Page 59 of Tricky Magic
“I would have had to strangle Sam again if I smelled him on you,” Ros said flatly. “He is one of the only people I like, and it would get quite lonely without him.”
She rolled her eyes and began to walk away.
“Wait.” Ros followed after her. “Where are you going?”
Her short legs were traveling pretty fast.
“I don’t know,” she said without turning. “But I don’t want to bother you or the only person you like—or his boyfriend who was looking at me like a freak show.” She sounded so angry. “If I wanted to be in a place where people hated me for what I was, I would have stayed in the city.”
Ros ran a few short steps and grabbed her arm. “Wait.” She whirled on him with fire in her eyes. “No one hates you, and that’s not what I meant.” She yanked her arm out of his hands and stood there, glaring up at him. “I really like it when you look at me like that,” he said as a smirk grew across his lips.
“You’re demented,” she said before turning away from him.
“If you turn away from me one more time before I’m finished speaking to you”—he grabbed her again and held tight, bringing his face level with hers—“I will lift up that dress and bare your ass to the whole town, then spank you until you stop being a brat.”
Her lips slowly parted with each word he spoke.
She was searching his face, and he could see her brain working on a reply. She smirked before opening her mouth to speak. He was ready for it, any reason to get a reaction that wasn’t sad or discouraged, to watch her skin grow pink under his hand. She was cut off as the pyre behind them exploded into flames and everyone cheered.
35
Ellea
Ellea lost her breath when Ros’ face was fully lit by the blazing fire. Would she ever get used to the way he looked? And tonight, he looked too good. He always looked good, but his curls were brushed away from his face; they looked so soft as they circled his ears and neck. She wanted to run her fingers through them.
She hadn’t expected tonight to be like this. The children had smiled at her and laughed at her tricks. No one gave her sour looks or turned away when she walked near. It was such a foreign feeling.
And Devon…How was she supposed to answer his probing questions? She had never heard about other tricksters, only that it was weird and people back home didn’t trust her. And while some of that was her fault, most of it was from the legacy her parents had left when they had been sent to prison.
Ellea heard the crunching of grass behind her and turned to see Sam and Devon walking toward them. Ros groaned before he looked at her and reluctantly let go of her arm. “We aren’t done.”
“I’m getting used to that,” she said with an eye roll. Something flashed across his face, and her heart skipped a beat. Would he ever actually do what he said? She suppressed a hopeful shiver.
Devon came up to her first. “I’m sorry for being an ass,” he said with his hand on his heart. He gave her a small bow. “I didn’t mean to vomit questions at you like that. I was very excited, and I acted like a fool.”
He looked at her and smiled. His dark skin glowed in the light of the fire. He looked so young compared to the two brutes next to them. And his accent…she could see herself talking to him for hours and liking every moment of it.
“I brought you an ‘I’m sorry my boyfriend is weird’ gift,” Sam said, and presented her a tumbler. “It’s a Mabon Margarita, blood orange, cinnamon, and some of Ag’s famous autumn syrup. Oh, and tequila, of course.”
Ellea’s heart melted. Margaritas spoke to her on a soul level. She sniffed the drink appreciatively before she tasted it.
“Oh, I could kiss you,” she moaned as she took another sip.
“See, you beast,” Sam said to Ros, “it’s not that hard.”
Ros only glowered at his friend and directed them toward one of the open blankets around the gigantic fire.
This wasn’t like any celebration back in the city. It seemed everyone just enjoyed being around each other. The children played, and everyone else chatted or passed around food.
“Should I have brought something?” Ellea suddenly became worried that she’d done something wrong.
“Oh no,” Devon said, patting her knee. “The wolven handles the snacks, Ros handles the fire, and everyone else just enjoys the night. It’s not like other witch gatherings, and that’s why I love it.”
“So,” Ros said, clearing his throat. “Ellea, would you mind if Devon told us what he knows about tricksters?”
He looked at her, and it wasn’t a pressing look, but an open one.
“Well, I don’t know,” Devon said warily. “It doesn’t have a happy ending.”
