Free A Kind of Magic by Shanna Swendson

abductions are bigger problems, but enchantresses shouldn’t be surprised about them. I don’t know what the consequences would be if she found out I was fae, but I’m sure it would make things awkward.” She rubbed her temples. “And this is a really bad time for all this to come up.”
    “I guess you have a lot of work to do.”
    “I’m mostly getting used to dancing in a tutu again.”
    “And the tiara?”
    “I am a queen,” she said with a sly grin. “But having something on my head takes some getting used to, as well.” She began dancing along with what he was playing, rising on her toes and taking little steps. “And the fun thing is that I’m more or less the villain in this production.”
    “Really? That’s a twist.”
    She quirked an eyebrow. “Not according to most people who know me.” More seriously, she went on. “This is a ballet notably lacking in conflict after the first act, when they defeat the Rat King. The rest of the ballet is basically a reward for that triumph. But in this version, the Snow Queen stirs up a blizzard that nearly traps Clara until her prince rescues her.” She spun around and glanced back at him over her shoulder. “It’s not the first time I’ve been accused of being an ice queen.”
    He’d seen her being truly terrifying, staring down enemies that would make the toughest cop flee, but in that moment he had a hard time imagining anyone fearing her. She looked like the girl next door. “Just remember that creating a real snowstorm on stage would give you away,” he warned.
     “That takes all the fun out of it.” She stopped dancing and leaned on the piano again. “Now, what about all these missing people? The enchantresses should be doing something about that.”
    He stopped playing and took his list out of his pocket. She came around and sat next to him on the piano bench. “These addresses are where children have been taken out of their beds, no evidence of break-in.”
    She frowned as she looked at the list. “Do you have a sense of exactly where these addresses lie?”
    He got out his phone, opened a map app, and entered an address. “Here’s the first one.” He entered the rest and showed her.
    “You’re not dealing with fae.”
    “You sound pretty sure.”
    “They’re too deep into the city and in high rises that would have steel support structures.”
    “I thought the fact that they were high rises with no sign of a break-in was a pretty good clue.”
    “I’m not saying magic wasn’t involved, but it wasn’t fae. There aren’t many fae who’d make it that deep into the city and back out again, and no one’s leaving food offerings to them these days that would give them the strength to try something like this. Besides, the fae usually leave changelings when taking children. The parents wouldn’t know they’ve lost their kids. They’d just have kids who suddenly seemed to be ill.”
    “Then if not fae, who? Are there other magical beings I need to know about?”
    “I have no idea. I just learned about enchantresses, and I am one.”
    “So I’m back to talking to Amelia and Athena.” He couldn’t help but sigh wearily.
    “It almost sounds like someone’s trying to frame the fae because they’re the only magical beings I know of with a reputation for kidnapping children.”
    “Why would someone want to make the fae look bad?”
    “It would give the enchantresses something to do, wouldn’t it? The first step toward getting people to listen to you is giving them a problem that you can solve.”
    “So I shouldn’t talk to Amelia and Athena?”
    She stood and did a few fast turns around the room before coming back to the piano. “Not yet. I suppose I’ll have to look into it, but I’ll have to be careful.”
    “I’d appreciate anything you can do. I hate for these families to have to go through this, and it’s even worse at Christmas.”
    Her face softened with empathy. “And how are you doing? I didn’t get a chance