While staring into her wine eyes, he said, “No need to wait for tomorrow what we can start today.”
She nodded and lifted a finger to his mouth so that he could nick it. He kissed the tip and then shook his head. As he caressed a line across her lips, he said, “I want the other body part offered.” He leaned down and pressed his lips on hers.
Nikki kissed him back and, when their embrace became more intense, she scraped a fang along a line on her tongue. Through her kiss, she encourage him to take what her body offered freely. As his form of a thank you, he continued to kiss her with great intent and gently touched the edge of her ear. The actions made her let out a soft moan and her body melted into his arms. Although her reaction made his lower parts twitch, he was thrilled to sense that he remained in complete control of his inner animal.
When he finally released her mouth, he showed off his dimple and said, “A kiss a day. I could do that.” He pondered for a moment and whispered, “Blue Lightning. Very clever. We could use it as the code name for Pixie blood so no one will know what we’re talking about.”
As he walked away with a self-satisfied smirk, Nikki held on to the doorjamb until her pulse slowed. As soon as he disappeared down the stairs, she ran to her phone. When Jackie answered, Nikki said excitedly, “It worked and I think I have my burrito back.”
Chapter 27:
Photograph
Almost a month after Nikki introduced the warehouse to Blue Lightning, Cassandra popped into Devin’s apartment. She approached Nikki, handed her a silk pouch, and said, “Your allergy shots seem to have started to really make a difference so, as my personal gift to you, give this to Jackie.”
Nikki opened the bag and pulled out a necklace. Hanging from a silver chain was a large blue opal wrapped in an infinity symbol. As she examined its detail, Cassandra said, “I was going about this all wrong and it was actually Jackie who helped get me on the right path. As you know, I’ve let her come over and watch me work a few times. At one of those visits, she suggested that we follow your lead and give her an aura camouflage. She was right. An aura is an energy field surrounding every being, animate or inanimate. It’s this energy force that my barriers are checking and it’s where I started to refocus all of my attention. After I created a magical persona, I used the blue opal to hold its essence, to soothe any erratic emotions, and enhance her personal courage. The stone is wrapped in the infinity symbol to bring balance between the two competing auras and unify her temporarily into one new being.”
“It’s beautiful, but how does she make it work?”
“She needs to put it on and, as the stone is rubbed, it will emit the camouflage bubble around the wearer. It was very tricky magic, but I think it’ll work. She has such a large personality, I’m just not sure the disguise will fully mask her actual essence. But I hope it’ll lessen the barriers’ impact. We won’t know for sure until she tries it.”
Nikki tucked the treasure back into the bag and, seeing the dark circles under Cassandra’s eyes, she knew just how hard she had worked on the gift. Nikki said, “I can’t thank you enough for this. I know it wasn’t easy for you and it’s breaking a million rules to do this for a Human.”
Cassandra yawned and said, “I agree with Devin that Jackie is somehow connected to breaking the spell. You need her and she’s already made a huge difference in both yours and Devin’s lives. I’m forever in her debt. Just remind her how important it is that the magic contained in this trinket be kept secret from everyone—especially those in the magical world that aren’t living in the warehouse. We may be breaking rules, but we can at least try to contain who knows about it.”
After Cassandra popped back to her apartment, Nikki flew to her phone and called Jackie to let her know the news. They didn’t want to wait, so they decided to test the magic as soon as possible at Mistyx.
That night, Nikki, Devin, Cassandra, and Blade met a very excited Jackie outside of the tavern. Jackie approached her friend and raised her eyebrows at the latest version of her Human form. Examining the disguise, she said, “You’re trying out male skin I see. Sorry, but it kind of freaks me out. I’m not sure whether to hug you or start flirting.”
Nikki asked her friend, “How did you know it was me?”
“New face, same aura.” After examining the disguise closer, she added, “I definitely like the real you better.”
Nikki replied, “Devin isn’t too keen on it either, but I wanted to expand my arsenal. I’ve had to give up on trying to do a man’s voice. I just sound stupid. And in this form, I have to remember to be discrete when holding Devin’s hand in public. Although in this city it’s considered normal, it makes him a potential love interest for a whole new gender of people.”
Jackie snickered and, seeing Nikki’s fan club becoming overly interested in what they were doing, she said, “I think we need to get this party started. What do you want me to do?”
Nikki showed her the necklace and then helped her put it on. Jackie then turned her attention to Cassandra and said, “I’m all yours, Cassie.” Following Cassandra’s instructions to the letter, everyone watched as Jackie forced her way through Mistyx’s entrance barrier. Once safely on the inside, she flipped her hair back and said in relief, “It was still hard, but at least this time it didn’t mess up my hairdo.” She walked over to Cassandra, gave her a bone-breaking hug, and said, “I can’t thank you enough for this gift.” She then added at a whisper, “And I promise, it will remain a secret from everyone.”
Cassandra said to those assembled, “If you’ll excuse me. I’m heading back to my apartment to sleep for a week.” She gave them a huge yawn and disappeared with a pop.
After Cassandra was gone, Jackie looked over at the bar counter and asked Nikki, “Since we’re here, can we stay for a while? I have a particular barstool that I would love to say hello to.”
Blade had been waiting for Jackie inside the bar and gasped at her statement. He then asked with a scowl, “Is someone else invading my territory?”
Jackie bopped him on the nose and said, “You’re so cute when you act jealous but, trust me. No one, other than that wonderful piece of wood, gets to explore my secrets. Go do your vamp thing and we’ll discuss your treasure hunting options later.”
Blade gave her a low growl, making Jackie giggle. While Blade and Devin walked to their usual table, Nikki shivered off her fake Human skin.
Styx was watching from the bar and said, “Switch, path.” Switch’s branches happily complied and, as Jackie and Nikki walked toward the target barstool, the branches physically tossed people to clear their way.
When Jackie reached her destination and found someone sitting in her spot, she groaned in disappointment and said, “My seat has found someone else’s butt to grope.”
Switch heard her and instantly the stool became available when a branch picked up its current occupant and tossed him onto another seat further down the bar. With the target spot now open, another branch formed a crude hand and extended it to Jackie. She accepted instantly with a grin and allowed the wood to escort her to her seat.
Once the seat conformed perfectly to the curves of her body, she wiggled in and said, “I love this place.”
Nikki sat next to her and the two spent the evening huddled together with Switch’s branches poised and ready to protect them. Working at the tree’s side was Grippin, who merrily walked the tavern and anxiously waited for someone to even sneeze too hard so that he could toss them out the door. Whenever Bee found a free moment, she joined the ladies at the bar. With each brief visit, she shared a piece of gossip with her highly attentive audience.
After Grippin had gleefully tossed out over a dozen patrons, Nikki decided to give the tavern’s occupants a break and head home. Jackie said a sweet goodbye to her stool and turned to find Blade standing behind her. His sudden appearance startled her and she hit him on the arm, exclaiming “Stop that! I’m going to put a bell on you so I know when you’re coming.”
“I just sa
w that you were leaving and wondered if you wanted to join me for a walk in the park. We haven’t had a chance to discuss the requirements for treasure hunting your peaks and valleys.”
While pulling him away from the bar counter, she whispered, “Let’s talk outside. I don’t want to upset my barstool. He could become a real pain in my ass, literally, if he were to think that my affections weren’t directed solely at him.”
Nikki put on yet another slightly adjusted camouflage and, with Grippin providing escort, everyone headed outside. After sending a very willing Jett to retrieve Devin’s sports car, Jackie tossed Blade the keys to her car and said, “You drive.” After scanning his attire and giving him an approving nod, she added, “You’re looking mighty fine tonight. Maybe while your hands are safely locked on the wheel, I’ll let my fingers explore your landscape.”
Blade held out his arm and said, “My terrain is all yours.”
As they drove off together and Nikki was safely tucked in Devin’s car, she asked, “You know I trust Blade with my life, but Jackie can be rather persuasive when she has her eyes locked on a target. Should I be concerned about his ability to maintain control?”
Devin replied, “He and I have talked and he assures me that he’s been able to keep his fangs to himself. They both seem to tease each other to their limits, but it hasn’t gone any further. He’s met his match and they seem to enjoy tormenting each other. I know he loves every second of it.”
Nikki giggled and said, “So does Jackie. They’re just an impossible couple.”
Devin took her hand and said, “Just like another hunter and prey duo we know who are living together without the joys of sex.”
They both stood silently and let out matching sighs at the thought. Then Nikki decided to model the other couple and said, “It’s been a long day. Take me home so that you can walk around naked and make me blind you with my spots.”
Devin replied, “Only after I watch you dance in the rain and let my body parts wave hello in admiration.”
*~*~*~*
The next morning Nikki called Cassandra to make sure she had recovered. Although the night had refreshed her, Nikki could still sense the continued frustration in her voice. After prodding her for the reason, Cassandra finally admitted the issue. She was happy that her skills had been able to help Jackie, but was completely frustrated that she still couldn’t find any magic that would lessen the death grip the curse had on her and Devin.
Nikki said, “We’re fine. Devin and I made a pact that we aren’t going to let this curse get us down. We’re going to make the best of our situation.”
Toward this goal, Devin and Nikki incorporated both the curse, and their individual needs, into their normal routine. During the day when Devin slept, Nikki sunbaked and, while she closed her eyes at night, Devin spent time with his Vampire companions. As each day passed, Devin joined Nikki in their bed a little earlier so that he could spend more time being Nikki’s burrito filling. Nikki must have had similar thoughts because, when she crawled out of bed each day, the sun was a little higher in the sky. And when Devin woke and joined Nikki in the kitchen, he was greeted by a Pixie-made Bloody Mary and his daily Pixie kiss allergy shot.
During all of this, they continued their education to learn everything they could about each other. One such evening they sat at Devin’s computer to look at pictures he had from his life. Although he didn’t have many, they quickly saw a theme—lots of women and drinking. He had enjoyed himself at the time but, looking back now, he found that it all looked meaningless. He even found his finger itching to press the delete key. When he realized that he no longer missed his old lifestyle, he initially blamed it on the curse but, as he looked at the Pixie sitting next to him, he feared that there was another reason for his changing attitudes. He kept his thoughts to himself.
After they reached the last of his pictures, they went up into the loft and covered the bedroom floor with the multitude of photographs Nikki had taken since she moved to San Francisco.
Devin picked up a picture of his apartment from a few days after Nikki moved in. While comparing the image with his current surroundings, he said, “Not that I’m complaining but, if you and Kara keep at your current redecorating pace, soon my apartment will look like your jungle village.”
Nikki scanned the room around her that was now full of the color and nature she craved and said, “I’m thrilled that since the allergy shots started working, Kara and I can spend more time together. For being a creature of the night, she has an excellent sense of color, but this place is so large that even the hundreds of plants and vines we bought so far barely make a dent.” Seeing the plants’ leaves covered in sparkle, she added, “Although my Pixie dust helps them grow in the dark, I do appreciate your willingness to allow Jett and Grippin install the special lighting that mimics sunlight. The plants love it and so do my solar panel wings.”
“I’ll leave the sun tanning to you and Jackie. I’m just grateful that you had them install the light blocking curtains around my bed and the remote kill switch that I can use to turn off the laser beams before I get up. But I would appreciate it if, when Cassandra occasionally brings Bo up here in the morning to play with Cupcake, that you keep those two downstairs. The other day I had a nightmare about being crushed while my neck was being sliced by a chainsaw. I woke to find Bo sprawled out on my chest and Cupcake draped across my neck purring.”
“I’ll see what I can do. It’s just that they love to watch your rather colorful reactions.” She held up a picture of one such scene.
Looking down at the rapidly growing number of images and knowing even more were now loaded onto his computer, Devin said, “You must have taken thousands of photographs while being here.”
“I don’t want to forget anything. I’m also cataloging all of the different magical beings I’ve met, causing my creature book to quickly outgrow its bindings. My mother wouldn’t believe how unique some of the creatures are.”
“Like this creature I captured for you?” He held up a picture of Nikki in the kitchen working beside Skye. Nikki was wearing a mask and bright yellow, elbow length, rubber gloves.
Nikki snatched the picture away from him and defended her actions by saying, “I love that Skye is helping me learn how to cook for a Vampire, but your need for spicy peppers in everything is painful.” Nikki picked up a different picture and said, “But look at Jett’s expression as he tasted some of the Pixie food that I taught Skye to prepare. I think his Vampire skin turned a bit green.” She looked up at Devin and said, “One of these days, I’m going to get you to eat a vegetable.”
“Yeah, right after you take a bite from one of my burning hot chicken wings. Jett was actually exaggerating his reaction because it makes you laugh. You do know that he’s becoming addicted to the Pixie dust that poofs off of you when you’re happy.”
Nikki replied, “I love playing with Jett. I just wish Wolfe had an easier time being around me. Even with Pixie shots, he still struggles the most with his reaction to my presence.”
“I’m sorry he finally told you about his history as a bloodhound in the Fairy hunts. He’s Vampire and part shifter. That makes him a lethal Pixie hunter. He wanted you to be aware of his past so that you understood just how potentially dangerous he is to you. I know you don’t want him to move out, but maybe we should consider stopping his visits.”
Nikki shook her head and said, “Hiding from me isn’t the answer. We can keep his visits short, but I believe that frequent exposure in addition to the shots will help him learn to control his reactions. Since everyone now knows that there are still thousands of Pixies in hiding, my race is in danger. I hope that letting Vampires, especially ones like Wolfe, get to know me better would stop their desire to hunt and kill my kind. I want nothing more than to have my village join the world living around them. But that can’t happen until we know it’s safe.”
Devin caught sight of a picture from their Vampire mock fights and said, “Then will you at least acce
pt Blade’s offer to teach you to defend yourself?”
Nikki shook her head. “Fighting may be a natural part of you, but it isn’t in my nature. I’m more of a flight than fight kind of girl. But as you’re personally aware, I do have defensive skills that I’ll use when there are absolutely no other options available.” Picking up another mock battle picture, she added, “I hate to admit it, but I do enjoy watching your kind fight. It’s frightening, but there’s something about half naked men sweating that works for me.” She let out her own form of a growl.
“We’re all quite aware of that fact, since your blue glow lights up the loft when you watch.” He smirked, knowing that the glow was always brightest when he took the floor. He said, “You’re becoming quite the cheerleader, but I’ve noticed that you always cheer loudest for Skye and Kara.”
Nikki sat up straight and tall and said, “Women of all races need to stick together.”
As Devin stepped away for a moment to refill their drinks, he caught Nikki picking up a picture of him in a fighting stance and put it into her special locked scrapbook. The thought that his face was now tucked right next to Yarrow’s made him smile.
After he returned to Nikki’s side, he helped her pack up the stacks of pictures and said, “Vampire life has been a good source for your creature book.” He added as a tease, “When you finally leave here, you’re going to have a hard time saying good bye to fraternizing with the enemy.”
Nikki thought about what he said and replied with a smirk, “Like a hole in my neck.” In reality, the thought of ending this chapter of her life made her chest tighten.
After the boxes were filled, Devin went into the bathroom to get ready for his night. When he realized he had forgotten to grab clothes, he went back into the bedroom. He found Nikki kneeling just inside the closet door, organizing her boxes.
Mistyx Sonata (Mistyx Series Book 1) Page 33
