Some Kind of Magic by R. Cooper Read Free Book Online Page A

up.
    “The smell in here,” was all he said. Even when he
    wasn"t wolf, or the moon wasn"t full, his sharp senses were a
    pain in the ass. This was making him restless with the need
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    to hunt down the killer. This was his town, his to protect.
    And—
    There was a hand on his arm, and he looked at Parker,
    then swallowed. At his side, Penelope said his name, calling
    him back too.
    “Ray.” She smiled. “You hungry?” It was only the
    beginning of what was wrong with him at the moment, but
    he nodded with a sigh.
    “Do you smell anything else though, Ray?” Cal added, in
    a whisper. Probably because Beings might be around, but it
    didn"t mean that a werewolf made everyone, even Ray"s
    fellow cops, comfortable all the time. No one liked working
    with the guy who could tear you to pieces if he wanted—or
    who could smell every time you farted.
    But it was still surprising how calmly Cal took Ray"s
    sense of smell, how he knew about it and was willing to trust
    it. He was, always had been, more intrigued by it than even
    men Ray had dated. Like in the stunned days after they"d
    first met, Ray could recall Cal in his bathroom of all places,
    demanding to know why Ray didn"t use aftershave. And
    then… and then after that, still raw with new feelings, new
    urges, Ray had let himself be lulled into curiosity, fairy-led
    ever closer to that shimmering presence and had forgotten
    that a fairy wouldn"t understand.
    He shook himself out of it in time to hear the rest of
    Cal"s question. “Like the bad guy?”
    “I… no. I can only smell—” You. Ray stopped.“The
    people here. And maybe something like metal. Not blood.”
    Something hateful, but he couldn"t quite name it and didn"t
    want to around Cal.
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    “Oh, well.” Cal suddenly released Ray and fluttered back
    toward his best friend. “It was just a thought. Why don"t you
    go eat? Benny and I are done anyway, aren"t we Bens?”
    “Hell yeah. It"s creepy in here.” Ray exchanged another
    look with Penn, civilians , and a sigh, then moved.
    There was a wave of mixed feelings as Cal stepped aside
    to let him go, and a butter/syrup/pancakes smell, driving
    Ray crazy. It was Sundays and morning-after breakfasts and
    everything that was good , even with the hint of very real,
    very human sweat underneath it, and the soda on Cal"s
    breath, and that popping rock candy just at the edge of his
    lips.
    What Parker had had for breakfast. Probably in the car.
    There were shadows under his eyes too, like a late night, and
    the vague trace of ink on his wrist that meant he"d gone out
    in the past few days.
    Ray couldn"t smell a man or a woman on him this time,
    but he was so beautiful he"d be popular when he was out.
    Exotic to humans and Beings alike. And as a fairy he would
    have seen as little difference between them as men and
    women, ready to sample anything and everything before
    flitting off to try something else.
    If only that were the way Ray"s kind worked.
    He pulled back before he could lick candy from Parker"s
    mouth and walked out with Penelope on his heels. To the
    station—no, to get a bite— then to the station.
    “That"s enough, Dandelion. We have work to do.”
    He should have known he wouldn"t get the last word.
    “One of these days, Branigan, you"re going to tell me
    what it will take to get dragged off to your love cave!” Parker
    called out at his back, so everyone could hear, and Ray
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    45
    closed his eyes, then opened them in time to catch Ross"s
    scowl, but the man"s issues were the least of Ray"s problems
    today.
    Fairies.

    AS LUNCH places hadn"t been open yet, he and Penn had
    ended up driving back to the station, where word had been
    waiting for them that Perretti would probably get bail and
    would get out if the amount wasn"t set large enough. At this
    point his scent was familiar enough that Ray could probably
    track him down by that alone if