A Kind of Magic Read Online Free

A Kind of Magic
Book: A Kind of Magic Read Online Free
Author: Shanna Swendson
Tags: FIC009010 FICTION / Fantasy / Contemporary; FIC044000 FICTION / Contemporary Women; FIC010000 FICTION / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
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hazarded. She was fairly certain her body was up to it since she’d been commuting to New York via the Realm to take professional-level classes. Whether she could resume an old role that quickly remained to be seen.
    “Good. Are you free this afternoon? We can go over the choreography as a refresher and see how you look, then decide from there.”
    Her head was still spinning when she left. This was exactly what she’d hoped might happen when she’d been relieved of both her family responsibilities and her regal obligations as queen of the fairy realm. A few snowflakes swirled around her as she walked down the street. She hadn’t lived in New York since she was a teenager, but it seemed a bit early for snow—still just mid-November. With a stern mental scolding, she forced her attention back to trying to remember ballet choreography. If she wasn’t going to let magical nonsense ruin her life again, she had to stop seeing magic in everything.

 
Five
     
    The Upper West Side—the Antique Shop
    12:45 p.m.
     
    Michael was dead tired when his shift ended. Staying up most of the night was bad enough, but breaking the news of an untimely death—twice—was so emotionally draining that he could barely force his body to move. Even so, he wasn’t sure he could sleep, so instead of going home, he went to the little antique shop that seemed to mostly serve as a cover for the activities of the two ancient enchantresses who ran it.
    He instinctively ducked his head as he entered the basement shop, the little bell above the door tinkling to herald his arrival. The ceiling was actually about a foot above him, but it was low enough to make him feel like he should be stooping.
    “Detective Murray! This is a surprise!” Athena Abercrombie, the elder of the two sisters, greeted him. The tiny woman flitted forward to take his hand. Thanksgiving was still two weeks away, but she wore a sweater emblazoned with a turkey wearing a Pilgrim hat. “I’m sure you’re not here to buy antique china, so what magical problem do you have for us today?”
    “Am I that obvious?”
    “How much china have you bought lately?”
    “Actually, I’m doing some early Christmas shopping.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “Really?”
    He couldn’t help but grin, in spite of his heavy heart. “No, sorry. I had a kelpie sighting this morning. I wanted to talk to you about it.”
    “A kelpie? Where?”
    “The lake in Central Park.”
    “You’re sure it was a kelpie?”
    “Pretty sure.”
    “Oh my.”
    “We have one death already. I’d like to prevent any more. What do I do about it?”
    She darted over to the counter and banged her hand repeatedly on the bell while calling out, “Amelia! We have a kelpie!” Michael winced, her sudden blast of volume making his ears ring. More serenely, she said, “Please have a seat, Detective. Would you like some tea?”
    He wasn’t normally much of a tea drinker, but being served a hot cup of tea by an elderly lady sounded so comforting that he couldn’t resist. Right now, he really needed the comfort.  “Yes, please,” he said, settling himself at the small table in the corner of the shop.
    Athena fluttered off to the back room just as her younger sister, Amelia Abernathy, entered. At first glance, the two seemed entirely unalike. Athena was tiny and cute while Amelia was tall and regal, but they had such similar faces that they might pass as twins in a photo lineup. He stood to greet her. “Mrs. Abernathy, hello,” he said.
    She offered her hand in a way that made him feel like she expected him to kiss it, but he settled for giving it a squeeze and a shake. “Detective Murray, how are you doing?”
    He started to say, “Fine,” but the look she gave him made it clear that she wasn’t making social niceties. She really did want to know. “Okay, I guess,” he said. “It’s weird. Nothing has actually changed, and yet everything has. My life’s going on as normal, but what I know is
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