Page 17 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

Dang, even if I don't remember the last time I had an actual cheeseburger, this one has to be the best. Maybe it's because I am damn near starving after coming all the way here. This is just so good, and warm too. I feel myself getting a bit better, after being exhausted and drenched...

Facing me, Liam stares at the burger, but I can't tell if he's hungry too or just avoiding my eyes. That guy is really not willing to talk or help me out. I feel like I need to push him to say every single word. Moreover, how dare he be so... sexy? I don’t think that guy has any idea what he looks like right now. His sleeveless shirt shows off his muscular arms, and his wet hair is a bit too much for me to handle calmly. He keeps brushing it with his fingers, and every time he does, he looks like one of those pop stars Kelsi likes to fawn over on the TV. He has that kind of effect, and it's damn dangerous when I am trying to have a serious conversation with him. To stop looking, I focus on my meal. Thankfully, it's rather easy. I eat with my fingers, a bit shamelessly, but as Ben says, there is no bad way to eat a good sandwich...

"...What do you want me to do, exactly?" he asks. "I am not a witch teacher, I am a witch hunter."

I roll my eyes. This guy needs to win an award for most negative person around.

"You knew Sylviana, for starters," I say. "All you werewolves did, from what I understand. Plus, as I said, I think she knew about me, or she was suspecting it. Is there any way she left something for the next witch who came to town?"

He sighs and shakes his head.

"I don't want to talk about Sylviana," he says.

"Well, I don't care, because I need to know and I'm going to stick to you like glue until you spit it out. I'm not asking you about personal stuff, Liam Black, I want to know the witch stuff. How did she use her powers? Did she have some books, some wand, a magic spell, or something?"

He looks at me like I am a child and rolls his eyes.

"No, Mara, it's not like in books..."

"What about a magic circle?"

Ah, there we go. His expression changes immediately. I kept it to ask at the end on purpose and it worked. Even if he denies it now, it's too late. He definitely knows something about magic circles.

"Spill it," I say, licking my finger.

Liam makes a strange expression, gulping down while looking at my fingers covered in ketchup, and has to look elsewhere to answer.

"Yes, I know she had one. How do you know about magic circles?"

"I have one too."

"What?"

"Hey, I'm the one asking questions," I retort. "You didn't want to answer so let me ask before you get yours. What else did Sylviana use? We found an old herbology book at my place. Ring a bell?"

"Yeah, she had a ton of those... She was an Earth Witch, so everything was related to that. She had dozens of plants, a few herbology books, and... just stuff like that. But no magic wand or whatever that you could use. You're a Fire Witch, I doubt any of her stuff should get in your hands!"

"You don't know that," I shrug.

I bite into my burger, thinking. Could that previous witch really not have prepared anything if she knew I was coming? The more I chat with Liam, the less I'm convinced by Nora's theory, it's a bit disappointing. I was really hoping that there would finally be some clues for me to catch on, but it looks like Sylviana may not have been as prepared as I thought after all. Or maybe she just couldn't know it would be a Fire Witch after her? I'm getting more and more lost now. And this damn headache... I try to eat a bit more. If I knew it was going to be so painful to walk under a downpour, I wouldn't have followed this idiot here.

"...I don't think Sylviana had anything ready for you," he says. "Her house is condemned anyway."

"Condemned?"

"No one has been able to get in since she... Anyway, it's just condemned. Not just physically, like no one can get in, and we really tried. There's a barrier on her house too... I tried several times, but it didn’t work."

He shakes his head, and I get this heavy feeling again. For someone who supposedly hates witches, Liam has a rather painful expression whenever we mention Sylviana. I feel this little pinch in my heart, and I'm torn between wanting to know more, and thinking I'd rather not know. I'll pick the latter for now.

"What about the others?" I ask, trying to shift the subject.

"As I told you, there have been three so far... I mean, three attempts. Only one of those witches came close enough that I saw her, but she didn't try again. I think they can feel Sylviana's barrier and the Royal Aura inside."

"You're talking about Nora and Selena?"

"More about Nora. She is powerful enough to help strengthen the barrier, but she is more of a... battery. Sylviana's tree channels a part of Nora's aura, but it should be able to withstand on its own. The barrier was perfectly fine until a few months ago."

I'm slowly starting to understand all of this... I grab a napkin to wipe my mouth and think a bit, my stomach full. So that barrier should have been just fine but as it appears now, without a witch, the barrier is bound to disappear in a while, and the appearance of those foreign witches is not helping at all.

"Do you think they could be the ones affecting the barrier? If those witches have been trying to attack for a while..."

"Or a witch getting in could have done that too," he retorts, staring at me with an accusatory look.

I can't help but roll my eyes. Why is everyone always thinking I'm going to blow up the whole city just by breathing around here, it's getting annoying now. I slam my hand on the table.

"Listen, grumpy hunter. So far, the barrier has been fine with me inside it. I didn't even know it existed until a while ago, so chill. I didn't do anything to it. Although I am a newbie witch, I felt that barrier and it didn't seem more bothered by me than that."

"I did see it send you on your... you know," he says.

"Alright, maybe I played with it a little. But if that barrier was that strong, I'd have probably lost a few fingers then. I felt its power and it wasn't very witch-proof to me. So even if you're not fond of me, I'm probably still a better option to help you strengthen it than the other witches lurking out there. Hm?"

He makes a bit of an annoyed expression, but we both know I'm right. I am the witch that’s already in the house. We both know I also happen to have plenty of firepower in stock, but I need to learn how to use and control it. Liam stares at me for a long while, looking unsure, but it's just making me more determined.

It's not just about getting my answers. I also have this... pull toward him that I need to sort out. I still feel it, like an invisible thread that binds me to this guy without asking my opinion. Of course, he is handsome and all, but there is more to it. It is a really strange feeling, like my whole body reacting to his presence, permanently. I can't shake it off, it's just there. I don't know what it is. Like some force, a natural attraction toward him. I have no idea why, why him of all people, but I do think there is something I need to unfold about that bond I feel between me and him... something I have to decipher. I know he probably feels it too. I see it in the way he looks at me, but he also looks like he's ready to run away every single time.

I feel like if I say something about it, he will deny it or run. I didn't realize until now, how scared I actually was about... putting it on the table and facing his reaction. I'm not ready, not yet. Whatever this is between us, I need time. We both do.

"So you've never actually... seen or fought those witches," I say, clearing my throat a little.

"I had them run off. Witches are still just women."

"Now you're being rude," I retort, lighting up my middle finger as a warning.

"I didn't mean it like that," he says, rolling his eyes. "It's just that aside from their powers, physically, they are close to human women, weaker than werewolves. They hate direct confrontation unless they are very strong and sure to have the upper hand."

"So what, you're saying we are dealing with... novice witches, like me?"

"Maybe. Or maybe their element isn't too suited for a direct fight. They ran away pretty quickly when I found them."

It does make sense. I can probably barbecue a whole building, but I doubt any witch can provoke a massive flood or an earthquake. Moreover, I've seen werewolves fight, and they are quick. I wouldn't want to have to fight Selena head-on if I was really her enemy, for example. And seeing how Liam's aura is about as dark as his brothers', the other witches probably didn't feel like it was worth risking a bite... at least not while the barrier is up.

"I get it," I say. "So, we can't get out and chase those witches, but we still need to sort out the barrier issue. I want to see Sylviana's house."

He suddenly glares at me.

"I said the house is condemned."

"From what you said, it's condemned with magic, right? Lucky you, there's a new witch in town, and she's curious about that house. So, I want to go there and see it. Maybe Sylviana made sure her house was locked for a reason."

He seems hesitant, but I ignore him and get up.

"Come on, you said you wanted to get in there," I add. "Maybe it's your chance!"

Truth is, I'm probably an idiot for saying that. I don't want to know why he wanted to get into that house, but for now, I have other things in mind. I do want to get into the previous witch's house. I hope she'll forgive me from wherever she is, but I believe this house might be my biggest clue and give me more.

After a few more minutes, Liam looks out the window. The weather is still shitty, and I had forgotten that bit. I guess I'll manage... He looks at me, but I try to look like I don't care about the damn rain or the headache I'm going to inflict upon myself. Eventually, he sighs and nods, getting up.

"Fine, let's go there. Nina! Can you put all that on my tab? I'll pay next time!"

"Of course, sweetie!" says the nice waitress lady, coming back to our table. "Are you sure you'll be okay with all that rain? Oh, don't stay out too long... See you soon and be careful! You too, Mara, come back anytime, love. I like girls with a big appetite!"

I smile at her. Indeed, I emptied that plate in a flash and Nina looks happy about that.

"I will!"

I follow Liam outside, but as soon as we get past the door, a wave of regret hits me. Oh, God, the rain... He chuckles, taking out a cigarette as we stand right against the wall, sheltered by the roof of the restaurant a bit.

"Having second thoughts?" he asks.

Damn, this guy only smiles when it's a smirk to mock me. I shake my head, I can be damn stubborn too. I cross my arms around me. This is the worst summer weather I could have imagined. At least my body temperature keeps me from actually being cold, but still, I don't want to get wet. Liam chuckles and takes his time to smoke his cigarette. I didn't even realize he smelled a bit like tobacco until now. He notices my eyes on his cigarette.

"Sorry, I can't smoke around the kids, so I usually wait until after the family lunches..."

"Sounds like you're a decent uncle."

"I try to be. It's my family..."

"Lucky you," I scoff. "The only member of my family who cares enough to talk to me pays my best friend to spy on me."

He coughs a bit, surprised by my words. I feel a bit bitter about the Kelsi-gate, but I'll sort that out later. For now, I think I still need to cool off on the matter, and staying away from my friend, where she can text my sister about my every move, helps...

"Okay," he says, crushing his cigarette into the outdoor ashtray, "wait for me here."

He's about to walk away, but I grab his top without thinking. He suddenly stops, looking at my hand with surprise. Oh... I just grabbed him without thinking, but now, I actually get to see his abs. Nice one, Mara. He growls a bit and pulls down his top, forcing me to keep my hand off.

"You're not leaving me, are you?" I ask.

He looks a bit more surprised by my question than I expected and blinks a couple of times before answering. He already stepped out, letting a bit of the rain get into his hair again. He shakes his head.

"No, but you're going to get sick if we go like this! I'll be right back, wait for me here."

I'm not sure I trust him to come back, but I don't say anything and watch him leave. Is he going to get us a taxi or something? I keep looking around, hoping to see his figure come back soon. He wouldn't really ditch me, would he?

He's going to abandon you...

Oh no, fuck no, not now. I take deep breaths, but the headache is really not helping this time. I feel that voice, the other voice, slithering in like a fucking snake into my mind. I try to ignore her, but it's insidious, like a voice whispering right into my ear.

He hates you... They all hate you... The werewolves... They are going to use you... like they used her...

What the hell does that damn voice want now? Is she talking about Sylviana? What does that mean, they used her? I take deep breaths, trying to ignore the voice. I know she's just there to torment me, and I don't know what the hell she wants but I won't give in. I don't want to give in to the hatred, those voices full of spite in my mind. The werewolves are good to me. I know they don't hate me. Fuck off!

"Hey! Mara!"

I look up, and Liam Black is there, looking at me with a worried expression. I realize he's even got a hand on my shoulder. Did he call me several times already? I feel a bit... off. The rain is really making me so much weaker. I take another deep breath to try and calm myself down and nod. I don't know what those voices want, but it's really not the moment. Of course, they had to freaking come out when Liam was gone and I'm feeling so nauseous...

Just as I try to get back to my senses, I realize what I am looking at, and my jaw drops.

"You have a bike?" I ask, impressed.

Liam chuckles.

"You're only seeing it now? It's noisy, though!"

Well, whatever sound it's making, I couldn't hear it until now. Gosh, I already love that bike. It's a big red bike, a Japanese brand, and it's roaring like a tiger. I feel like I'm seeing the best toy of my life, and I really want to play with it. I bite my thumb, unable to take my eyes off this beauty. Would he let me drive it if I ask...?

Liam chuckles.

"Wow, I didn't think my bike would have that much of an effect on you."

"Please tell me we're going somewhere with this gorgeous thing," I say.

"Yeah, here."

I grab his biker's jacket. Oh, that good smell of leather... I love it. Liam nods and helps me get behind him. Okay, next time I need to ask if I can try driving it... Crap, this helmet is going to be a nightmare to put on with my hair. I stick my head in, but Liam doesn't wear a helmet or even a jacket. Did he not have a spare? I'd like to think he hasn't had someone behind him in a while, but...

"It's not that far," he says a bit loud over the sound of his bike, "but I figured it might be better for you if we get to Jones' territory fast!"

I space out for a second.

"Wait, what? Whose territory?"

"Jones, the Jones family. It's another family of werewolves, Sylviana's house was... I mean-- is on their territory. Why?"

Jones. I did not expect to hear that name again. Could it be a mere coincidence? Did I use the name Jones back then simply because it's rather common? Though, that's a big coincidence to think about. The previous witch's house is on the territory of a household name I used as an alias? How much did I really know before I lost my memories? I know I couldn't have met Sylviana, she was dead before I came here, but still... I picked the name Jones when I went to that library. Was that a clue? If so, a clue for... whom?