Page 21 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

The pain is somewhat worse than I would have thought, but not as much as the shock. I keep staring at my bleeding hand, the bite mark pretty deep. I glare at Liam, but the black wolf already looks sorry, whimpering a bit and retreating.

"Seriously?!"

"See? Werewolves can never be trusted."

I glare at Ravena too. Why is she not freaking gone already? Seeing her sneer at this situation infuriates me, and I light up my valid hand with a big flaring fire without warning. Her expression immediately drops, her fear painted all over her face. So this is what it's like to be the advantageous witch.

"Fuck off," I hiss.

She doesn't wait for me to ask a second time. Maybe she knows that bite was destined for her, but she suddenly loses all of that confidence and she runs off into the woods, disappearing in seconds. I agitate my hand to get my fire to stop, and it's rather easy with the downpour around us.

I'm left with a bleeding hand and a sorry wolf, his tail between his legs and his ears down. It doesn't change anything, I'm still fucking mad at him for that. Why the hell did he have to bite me? It's so damn painful too, he didn't even hold himself back! As if I needed any more injuries! I hold my hand, shaking because of the pain. I can't take the sight of Liam right now. I glare once more at him and walk away.

I came here to fucking help him, and this is what I get! Alright, maybe there was some selfish curiosity in the mix, but still! I walk away, furious, drenched, and in pain. Is it supposed to hurt this damn much? I don't even know how to stop the bleeding, and I'm feeling dizzy from seeing this much blood. I never got that with the burns, but apparently, blood just isn't my thing, or maybe because it's mine.

Moreover, it's muddy around here, and I progress with difficulty back to Silver City. I shouldn't have left the house, I shouldn't have crossed through the border, and I shouldn't have followed that idiot. I'm an idiot, Selena had everything right when she called me clueless and reckless. I fucking am.

"Mara! Mara, wait!"

I don't stop.

I'm too mad at that idiot. Plus, he's apparently shape-shifted so he's following me naked. Probably not the best time to look back. I don't want to look at him; right now, I just want to see someone who could do something about me losing blood.

"Mara!"

I feel his hand grabbing my shoulder, and I finally turn around to push him away.

Damn it, he's really naked, and I'm just too angry to even care. I just glare at him, holding my injured hand against me. His eyes are going back and forth between my injury and my face, looking at a loss. Even if I can tell he's really sorry, the pain is just too much to forgive that puppy face he's making.

"S-sorry," he mutters. "I reacted without thinking, I didn't really mean to bite you..."

"Well, so much for being cautious," I retort. "If you didn't want me here, a growl would have been enough!"

"I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have been here in the first place! How the fuck did you get past the barrier?"

His eye is reflecting the storm and thunder above us, and now there's anger mixed with his apology. Seriously, he's going to lecture me too?

"Why is everybody always so keen to tell me what I can and cannot do, but no one gives me an actual answer? I have to threaten people into telling me what I need to know, and now that I finally meet someone like me, you're going to give me hell too?"

"That witch isn't your friend, Mara! She isn't going to become one, she's the enemy!"

"Well, at least she didn't fucking bite me!"

My last sentence hits him hard, he loses his anger again and takes a step back. I frown and turn around, continuing my way back to Silver City. I get to the barrier, so I guess he'll have his answer this way. I find that hole from before and, cautious with my injury, I squeeze myself back in with a groan. That thing is fluctuating and presses down on me a bit for the five or ten seconds it takes for me to get back inside the dome. It doesn't stop me, though, and I stand a few steps away from the barrier, glaring at a shocked Liam.

"How did you…? Hey, what the fuck did you do with my bike?!" he yells, recognizing the gorgeous machine a few steps away.

I forgot I had left it there. I wish I could show him, ride his own bike away, and leave him to eat my dust, but I can't, not with my hand in this state. Instead, I look around to find shelter. I'm surprised the voices aren't back, but maybe Liam's presence is keeping them at bay. Or maybe I'm just in too much pain already for them to add to it.

It's a residential area, but I spot a little convenience store. I walk in, looking for something for my injury, and mostly, to be sheltered from this cold rain.

"Mara!"

I stop and turn around. Don't tell me that idiot walked in naked?

He's naked indeed, but only from his waist up. I frown, completely confused. When and where did he find a pair of jeans to put on? Liam follows my glance down to his pants and sighs.

"Werewolves shape-shift at the border all the time, we have several hideouts with clothes... just in case."

No wonder. I guess that would be the most convenient for a city inhabited by thousands of werewolves. There are probably hundreds of pairs of jeans hidden in random spots in the forest. It's a bit weird to think about, but it does make sense. Anyway, I am a bit more upset that he can now follow me without getting glared at by the lady at the counter. I take a deep breath and walk away anyway, still looking for the pharmacy aisle or something like that.

I finally find it, but they only have band-aids... I keep looking up and down. Damn it. Should I drop by the hospital and ask Bonnie? Crap, she's probably still at Nora's. I bite my thumb, at a loss for what to do.

I can hear Liam walking up to me, but I pretend I don't.

"Mara..."

"What?" I retort, a bit annoyed.

"I'm really sorry... about the bite. Okay?"

I finally look at him.

He's dangerously close, and with that sad puppy look again. His eye is bluer under the convenience store's light, throwing me off guard for a second. I am not sure what to do or say anymore... Is he doing this on purpose? My angry heart is at a loss. I don't wanna stay mad at this face, but the pain is still there. Not the one aching from my hand, the one in my heart. Did that idiot realize the damage he's done?

Being so close, I can see the drops running down his skin, the shades of his wet hair, and hear his breathing. It's a bit... confusing. His smell is driving me crazy too. That, mixed with the leather of his jacket I'm still wearing. We must be one weird duo, standing alone in this convenience store, him half-naked and me with my oversized biker jacket and a white tube top. I swallow my saliva, trying to focus.

"F-... fine," I mutter.

I don't want to look at him, he's confusing me. The sparks are back again, and it's worse, it's a whole firework in my stomach. I feel hot, more than even a Fire Witch should be. I glance back at the shelves, wondering why those aisles have to be so damn narrow all of a sudden...

"I just... reacted out of surprise. We are not entirely in control, sometimes, when we shape-shift into our wolf form."

Is he trying to justify himself? I'm not sure he's making his case better. I slowly nod, still unable to look at him, and holding my hand with no idea what to do with the injury. I feel a bit helpless. I feel like I'm going to melt if I look at him, but I don't want my anger to go away so simply. It hurts and he should regret it some more, I think. I just don't feel like letting that idiot off the hook so easily.

"Come," he whispers.

That whisper sends shivers down my spine, and before I can react, he gently takes my hand.

Oh, crap, he's making those eyes again. There are some fleeting seconds between us, we stare at each other like two idiots waiting for the other to react. Maybe I should whack him or something, but I can't, and I don't. He gently pulls on my non-injured hand and takes me to another aisle of the convenience store. He grabs something from the shelves, but even when we get to the cashier, I can't take my eyes off him. Damn it, he's a bit more handsome than I can handle. The rain and sweat combo is damn dangerous.

We leave the store, still hand in hand, and we find ourselves against the wall, the downpour a step away. I glare at the gray skies. Is there only that kind of weather in this city? I feel like Silver City is mocking me, getting so damn dark every time I am in a bad mood or confused. Right now, it doesn't quite match my emotions, though. Liam's large hand is still on mine, and the heat and size difference is perturbing. His fingers are cold, yet they still manage to send shivers down my spine. I'm probably blushing too, but I can't take my eyes off our joined hands, like an idiot.

"Okay... Wait for me. I'll go get the bike."

"Okay."

With a feeling of déjà vu, I watch him run away under the rain to get his bike. I let out a long sigh as soon as he's gone. You should get your feelings in check, Mara, before you really regret it. Yeah, as if I could hold them back. I can't stop my feelings any more than I can stop the rain from falling. I look up at the skies, a bit at a loss.

The worst thing is that little, tiny bit of hope that Liam is actually feeling the same. It's confusing, the way he looks at me sometimes. As if he's scared, but still cares more. I can't quite name it. I get this itch that I'm eager to follow, yet I feel like it's on the crazy and dangerous side. I'm barely pulling the few pieces of my life I have back together, yet Liam is like a headlight right in my field of vision, distracting me from everything else when he's there. Moreover, I'm even questioning my attraction to that guy. It was so sudden yet so intense, how is that even possible?

I hear the sound of the bike's familiar engine.

Liam is riding his bike, half-naked in the rain, and I'm on the verge of collapse from that vision. That is not something any male-attracted being can ever forget. ...Damn, is it even legal to be that sexy? I have to force myself to look elsewhere before this gets any more embarrassing.

Strangely, I've never felt more self-conscious than I am now. I'm waiting for him on the side, not looking like anything decent or attractive. I don't even want to imagine the mess my hair must be in with all that rain, plus my clothes are drenched, muddy, and bloody. I kind of wish I had put on something a bit more attractive or learned the first thing about makeup.

He stops the engine, but somehow, my feet can't seem to get me there.

I don't know what holds me back, but all of a sudden, I'm scared. Scared that this is just temporary, that he's just being nice before he throws me away to go back to playing the little werewolf soldier, the righteous vigilante.

"Mara, come on!"

I mentally kick myself in the ass and walk up to him, swallowing whatever was holding me back. Without a word, I sit behind him, but I try not to touch that naked torso, holding the back handle of the bike with one hand. Yet, he doesn't start it and turns to me.

"Mara, hold on to me."

"No."

The answer escaped my lips before I could give it enough thought. Liam stares at me, a bit surprised. With what's going on above our heads, it feels a bit more awkward than it should. He opens his mouth, then closes it, distraught. His eyes fall on my injured hand, and finally, he frowns.

"Mara, hold on to me, otherwise, you'll hurt yourself or fall off."

"I'm good."

He growls, a bit annoyed. I still avoid looking at him, my hands resolutely nowhere near him. I am such an idiot. As if avoiding him now was going to change anything!

Moreover, I should know better than to play with that idiot. All of a sudden, he makes the engine roar and drives off without warning. The start is so sudden I indeed almost fall off, and by reflex, I grab his waist. Damn it. I take a deep breath and swallow my pride, finally holding on properly. I should avoid touching him, but the only way to not touch my injured hand is if I hold on to my wrist, and that leaves very little space between me and Liam's back. I blush a bit more, the heat getting to my head quickly. Damn it, he got the last word this time.

He rides off, and I do my best to focus on something other than his skin, his smell, the movement of his back in front of me. Neither of us has a helmet on this time, but it's a short ride, and Liam is good. He takes the highway, speeding a bit between the cars, and we are soon back to Silver City's high buildings. I'm glad I kept that map with me, it looks like we are not going back to Sylviana's house. The rainy afternoon has the roads crowded, but we slide in between the cars, Liam making the engine roar from time to time so the cars let us through.

I wonder if we are going back to Nora's, but it doesn't look that way. Liam takes us deeper into the busy streets, between fancier buildings. I have flashes of seeing those buildings before, from my hospital bedroom window.

Liam suddenly rides down to an underground parking lot, and I get off his bike almost as soon as he's parked. I feel a bit guilty when I see the leather of his bike, stained by my blood. He sees it too, but doesn't say a word, and gestures for us to walk to the elevator. I hesitate a bit but follow him inside.

He pushes a button to one of the highest floors, and an awkward silence surrounds us. It feels even more cramped than in the convenience store. I realize he still got that plastic bag from his little shopping earlier. Now I'm curious about what he bought. Not bandages, that's for sure.

The elevator stops, and unlike I thought, we arrive directly at the entrance of a very large apartment. Liam walks ahead, but I freeze.

"This is..."

Liam stops and turns around to stare at me, confused at the entrance. He shrugs.

"Yeah, it's my place. Uh..."

He seems to suddenly realize he's bringing a girl into his place, from his expression. Sometimes he's really clueless like this, and it kind of hurts. He doesn't even see me as a woman? Just as my stomach gets knotted from that unhappy thought, I suddenly notice his ears are a bit red. Oh, so he's... blushing? At least, he looks too embarrassed now to look at me. I tilt my head.

"Why not the hospital?"

"I thought you hated hospitals."

"Oh... thanks."

He's not wrong. I'm in no hurry to go back there again. Does that mean he can treat my injury here? I see him walk off to another room, so I carefully step into the living area, a bit curious.

This is somewhat larger than I thought, and a lot cleaner too. I don't know why, I imagined him living in a garage or a little studio, something smaller. He doesn't look the fancy type... but then again, his family is rather rich. Moreover, as I look around, it doesn't really look like anyone lives here. There are family pictures on the walls, of his brothers, their wives and his nephews and nieces, but aside from that, nothing shows Liam actually lives here. The whole place is sparkling clean, and... somewhat cold. Even with his jacket on, I can tell it's cold in here. I look around until I find the lights to turn them on. It's so dark outside, I have to guess we are now in the late afternoon or something. It's hard to tell, the sky is super gray and dark. Strangely, it looks like all of Silver City has turned into its name's color from here. I get closer to the large bay window, curious. There's a balcony, but it's flooded.

"Mara."

I turn around. Liam is back with an impressively big first aid kit. I raise an eyebrow.

"Wow. You dated a nurse too? Or robbed a hospital?"

He rolls his eyes with a smirk, visibly relieved to hear me joke. He puts the box on the table and invites me to come sit next to him on the sofa. I take a deep breath.

"Are you sure inviting a witch over is a good idea?"

That's probably the dumbest question I've ever asked, but I do have an underlying question. Is he fine having me over, of all people? Liam sighs.

"You don't like the hospital, and as you noticed, I have robbed a hospital. It may sound extremely surprising but werewolves are used to treating werewolves bites. And..."

This time, he looks at me, his eyes darken, more serious than before.

"Yes, I am fine with having you here," he whispers gently.