for you in the refrigerator,” I told Sedrick as he threw his keys on a nearby table. His phone quickly followed. “Sit down and I’ll heat it up for you.”
“I can get it, Phil. You’ve got to be tired too.” Sedrick tried to argue, but I waved him off.
“It’ll just take a couple of minutes to reheat. Go wash up.”
Sedrick’s clothes were covered in dust, not the pixie kind that dissolved into nothing. No, this dust was determined to stay. I’d washed enough of his clothes to understand that it was far more tenacious than what came out of my wings.
“Thanks, Phil,” Sedrick grunted while heading to the kitchen sink.
“Long day?” I foolishly asked.
“Yeah.” Sedrick looked beat, yet he was still the most striking male I’d ever seen.
Below all that dust, muscles rippled and moved with ease. Those muscles bunched and corded as he washed his hands, their movement distracting. I was glad Sedrick’s eyes were focused on his hands and not on me.
Sedrick finished washing about the same time the microwave dinged, letting us know his dinner was reheated.
Plopping down into a kitchen chair, Sedrick dug into his food. I wasn’t sure if he truly tasted it or not. It was perfunctory eating and nothing more. I wasn’t offended. Sedrick looked like he might fall asleep over his plate.
When he was done, Sedrick leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands over his face. I noted his beard could use a trim, which was covered in gray dust, dulling the color. With a heavy sigh, Sedrick said, “I need to talk to you about something.”
“And I need to discuss something with you too, but now isn’t the time. You’re dead on your feet, and I’m sure whatever it is can wait until the morning.”
Sedrick opened his mouth, ready to argue, but then he snapped it shut again and gave a firm nod. “You’re right. My brain feels dead, and my body isn’t far behind.” Sedrick gazed down the hall and asked, “Are the kids asleep?”
I didn’t fight the fond smile that lit my face. “As far as I know. Your hearing is better than mine. They’re in Ruthie’s room tonight. I’ll camp out in Dillon’s.”
Again, I got the feeling Sedrick wanted to say something, but in the end, he gave another nod and stood. “I’m sorry to be such poor company tonight, Phil.”
I waved Sedrick off. “It’s fine. I understand.”
Sedrick looked at the bruises on my arm and frowned. “Do we still need to clean your wounds?”
“No need,” I answered while taking his plate to the sink. “Just bruises left at this point, and they’ll heal quick enough. I’m fine. The children are fine too. We’re all safe and tucked in for the night. It’s time to take care of yourself. We’ll talk in the morning. Okay?”
Instead of heading for his bedroom, Sedrick followed me to the kitchen. I was turned away from him, my hands in the sink. Sedrick’s fingers slid through my hair, pulling it away from my head in gentle sweeps. My heart stuttered before taking up a frantic rhythm.
“Thank you, Phil.” Sedrick’s breath whispered against my skin.
I hadn’t realized he was that close. My wings fluttered, showering us in pink.
Sedrick lightly chuckled and said, “You just can’t help it, can you.”
With that repeated phrase, Sedrick left me standing there, hands shoved into the warm, soapy water and my cock pressing against the kitchen cabinet.