Bound by Faerie: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Stolen Magic Book 1) by WB McKay Read Free Book Online Page A

boringly typical cheddar cheese, mayo, lettuce, and tomato burger with some limp bacon slapped on top. It was completely uninspired. I pushed it back into some semblance of order and took a sniff. No magic. There shouldn't have been—only certain groups of fae set traps in food, and Smoke and Mirrors had been around long enough to have a safe reputation, but I always checked. I grew up with only my sisters, never having to worry about such a thing. The transition from safety to the dangerous world of unknowns made me an extra cautious adult—at least as far as food was concerned. Stealing someone else's free will by way of a delicious cheeseburger was just evil.
    I took my first bite. Yep, the patty itself was just as bland as it looked. Judging by its uniform shape, I was almost certain it was a premade, freezer job. "Well, that just about does it for this place," I said, dropping the burger on the plate with a thump.
    "Was it not cooked properly?" asked Owen, mayo hiding in the dimple of his cheek. "They'll remake it if something wasn't done right. T hey're good like that."
    "No amount of remaking could turn that mess into something enjoyable." I pushed the plate away and took a long drink of my Coke. " That goes for this whole damned place, actually."
    An angry growl coming from his direction had me reaching for Haiku, but the sword was at home. Instead, I turned to face him, ready to draw on my magic if necessary. He was wearing a look I'd seen all too often. It was the Sophie -said-something-stupid face. Damn it.
    "Yeah, I think my appetite has gone as well." He pushed his plate away and gave me a curt nod. "Pleasure," he said, and stalked out of the bar.
    "Great job, Sophie," I chastised myself. "Now he knows your face, and he thinks you're an asshole. How are you supposed to get him to take you home now?"
     

 
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    The next morning I stepped into Lost in the Mist with my mind made up.
    "Listen, Ava, I appreciate your help, but this isn't going to work. If I can't find another copy of this book, I'll just have to break into his place. I'll find another way."
    "Failure, then," Ava said. "Interesting. I didn't believe you were someone who gave up so quickly."
    "Excuse you." I slapped my hand on her table. "I didn't even want to do this in the first place! It's easy to give up on a plan that was never my idea."
    "That bad?" She locked onto my gaze, mocking me.
    I folded my arms and spun so my back faced her. Freaking know-it-all monster. Still fuming, I admitted, "It was a total bust."
    "What happened? Did you get through the portal to his place?"
    "No," I said. "If I had, I would have the book. We barely even spoke. I don't know what I said wrong, but I pissed him off and he stormed off. See?" I turned back to her and tapped my fist hard to my chest. "I don't people."
    "You're not going to find another copy of this book anytime soon, nor will you be able to break into his place," she said. I harrumphed. I'd see about that. She waited until she had my full attention to say, "The question is: how important is this to you?"
    I glared at her harder than I already was. How important was this to me? I needed it, damn it. I needed it more than anything. And I hated it.
    "Desperation: it's what's for breakfast."
    I jerked back. "Did you just make a joke?" I asked. "Did you just make a very human joke?"
    "I run a human establishment, Sophie." Ava looked offended. There I went again.
    I almost said something inquiring about why it was she ran a human business, but I caught myself. Offending her further was not the goal right now. Before she decided to go ahead and be done with me, too, I told her, "I need your help."
    "I am aware," Ava said. Uh huh, like that wasn't offensive. Maybe I was just the only one willing to put up with other people's crap. Maybe I was just tougher than everyone else. It didn't sound quite right, but it put me in some pretty great light, and that was good enough for me. She