Read Online Smoke and Mirrors by Jess Haines - Free Book Online Page B

she did use her illusions to improve the apparent quality of her clothing, as he’d suspected, she had done nothing to alter her own appearance.
    Oh, maybe smoothed her hair a bit and put a touch of color on her lips and cheeks, but she was the same green-eyed, russet-haired girl who had stood before him the night before. If anything, she was too thin, her bones a little too prominent under her smooth, pale skin.
    Though he was finding himself surprisingly put out at the scent of some Other on her. Something draconic in nature, though not a true dragon. A male. If he had not been so intent on getting his questions answered, he might have growled his displeasure.
    After seeing his expression, Kimberly wondered if she’d managed to spill coffee on herself again. She stopped in her tracks to peek down at her shirt and pants—and couldn’t hold back a sound of dismay.
    She’d walked right through a dispelling glyph and hadn’t even noticed. Though her clothing was clean save for a small smear of powdered sugar by her hip, the frayed cuffs, faded material and poor fit previously hidden by illusion were now all too obvious. Not to mention that she’d barely bothered to run a brush through her hair after work, knowing it would be windblown after the walk to Cormac’s. She’d even added illusory makeup for once—not totally sure why—and now it was all gone.
    Reddening with embarrassment, she rapidly backed into the shadows between the bookshelves, coffee spilling over her hand and dribbling on the floor.
    “Stop. Kimberly, please, come here.”
    She didn’t move. Cormac’s voice was a lot gentler than she remembered it, but she couldn’t seem to find her own to say anything in reply.
    “I’m sorry. I hadn’t realized…”
    “Realized what?” she asked, her voice breaking. “That I might not want to know if you were planning on cutting me off from my magic so you could interrogate me? Christ, I could have at least worn a better shirt for this. Brushed my hair. Something. Oh, my God.”
    He sighed deeply, rising from the stool. As he took a step closer, she took a few steps back. Sensing she was on the verge of bolting, he paused, then extended a hand instead.
    “It was not my intention to upset you. I’m a very private man, Kimberly. I don’t have much occasion to have anyone, let alone someone who uses trickery as the foundation of their magic, ask me for favors. I didn’t do this with the intent to embarrass you.”
    “Yeah, well, I’m not exactly dressed for an interview. I’ll come back later.”
    “Don’t go,” he said, cursing himself for only thinking about getting what he wanted rather than considering her potential reaction or any other reasons for her to dress herself in illusion aside from making herself look more attractive. She didn’t know him well enough yet to realize just how much it had cost him to apologize or just how much he hated being wrong. “We both know once you walk out that door you won’t come back.”
    He could hear the click in her too dry throat as she swallowed. Her low voice didn’t hide the waver. “Maybe that’s for the best.”
    “You doubt I can help you?”
    “No.”
    “Why, then?”
    She put the coffee cup down on the bookshelf and backed away. If he didn’t move fast, she’d have one foot out the door in moments. “What can I offer a dragon? Look at me. I’m a mess. I couldn’t even tell when you used a dispelling glyph. And after what I saw today, I can’t help but think it’ll hate me on sight. How am I ever going to do this?”
    He wasn’t sure what to tell her. It was bothersome that he thought she had implied with her refusal that he didn’t have the power or connections to give her what she was looking for, only to find that he was—again—wrong in his assumptions. What was worse was the foreign sensation of… was that regret? Something he didn’t like, whatever it was.
    The depth of his error was obvious. She was ready to give up what