Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser Series) by Meghan Ciana Doidge Read Free Book Online

was a lot of attention,” Sienna said. She placed air quotes around the word attention, her voice a snarl of sarcasm.
    I sighed. Sienna had issues with taking anger out on the wrong people. Especially when her fear masqueraded as anger. I turned my head toward the alley. The wolf magic was moving away. “See. No wolves bursting out of dark alleys … I’m sorry I scared you.”
    Sienna snorted a laugh, but it held none of her usually playful tone. “You didn’t scare me, Jade. I can handle myself.”
    “You bet you can,” Rusty said, getting her attention with a leer. Sienna giggled, sounding a little more like herself.
    I raised my hand and flagged down a cab trolling the street just behind us. We’d lucked out — the streets were one way around here, and the cab must have just dropped off a fare before circling back to the crowd seeping out from the row of clubs all along this strip.
    ∞
    I asked the cab to pull over at the north side of Burrard Street Bridge. I felt like walking home to burn off the residual magic still coating my skin, though not in a bad way. The after-hours club Rusty and Sienna were heading to was on the north side of the water anyway. No sense in doubling back.
    Sienna protested but was pretty wrapped up — literally — in Rusty. They already had an outlet for their ‘residual magic.’ I was a bit envious. Sienna didn’t worry about sexual dalliances with the magically inclined. But then, Rusty was low in the power department, and the wolves had been much, much higher.  
    Was I worried the vampire was still lurking somewhere? Maybe. But I knew he couldn’t hurt me without breaking his vampire code — Rusty’s info had been confirmed by the vampire’s mention of “safe passage” earlier — plus, I wasn’t going to let him play me. I wasn’t some toy.  
    ∞
    So I walked, happy that my Fluevog boots were sexy yet still practical. I tucked my collar up, lowered my head to the wind as it rushed over the bridge, and hoped it didn’t rain.
    I didn’t hear or see the vampire until he was matching me stride for stride.
    I fought back the instinctive urge to run, reminding myself I wasn’t going to let him scare me. But being on a long cement bridge over a wide inlet pretty much limited my escape options, so that didn’t help with the instincts. Plus, he’d be faster than me. Way faster. I knew that much about vampires at least.
    “You don’t happen to fear water or heights, do you?” I asked without looking at him.
    “No. Why?”
    “I was thinking about jumping and wondering if you’d just follow.”
    The vampire threw his head back and laughed. I could clearly see the stretch of his neck and tilt of his head in my peripheral vision. It was a purely human sound, and for some reason, that scared me more. He could pass for one of them … walk among those who couldn’t see the magic simmering off him, then rip someone’s head off with a flick of his wrist.
    “I wasn’t attempting to be funny.”
    “And yet you are.”
    “So this is your safe passage?”
    “You can’t get any safer than with me by your side.”
    “Right. That doesn’t sound creepy stalkerish at all.”
    He didn’t respond further. Apparently, he was okay with being a creepy stalker.
    “What do vampires care about murders in Vancouver?”
    “It’s the missing blood that drew our attention.”
    “So … it looks like a vampire kill?”
    “Yes, but not on closer inspection.”
    “And if it was done by a vampire?”
    “Then I would have found and sentenced the killer already.”
    “Capital punishment?”
    “Not unless I had no other choice.”
    “Because vampires are precious.”
    “Yes.”
    “I still don’t understand why you care, if it wasn’t a vampire.”
    “Appearances must be maintained.”
    I had no idea what the hell that meant — maybe bad PR for the vamps? But I didn’t want to look more ignorant than I’m sure I already did.
    “The shifters seemed enamored of you