Some Kind of Magic (6 page)

“Don"t need any fairies prancing around in here,” he

muttered, and Ray bit back a growl. Most cops had learned

not to piss off the werewolf with that sort of talk. But of

course Ross knew who it was, and in any event, the voices

and the scent coming inevitably toward them—toward him—

were well known to all of them. Too well known.

“That"s enough, Ross.” He opened his eyes but didn"t

turn to face the door. He was briefly grateful he was in a

suit, at a crime scene, surrounded by people. It helped him

to remember himself, as the urge to bliss out on the new

scent was nearly overwhelming.

He hated himself just for having the thought. Not

because it was a fairy in the doorway—they all smelled

temptingly ethereal—but because it was
Cal
. Cal Parker, who

smelled sweet but also solid, like sunbeams and sugar

cookies with an underlying layer of clean sweat, and whose

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37

emotions always rang out like a bell, with a pure

want/want/want
that made Ray ache.

He could easily lose himself in Cal Parker. It was

aggravating. He turned to Penn, then all the way around,

and ignored the sudden brightness in the room, like the

lights were shorting out.

“Why is he here? Why are you here?” He knew the

answer of course. Parker and his friend Benedict were the

department"s consultants on cases involving Beings and

human magic. But they rarely came to crime scenes, and

Ray preferred it that way.

He fixed a glare onto his face and crossed his arms as

he looked them both over. Benedict first, as it was less

complicated to note that Benedict must have come here

during his working hours at his other job. He had on a suit,

slicker and shinier than anything Ray could have afforded,

though in the same sensible colors. Plain suits that always

somehow looked better when Oscar Benedict wore them, his

always crisp, always pressed, white shirts stunning against

his dark skin.

Ray took petty satisfaction in the fact that though

Benedict was ridiculously attractive, his name still sounded

like something you ordered from room service, and resisted

the need to check his tie. It was straight. His shirt was

wrinkle free. There was nothing to be done about his looks.

Dark hair, sprinkled with white, blue eyes, and a nose that

had been broken once by an imp and so hadn"t healed

straight. Nothing really that impressive, aside from his size,

but that was standard for a werewolf.

He met Parker"s gaze through the cloud of shimmering

glitter that surrounded him and spoke even as he took in

everything about the other man.

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38

“Managed to get some clothes on today?” he remarked,

directing his eyes to the tight athletic shirt Parker was

wearing. It was contoured to his body like it had been

painted on. Parker wasn"t as slender as most male fairies but

still had that same fit, slim build, the same glowingly warm-

looking skin, and the same lack of modesty. “And out of bed

before noon?” he snarked. “I"m shocked.”

To be fair, if Ray had to cut holes in his shirts to fit a set

of wings, he"d probably go shirtless too. But fairies

sometimes didn"t draw the line at going shirtless, and in his

days on the beat, he"d given them way too many warnings,

having to make notes each time,
indecent exposure,
special

circs: Fairy
.

He could just see the sheen of Parker"s wings when he

raised his attention from making sure that Parker had pants

on. He did: worn, torn jeans that were doing nothing to help

Ray feel anything less than ravenous.

They looked soft, and they didn"t conceal much.

Parker was twitching, as were his wings, undersized due

to his parentage, but still a vivid array of purple and blue

and green. His hair and eyes were brown, seemingly dull in

comparison to those useless, tiny wings, until you got a good

look at the shifting lights in both, gold and green and

chocolate. His mouth was pink and spotted with sugar.

Ray licked his lips, then blinked. Fairies. If the lack of

shame wasn"t annoying enough, there was always their

sugar-filled diets. It was like hanging out with

hummingbirds. They couldn"t be still to save their lives.

Nasreen fluttering over to glue herself to Audrey"s side

came to mind before Ray could stop the thought. She hadn"t

budged until she"d been forced to.

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39

He realized abruptly that he was staring, that Parker

was watching him stare, his eyes wide, and snapped, “Stay

back, Parker! I don"t want glitter in my crime scene!” Fairy

glitter vanished as it hit the ground and generally didn"t

stain, but there was always a chance. Parker immediately

stuck out his lower lip in a pout, not even a little hurt,

though Ray was almost yelling at him.

“Someone"s tired and grouchy. Does Rover need to get

laid?”

Ray looked at his partner. “I am going to kill him.” Ross

snorted from the doorway. Penn hid a laugh.

“No you"re not.” She pointed at Parker and Benedict and

used that Siren voice of hers that made most men sit up and

take notice. “Just be careful.” She didn"t have to be stern.

They nodded and didn"t move from the doorway as they

glanced around, both of them avoiding looking at the body

for long.

Ray could remember their captain when he"d hired

Benedict and Parker on for the first time. The department

was already unique with Ray and Penn there—Being

detectives—but he"d said it was time they had more

resources who understood magic and Beings. The captain

was right. And yes, though Benedict was a—studying—

human wizard, and though, yes, being half-fairy meant

Parker saw through the magical disguises of any Being and

could sense when magic was used like any other fairy, and

together they knew more about things non-human than

most others, they were still civilians.

This was dangerous work and nothing that anyone like

them should have to see. And… Cal Parker smelled too good

for Ray to think clearly around him.

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40

“We"re always careful.” Benedict insisted. Parker just

had to keep it going.

“Nuh uh, remember that one time in high school when

you tripped and landed face first in Debbie Gunderson"s lap?

Hey, so, Ray Ray….”

Ray gritted his teeth and waited, but Benedict called

Parker"s attention back to their work. He
was
the more

responsible of the two.

“What"s high school got to do with it, Cal? Do you see

that stuff on the ground by the desk?”

“The faint residue of white, powdery stuff on the carpet?

No. I don"t see it.”

“Man, shut up. We"re at work.”

“Well of
course
I see it! It"s so obvious! What do I look

like? Don"t answer that.”

“Enough.” Ray breathed out, and they both stopped

their banter to calmly stare at him. “CSU took a sample

already.”

“Oh.” They looked around as one.

“You know, something in this room is making me all

tingly.”

“Too much information, Cal.” Benedict beat Ray to it.

“So who is—was—this guy?”

“Elliot Fielding. Defense attorney.”

“A smug bastard, when he"d been alive,” Ross piped in.

“Defended scum.”

“So you knew him?” Benedict blinked.

“We all did.” Penn explained. “But we"ll find his killer….”

“So some other prick lawyer can get them off.” Ray

finished, sharing a grin with her. Ross let out a small laugh

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41

too, making Cal shoot him a disgruntled look. Then Cal

turned back to Ray.

“Ooh, should I make a „get him off" joke?”

“Not if you like breathing,” Ray snarled quietly, meeting

Parker"s eyes and knowing it was a mistake when he was

filled with the urge to throw Parker against the nearest wall

and hold him there and take all that
want
and that smart

mouth and show him what a lack of shame could really

mean.

The image sucked the breath right from him and was

probably visible in his eyes. As part Fairy, Cal could see

through almost any guise, but his ability to read expressions

and spot lies was a skill learned from his human father, who

had been the finest cop this department had ever seen. He

was even the reason Cal was working with them now.

It had seemed so innocent then. They"d needed insight

into magic and other Beings. Calvin, newly retired, had

suggested they ask his son.

Ray"s life had never been the same.

The sparkles around Cal flared, and Ray abruptly felt

obvious. His face was hot, and he blushed to realize he was

growling lowly.

It was the most embarrassing thing he could have done,

aside from getting hard right here, and he wasn"t far from

that. He
never
lost control like this, or hadn"t used to.

He turned away quickly before Parker could react and

studied the victim again.

“Make yourself useful, Tulip, and tell us your theory.”

He was rewarded with a burst of overly appreciative

laughter from Ross. Parker howled in fake outrage.

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42

“A slur, Branigan? An anti-fairy slur!” It was almost

delight in his voice, a warmth at Ray"s nicknames for him

that Ray never understood. Even the first time Ray had done

it, called him Tiger Lily out of desperation, Cal had seemed

to find it amusing.

Amusing, hell. He had found it
enchanting
. “Not all of us

are named after flowers, I"ll remind you, Ray.”

“Just most of you,” Ray couldn"t help responding. Even

in other languages. Ray had looked it up. Nasreen meant a

type of rose.

Parker"s voice only got warmer. “Bad dog. Just for that,

no biscuit.”

Ray coughed before he could growl again, though he

angled his head and caught the little tart"s pleased smirk

and had to clench his hands to keep from grabbing him

and….

“Go on, Cal.” Penn, bless her heart, saved him and his

dignity. Parker paused to make sure that Ray"s eyes were on

him and then posed dramatically.

“
Personal
somehow, is the feeling I get in here. I mean.

That.” He waved at Fielding without looking at him. “What,

did he snap his neck and throw him around a little?” Ray

could smell Ross"s surprise, but he and Penn only nodded.

Parker was, under it all, as sharp as they came. “But the

strength here….” Cal looked up at him. “You okay, Ray Ray?

You seem… edgy.”

His honest concern was like sunshine.

Ray touched his nose and almost backed 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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43

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