Read Online Shifty Magic by Judy Teel - Free Book Online Page B

building, the guards'
attention zeroed in on us. I wondered if they'd report to their
master that an FBI Were was chatting up one of their newest
hunters.
    "And I thought my evening couldn't get any
worse," I said. "At least now I know why you really brought me in
on this case."
    Crossing his arms over his chest, he propped
his shoulder against the glass of the building. "I told you. The
vamps find you fascinating."
    "They wouldn't let you past the door, would
they?"
    Pushing away from the wall, he took the top
container of food from me. As he stepped back, the light from the
streetlight next to us caught in his hair, making the wolf-pelt
silver threading through the brown and black shine like new dimes.
"Considering how vamps and Weres are mortal enemies deep down?
Nope. Stopped two feet from the door." Pulling off the fork taped
to the top of the box, he flipped open the lid and inhaled the rich
scent of meatballs and parmesan cheese. "What'd you find out?"
    "Do you know where the vamp retrieval team
took the body?"
    He nodded to the building behind him and dug
into the food like he hadn't had a meal in days. As a species,
Weres tended to have big appetites. Skipping a meal was torture for
them.
    "I told you what vamp blood is used for.
What do you know about the venom trade?" I asked.
    He cut his eyes up as he shoved a forkful of
spaghetti into his mouth. "It's illegal," he said around the
food.
    "Was the vic selling?"
    "You show me yours, and I'll show you mine,"
he said with a wink.
    His flirting created a flutter of attraction
low in my stomach. I pushed it away. "The esteemed Regent of
Charlotte tried to kill me in his office."
    "I saw the bruises. Is there a body I need
to deal with?"
    "Not this time."
    "The vic was dealing."
    I thought about that for a moment. "Explains
the lifestyle he was able to give his donor." Vampire venom went
for an astronomical amount on the street because of its rarity. But
the fact that he was a dealer opened up an enemy list about a block
long.
    Cooper scraped up the sauce on the bottom of
the container and closed the lid. He eyed the other box.
"Dessert?"
    "I've no idea, but you're not getting
it."
    "I'm still hungry." His silver-green eyes
heated with a new intensity, and for a moment I was pretty sure
that he wasn't talking about cookies.
    "You ate tomorrow's breakfast. You're not
getting lunch, too."
    "Then give me more information to distract
me." He tossed his trash into the receptacle next to the
streetlight. "You discovered something else in there. I can smell
it."
    "That's the garlic on your breath." I opened
the second takeout box. Instead of a fork there was a note taped to
the underside of the lid. My heart jumped.
    "What are you hiding, Addison?" he asked,
his voice going low.
    I told myself to stay calm and threw out the
best distraction I could come up with on the fly. "I don't think
the vamp from the alley is dead."
    The suspicion in his eyes converted into
interest. "Explain."
    I met his gaze over the lid of the box. "The
secretary said something about a procedure starting, and that there
wasn't any change. It seemed to mean a lot to Lord Jackass."
    The tension drained out of his shoulders and
amusement sifted through his voice. "Lord Jacka—" He shook his
head, a touch of admiration and frustration on his face. "And you
concluded they were trying to revive him?"
    I dug my forefinger into the thick,
chocolate frosting covering the slab of three-layer cake inside the
box. Snapping the container closed, I made a show of eating the
icing. "How should I know what vampires do in their spare
time?"
    As I'd hoped, Cooper's attention zeroed in
on me cleaning the sugary treat off of my finger. "You have a
serious mean streak. You know how much I love chocolate."
    I decided not to push my luck since he was
perfectly capable of snatching the dessert box out of my hands
before I could stop him. "I have a bus to catch," I said, wiping my
finger on my jeans as I gave him my best