Page 8 of Tricky Magic
“Hel no!” Luke and Aiden said. “Let’s leave Isaac out of this and make it the three of us.”
That was a good idea, but she wasn’t ready to cut ties with him yet. She enjoyed his dominance in the bedroom, and she would have to leave him delicately since his father was on the council.
“I thought we could all go together,” Ellea said, trying to speak over the boys arguing. Silence greeted her, and Luke almost swerved off of the road as he gave the phone a husky look. All three of them smiled at her.
“Yes, please,” they all said together, and Ellea rolled her eyes.
“Let’s chat tomorrow over brunch, and we can determine our intentions,” she said.
“I have a better plan,” Luke said. “Let’s skip out on the party altogether and get started tomorrow after brunch.” Aiden agreed with an aggressive nod of his head.
“No, no. We need to keep up appearances, and people already talk too much. Let’s put on a show, have some fun, and have some more fun after that,” Ellea said with a seductive smirk.
“Whatever you want,” Isaac said.
“I will pick you up in the morning, gorgeous,” Luke replied. “I will bring the Rover so Billy can join us. I know how much she loves Anthony’s waffles.”
Billy’s head popped up in the video, her tongue hanging out of her mouth.Luke is now my favorite. Can we keep him?she said.
“No, you hoe,” Ellea mumbled to her familiar. “See you in the morning, boys.” With a wink, she ended the call.
Billy rested her head back on Ellea’s lap.
Let’s put Supernatural on. I want to see my husband, Demon Dean, she said.
* * *
It was a nice,overcast day that hid the sun. Ellea was happy about wearing her favorite Slytherin cardigan with her black jean shorts. The three men sat with Ellea under an umbrella at a cafe called Anthony’s. Billy was curled in her own chair, refusing to lie on the ground like a regular dog. The cafe sat in one of the wider alleys off of the main road in the center of Halifax. It was set back enough that you could scarcely hear the bustling city street at the opening of the alley. Its many doors were open to the outside, allowing any possible breeze to cool the few patrons waiting for Anthony’s famous cooking.
Anthony was about two hundred years old and a very talented kitchen witch. He poured his emotions and energy into anything he created. Even if you had a request for an angry stack of pancakes, he would make them. Ellea was pretty sure a customer had recently made that request; she could hear the heavy metal music and yelling coming from the kitchen at the back of the restaurant. She let her gaze wander around the occupied tables until it snagged on two female witches at a small table inside; they were glaring at her.
“Stop that,” Isaac said, tugging on one of Ellea’s long curls. “Leave the bitch face at home.”
She glared at him, but he ignored her. Isaac was the tallest of the three. He was big, a little over six feet tall, and broad. His light blue eyes and blond hair were so deceiving. He looked soft and kind, but out of the three, he was the roughest, short-tempered and quick to pin you against a wall and fuck you until you forgot your name.
Aiden’s long arm reached to her, and a tattooed hand grasped the back of her neck. Bringing her lips close to his with only a breath between them, he said in a husky voice, “I love your face.”
Then he pressed a hard, quick kiss to her lips. Pulling away, he gave her a wink and leaned back in his chair, looking smug. She shook her head and smiled. Isaac pursed his lips before giving them a tight smile. Anthony came out, a server on his heels, with a tray of coffees and teas for the table. He slapped Aiden’s back and gave a grin to everyone. As soon as his eyes landed on Ellea, it became a strained sort of smile, and his tan skin paled slightly. Luke cleared his throat, causing Anthony’s gaze to shift before his sour look could get any worse.
“How are you kids doing today?” the cafe owner asked.
“Good, good, planning for tomorrow. How are things today? Busy?” Isaac asked.
“Yes, busy; mortals seem to be making brunch a ‘thing,’” Anthony said while he looked around his restaurant. He looked back at them. “Would you like your usuals?”
“Please, Anthony, and Billy will take your house waffles,” Luke said.
“Coming right up,” Anthony said with a nod to Luke, completely avoiding Ellea. He headed back inside his cafe.
You would think twenty years would be long enough for people not to treat you like you’re about to explode,Billy remarked only to Ellea.
Small spells or unplanned occurrences were common when you were a toddler, but as soon as Ellea could walk and talk, her mom had begun training her for destruction. When her parents were put in jail, Ellea had refused to touch any part of her magic for months. A few outbursts had happened as Billy and her uncle helped her learn to control her magic, and it had been enough to have the council and other witches constantly watching her.
You aren’t like them,Billy said, reading her thoughts.You need to practice your trickster magic more, it will only—
“So, what is the plan for tomorrow? Anything you boys want to focus on, or just your typical sexy recharge?” Ellea asked with a plastered smile on her face, ignoring her familiar’s grumbling. Luke reached down and placed a hand on her knee. He gave her a knowing look, and she did her best to not be bothered by everything.
“Is there anything you need, El? I know none of us have anything big coming up. We are only interested in spending time with you,” he said, staring at her intently.
