Page 53 of Tricky Magic
Ros
At least forty demons caught Ros off guard. He hadn’t seen so many in a group since he was in Hel. They were all different species but of one mind: to attack him. They were relentless and went wild with the taste of blood in the air—his blood, from a bite he didn’t see coming. It was his own fault for going on a walk while letting his mind be occupied by the one thing he should try and forget about. This whole week, he could only think about Ellea. No matter what he did, he couldn’t shake the vision of her under him, the taste of her on his tongue, the feel of her heated skin sliding against his. It was too much and not enough; he had gone too far. But there was no stopping it, as though the universe wanted them to join, to fight, and to fuck—but that wasn’t fucking. It had taken every ounce of effort not to fuck her, especially when she looked at him with hooded eyes, sated from her release. And when she’d reached for him and he’d thought of her heat clenching around him like she had around his fingers…he’d used a feat of strength he didn’t know he possessed to leave her on that bank.
He was so dumb for letting it happen—all of it, the attack and then what followed. Whatever they were, whatever the Gods were trying to make happen, it would be impossible. The whispers of his future were growing louder, and it would only be a matter of time before he had to go home and fulfill his duty. A duty that was cursed to leave him loveless and without a partner to rule beside him.
Fucking curses.
No matter the inevitability of it all, his mind always drifted back to her, and it had left him open to an attack. Even unprepared and without his weapons, he would get through it, but it would be bloody, painful, and take most of his magic.
Ros roared at the demon he clutched in his large hands, squeezing the last bit of rotten life from it. As it died, he pulsed a wave of razor-sharp shadows around him, taking down a few who weren’t smart enough to duck. Then he attacked with fire and magic, blasting a group to his right so violently that they exploded into tiny pieces and the trees behind them lay burning on the forest floor. A creeping feeling pulled at his chest, and he looked back toward where the lake was, where Ellea was. The distraction left his right side open, and a demon took the opportunity. Its teeth clamped down on his shoulder, enveloping it wholly with its elongated mouth. Burning pain radiated from where its teeth sank into his muscle and bone. It felt venomous, but the pain wasn’t enough to distract him from that pull that still grasped his heart. He grabbed the demon by the back of the neck, tearing it away. The demon smiled a bloody, razor-sharp grin, and Ros screamed at it as his magic answered, burning it from the inside out.
Ros turned, catching one of the slower groups with his flames, scorching them quickly and leaving twenty more. He picked up speed, heading toward Ellea’s cabin where the draw to move was strongest. It became harder to breathe with every step as his injuries took over, his magic seeping from the wounds that wouldn’t close thanks to the toxic bite.
Fucking demons.
31
Ellea
As soon as she saw Ros break through the trees, the suffocating anxiety dissipated. Even as she took in his blood-soaked body and followed the bloody stump of an arm he threw, she felt relieved. She spared his ragged look one more glance before heading deep into the cabin.
Ros crashed through her back door, panting, within a minute, and she couldn’t help but smirk.
“Ellea!” It was a pained shout, his voice hoarse and tired. “Ellea?”
“Are you here to save me?” she called from the kitchen.
“Yes!” he yelled. “Please tell me you’re okay. I will kill him if he hurt you.”
She could hear his heavy footfalls as he searched for her. She wasn’t sure how he knew it was Belias, but she scolded herself for not realizing he wasn’t trustworthy from the start. Not that she would ever tell Ros that.
Ros paused in the doorway, his hand leaving a blood print against the wall that held him up. He searched her from head to toe, his gaze making her body come alight with awareness. She wouldn’t call itneed—why would she feel aroused by the brute of an ass, looking battered and eyeing her with utter relief? Of course, she was unharmed, she had never needed saving. His eyes shone with something she couldn’t place. It was gone with one blink, his lips curled with anger as he looked down at Belias. Confusion flared across his face, seeing his cousin bloody and bound on her kitchen floor.
Belias had gained consciousness as soon as Ros stepped over the threshold. Looking up at the towering demon witch, he rolled his eyes once, and Ros swiftly kicked him in the gut. Both of them groaned, and Ros doubled over in pain, landing on the floor next to his cousin.
“Thank you for saving me.” Ellea pressed her hand to her chest in mock praise before reaching down to haul Ros to his feet and into a nearby chair. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
He swayed in her grip but managed to get his feet under him, and she safely sat him at the small kitchen table.
Belias tried to mumble something through his gag, and Ros looked ready to lunge at him, but Ellea glared, forcing him to stay put. He settled into the chair with a groan and wiped at his face before pinning Belias with a murderous look. She headed to the sink, soaking two dish towels in warm water.
The extent of his injuries were covered in too much blood and dirt, so she took calming breaths, repeating the steps in her mind. Clean, assess, then heal. “What happened?” Ros asked, his voice cracking with pain.
“Well…” She released a breath, wringing out the wet towel. “Belias decided to pay me a visit and offer me a one way ticket to Hel.” She slapped the towel to his face before Ros could get up and attempt to attack Belias again. “He wasn’t happy with my answer, and I took care of it.”
“I’m going to kill him,” Ros mumbled through the towel, and Belias mumbled something in return. She groaned. Injured men were not going to be fun.
“Now your turn,” she said, taking the towel from him and replacing it with a fresh one. He rubbed it along the back of his neck with his left hand, his right arm hanging at his side.
“I’m pretty sure this fucker”—he tried kicking Belias from where he sat—“summoned a horde of demons to attack me. Or distract me.”
Had her magic pulled him to her?No, that would be ridiculous.
Maybe not too ridiculous; her Seer magic could pull toward those that needed help, it had nothing to do with Ros, a demon prince who had left her on the lakeshore after giving her one of the best—she shook her head. There was no need to think too much of it.
“Can you do something with him?” She toed Belias’ bound feet, using the other demon prince as a distraction. “He doesn’t do much for the room, and you are dripping enough blood on the floor for the both of you.
Ros gave Belias a pointed look. “I’m not finished with you, cousin.”
