Page 10 of Tricky Magic
“You look like a regular dog with that collar on,” Ellea said, and her grin got wider.
This is not a collar, it is a necklace, and I look awesome.Billy preened, lifting her furry chin.
Billy wore what looked like an oversized gold and silver braided chain. It was as thick as a regular dog collar, but hung elegantly; it finished at the center of her chest with a star pendant. Her black fur set it off beautifully, and Ellea had to admit, she looked pretty cool.
“You do look awesome. You look like a badass,” she said, reaching down and patting her soft face. Familiars weren’t normally at celebrations, and they were never with their witches for so many years. They arrived in a young witch’s life when they needed guidance and left when they were ready to walk the world on their own. Billy and Ellea seemed to have some serious codependency issues, but whatever. Billy was her best friend, no matter how annoying she was, and she wasn’t ready to say goodbye. The sounds of three handsome males entering the house pulled Ellea from her thoughts. With a nod at Billy, they headed out of the bedroom.
“Oh, fuck, Ellea,” Luke groaned, covering his eyes with his tattooed hands. He wiped them down his face and gaped at her. “This is going to be a long night with you looking like a sex queen.”
“Oh stop, you’ve seen me in less,” she said with a wave of her hand.
“But you look like a badass sex queen,” Aiden replied. “Those legs, your curves, those boots…” He came up to her and twirled her.
“Maybe you guys need to leave me for a few weeks more often if I am going to get this kind of reaction out of you,” she replied, arching one eyebrow at them. Her eyes landed on Isaac, who had said nothing yet. His face was unreadable, and she felt her smile falter. “You good, Isaac?”
His eyes met hers, and a wide grin spread across his face. “Oh yeah. Let’s go show you off.”
* * *
Luke’s SUVpulled up to the manor Ellea had called home for most of her life. It was a sprawling estate with a two-floor mansion sitting in the middle. Vines covered the cracking surface and some of the windows, making it seem like it’d been neglected for ages. This was the house she’d called a friend when things seemed the hardest.
“This place still gives me the creeps,” Luke said, peeking through the windshield after he parked near a line of expensive vehicles.
Ellea rolled her eyes and got out of the car. There was nothing creepy about this manor. It had been in her family for well over a millennium, originally built when the first Handleys traveled here from Newhope, the continent overseas. Like most witch dwellings, the house had magic, but it always seemed to have more magic than the rest.Rooms would appear out of nowhere when you needed them the most. Sometimes it would even hide her from whoever she was avoiding. “Hello, old friend,” Ellea said as she walked up to the door that opened for her.
The boys followed behind as a gentle wave of music and light chatter led them to the ballroom at the back of the house. They walked past two grand staircases and several entertaining rooms that would be used for private celebrations later. Ellea’s heart raced as they neared the entrance of the crowded ballroom. The low murmur of the crowd grew quiet as all eyes gazed upon her and her party. She shoved the anxiety as far down as she could and held her head high, heading straight to her nana and uncle. The boys trailed behind, and the talking quickly picked back up.
“She shouldn’t be allowed at public events.”
“Such a shame the heir to the most powerful family is a…”
“She can’t be trusted.”
Ellea ignored the whispers; she had been listening to various versions since she was a small child. Her ability to mask how she felt was almost as strong as her ability to see into someone’s future. Ellea came to stand in front of her nana. The older woman’s bright sage eyes took in her only granddaughter. Ellea smiled as she admired her nana’s emerald dress and the numerous bangles and rings she wore. “You look stunning, Nana.”
Her nana smirked, and her eyes glinted as she winked.
“You look perfect tonight, Ellea Elizabeth.”
Ellea rolled her eyes. Her nana barely spared a glance for the men behind her before kneeling on one knee to greet Billy.
“Hello, old friend,” she said. “You look regal tonight with that necklace. It’s very modern of you.”
Billy leaned into her, resting her big head in the crook of the woman’s neck.
And you look beautiful as always, not a day over seven hundred,Billy said. With the scoff from her uncle, Ellea knew that Billy had let him hear her too.
“Zaza, I like this look on you,” Felix said, kissing her on both cheeks.
Felix had on black linen pants, loafers, and a deep blue button-down shirt that showed off most of his tanned chest. He also had a ring on each finger and one gold hoop in his right ear.
She smiled with thanks and looked for his boyfriend. “Where’s Reece?”
“He’s helping in one of the other rooms. We have five witches coming of age this year, and they could use all the help.”
Ellea grimaced, remembering how a bunch of teenagers could get when it was time for them to step out into the community as full-fledged magic-wielding brats. Her uncle chuckled and motioned to the two women he and her nana had been talking to before she’d interrupted.
“Sybil, Gesa,” her uncle said. “You remember my niece, Ellea.”
