Faerie Blood: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Changeling Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free

say it in front of him. That fact alone was reason enough to turn him down and walk away with my life and sanity intact. But the guilt would burrow deep inside me if I said no. I’d never be rid of it.
    “I’m sorry,” I said, my tone softening. “I don’t think I can be much help. If it is a faerie… I wouldn’t even know where to start looking. You should talk to the mages again. They know more than I do.”
    A lie. I didn’t know every corner of the city like the mages did, but I knew more about the faeries than a lifetime of therapy would erase. And I knew you only escaped their realm alive once.
    “Please.” His voice cracked on the word.
    Dammit. “Tell me what happened. If the faerie isn’t in our realm anymore, nobody can follow. I’m not refusing to help, I’m stating a fact. How do you know it’s a changeling?”
    “He’s not acting like Dustin. He… he tried to kill our dog. There was blood everywhere. He’s thirteen and usually mature for his age, but I’ve seen him talking to the faeries before. I just got a horrible vibe. I found him surrounded by spells and… dead things.”
    I shivered, trying to hide my reaction. “Have you tried iron wardings around the house?”
    His blank look told me he hadn’t lied about his lack of knowledge, at least.
    “Okay,” I said. “You probably need a crash course in all things Faerie. I can’t promise it’ll be pleasant. But for now, put an iron ward around your whole house. Here.” I leaned over to the coffee table, careful not to knock any of the candles over, and picked up a metallic-coloured band. If activated, it’d cover the immediate area in a faerie-proof ward. Isabel had a whole cupboard full of them. Our own flat had more powerful wards on the outside—the effect of this iron spell wouldn’t last more than a week. Which meant I needed to act fast to solve the case.
    He took the band, wearing a sceptical expression. “So does this mean the faeries are coming… like the ones that came twenty years ago?”
    “No,” I said, a little too sharply. “Those were Summer and Winter Sidhe lords, and it’s against their laws to steal human children. If it’s a changeling, we’re looking at someone who’s breaking the laws of both realms.”
    “Jesus. Why would they pick us? We’re not magical.”
    I opened my mouth then closed it. I never understood how faeries’ minds worked. I hadn’t been magical, either, when I was taken. It didn’t seem to matter. Some people just drew the shitty straw. “I’ll ask more questions tomorrow,” I said. “Once we’ve figured out what happened. If the faerie involved is still in this realm, I can help. If not…”
    His eyes went wide. “The Faerie realm…”
    “The realms run parallel,” I explained. “But only highly adept Sidhe lords can cross over. The one exception was the invasion.” Which I’d missed most of. “Sidhe lords operate on their own rules. If they wanted to cross between realms… I can’t pretend I understand how it works, but I know humans can’t do the same. Hell, most faeries living on this side can’t go back to their own realm. They’re stuck here.”
    His eyes widened further with every word. Poor guy. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”
    “If you give me your address, we can deal with it at yours,” I said. “I’ll bring my standard contract. Unless you’d like to sign now.”
    “Yes,” he said immediately.
    Huh. I sat in the shadows of a witch’s living room with the smell of blood and spell-disinfectant lingering around. Hardly the definition of professional. But he was desperate.
    “Okay.” I crossed the room to the writing desk, which was also covered in witch paraphernalia. I shifted a stack of spell ingredient lists aside and found the form, which multiplied itself at my touch. Swanson gawped at me, his bloodshot eyes widening. Witches might not be into flashy magic, but they had a fair few party tricks of their own. I handed him the form copy,