Page 71 of Tricky Princess

“My mother,” Ellea said quietly.

All eyes turned to her.

“My mother can plant visions, make you feel you’re someplace else. Feel things you couldn’t imagine. Pain, fear, and even hate.”

“It’s not your father’s power? That sounds more like an illusion than a seer gift,” Ros asked.

“No, I got that from her, and it’s very rare. We have never met another family that can do that; we used to use it to show the future of someone we were working with. Cerce learned to turn it, wield it for hate.”

“And Belias?” Florence asked. “How does he play into this?”

“I’m not sure it’s him or his father,” Ros added.

“Could it be both of them working with my parents?” Ellea asked.

“I’m not sure,” Azzy said. “Something isn’t right in all of this, but I can’t figure it out. I know they are hungry for power, to shift the way we rule. But that many souls means more work for him, and he is the laziest demon I know.”

“We heard Belias last night,” Ellea said. “He told someone to prepare for the influx.”

“I saw the report.”

It was on the tip of her tongue. What was Belias up to? Then it clicked. “What if he’s nesting?”

“Like some omega?” Ros asked. She loved and hated that he was reading her books.

She rolled her eyes. “Not like that. Nesting is the wrong word.” She thought for a moment. “What if he is preparing? Gathering as many souls as he can so that when he overthrows his father, he gets all the power?”

“But we don’t gain that much power from the souls that cross into our realm, not like the Gods once did,” Azzy said. “More souls means more land, that’s what holds the power. We are not Gods, so the power doesn’t go directly to the ruler.”

“But that many souls? At once?” she added, and Azzy seemed to mull it over.

“It’s a reach, but why would your mother help Belias? That is the big question. He isn’t powerful right now.”

“Because she is an evil bitch.” Ellea’s chest ached as she grasped to stay in the present. Each mention of Cerce was starting make her mind wander to dark and damp cellars. Her magic raging and ripping her in two as her mother’s cackle rang through their “training” area. She tried catching her breath as the edges of the room grew fuzzier. Then warm hands grasped hers and Ros was kneeling on the floor in front of her. He warmed her shaking hands with his own powers. “She’s trying to get my attention.” Her voice sounded so small. “All of those people…”

Ellea couldn’t finish. What if it was anyone from Glenover, from Halifax? They didn’t deserve this.

“It’s not your fault,” Ros said, gripping her hands tighter. “There is more at play here than fucked up parents.”

“What if you looked into it?” Florence asked.

“She is not going near them!” Ros roared over his shoulder.

He turned back to her, and red eyes met hers. Ros closed them and took a steadying breath. She could feel him holding back, holding on to the beast that was so desperate to be free. When would he learn she wouldn’t care, that she would take him even with scales and claws?

Did he have scales?

She wanted to know, she also considered if his demon appearance affected…other locations. It was an easy distraction, demon dick. Big demon dick. She couldn’t help but smirk before she let go of a shaking breath.

“You are not going near them,” he said more quietly, looking up at her with hazel eyes.

“I only meant ‘to look.’ She’s a seer, after all, and we’ve been focusing on her other powers. What do the cards have to say?”

When was the last time she looked into the cards or the stars? Things were so different in this realm, and it never crossed her mind to use that side of her magic.

Was too much demon dick making her neglect her seer side?

There was never too much of that.