Just Fae Enough Read online

  JUST FAE ENOUGH

  KAREN FOX

  Copyright © 2003, 2021 by Karen Fox

  Previously published as Impractical Magic

  ISBN: 978-1-950349-39-5

  Publisher: Parker Hayden Media

  Imprint: Feisty Cat Books

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events or locations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

  Art credits:

  Cover design: LB Hayden

  Hat: @Pazhyna/Depositphotos

  Background: @ StephanieFrey/Depostiphotos

  Stars: @ ahasoft/Depositphotos

  Also by Karen Fox

  Enchanted Love Series

  One Fine Fae

  In the Family Fae

  A Fae to Remember

  Just Fae Enough

  * * *

  Other Paranormal Romances

  Sword of MacLeod

  My Enemy, My Lover

  The Scanner Universe Boxed Set

  The Hope Chest Series: The Prince

  The Hope Chest Series Boxed Set

  The Three Graces Trilogy: A Touch of Charm

  The Three Graces Trilogy Boxed Set

  Witch High Anthology

  Magick Rising Anthology

  * * *

  Contemporary Sweet Romances

  Must Love Dogs

  Her Fake Fiancé

  A Match in Dogwood Anthology

  A Dogwood Christmas Anthology

  Dogwood Secrets Unsealed Anthology

  A Dogwood Valentine Anthology

  Dogwood Fortunes Revealed Anthology

  Acclaim for Karen Fox’s previous faery romances...

  In the Family Fae

  “Fortunately, fairies have their own sensuous ways, which Fox describes in exquisite detail.... Fox’s good-natured fantasy romance isn’t all sweetness and light; it’s spiked with suspense once a stalker discovers that Ariel weeps opals.”

  —Booklist

  “A lively, enchanting love story filled with strong emotion and humor. An absolute gem as only Karen Fox can write.”

  —Rendezvous

  “If you like stories about Fairies, you’ll enjoy this book. It has an interesting twist concerning the relationship between the world of the Fae and world of mortals.”

  —Old Book Barn Gazette

  “This cute fantasy romance brings a fairy from Titania’s court to the mortal world.... Fox has more than enough fun with the difficulties of a Shakespearean fairy learning to cope with the modern world.”

  —Locus

  “Humorous fantasy romance starring two warm characters...a fun story.”

  —BookBrowser

  “Gifted author Karen Fox follows up her wonderful One Fine Fae with the delightful In the Family Fae. Join the magic and the emotion of this special charmer.”

  —Romantic Times

  * * *

  One Fine Fae

  “Finally, a heroine who’s a real woman. Finally, a hero who knows what a rare find she is. Finally, a book for us all to adore. Thank you, Karen Fox, for creating the most lovable hero romance has seen in a long, long time.”

  —Maggie Shayne, author of Eternity

  “Highly engaging characters... A realistic, plausible fantasy... One Fine Fae has proved well worth the wait.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “A fantastical journey into the faerytale realm of myth, magic, and happily-ever-after...Karen Fox’s fantasy romance is sweet and charming, with plenty of Fae magic to burn up the pages.”

  —The Romance Journal

  “What a fun read! I zipped through One Fine Fae, turning pages as fast as I could.... I urge readers of paranormal romance to pick up this book as quickly as they can.”

  —Scribesworld. Com

  “One Fine Fae is an amusing fantasy romance that will enchant subgenre fans... Enjoyable...humorous... Karen Fox writes a novel that is fun to read.”

  —BookBrowser

  “I breezed through this most enjoyable book and am eagerly waiting for more of the same from Karen Fox.”

  —Romance and Friends

  “Fun and lively.”—Old Book Barn Gazette

  “Highly enjoyable and well-written. I could almost believe the magic existed.... Here is an author that aims to please!”

  —Huntressreviews.com

  “Enchanting... Karen Fox has penned a warm, funny and quite delightful tale that is very special.”

  —Romantic Times

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Reader Letter

  About the Author

  Also by Karen Fox

  To JJ, Torie, and Kent, who have finally learned that the “Do Not Disturb” sign really means that.

  I love you, kids!

  And as always, to my awesome critique group.

  Chapter One

  Brandon Goodfellow noticed her the moment she stepped into the back of the empty theater, sensing her presence even before registering her movement. Though his heart skipped a beat, he kept his hands steady as he completed rehearsing his illusion.

  The flames rose higher from the palm of his hand and he casually set a piece of paper on fire to prove the flames were real. Then, with a majestic gesture and clap, he made the fire disappear. With a practiced smile, he displayed his unmarred palms to the vacant seats.

  The sound of a single person clapping echoed in the massive theater, and Brand finally allowed himself to focus on her. “Hello, Rose.”

  She moved out of the darkness of the wings into the stage lights. “Impressive. A small illusion, but done with barely a flourish. No wonder they call you the best magician in the world.”

  She looked much as he remembered her—slender, her deep blue eyes filled with mischief and secrets, and her full lips curved in a teasing smile. Her dark hair was different—short now in a tousled cut that made her appear as if she’d just rolled out of bed.

  Brand’s gut knotted. Don’t go there.

  She wore a short, simple dress that hugged her curves and revealed miles of her to-die-for legs. A brief memory surfaced of those legs swinging before him on a hot summer evening as Rose sat on a porch railing while he stood before her. They’d both been almost thirteen then, and he’d been hopelessly enamored of her.

  He shook away that traitorous vision to concentrate on the here and now. “Long time, no see.”

  Her brilliant smile held the power of shooting stars. “I’m surprised you recognized me. It’s been over ten years.”

  “You haven’t changed.” If anything, the years since graduation had added a maturity to her features that made her even more appealing.

  “I cut my hair.” She ran her hand carelessly through it. “Do you like it?”

  Brand examined the sassy, sexy cut with grudging acceptance. “I liked it long better.” Her hair had once fallen halfway down her back, shimmering like a silken waterfall when she moved.

  Rose shook her head. “It’s easier to take care of this way.”

  “I didn’t know that was a problem for you.” He didn’t bother to keep the dryness from his voice. Nothing had been a problem for Rose—not since she’d hit puberty and blossomed...in so many ways.

  A brief glitter in her eyes indicated he’d hit his target, but she didn’t respond to his barb. Instead, she walked to the middle of the stage and surveyed the empty seats. “I understand you have a special illusion coming up in a few weeks.”

  “I do.” Sudden suspicion crept in and he stalked over to whirl her around. “What are you doing here, Rose?”

  She didn’t try to be coy or evade his question—something he’d always admired in her. But when she worried her bottom lip in a familiar gesture, he knew.

  He knew.

  Disgusted, he folded his arms across his chest. “I wondered when you’d get to me.”

  “I—”

  “You’ve done exposes on all the other illusionists. I figured it was only a matter of time.”

  He hadn’t seen her over the past decade, but that hadn’t stopped him from keeping track of her.

  Graduating from college with a journalism degree, she’d started small, but rose to prominence with her in-depth features on the top magicians and how they performed their most intricate illusions. Heresy.

  Had she chosen this line of work because he’d become an illusionist? Another way to torment him?

  “I don’t want to write about you,” she said. “You’re my friend.”

  When he didn’t respond, she grimaced. “Or you used to be.”

  “Then don’t do it,” he snapped. She could ruin everything he’d worked so hard to obtain.

  “I have
to.” She held out her hands in a supplicating gesture. “You’re the only one left and you’re the greatest, the best, eclipsing even David Copperfield.”

  “You don’t have to.” Nobody made Rose do anything she didn’t want to do. “You just want the glory of revealing all my secrets.”

  “No, I don’t.” Her anguish sounded real. “But it’s my job. I don’t want to lose it.”

  “Right.” Brand dropped his arms as he paced away from her, then stalked back to face her, his fists clenched, his nerves pulled tight. “Why now, Rose? When I’m about to perform the biggest illusion of my career?”

  “Bad timing?” She gave him a tentative smile.

  “Bullshit!” She’d waited until he’d achieved some success, until he was on the brink of performing an illusion he’d spent years preparing for. Good publicity for her. The possible end of a career for him.

  Fresh sparks flared to life in her eyes. “Look, I came to tell you I was doing this, which is more than I’ve done for anyone else.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You’re not welcome here. You’re not about to do an expose on me.”

  “I’m doing this—with or without your cooperation.” He recognized the stubborn tilt to her chin. Damn, she probably would. The other magicians hadn’t even known she was there in their audiences, stealing their hard-won secrets until her story appeared in Uncovered magazine.

  He squeezed his fist so tight that he inadvertently triggered the ignition switch for the fire from his last illusion, and flames shot out over his palms. Before he could even react to stop them, the flames disappeared, and he glared at Rose as she lowered her hand from over his.

  “I could have taken care of it.” He’d been practicing illusions for years. Did she think he hadn’t dealt with mistakes before?

  “I didn’t want you to get burned.” She offered him an apologetic smile, but he didn’t return it.

  “Or you just wanted to flaunt your power.” To remind him he would never have what she had.

  Rose released an exasperated sound. “That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? You still resent me for having real magic.”

  “Why shouldn’t I? You have what I’ve always wanted, and you treat it like it’s nothing.”

  Her gaze hardened. “I didn’t ask for this. Is it my fault my mother was a faery?”

  “My father was a faery.” Something Brand hadn’t learned until that fateful thirteenth summer that had changed everything. “And I sure didn’t get any magic.”

  “The circumstances were different, Brand. You know that. I inherited my mother’s magic when she gave birth to me. Your father gave up his long before you were even conceived.”

  Brand knew that, but he didn’t have to like it. Even before he’d known of his father’s heritage, he’d been obsessed with magic, starting with card tricks at age six. To survive around a man as charming as Robin Goodfellow, Brand had needed that extra edge to be noticed at all. That his father had given up everything—his magic, his immortality—to be with his mother irritated the hell out of him.

  His father had been a fool—a fool in love—a curse Brand planned to avoid at all costs. What a waste of power, of a gift unlike any other.

  “So you use your power to reveal all the secrets of those of us who have to work for our mortal magic.” Since she’d begun her series of features, attendance had dropped significantly at shows. Why come and marvel if you knew how the trick was done?

  She winced. “I only use my magic if I have to.”

  “Ha.” He’d seen her use it throughout high school—missing assignments that suddenly appeared, delicious lunches replacing the cafeteria slop, changing outfits in the middle of the day. “You couldn’t survive a day without your magic.”

  “That’s not true.” Her heated denial came quickly, but he caught the swift flicker of doubt on her face.

  “Isn’t it?” He hesitated only a moment before rushing ahead. She planned to do the expose anyhow. Why not make it bn his terms? After all, she’d never been able to refuse a dare. He moved closer, forcing her to look up to meet his gaze. “I’ll make you a deal, Rose.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “What kind of deal?”

  “I’ll allow you into my theater, my tour, provided you don’t use your powers on any occasion—personal or professional. If you can figure out my secrets like an ordinary mortal, you’re welcome to them.”

  “No magic at all?” Her voice held a barely disguised tremor, and Brand bit back a smile.

  “None. Not even if I’m on fire.” He met her gaze, daring her to refuse. She wouldn’t be able to, not if she was the Rose Thayer he once knew. She thought she lived like an ordinary person, but he knew differently. “If you use your magic, even once, you have to go away and give up writing your exposes.”

  “And why would I agree to that?” Her expression had hardened.

  “Oh, you probably won’t.” She wouldn’t be able to make it. Within a matter of days she’d slip and he’d be free of her and magicians would be safe from further intrusion. Brand gave her a harsh smile. And now the dare. “You can’t handle not using your magic, can you?”

  “I can survive without it just fine.” She extended her hand, her blue eyes gleaming. “Deal.”

  He took her slender fingers in his, unprepared for the unnerving awareness of her closeness. “Deal.”

  He dropped her hand abruptly. “I start work at eight a.m. and leave on a ten-city tour on Wednesday.” Of course, by then she would have failed to keep her part of the deal, so it was a moot point. When she slipped up, she’d keep to their bargain. He trusted her to keep her word even if he couldn’t trust her.

  “I’ll be here.” She pivoted and left without even a backward glance.

  But Brand watched her every step of the way until the door closed after her. Even then the tightness in his chest didn’t ease.

  He was asking for trouble by inviting her into his life where she could mentally and physically torment him. He still wanted her, had longed for her since he’d first realized what that ache in his groin meant.

  And he’d never have her. Never.

  That hot July day of seventeen years ago returned with startling clarity. He’d rushed home after stealing his first kiss from Rose and informed his parents that he intended to marry her when he grew up.

  Now the significant glance his mom and dad had exchanged made sense. They shouldn’t have been surprised. His family had been friends with the Thayers forever. His parents had sat him down and explained that Rose was different, that once she reached her mid-twenties, she’d quit aging, that soon she’d discover the power within her.

  He’d refused to believe them at first. Especially his father’s incredible story that he and Rose’s mother had once been Fae. That Rose’s mother had been the Queen of the Pillywiggins. Ridiculous!

  So his father had insisted Brand talk to Ariel, Rose’s mother. She’d verified the unbelievable, explaining that her magic had gone into Rose at her birth, that fun, wonderful Rose was a faery. His Rose? How could that be possible?