Page 9 of Tricky Magic
“Agreed. Luke and I are still free until winter and need nothing special,” Aiden said earnestly. Both Luke and Aiden were elemental witches with fire as their strength. They came from old money and mostly saved their powers for the harsh winters since there was no genuine need for work. They would volunteer all over, clearing iced roads and helping in poverty-stricken towns the snowplows wouldn’t bother with.
The boys knew Ellea was in no mood to deal with looks or whispers while also manifesting and setting intentions. And she didn’t need it for herself; she didn’t need to pull strength from the celebration like other witches. They were too good to her—and getting too close. She shook off the thought and nodded in agreement.
“Simple power-up sounds good. Now, what will we wear?” she asked, looking around the table.
“Why not black?” Luke said, and gave her a look that was all mischief. Ellea rolled her eyes at him. Black was a good color, but wearing itandshowing up to the celebration with a very despised witch would get them a lot of crap, even more than usual. “Silver and gold, too. Yep, that sounds perfect,” he finished, mostly talking to himself. It was like he got off on pissing people off. Black was Ellea’s staple color in her wardrobe, but it was taboo at celebrations. Almost every other color was acceptable, with witches wearing anything from white to purple to orange—but never black. The silver and gold would be a nice touch, with silver symbolizing the divine feminine and gold the divine masculine. It would really embrace their relationship and give a middle finger to those who would sneer at them.
“I’m in,” she said with way more confidence than she’d had before.
“This is going to be fun,” Luke said with a grin, rubbing his hands together like a villain.
* * *
Saturday wasanother night for rough sleep. Ellea tossed and turned until Billy nudged her neck to wake her. She woke up with a start, trying to remember where she was. Billy huffed, and the vibration of it rang through Ellea’s body, then her weight was on top of her, pressing her into the soft mattress. She looked at Ellea with big amber eyes that glowed in the dark bedroom.
Usual nightmare, Bug?the familiar asked, and Ellea could almost feel her searching her mind.
“No…well, yes.” Ellea rubbed her face before she began petting Billy as she tried to remember her dream. “It started at a holiday celebration. I was in the middle of the room and everyone was pointing at me and calling me ‘monster.’ It was suffocating; so many people were staring at me and closing in.” She paused, searching for the details that were already becoming fuzzy. “I was trying to find a way out of there. Then there was a man heading toward the corner of the room. I think it was the not-Dean from my one dream. I pushed through the crowd toward him. I couldn’t see his face or anything, only that he was tall and surrounded by shadows. He disappeared through a hidden door while I continued to push through the crowd. I eventually got through and reached for the door, and that’s when I ended up on the hill in my usual spot.”
That isn’t too new. You always dream about people calling you a monster,Billy said, seeming to melt more into Ellea.
“Yeah, but the guy was new.”
Just the one?
“Yeah, why?”
Well, I think it would have been three. Have you dreamt about him before?Billy asked.
“Oh, no, it was just the one,” Ellea said, thinking about that steamy dream. “I’m not sure; I didn’t see his face.”
Remember, you are not a monster. Anyone who says that can shove it where the sun don’t shine. I think we need to do something. Things are getting worse, and I think your powers are getting restless.
“My powers are fine where they are. I will only use them for emergencies and stick to fortune-telling,” Ellea mumbled.
I’m worried you're going to explode like Cas with the Leviathans,the beast said.
Ellea rolled her eyes and continued to pet Billy. “I will not explode, Billy.”
We shall see. Want me to tell you a bedtime story to help get you back to sleep?she asked sweetly.
“Yes, please. Make it a good one.” Ellea shifted onto her side so Billy could tuck her head under Ellea’s chin.
Okay, a good one. A mother of two boys is murdered and it forces her husband to go searching for the killer. Along the journey, he starts to hunt things that creep and crawl in the night. Twenty-two years later, the two brothers have grown up into big, strong, handsome men and have to go searching for their father, who went missing on a hunting trip.
Ellea smiled to herself as Billy continued on. She slowly drifted off to a restful sleep thanks to the big warm body of her familiar weighing her down, replacing the heavy guilt of being a monster.
4
Ellea
Lughnasadh was one of the eight holidays, about halfway between the summer solstice and fall equinox. It used to be celebrated by harvesting crops, baking bread, and several other things that Ellea didn’t do. She spent the day cleaning tarot decks, taking a way-too-long bath, and glaring at her hair. Her brown hair hung to the curve of her back, but no matter how much trouble it gave her, she refused to cut it. She eventually tamed it into soft waves that she pinned behind her ears with gold clips. The gold set off how light her hair had become during the summer months. Stepping in front of the large mirror in her bedroom, she inspected her outfit and the minimal makeup she’d gone with. So much of the day would be spent dancing by a fire and other strenuous activities; a lot of makeup would’ve been a waste of time. The only jewelry she wore was two gold cuffs around each wrist.
A tight black bodysuit fastened behind her neck and left her back absolutely bare. Ellea was thankful for her small chest; she could get away without wearing a bra. The skirt was sheer chiffon with gold stars and moons decorating the black fabric. Two slits going all the way up to her hip creases would easily drag any peering eyes up to her scarcely covered front. Thank Hel for permanent hair removal.
Tonight, she would have to embrace her short frame. Heels in the grass would not be good. She didn’t mind; her black boots made her feel like a badass. They would help her stroll through the doors with confidence.
Billy came into the bedroom and sat at her feet to look in the mirror. Ellea looked down at her familiar and smiled.
