Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep Read Free Book Online Page B

down like clusters of icicles hanging from the ceilings. Faceted gemstones decorated much of the dark, heavy furniture, adding even more sparkle and color, along with the rich, vibrant stained glass that was set into many of the windows.
    As a thief, I had let myself into my share of fine homes and had swiped more than a few valuable objects, but the luxe mansion still took my breath away, despite all the weeks I’d been living here. It was a good thing I wasn’t casing the place. I wouldn’t have known what to steal first.
    â€œSee you guys at dinner,” Devon said.
    Felix and I nodded, and the three of us went our separate ways.
    I headed up the stairs to my bedroom, which was just as finely furnished as the rest of the mansion. The front of the room was an entertainment area, with a black leather couch and matching recliners arranged around a glass coffee table, all of which faced a flat-screen TV mounted to the wall. A four-poster bed covered with a black-and-white-striped comforter and mounds of pillows took up part of the back wall, along with a white vanity table. Another table that featured a miniature ebony trailer, a grassy corral, and a small barn sat next to some French doors that led out to a balcony.
    I sighed, went over, and started to plop down on the couch, when a sharp, twangy voice called out.
    â€œDon’t you dare sit down on that!”
    The front door on the ebony trailer slammed open, and something zip-zip-zipped through the air, rushing straight at me. A second later, a six-inch-tall man with shimmering, translucent wings attached to his back hovered right in front of me, his arms crossed over his tiny chest. Oscar, the pixie who took care of my room and, by extension, me. He must have been getting dressed for dinner because he only wore a white tank top, along with blue boxers and black cowboy boots. He never went anywhere without his boots on. He was a little redneck that way.
    I groaned. “Not you too. Can’t I sit down on something? Just for a minute. It’s been a long day.”
    â€œNot if I have to clean it up afterward.” Oscar regarded me with critical violet eyes, his nose twitching. “You smell like a fruit cobbler—and not in a good way.”
    I pulled my sticky T-shirt away from my chest, wincing as another wave of too-sweet persimmon pulp filled my nose. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
    â€œSarcasm’s not going to help you with me, cupcake,” Oscar said, making shooing motions with his hands. “So instead of sitting down and getting something else dirty, you might as well strip off those nasty clothes and get in the shower. I’ll put you some fresh clothes on the hanger on the back of the bathroom door. Go on, now. Git.”
    He zoomed back and forth in front of my face, like I was a cow he was trying to herd.
    â€œYes, master,” I grumbled.
    Technically, pixies were monsters, since they weren’t human-size, but I’d always thought of them as miniature people. They were also the housekeepers of the world, hiring themselves out to mortals, magicks, and even other monsters in exchange for a place to live, protection, money, and more. Oscar and I had gotten off to a rocky start when I’d first moved in, but I now considered him a friend. He was also one of the few people who had known my mom, because she’d worked for the Family for years, until she’d had a falling out with Claudia Sinclair.
    Oscar might not be much bigger than my hand, but he made up for his small size with plenty of attitude. He was the bossiest pixie I’d ever met, barking out order after order in his twangy, hillbilly voice to anyone who dared get within earshot. Over the past few weeks, I’d learned that it was better just to humor him in most things, like wearing the clothes he laid out for me and eating the food he brought up to my room when I was out on Family business and couldn’t get down to the