Page 97 of Tricky Magic
“Uncle Felix!” she exclaimed. She squeezed him around his waist in a brutal hug. “I’ve missed you! What are you doing here? My birthday isn’t for a couple weeks.”
Felix embraced her hard before grasping her shoulders and pushing her away to look at her. He searched her face, looked her up and down, and gave her a sad smile.
“Ellea,” Felix said and paused. Her heart dropped. He rarely called her that.
“Is Nana okay? Where is she?”
“Mom is fine,” Felix said, and she felt she could breathe.
“The council?”
Was he here to take her in? So she could answer for all the mistakes she had made?
“No, they won’t be a problem.” She couldn’t find a way to be elated about his answer when he still looked at her with so much worry. “It’s your parents.”
Ellea felt the floor crumble beneath her. “What is it?”
Felix held to her tightly. “There was an explosion at the prison.”
“Are they dead?” Ellea was hopeful. Yes, it would mean he lost a sister, but then there would be two less horrible people in the world.
“They escaped,” Felix said.
Ellea forgot how to breathe, and stars popped at the edges of her sight. Her ears rang, and her heart battered in her chest as her body fought for oxygen. Felix’s face became blurry. As blackness swallowed her whole, she thought she saw Ros barrel through her front door.
* * *
Ellea wokeup in her own bed as a late autumn sun shone through her window. She stared at the rays for a moment, wondering why it was so late and why she was still in bed. Turning, she found Ros sitting in a chair in the corner. He looked exhausted and a little angry—or was that sadness? She blinked a few times. Angry was his natural state. They stared at each other for a moment before they both spoke at once.
“Hi.” The simple word seemed to weigh heavy in the space between them.
Ros stood and strode over to her before the thought of getting out of bed crossed her mind. She pulled back the covers, inviting him to lie with her. He crawled in beside her and dragged her into his side, pressing her head to his chest and wrapping a leg around her so that she was fully pressed to him. She breathed in his scent, earthy embers and bergamot, and felt herself relax.
“Your uncle left an hour ago,” he said, pressing a kiss against her hair. “He will be back in the morning with your grandmother.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Most of the day. Do you remember what happened?”
“I’m trying not to.” It was mumbled into his chest. “How much do you know?”
He took a deep breath. “All of it.” And he kissed the top of her head again, breathing her in. “I had heard the story before, when it happened. It was the disaster that shook the continent.” He was quoting the headlines. “I never realized it was your parents.”
“You wouldn’t; I was never mentioned and they kept the details quiet. Only the council knew.”
“I think I’ve been ignorant for too long,” he said with a sigh. “I’ve lived a quiet life, ignoring the signs and ignoring my responsibilities.”
Ellea pulled away to look up at him. “But you already do so much.”
“Small missions, just a regular hunter taking care of rogue supernaturals. There is a lot more going on in the world, and I have been blind to it.”
Ellea searched his face. “What happened?”
Ros sighed and buried his face between her and the bed. “We were too late, but we saw enough.”
Ellea shifted, pulling his face away from where it was tucked in. “Don’t hide it from me. What is it?”
Ros took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes.
