Read Online Magic of the Wood House (The Elemental Phases Book 6) by Cassandra Gannon - Free Book Online

album fuck-the-neighbors loud.  Not that
these freaks had any neighbors.
    “Toss
it?”  He studied the funeral-colored pillow.  “Why?  Aside from the aesthetic
reasons.”
    “Toss
it in the air .”  She crossed her arms over her chest.  “Check for wires
and hidden gas tanks to be sure I’m not tricking you, first.  Then throw the
damn thing.”
    “Fine.” 
Sullivan hesitated, then set the pillow aside and reached over to grab one with
a sequined hand grenade on it instead.  “But, whatever you’re going to do,
it’ll be with a prop that I choose.  Otherwise you could’ve rigged
this.”
    Teja
actually smiled at his suspicious inspection of the fabric.  It was just a
quick lifting of the corner of her mouth, but it still charmed Sullivan to the
depths of his soul.  Amusement turned Teja’s eyes pure gold.  He actually had
to glance away from her before he made an idiot of himself and started begging
her for mercy.
    Sullivan
wasn’t the only one shocked by Teja’s slight grin.  Alder’s eyebrows shot-up. 
Djinn’s jaw literally dropped.  Even Pele was visibly surprised and, up until
now, Sullivan had only seen her look condescending and sarcastic.
    Teja
apparently didn’t notice.  “Satisfied?”  She prompted, when Sullivan just sat
there holding the pillow.
    He
cleared his throat.  “Yeah.”  Not knowing what to expect, he tossed it in the
air, so it went spiraling high above their heads.  He watched it as it soared
towards the vaulted ceiling.
    Teja
didn’t.
    She
didn’t take her eyes off of Sullivan, even as the pillow caught fire.  It was
such a quick, intense blaze that it seemed like a miniature tornado of flames
engulfed the thing.  Sullivan had to squint against the glare, as the pillow
was consumed.  Hot soot rained down as the fabric disappeared under the
relentless heat.  The entire pillow vanished.  What had gone up intact… came
down as cinders.  Nothing remained but a small pile of ash and the smell of
smoldering polyester stuffing.
    Sullivan
slowly turned back to Teja.  He felt something powerful and right ,
crackling on a frequency that seemed just out of reach.  Some energy that
felt oddly… familiar.  It tugged at Sullivan’s memories, pulling at places
inside of him, until he had to will it away.
    What
the hell was going on?
    Teja
held her hand to her lips, her thumb cocked gunslinger-style, and calmly blew
against the top of her index finger.
    The
appearing out of nowhere to kidnap him.
    The
volcanoes.
    The
whole Frankenstein’s castle thing.
    All
of that he could ignore or chalk up to… something.  Just something else
going on besides more supernatural crap.  But, for some reason, he knew Teja
was telling him the truth.  Whatever just happened to that stupid pillow, he
knew she’d done it.  The rest of this Twilight Zone episode he was still
iffy about, but not Teja.
    He
didn’t believe in magic… but he believed her.
    And
that made even less sense that the lava moat.
    “Alright.” 
Sullivan said grudgingly.  “Let’s say you can Fire Starter all sorts of
home furnishing.  Incredible.  I’m very intimidated.  What does that have to do
with you jokers abducting me?”
    “All
the best relationships start with a hostage situation.”  Alder told him
seriously.  “Kidnapping shows you care.”  He’d gotten the “U” almost complete
on his Etch-a-Sketch.
    Pele
rolled her eyes.  “This doesn’t even count as a kidnapping.  A real kidnapping means chains and maybe a mallet and somebody worth kidnapping.  This is just us looking out for the human, because he’s so
frigging helpless.”
    “And
young.”  Djinn interjected.  He looked Sullivan up and down.  “How old are
you?  A hundred?  A hundred and twenty?”
    Sullivan
decided not to bother resisting this new lunacy.  “I’m thirty-five.”
    “Holy
crap!  He’s thirty-five ?!?”  Pele snickered in “laughing at you,
not with you” delight.  “He’s a