Missing Magic Read Online Free

don’t even
know you.”
    His head felt like a sledgehammer pounded on
his skull. “I don’t know you any better than you know me.”
    “That proves my point.” Her sigh seemed
extraordinarily loud, like a firecracker going off in his ear. “If
you really are related to Mick, you’d know about me. And, you’d
know Mick doesn’t have any cousins.”
    He couldn’t focus, couldn’t concentrate,
could barely breathe. His head felt like it was about to explode.
“What do you mean, he doesn’t have any cousins?”
    Arms folded across her chest, she glared at
him. “Because Mick is an orphan, just like me.”
    “An orphan? No, he’s—.”
    They both froze as the automatic garage door
made a sound. With a creak, the gears began to turn. Chains
clinked, and the door began to slowly rise.
    “Busted,” she hissed, looking around
frantically for a place to hide.
    Cenrick cursed. With the way everything was
spinning, he couldn’t run. But he couldn’t let Mick see him. Not
yet.
    “Come on.” Grabbing his arm, the woman yanked
him with her as she dove behind the bulky covered shape that he
thought must be another car. Even though he’d worn his gloves as a
precaution, he was careful to keep his distance from the metal.
    She kept her hold on his arm. Oddly enough,
down on the concrete floor his equilibrium returned in a rush. The
headache vanished, as though it had never been.
    Together, they crouched low.
    Headlights swept the garage as a large
vehicle – SUV or pickup – pulled into the driveway.
    Beside him, hand still on his arm, she didn’t
move. He was glad. His heart was pounding so loudly he was afraid
Mick would hear. He wished he had something to cover himself with,
aware that to his cousin he’d be easily visible. After all, Mick
was Fae. Most Fae could spot another Fae’s aura from fifty yards
away. Cenrick could only hope the metal of the covered car blunted
it.
    An orphan? He shook his head. Since Fae
couldn’t lie, he wondered how Mick had managed such an outrageous
story. And for what purpose?
    The vehicle parked outside the garage. Both
front doors and one back opened. Three people got out.
    Though Cenrick squinted, he could only make
out one Fae. Mick. But his aura was surprisingly faint. The others
were human, he thought.
    “Get into the house.” A woman’s voice,
pitched low, carried an unmistakable air of authority. “It’s
dangerous out here.”
    “Someone will have to help me.” Mick’s voice,
sounding weak and annoyed. Not like Mick at all.
    “Something’s wrong with him.” the woman
whispered in his ear. “And that’s not his car.”
    “Shhh.” Cenrick lifted a warning finger to
his lips. Still crouched low, he continued to peer under the
shrouded car.
    “I don’t see him,” she persisted, her low
voice worried.“There.” Cenrick touched her arm. “Look.”
    A blonde woman and a muscular, dark-haired
man came into view, helping support another, taller and more
slender man. Mick. He staggered slightly and looked paler than
normal.
    Drunk, drugged, or merely ill? The result of
whatever he was doing to steal Fae souls?
    “Look at him.” Echoing his thoughts, his
companion sounded worried. “What’s wrong with him?”
    Cenrick shook his head in warning. Making a
deliberate effort to soften the harsh sound of his breathing, he
tried to make himself blend with the cement floor. Though Mick
appeared to be the only Fae and thus, the only one capable of
noticing his aura, he didn’t want to take any chances. Best to err
on the side of caution.
    Evidently, the woman beside him felt the
same. Hand still on his arm, she held herself motionless, watching
the little tableau with narrowed eyes.
    The only sounds were the man’s footsteps, the
shuffle of Mick’s unsteady feet, and the staccato click of the
blonde’s high heels on the pavement. Someone – Mick? – coughed.
    The door into the house squeaked as they
opened it. The last person in, the blonde woman punched the