Mistyx Sonata (Mistyx Series Book 1)

by Paulette Miller

  He squeezed in next to her and said casually, “Excuse me, Firefly. Can I get in there for a second?”

  Nikki turned and, seeing Devin standing buck naked with certain private parts just inches from her face, she jumped back and yelled, “Lord Devin! Do you have any modesty?”

  As he watched her eyes staring at the parts in question, he said casually, “I thought Pixies loved all forms of nature.”

  “We do, but some can be admired from a respectable distance.”

  “Your spots don’t seem to mind. And are you telling me that if I look through those boxes of yours, I won’t find a picture of me naked that you’ve looked at enough times that the edges are worn?” When he saw her ‘guilty as charged’ expression, he scooted past her. After grabbing some clothes, he turned to leave and, when he was right next to her glowing body again, he leaned down and whispered, “By the way. You can stare and take pictures of me any time you like.”

  After he was finally dressed, Nikki took her turn in the shower. Just as she turned off the water and flittered her wings to dry off, she heard a click. She spun to find Devin staring at her with his phone in his hand.

  He said, “I thought I should capture my time living with a Pixie. I think this picture will be on my cover, although I don’t need a picture to remember those blue curves. You and your Hello Kitty are forever etched in my mind and now in my phone.” He gave her a low growl that made her shiver.

  When twinkling lights began to grow in the palm of Nikki’s hands in preparation for her retaliation, Devin ran for it. Nikki threw on her pajamas and, with a wide smile, flew out of the loft in hot pursuit. This time Nikki was the hunter and Devin was her prey. While she flew around the apartment and bombed him with spark-filled balls of Pixie dust, he teased her about threatening to post the picture on the wall at Mistyx.

  When Blade arrived, Cupcake was waiting for him at the door. She jumped into his arms and, when Blade saw the scene, he asked the cat, “They’re at it again?”

  Cupcake nodded and rolled her eyes.

  When the dueling couple finally saw their guest, Nikki caught up with Devin. She grabbed onto the front of his shirt and yanked him down. While panting from the chase, she said warningly, “This isn’t over by a long shot, Vampire. I want that picture.”

  With his phone still clutched tightly in his hand, he stared down into her wine eyes and said, “No way, Pixie. It’s mine. Our battle may be paused for tonight, but I’ll be ready whenever you want to chase me around some more. But next time I’m leaving my pants off.” He caressed the edge of her ear, making her instinctively arch into him and give off a purr.

  Nikki regrouped, whacked his hand away, and exclaimed, “Ugh! You’re insufferable.”

  As Nikki flew off toward the loft, Blade joined Devin and asked while brushing off sparkle from his friend’s shoulder, “What’s going on with you two?”

  He replied, “Just a little friendly roommate rivalry.”

  “Why do you like to aggravate her so?”

  “Because she’s damn fun to play with.” He looked down at his phone and tucked it into his pocket. He wouldn’t share Nikki’s picture with anyone—not even Blade. He then said, “Let’s go fix me a drink to enhance my Pixie buzz.” As Devin walked to the bar, he glanced up at the loft. He saw Nikki staring back at him with her spots still glowing steadily. He called, “Sleep tight, my little Night Light.”

  When he wielded his dimple, her wings instantly began to flitter and her spots pulsed in approval. With a smile of her own that she couldn’t force from her face, she crawled into bed and had dreams of chasing Devin around the apartment—clothing optional.

  Chapter 28:

  Love Potion Number Nine

  Early on a warm afternoon, Devin awoke and went downstairs. He approached Nikki and asked, “Do you know what today is?” When Nikki shook her head, he replied, “Exactly six months ago, you walked into this apartment for the first time. This curse may think it has us under its thumb, but let’s show it that we’re still in charge. Let’s go out tonight because we want to spend time together, not because we’re forced to.”

  Nikki chuckled at what she thought was a joke and said sarcastically, “Yeah, like a date?”

  Devin replied seriously, “Others do it. Why can’t you and I?”

  Nikki replied, “Do you want the list alphabetically or by Pixie risk level? Besides, you’re already stuck with me twenty-four hours a day. We both get so little time to ourselves, I understand why you want to spend time apart when we go out.”

  “I might agree on any other night, but not tonight. I want to show the world that our two races can share the same space and, not only survive it, but enjoy it.”

  Nikki finally gave in and said, “Okay, but let’s just go to Mistyx. Jackie was coming over later this afternoon to help me collect Blue Lightning, so I’ll need to stop by the tavern to drop off the jar with Styx.” She also thought that being there would allow her to easily slip away when Devin’s admirers inevitably showed up and pulled his attention away from her. As she turned to walk away, she added, “I’ll call Jackie and let her know the plans to see if she can come over a little earlier.”

  By the time Devin finished his version of breakfast, Nikki walked up to him and said, “Jackie is already on her way here, but be warned. She was way too excited about our night and I fear she has something planned.”

  Nikki’s fears came true when Jackie arrived with garment bags in hand and said, “If you two are going out like a real couple, you need to look the part and I’m the one to make sure it happens.” When Devin opened his mouth to speak, Jackie cut him off and added sternly, “And don’t you even try to argue with me, Coffin Man.”

  Devin and Nikki looked at each other and, shrugging their shoulders, Nikki said, “We’re in your hands, but be gentle with us.”

  *~*~*~*

  Once the sun went down, Nikki dropped off Jackie and Cupcake at Blade’s apartment for the evening and then Devin escorted Nikki to Mistyx. As soon as Devin walked through the entrance of the tavern, he took off his sports coat.

  Nikki snickered and said, “Well it stayed on longer than I expected. Don’t worry. I’ll tell Jackie you wore it all night. By the way, if I didn’t tell you earlier, you do look very dashing tonight. Jackie dressed you well.”

  It was the first time he had ever worn dress pants and a tailored button down shirt. He rubbed his chin, which was uncharacteristically clean shaven, and replied, “I feel a little out of my element, but no one is going to be looking at me with you around.”

  When he went to help her take off her jacket, she stopped him and said, “Maybe I should leave it on. This outfit is more Jackie than me.”

  “I think you’re stunning. Although in that outfit, I’m not going to let you leave my side for even a second.”

  Nikki knew that the magic in the air was calling out her Pixie wings, so the jacket had to come off. After giving in, she let Devin help her. When her back was bare, he watched intently as a shiver rolled across her body and melted away her Human disguise. Once her wings unfolded and were fully extended, they reached out to Devin. He caressed an edge to appease their additional need for attention so that they wouldn’t hit him to force his touch.

  Nikki adjusted her dress, trying to make it magically lengthen to cover more of her legs. She had spent most of her adult life trying to blend in to the scenery, but there was no hiding in this dress, as Devin’s constant growl confirmed.

  Knowing Nikki’s love of color, Jackie had put her in a halter dress whose material was covered in large flowers in a wide variety of colors. The color palette not only matched Devin’s deep blue shirt, but somehow blended perfectly with the colors in her hair and wings. The dress plunged very low in front, gathered at the waist, and then hugged down her hips tightly to accentuate her hourglass figure. The back was completely open and dipped low at her hips. This design allowed her wings to move freely, as well as showed off the spotted lace pattern of her uni
que Pixie markings that cascaded naturally down her skin. Although her face and body already resembled street art, Jackie insisted on painting Nikki’s fingernails in matching swirls of color. Nikki tried to draw the line at the stiletto spike heels, but arguing with Jackie over proper footwear was a battle she would never win.

  Devin loved that the dress length allowed him to stare at her shapely legs. The low cut in front also gave him a perfect view of the spots on her skin that disappeared into the silky valley between her breasts. He smiled knowing that he currently was the only male on the planet that was allowed to see on a daily basis where the spots ended.

  Nikki looked at Devin and said, “If you don’t have to wear the sport coat, then these shoes are coming off.” She slipped her feet out of their cages and, after her toes wiggled with their freedom, her wings started to flitter and she lifted off the floor.

  Styx walked over and, after giving Nikki a kiss on her cheek, he said, “You both look like walking party favors. What’s the occasion?”

  Nikki replied, “This is the six month anniversary of our curse.”

  Devin added, “Since we can’t seem to beat it, we decided to embrace it...at least for tonight.”

  With a blush in her cheeks, Nikki pointed down at her dress and added, “Jackie dressed both of us.”

  Styx looked her over and said, “I think you look beautiful and, since this is a special occasion, your first drinks are on the house. Go sit down and I’ll have Bee bring you your regulars.”

  Devin asked, “Can you have her bring us some appetizers as well?”

  “You got it.” Styx then looked up and said, “Switch, path.”

  Branches went instantly into action as Devin escorted Nikki across the room. Grippin guarded the couple from behind, happily cracking his knuckles to warn others to stay back. Most of the customers had already been tossed out of the tavern at least once that month and almost all claimed to Styx it was unwarranted. Although Styx had asked Grippin to dial back his bouncer enthusiasm a little, he really didn’t push the issue. He liked how Grippin’s actions had caused Mistyx to become incident free for weeks. Since no one was about to argue with the large gladiator, the customers had learned to give him and his charges a wide berth.

  With a clear path laid out in front of Devin, he led Nikki past the Vampire table, where Wolfe was talking to a Vampire Nikki didn’t recognize. Nikki gave Wolfe a friendly smile, which he returned with a slight bow. Once at their table in a private location by her favorite fireplace, Devin pulled out Nikki’s chair. As promised, he settled in beside her.

  Once their drinks arrived, Devin raised his glass and said, “Here’s to proving everyone wrong. You’ve lived at my side twenty-four hours a day for six months. Although we’ve had more close calls than I can count, I haven’t ripped your neck out.”

  Nikki added, “And I haven’t electrocuted you, but I’m not giving up hope. There’s always tomorrow.”

  After they toasted to their accomplishments, they recalled the events of the night they met. During their discussion, Nikki caught sight of Alec staring at her from across the room. She asked Devin in shock, “Alec is still here? He’s a nomadic Vampire. Shouldn’t he have given up by now?”

  “I’ve had him tossed out of town a few times but, like a boomerang, he keeps coming back. If you can believe it, he actually asked me if he could move into the warehouse and come up to our apartment for a visit. Obviously you know what my answer was and I’ve debated on taking a more aggressive approach to keeping him away.”

  Nikki shook her head and said, “He’s been very polite to me, so leave him be. I think he’s trying to make amends. Look at the lost puppy dog expression he has on his face. I think he’s lonely.”

  Devin glanced over at Alec and, seeing his expression, he said, “I think he’s just jealous that you’re my date.”

  When Nikki spotted a beautiful woman that she had seen in Devin’s arms on many occasions, she said, “Speaking of jealousy, here comes someone that has her eyes locked on you.”

  Just then, the woman tapped Devin on the shoulder and said, “Hey Devin. Come dance with me.”

  Devin glanced back at the woman without showing any interest and replied, “Not tonight, Jasmine.”

  Taken aback by his unexpected rejection, Jasmine leaned in so that her chest was pressed against him and said more seductively, “Are you sure? We haven’t danced together in a while.”

  He gently pushed her back and said, “I’m sure. There are plenty of men here that would be quite interested in dancing with you. I’m with Nikki tonight.”

  Jasmine glared at Nikki, gave her competition a forced smile, and said with obvious irritation, “But you’ve been stuck with this Pixie for months. I thought you might want a change of taste.” She flashed her own set of white fangs.

  She was testing Devin’s patience, so he turned to Jasmine and said, “Not. Tonight.” He gave her a growl that told her the subject was over.

  Jasmine was confused by her unsuccessful attempt to lure Devin into her arms. As she walked away, she glanced back at Nikki and gave her a determined expression that told Nikki she wasn’t giving up that easy.

  Nikki said to Devin sympathetically, “If you want to spend time with her, I would understand.”

  Devin shook his head and replied honestly, “I’m not remotely interested. I’m quite content with the company I have right now.” As Bee placed their food in front of them, he added while pointing down at his spicy wings, “Besides, this is the night that I’m going to convince you to try food that I like.”

  Seeing the telltale deep red of very spicy peppers, Nikki shook her head and said, “I don’t think so.”

  “Come on Pixie. Think of this as an effort to continue to expand our knowledge about each other.”

  With an evil grin, she said, “Okay, I’ll taste your acid-oozing food if you eat all of this.” She picked up a large piece of broccoli.

  As he stared at the vegetable, he exclaimed, “But it’s green!”

  She added, “Just to be clear, you have to chew and swallow all of it.” Seeing fear in the Vampire’s expression, she rolled her eyes and said, “You’re on the top of the food chain. Surely you’re not afraid of a little vegetable.”

  Devin replied, “I fear nothing, except maybe Cupcake and Jackie. They both scare the hell out of me.” He picked up the offending greenery between two fingertips and said, “I’ll agree to eat this mini tree on one condition. When we get home, we finish our night out by dancing together in the shower.” He leaned in closer and added with a twinkle in his eyes, “And I won’t be the only one naked.”

  Nikki countered, “And if I eat a chicken wing, I want you to cook and serve my dinner every night for two months. That will require you to touch vegetables daily.”

  Devin’s face lit up and he replied without hesitation, “You have a deal.”

  Nikki thought Devin had agreed too quickly and now she wished she had picked something harder as his consequence.

  After they shook on it, Devin picked up the broccoli, took in a deep breath, and took a bite. He gagged and his first instinct was to spit it out, but he wasn’t about to lose the bet. He forced himself to chew and swallow. His disgusted facial expressions made Nikki laugh hard, covering the table in her body confetti.

  When he saw that he had to repeat the process a couple more times, he let his mind wander to their future wet dance and the opportunities for his mouth to be chewing on something else more sweet. With the proper images in mind and, staring intently at Nikki’s cleavage, he took another bite. When he finally was down to one small piece, he popped the last of the vegetable into his mouth. The room filled with Nikki’s laughter as he emptied his drink to gag the vegetable down.

  Devin then said, “Laugh it up, Blueberry. I ate your disgusting green tree. Now it’s your turn.” He picked up a small wing and swung it in the air in front of her.

  Nikki took ahold of her food nemesis and put it on the plate in front of h
er. As she stared down at it, building up the necessary courage to continue, Devin’s love interest returned.

  Jasmine said, “I saw that your glass was empty. Here’s a peace offering for interrupting your night. It’s just the way you like it.” She handed him a drink. After he accepted it, she added, “If by chance you need me later, I’ll be sitting by the bar.” As she walked away, she caressed a line across the back of his neck.

  Once Jasmine was out of listening distance, Nikki said with a chuckle, “She doesn’t give up. We should set her up with Alec.”

  Devin pushed the gifted drink toward the center of the table and replied, “She can wait all night. It won’t make any difference. Speaking of waiting…” He pointed to the chicken wing and said eagerly, “It’s your turn.”

  Nikki picked up the wing and, sniffing it, scrunched up her nose.

  When she didn’t take a bite, Devin said anxiously, “Hurry up, Pixie. My shower is waiting.” He gave her a wicked grin while blatantly examining her exposed chest.

  She then closed her eyes, put the wing to her mouth, and took the smallest of nibbles. At first when she chewed she thought that it wasn’t too bad, but then the heat began to build. She dropped the wing on her plate and quickly downed her orange juice to douse the fire.

  Both she and Devin laughed and then Devin said, “You only nibbled a little. If you want me to spend each night slaving over a stove, you have to eat at least one full bite.”

  They began to negotiate terms over the size of bite required.

  *~*~*~*

  Meanwhile behind the bar, Styx watched the unlikely friends laughing and having a great time together. The sight brought warmth to his heart. As he continued to enjoy the scene, Jasmine and a friend walked toward his position. Over the years, Styx had seen Jasmine with Devin and, when he saw her approach Devin’s table earlier that night, he was pleased that she had been sent away.

  Just as Jasmine passed Styx’s location, he overheard her whisper conspiratorially to her friend, “I need to be ready. The moment he drinks it, he’ll be all mine and I don’t want to miss a second.”