The Matchmakers Read Online Free Page B

refrigerator and reached past the half loaf of bread and a
jar of grape jelly to grab a beer. Would this be his fourth tonight, or his
first? He popped the top, not caring that the cap landed on the cracked
linoleum and rolled under the stove. He downed half the brew while the faerie
eyed him expectantly. `Want one?´ `No, thank you.´ `Good. Now, I’m going to
drink the rest of this and probably at least one more before I’ll be ready to deal
with any more of this. If you’re still here by then, we’ll start at the
beginning. You can explain what exactly you are and what I’m supposed to do to
get you out of my head and my house before I really do go insane, assuming I’m
not already. Capice ?Śhe nodded,
and he drained the beer. He set the empty bottle on the counter and snagged a
second. She was still there when he closed the refrigerator door. When he
placed the second empty beer bottle on the kitchen table and took a seat, she
was also still there. `Are you ready now?śhe asked, and the exasperated
undertone in her voice gave him a chilly reminder of his mother. He closed his
eyes and nodded. `Start at the beginning and go slow.Ćalliope shrugged out
of her coat under Nick’s disconcerting scrutiny. He obviously expected her to turn
homicidal at any moment, and she wasn’t quite sure how to convince him to trust
her. Most of the humans to whom she’d demonstrated any of her Fae abilities
immediately wanted to see more amazing feats and ended up begging her to grant
them wishes. She squeezed her eyes shut at that unpleasant memory. Granting
wishes seemed like such a nice thing to do and the ones she’d granted in the
past were simple, benign. Not much more than favors, really. It wasn’t as if
she’d given anyone eternal life or inexhaustible wealth or ultimate power. She
shook off the creeping tingle of shame that tickled the edges of her
well-hidden wings and tossed her coat on the back of one of Nick’s
pomegranate-colored kitchen chairs. `May I sit down?Śhe almost missed Nick’s
response, a nearly imperceptible tilt of his head. She pulled the chair out and
sat before he had a chance to change his mind. The cold, faded red surface of
the ancient kitchen table gave her a chill when she leaned her forearms on it,
and she had to rub them briskly with her hands to keep her Fae blood flowing.
Why couldn’t she have been exiled to a warmer climate to carry out her task? `It’s
a complicated story,śhe said. `I’ll bet.´ `Um«´ Why did he have to stare
at her like that? He seemed to look into her, suffusing her with the heat of
self-consciousness.
      Despite the hard-earned wisdom she
saw in his eyes, he still thought her a menace to his well being. One sudden
move and she had no doubt she’d find herself evicted from his apartment as
unceremoniously as he’d ejected her from his truck. `Okay. Here’s the short
version. Feel free to ask questions. I’m a Fae. I belong to the caste that
governs the fulfillment of destiny, specifically love. The Fae goddess, Freya,
presides over my caste. She’s my boss, so to speak.´ `What is she like Cupid?´ `He’s
retired now, but yes, in a way. My caste we help the cause of true love. We
help put people together.´ `That sounds better than taking them apart.´ `Let me
finish.´ Had he smirked at her? Was she cracking his gruff, skeptical exterior?
`I really like my job. Maybe too much. I got carried away recently and did
something I wasn’t supposed to do. I granted a wish.´ `You grant wishes?´ He
sat forward, suddenly interested. Next he’d be asking to win the lottery. Callie
rolled her eyes and settled her gaze on the fine cracks that marred the finish
on the table. She traced the delicate lines with her thumb as she continued,
reluctant to confess her sins. Remember,
if this all works,   he’ll
forget everything I tell him. `I don’t grant wishes. That’s the point. I’m not allowed to, even when they’re
simple, easy, mostly harmless little