Missing Magic (19 page)

“We would. But it’s for that very reason that
most Fae hide our true appearance when we’re among humans. We don’t
want to attract unwanted attention.”

“Good Lord.” Her hushed whisper made his body
stir. “That means…” The way she looked at him made him want to kiss
her senseless.”

“That means what?” His voice came out
rusty.

“You’re already breathtakingly handsome,” she
blurted. “You’re saying that you—?”

He felt his face color. Unlike his brother,
he’d had never been comfortable with his appeal to females.
“Yes.”

“Let me see. If you’re going to make me into
some siren, I want to see the real you.”

He took a step back, clinging to his
repetition of the spell like a mantra. “Dee, I like you. We’re
partners. I don’t want to change that. Drop it.”

But she wouldn’t. “Why? What are you afraid
of?”

“It’s a well-documented fact that human women
are uncontrollably attracted to us when we drop our shields.”

She snorted. “Fine. Since I’m already
attracted to you, what difference will it make?”

“Dee—.”

She took a step closer, making his heart
stutter. He was only half-way through the spell, and he could
barely resist her.

Suddenly, he wanted her to see him as he was,
to fight the same, strong attraction as the one even now coursing
through his veins. With a word, he dropped his shield.

She blinked. “You look the same.” Peering at
him, she sounded disappointed. “You look… the same.”

He frowned. “I don’t understand it. I’ve
dropped my shields. You’re supposed to see me as I really am.”

She took a step towards him, head tilted.
“Nope, no difference. You look the same. Maybe I already see you as
you really are.”

“Not possible.”

Something in his expression must have reached
her. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Let’s get on with making me Fae.
We’ve got a job to do.”

He sighed. “I’ll need to touch you.”

Closing her eyes, she simply nodded.

Feather light, he touched her shoulder. She
shivered.

His fingers trailed down her arm, to her
waist, brushing her hip. After skimming to her toes, he placed his
hand on top of her head and spoke the rest of the spell.

“Okay.” Summoning up a strength of will he
hadn’t known he possessed, he took his hand away. Odd how bereft
that made him feel. “I’m finished. You can open your eyes.”

Slowly, cautiously, she did. When she met his
gaze, he felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. He growled low in
his throat. “Even for a Fae, you’re beautiful.”

“Really?” She grinned up at him. “Ok, tell me
the rest of it. What else is different?”

He blinked, pushing away the raw, animal
hunger. “Different? What do you mean?”

“I know you said I couldn’t fly, but you
didn’t mention anything else. Does this spell give me any special
powers, like magical ability? I have a mental picture of twitching
my nose and my apartment instantly becoming spotless. Or a five
course, mouth-watering, gourmet meal appearing with the wave of my
hand.”

Her grin slowly faded. “Better yet, maybe I
could use magic to make the charges against me disappear, so I can
get my job back.

Though he hated to crush her hopes, he had no
choice. “Uh, no. Sorry. No magical powers. You just appear Fae.
Nothing more, nothing less. We’ve only altered your appearance. Not
your entire being. You’re still human at the core.”

“What about my aura?” She stumbled over the
unfamiliar word. “Did you fix that?”

“Yes. Your aura now looks Fae. But remember,
your being human is what’s going to help us in dealing with these
people. If this machine only works on Fae, you’ll have a built in
immunity.”

She conceded the point with a dip of her
chin. “Okay, so I now look Fae. I’m armed and a trained
law-enforcement officer. I’m ready.”

“You’re not ready.” He crossed his arms,
knowing she wouldn’t like what he had to say.

“What? Of course I am. I’ve even got spare
bullets.”

He sighed. “Dee, You might be armed, but you
need clothes.”

She gaped at him. “Clothes?”

“Yes, magic garments from Rune. No
self-respecting Fae woman would wear anything that wasn’t sexy,
especially out to the clubs.”

“Sexy?” She stared. “I can do sexy. Look, I
love new clothes as much as the next woman, but we don’t have time.
I’m sure I can find something to wear.”

“Time? The clubs don’t open for hours.”

She checked her watch. “Fine. Get a Fae dress
from Rune.”

“I have to be careful, using magic. Though
something like this shouldn’t be a problem,” he muttered.

“What do you mean, you have to be
careful?”

“Magical use in a non-magical world like
yours can cause disturbances in the weather. Remember those
tornados, and the massive brush fire down by Austin last summer?
That was because of magic.” He grinned at her. “Here goes nothing.”
Snapping his fingers, he muttered a couple of words, and a
shimmering dress appeared, draped over his arm.

Outside, a sudden clap of thunder could be
heard.

“Look at that dress,” she breathed, moving
closer. The color of amber, the gown appeared to be made from some
diaphanous material that flowed and moved as if with life of its
own. It was a perfect match for her eyes.

“Here you are.” Cenrick held it out to
her.

She recoiled. “I could have sworn the
material – or whatever it is – reached for me.”

He shrugged. “It probably did. Put it
on.”

After another small hesitation, she snatched
the dress from him. “Turn your back.”

“But I’ve seen—.”

“Cenrick.”

Giving up, he did as she requested.

“Ok,” she said. “You can look now.”

Slowly, he turned to face her. The enchanted
material clung to her lovingly, each fold caressing her with every
breath she took. Desire consumed him, burned through him in waves.
He’d thought he’d be able to do this, to look at Dee Bishop,
enhanced with Fae magic, wearing a bespelled dress.

He’d been wrong.

Despite the color, the diaphanous material
was sheer. So sheer, she might have been wearing a veil.

The dress was see-thru and worse, the spell
which gave the material its beauty was a sexual one.

He could no more resist the lure than he
could stop his heart from beating.

He took a step towards her. And she
vanished.

EVERYTHING CHANGED. One moment, she’d been
standing in front of Cenrick, clad in the most sensuous dress she’d
ever seen, and the next… she was formless.

Weightless, buoyant, insubstantial, surfing
invisible currents of air. Magical.

As though she were truly Fae.

Beside her, a shape materialized, looming
over her. A huge hawk, riding the air beside her. Tinth. As Dee
thought her name, the hawk screeched. In the majestic bird’s eyes
she saw… recognition.

What was happening to her? The dress, wrapped
tight around her, caressed her body. Had the garment been
ensorcelled?

Dee reached out, using her hand, her mind,
trying to find Cenrick. Instead, she touched … the Oracle.

“
You have come
.” The hooded figure
moved closer. When she did, the swirling air currents calmed.

Dee nodded. “I was pulled, or sent.”

“
Do you know what you are
?”

Looking deep within herself, Dee saw she had
not been diminished. In fact, the hardships she’d faced in her life
had made her more. Despite the investigation, the loss of her job,
her fiancé, and her best friend, she remained strong, aware, and
ready to fight. “I don’t give up so easily,” she said. “Never have,
never will.”

At her words, the Oracle laughed. What Dee
could see of the face within the shadows of the hood looked
surprisingly beautiful and young.

“You’re—.”

“
Shhh
.” The Oracle held up a hand.
Then, scarlet eyes glowing, she touched Dee’s face. The touch was
gentle, soothing. It brought tears to Dee’s eyes.

“
You have always been worthy. But first,
you must find yourself
”

Despite the new age rhetoric, tears filled
Dee’s eyes, spilling out onto her cheeks. “Will you help us?”

“
You will help each other. Remember, two
halves are required
.” Once again, the voice sounded stern.
“
Remind Cenrick of this. If he tries to remember, he will
understand.
”

“I—.” But no one was there. The Oracle had
vanished.

Again, the air swirled, sending her flying,
the dress streaming out behind her. Tinth screeched, and also
disappeared.

With a crash, Dee felt the ground beneath
her. She stood beside Cenrick once more, clad in the magical
gown.

“Dee?” He rushed to her, his dark gaze
concerned. “What happened? Where did you go? Are you all
right?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she
could, the dress reacted, reached out to shimmer around Cenrick,
caressing his arm.

“What the—?”

“The dress is enchanted,” she said, oddly
breathless. “It took me to see the Oracle, in a place that wasn’t
solid. Tinth was there as well.”

Now the vibrant garment was wrapped around
them both, pulling them so close she could feel the beat of his
heart.

“The Oracle?” he asked, then kissed her, a
long, lingering kiss which made her knees go weak. “What did she
want?”

“I think she summoned me.” Trying to
concentrate, Dee repeated the Oracle’s words. “She said you would
understand.”

“Two halves are required,” he mused, while
the dress did it’s best to meld them together.

“What does that mean? She said you would
remember.”

“Alrick and I are twins,” he told her,
passion darkening his eyes to black. “Dress, cease.”

Miraculously, the gown obeyed, becoming an
ordinary dress again.

Cenrick stepped back, his chest rising and
falling as he tried to regain his equilibrium.

Dee took a moment to do the same. More than
anything, she wanted to rip off the Fae garment. She wanted her
jeans and tennis shoes. She wanted to be normal again.

“Two halves are required,” Cenrick repeated,
staring off into the distance. “I think I might know. Alrick and I
are twins, as you know. Growing up, it was often said we were
formed from the same soul. The Oracle must want me to seek Alrick’s
help.”

He held out his hand. “I think it’s time we
paid my brother a visit. Are you ready?”

Looking down at the see-thru dress, Dee shook
her head. “No way am I wearing this to meet your brother. I’m
changing first. Give me a minute.”

Dashing off into her bedroom, she grabbed her
jeans and a t-shirt and headed to the bathroom to change.

When she returned to the living room, Cenrick
held out his hand. “My brother lives in the Texas Hill Country with
his human wife.”

“I remember you telling me that,” she said,
sliding her fingers through his. “I love the Hill County. I’m ready
to go.”

“We’ll use magic to travel.”

“What about the weather? You mentioned
problems.”

“That was before Mort discovered the magical
currents. They even exist in your non-magical world. As long as tap
into them, your world’s natural energy won’t be disturbed.” He
began the spell.

Again, energy flared around them. She knew a
moment of disorientation, gray and black mingling with all the
colors of the rainbow. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, they stood under
the intense Texas sun, burning so bright she had to shade her eyes.
Noon. The sun was directly overhead.

The sparse landscape and stunted trees told
her they were not in the Texas hill country.

“This isn’t—,” she began.

“No, it’s not.” Grim-faced, he shaded his
eyes with his hand and scanned their surroundings. “By the Plains
of Lothar, I don’t know where we are.”

“You don’t?” She too shaded her eyes against
the glare. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” He grimaced. “To ride the
magical currents, I took us to Rune and back. We should have ended
up near No Name Ranch. Unless we crossed the veil at a different
place. Locations can be hard to pinpoint too, unless one knows the
exact coordinates.”

He sounded like a scientist or mathematician.
“Magic has rules?”

Somehow, his somber expression reassured her.
“Of course. Remember when I told you how the weather used to
change?”

She nodded.

“When my brother first came to your world,
every time he used magic, some natural disaster would occur.
Tornados, floods, fires. It was terrible – and limiting. When he
and his wife Carly defeated an evil Warlord from the future, Mort
and the Oracle worked together to find a way to fix that particular
problem.”

“And that’s when Mort discovered these
magical currents?”

“Right. Now, as long as we’re careful and
don’t abuse our power, all Fae can now use magic without
worry.”

Above them, several black buzzards
circled.

She swallowed. “But you don’t know where we
are? We’re lost?”

“Lost?” He gave a swift shake of his head.
“No, we’re not lost. I’m sure I can find the way to Alrick’s.”

Apparently, even Fae men hated to ask for
directions. Squinting, she wished she’d brought her Ray Bans.
Wherever they’d landed, they were in a desert wilderness. The dry
ground had cracks and splits, and in the distance she saw red earth
cliffs which crumbling to dust. All around them were tall spiny
cactus, reaching for the son with claw-like appendages. And worse,
the buzzards which had been circling above them had been joined by
several more, making a large flock of birds, black and ominous,
their tattered silhouettes stark against the cloudless sky.

“Look.” She pointed skyward.

Cenrick followed the direction of her gaze.
“Not good.”