Page 21 of Tricky Magic
“Hello, Bel. What brings you to my part of the realm?” Ros said, with no hint of a welcome tone in his deep voice.
“Hel, Rosier, you’ve gotten…” He paused, looking him up and down. “Wilder and more savage.”
Ros refused to let his surprise show on his features; his magic should have warned him about the intrusion.
“I will ask again, cousin, what brings you here?” Ros asked.
“Do I need a reason to visit my favorite cousin? Did Cara and Carver get the same welcome?” Belias asked with a pout on his face.
“I was more clothed when they popped in,” he remarked. He leaned against the door frame, and his cock answered with a small slap against his bare thigh.
Belias twirled his fingers, and strings snaked up Ros’ legs, cloaking him in black fabric. As the slithering sound cleared, he was left in too-tight pants that barely covered his long legs and a black button-down with ruffles. Ros growled at the invasion.
“That’s better,” Belias remarked with a swipe of his hands.
Ros grabbed the front of his new shirt and tore it off his body. His cousin just rolled his eyes.
“No, this is better,” he said, throwing the shirt near his fire to burn later. “I am sorry my nakedness embarrasses you, cousin. You should embrace your scrawny stature. Some chicks dig that, Bel.”
“I love when you call me that, Rosier,” he replied, losing some of his humor. “I have come to talk business. I want to form an alliance with you, only you, and leave the other cousins out of it. I am sure that is why the creepy ones stopped by earlier.”
“Did you happen to see them after you summoned that demon to interrupt my work?” Ros asked, getting right to the point of what should have been a phone call.
“No, why would I do such a thing?” he replied with a mock gasp. “I wouldn’t try to harm someone I want to form an alliance with.” He stood then and brushed off invisible dust from his crisp, black suit.
“Sure, and I am the Queen of Hounds.” He turned away from him. “See yourself out. I have no interest in what you are selling.”
“Haven’t you heard the whispers? Something is brewing in the universe, and it is best we come together instead of hiding away in our dusty holes,” Belias remarked, following him.
Ros refused to turn around and face him. “I have heard no such whispers, and I enjoy my dusty hole,” he said over his shoulder. “Next time, send word before you muck up my couch and we can grab a drink and catch up instead of you getting an eyeful.”
Belias didn’t respond, and Ros continued up the stairs to his room and bathroom. He waited two minutes before sending his shadows through the house to see if any unwanted guests still lingered. Nothing came back. He rubbed his face roughly before heading to the shower. It would be quick since he needed to check his boundary spell and figure out how the Hel the oily runt had gotten into his home.
* * *
Tangled in dark green sheets,Ros woke with a start. Quickly sitting up, he looked around the room to catch his bearings. It was dark, but he could see the many shelves stacked with various books, weapons, potions, and odd trinkets.
Home. I am home,he thought while looking for his hound.Right; he’s out hunting.
Taking a deeper breath, he realized he was in his bed, and was not, in fact, being drowned by demons while his mother screamed from the throne she was shackled to. The feel of scales and feathers still danced across his skin. He could still see her long black hair covering her face as she screamed for him, her powers crackling with lightning but never reaching him. Guilt and regret were etched on her beautiful face. She could not reach him. She’d brought him into this world, a world she could not fix.
Ros felt bile creep up his throat. Shucking off the sheets, he went to hunt down water and anything to distract him and his thoughts.
He made his way down the hallway to the bathroom, the only room that was clean and free of clutter. He thought about taking another shower to wash away the sweat and the dreams, but he settled with splashing cold water on his face. Grabbing a fresh towel, he wiped the water from his beard and chest. Grabbing a pair of sweatpants, he decided to do another perimeter check. He had too many unwanted visitors today, and he needed to make sure there weren’t any others lurking outside. It didn’t matter that he’d checked earlier.
What time is it?
Heading down the stairs to the main floor, he stopped at the landing, listening for anything that he should be prepared for. Satisfied with the silence that answered, he continued to the kitchen. Not bothering with lights, he headed for the fridge for a bottle of water before heading outside.
On silent bare feet, he left his home through the front door. Taking in the large lawn that bled into the woods, he listened again. Nothing but the forest answered back. Feeling himself settle a little more, he ventured off into the woods. Looking up at the moon, he realized he had barely been asleep for a few hours; it wasn’t even midnight yet.
With the moon high in the sky and the earth under his feet, his head felt clearer. Ros felt the tether of power circling his property. He continued to follow it all the way until he came to where the woods met the lake. The barrier stopped about fifty feet from his dock. Just as he was about to extend it, he heard something. Well, more like the lack of something.
The forest’s noises stilled as he caught a faint whisper on the wind. Pausing, he opened his senses.What is to come?whispered back at him, but it was so faint he thought he imagined it. He listened harder, but all he found was silence and the smell of the forest. The noises of beasts and creatures hummed again. Shaking his head, he attempted to continue on until he saw lights. Not from his home, from across the lake. Someone was at the seer’s cabin.
Ros crept through the woods on silent feet to get a better look at the house that hadn’t been lit in years, stopping at an opening where he had an unrestricted view but was still shrouded in the shadow of the tall trees.
The entire cabin was lit and all the windows opened as if to rid it of any ghosts and years of stale air. He didn’t see the seer or her son anywhere in the home that was fully visible with its large windows and the open-floor plan. He inspected the lawn, but there was no sign of anyone or anything. He even tried to scent the air, but the wind was not in his favor.
