Read Online A Kind of Magic by Shanna Swendson - Free Book Online
Authors: Shanna Swendson
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yourself about your intentions. This is not a relationship you can or should let yourself just fall into. You know there’s no future to it. For you to be with him, you’d have to give up your life here. For him to be with you, he’d have to give up immortality. How long could you survive, caught between worlds? When you’re my age, he’ll still be the same as he is now, and you’ll have given up hope of having a life or a family in the human world.”
“Who says it has to last that long? What’s wrong with having some fun? None of my relationships so far have lasted more than a few months, so I wouldn’t expect this one to be any different.”
“You know what happened to you when you took one sip of fairy drink in the Realm. What do you think would happen if you partook of something far more intense? Humans who dally with the fae spend the rest of their lives pining.”
Emily couldn’t answer. She knew Athena was right. But she also feared that it was already too late for her. She wasn’t quite pining, but she had no interest in any other man.
Athena finished tying a fancy bow on a particularly large sheaf of herbs and handed it directly to Emily. “Take this one for yourself and forget about this scheme. It won’t end well, trust me.” Her voice had a catch in it, and her eyes grew bright with unshed tears.
“You?” Emily asked softly.
“You notice I never married.” Athena turned her attention to her work, moving quickly, but her fingers trembled and fumbled at the ribbon she held.
It was hard to imagine Athena ever being young, but Emily let her vision go out of focus so that the older woman blurred slightly. If her hair were blond instead of white, and if her skin were smooth and young, then yeah, she probably had been a woman who could have beguiled a fairy man. Obviously, he hadn’t been willing to give up immortality for her, and she couldn’t have given up her life’s work for him. Emily wondered who he was. Was he a fairy they’d run into in the Realm? Talk about a nightmare encounter! It was bad enough to run into an ex without makeup on a bad hair day. What would it be like to be old and wrinkled when running into an ex who was still young and gorgeous?
They both jolted when the bells on the door rang, but it was just Michael. Athena automatically filled one of the spare teacups on her tray. “Tea, Detective?”
“Sure, thanks. Making Christmas decorations?”
“Something like that,” Emily said, tying off a bundle. “Here, take one.”
He took the bundle, sniffed at it, and frowned. “What is it, really?”
“It should keep fairies from taking you in your sleep.”
“That’s something I have to worry about?”
“Probably not you,” Athena assured him. “They wouldn’t take one who’s been touched and who can see them unless you want to go.”
“Still, better safe than sorry, huh?” he said, tucking the bundle into his pocket. At the sound of his voice, Beau blinked awake and waddled over to collapse against Michael’s ankles. He knelt to scratch the dog behind the ears.
“And how may we help you today, Detective?” Athena asked.
He stiffened for a moment, then took a long, deep breath, like he was coming to a decision about something. “There’s some weirdness I need to look into. It’s getting bad enough that the other cops seem to know something’s going on. I’m pretty sure they’re seeing selkies around the shore. A guy in the park was attacked by something that sounds like a nixie. There’s that kelpie. I’ve also got a list of missing persons, including kids taken from their beds. It’s like all the folklore about fairies is coming true.”
“It does seem that way, doesn’t it? The enchantresses have taken note. There’s a lot of buzz on our Facebook group.”
“You have a Facebook group?” Emily asked.
“Don’t worry, it’s a closed group,” Athena assured her.
“Is the buzz good or bad?” Michael asked, steering the
“Who says it has to last that long? What’s wrong with having some fun? None of my relationships so far have lasted more than a few months, so I wouldn’t expect this one to be any different.”
“You know what happened to you when you took one sip of fairy drink in the Realm. What do you think would happen if you partook of something far more intense? Humans who dally with the fae spend the rest of their lives pining.”
Emily couldn’t answer. She knew Athena was right. But she also feared that it was already too late for her. She wasn’t quite pining, but she had no interest in any other man.
Athena finished tying a fancy bow on a particularly large sheaf of herbs and handed it directly to Emily. “Take this one for yourself and forget about this scheme. It won’t end well, trust me.” Her voice had a catch in it, and her eyes grew bright with unshed tears.
“You?” Emily asked softly.
“You notice I never married.” Athena turned her attention to her work, moving quickly, but her fingers trembled and fumbled at the ribbon she held.
It was hard to imagine Athena ever being young, but Emily let her vision go out of focus so that the older woman blurred slightly. If her hair were blond instead of white, and if her skin were smooth and young, then yeah, she probably had been a woman who could have beguiled a fairy man. Obviously, he hadn’t been willing to give up immortality for her, and she couldn’t have given up her life’s work for him. Emily wondered who he was. Was he a fairy they’d run into in the Realm? Talk about a nightmare encounter! It was bad enough to run into an ex without makeup on a bad hair day. What would it be like to be old and wrinkled when running into an ex who was still young and gorgeous?
They both jolted when the bells on the door rang, but it was just Michael. Athena automatically filled one of the spare teacups on her tray. “Tea, Detective?”
“Sure, thanks. Making Christmas decorations?”
“Something like that,” Emily said, tying off a bundle. “Here, take one.”
He took the bundle, sniffed at it, and frowned. “What is it, really?”
“It should keep fairies from taking you in your sleep.”
“That’s something I have to worry about?”
“Probably not you,” Athena assured him. “They wouldn’t take one who’s been touched and who can see them unless you want to go.”
“Still, better safe than sorry, huh?” he said, tucking the bundle into his pocket. At the sound of his voice, Beau blinked awake and waddled over to collapse against Michael’s ankles. He knelt to scratch the dog behind the ears.
“And how may we help you today, Detective?” Athena asked.
He stiffened for a moment, then took a long, deep breath, like he was coming to a decision about something. “There’s some weirdness I need to look into. It’s getting bad enough that the other cops seem to know something’s going on. I’m pretty sure they’re seeing selkies around the shore. A guy in the park was attacked by something that sounds like a nixie. There’s that kelpie. I’ve also got a list of missing persons, including kids taken from their beds. It’s like all the folklore about fairies is coming true.”
“It does seem that way, doesn’t it? The enchantresses have taken note. There’s a lot of buzz on our Facebook group.”
“You have a Facebook group?” Emily asked.
“Don’t worry, it’s a closed group,” Athena assured her.
“Is the buzz good or bad?” Michael asked, steering the
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