Page 50 of Tricky Magic
Why would he want to kill her? He didn’t even reallyknowher.
“Of course, I didn’t want to kill you,” he said, looking angry. “But if I had to, I would have.”
She felt the world drop from under her. “I don’t understand,” she said. “I haven’t done anything.”
“Not yet,” he said, reaching for her, but she moved out of reach. “That’s the thing, you haven’t. How long do you think you can go before your magic consumes you and destroys everything? Do you even realize what could happen?”
“How do you know?” she said, stunned. “How could you know what I am?”
“I don’t know what you are, Ellea,” he said, reaching out a hand to push a piece of hair behind her ear. She didn’t move this time. He kept his hand there, anchored behind her neck, and Ellea felt herself lean into it. “But I see it. All that power. You’re being reckless, and I usually take care of rogue and reckless things.”
Reckless?
“Thing?” she roared at him. “You just called me a fucking ‘thing?’” She slapped his arm away. “Don’t fucking touch me and then insult me.”
27
Ros
Ros had known it would come to this, all that quick anger she was showing. Yet Ellea was different. This wasn’t a rogue group of water demons luring children to the water, it was only a girl with infinite power at her fingertips. It would be only a matter of time before she left destruction behind. But how much destruction? Maybe he could find out. He could force those powers to the surface, play a little, force her to do something.
Ros looked into her eyes, able to see the storm churning in their gray depths. He let his magic slither closer to the surface, teasing hers to attack. Hers instantly crackled in answer; he could see it sparkling in her eyes and by the way her skin pebbled at the feel of it. Her nostrils flared, and her breaths came quicker.
“Fine.” The word came out on a rough exhale. “You want my magic to explode? Show you what I’m holding back? Let’s see if you can handle it, old man.”
And then she pounced.
The dock shook under his feet as Ellea’s first attack of raw power hit him. He’d expected an illusion, something like their time in the woods, but he took each pulsing wave and smiled at the beautiful face that was scrunched in anger. A roar came from deep in her chest as wave after wave of power pulsed out of her. He leaned into it, forcing her to push harder. The trees closest to the lake began to sway on the heated wind that cascaded from her endless reserve of magic. The water rippled, and the nails in the dock began to shake out of place. He never broke her vicious gaze, making sure she didn’t see the shadows slithering on the other end of the dock.
They struck at her like an asp, wrapping around her ankles and yanking her feet from under her. A pained breath whooshed out her as she landed flat on her chest. Her hand was still outstretched, but no power flooded out of her.
That was easy.
Ros grabbed her hand and dragged her down the dock toward the shore.
“No need to ruin a perfectly good dock with your temper tantrum. I’m a little disappointed; I expected more.”
His words ignited anger again, and she began struggling, trying to find purchase on the wood beneath them. Her foot caught on a loose board, and she steadied her feet. Yanking hard, she pulled him off balance, causing him to sway close to the water, but he had the upper hand. She couldn’t get free in time, and they both toppled into the dark water. His height stopped him from slipping under the surface, and he looked down at her as she coughed and tried to stay above the waterline.
“I thought this would be harder,” he said, smirking down at her. “You look like a cute drowning rat.”
A guttural sound escaped as she kicked hard at the water. Her foot caught his thigh, and he didn’t realize what she was doing until she was behind him and he was caught in a chokehold. He felt her lips curl into a smile against his cheek as she unleashed a wave of electricity.
Ros gasped for air as his body convulsed in the water.
“I’ll show you a drowned rat, you brute,” she snarled in his ear.
It was agony. He lost control of his body, forcing them both under the water. He hoped the lack of air would force her to stop her attack, but she held tight, and he slowly crawled to shore. It was difficult; each wave of electricity had his limbs violently shaking.
Ellea’s head broke the water first, and she gasped for air. Her powers stuttered, and he took the opportunity to throw her as he broke the water. She flew twenty feet, landing with a thud on the sandy ground. He didn’t give her a chance to stand before he rained his shadows and fire on her, smothering out her magic as swell after swell hit her. She drowned in it. Her crackles of electricity could barely be seen through the darkness. A wave of fire lit her face, and the look made Ros pause.
Ellea’s mouth was slack in pure agony. She bellowed a scream, loud and long, causing something to shatter in his chest. That sound wasn’t anger, it was absolute despair. Ros ran the short distance to her curled form as his magic quickly faded. Her shaking hands covered her face, and he grasped at her wrists, trying to pry them away, but she was so strong. He could see the horror through the gaps in her fingers, her eyes squeezed shut and her body racked with sobs.
“I’m sorry.” It was a hoarse whimper. “I’m sorry, please stop. I’ll try harder.”
Ros didn’t understand. His shadows and fire hadn’t burned her. He was only trying to smother her, smother that destruction. Why was she sobbing? Was this not like the time in the woods? The realization that he’d harmed her in any way made him desperate. He pulled at her wrists harder.
“Ellea,” he said over her continued apologies.
