Page 28 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

I have to watch the elevator doors close on her, annoyed. Why did she have to go? I turn back, glaring at my brother.

"Seriously, Nate? Did you really have to?"

He raises an eyebrow, trying to play innocent.

"We only came to bring you breakfast, since your culinary skills are still non-existent..."

"Stop that, you know I'm talking about your attitude toward Mara."

"Mara? You're already so close that you'd call her by her first name and let her sleep here?"

I frown and walk up to Estelle, ignoring him. I know what I used to say, but things are different now. My niece smiles and opens up her arms for me to hug her. Damn, how did they make such cute kids? It has to be their moms' genes, although Estelle is much sweeter than her mom. I lift her up and take her to the kitchen. She already knows how to put the little croissants in the oven to warm them up a little and she even takes out a baking tray I had no idea was there.

Meanwhile, Nate walks over too, still with that dark expression on, his eyes as cold as ice.

"I texted you we were dropping by," he says.

Seriously, that's all he’s got for an excuse?

"I didn't check my phone."

"You never do. And you complain when we mind-link you too."

"Because you guys wake up at dawn when I’m usually asleep!"

That, and the fact that I don't need a helicopter brother either. He and Damian have barely changed, always trying to control everything, especially me. It used to be fun to escape their surveillance, but now that I'm getting older, it's becoming seriously annoying.

"Did we wake you up?" asks Estelle, looking a bit concerned.

I sigh, Nate putting a little bit of a smile on. He knows I can't resist my nieces, so now he's going to make me feel guilty in front of her? I shake my head and kiss her forehead gently.

"Don't worry, little star, I'm always happy to see ya."

She smiles back, looking relieved, and goes back to staring at the oven and the croissants inside. A nice smell is slowly coming out of it, and it's hard to keep a cold atmosphere this way. I turn to Nate once again, my brother stern as usual in his dark business suit.

"I'm allowed to have whoever I want over. This is my place."

"It may be yours, but don't forget we bought it for you, Liam. Moreover, that witch is dangerous. Why would you want her close? I thought you didn't like her. Weren't you avoiding her just days ago?"

I sigh. Of course, they’re using their money to control people, as always. This is going to be a complicated one, but... I can still see Mara's expression when she mentioned my brothers. She's genuinely scared and wary of them. She should be. They are Alphas, and although they now have families and all, they're still the most powerful wolves around. Even I watch my actions around them, or at least those they know of.

However, they are still my brothers, and I want Mara to be my girlfriend. Those relationships are equally important to me. Things are going to have to change, and I need to face the truth head-on. I take a deep breath to talk to Nathaniel seriously.

"I like her, Nate. Seriously."

"...Like her as in...?"

"I really like her, as a woman. I..."

I glance toward Estelle, but she isn't listening, taking out some little plates.

"I want her, Nate. As my mate."

He sighs.

"...Do I need to give you the full lecture about witches? Again?"

"Mara isn't Sylviana," I growl, a bit annoyed as to what he's implying.

Moreover, I hate how he still treats me like I'm a child. We are far beyond the time where I had to hide from our father and he and Damian had to protect me. I'm an adult now, I can make my own choices and live with them. Actually, I'm probably more involved with Silver City's security than he is now. He and Damian only have time for their families and the Black Corporation Group nowadays, but I'm the only one patrolling the border with the regular wolves. What right does he have to tell me whether Mara is dangerous or not?

Nathaniel and I glare at each other for a while. I don't like that he's gauging me like this and testing me. He has to stop freaking doing that.

"The croissants are ready now!"

I help Estelle take them out of the oven to distract myself from my older brother's attitude. I wish he'd let go a little and mind his own business. Why did he come here anyway? I don't believe he's just cautious of my diet. For a little while, I try to ignore him and help Estelle set up the table for breakfast, but really, there's nothing much to do anyway. She can prepare her own little hot chocolate, as I always have her box of chocolate powder somewhere, and Nate makes more coffee. We finally sit at the kitchen counter, and I remember the good time Mara and I spent there last night.

I miss her already. I'm an idiot for not following her out, or stopping her from going. Why couldn't I tell Nate to fuck off for once? I fucking miss my fated mate. I don't know how Damian endured this for years, it's been a few minutes and I'm resisting the urge to run outside and find her. My inner wolf is upset too. I had such a good sleep next to her, until she had that nightmare... Moreover, I got to see her wearing my clothes. Does she have any idea how sexy she is when she has my shirt on? I don't know how much that bond between us is corrupting my mind, but damn, I'm so done for. I'm addicted already. I need her scent like a junkie. I want to touch her hot skin again. I can't even believe how well-behaved I kept myself when we were so close. My own self-control is getting better with each minute we spend together, but it doesn't help that I still always want more. I want to touch her, to caress her. My animal instincts are getting the best of me. Is there anything I can do to tame my wolf before I do something she won't be able to endure? She's not the dangerous one, I am. I'm the beast that craves its witch.

"So, what have you found?"

I raise my eyes from my cup, my croissant still dipped in my coffee. What does he mean? Nathaniel tilts his head.

"About that witch," he adds.

"Her name is Mara, for f–"

I suddenly remember my niece is here, and although she is busy drinking her hot chocolate, she has werewolf ears too. She may not be listening, but she can still hear. I take a deep breath and glare at Nate.

" ...For fuck's sake, " I growl, using our mind-link to finish my sentence.

"Language, Liam."

"Is that what you came here for? You knew she spent the night with me, so you came to dig around for some information? Is it not enough that Selena is watching her? Hell, half of the city is!"

I hate how they are scrutinizing all of Mara's actions, waiting for her to make a mistake. The worst part is that I did the same thing not too long ago. Watching her from afar, waiting to see how dangerous she is and how we should handle her.

Dangerous? Hell, she's her first victim. You can tell she doesn't know what to do from that pure look in her eyes. I love everything about her eyes, and most of all, how they genuinely express all of her emotions. I can tell when she's sad, when she's upset, and when she's surprised. Mara is a blank canvas and all her thoughts go into her actions. She doesn't have an ounce of evil in her.

Nathaniel is still staring at me, but I can't read him. He's always had that thing about him, he's so good at hiding his emotions. In a way, he's the opposite of his wife...

"...I only came to bring you breakfast," he coldly retorts. "You may not remember it often, but you are still our younger brother."

I calm down a bit. I know he resents me for distancing myself from them. Or more like, I'm not as invasive as I once was. I like being around my nieces and nephews, and even my brothers, Selena, and Nora. But they have their own lives now, and I need to have mine.

I needed some time after Sylviana left us. They respected that, but now it's been over two years and they don't understand. Things have changed. I cannot be like I was before, the goofy and easy-going Liam...

I glance at Estelle. They probably decided to drop by to check on me before he took her to school. I shouldn't have reacted so coldly. I'm just upset he made Mara go. I take a deep breath. Crap, I know Nate better than that. He may be an ass and not trust people, but he's my older brother.

"Fine, I'm sorry..." I sigh, "but please, don't talk about Mara like that again."

I'm serious, and he knows it. He doesn't make fun of me or retort that he doesn't care about that witch. Nate simply gazes at me for a while, looking intrigued. He sips a bit of his coffee, his blue eyes still on me, probably trying to decipher whatever is going on with my sudden change of attitude.

"...So you're really serious about her?" he asks gently.

I nod.

"She's... my fated mate, Nate."

He opens his mouth, shocked. Yeah, that's a big bomb to drop over breakfast, but here we are. He puts his cup down and frowns.

"Are you sure?"

I can't help but roll my eyes.

"Hey, I've seen Damian, and we've talked about this. Trust me, there is no mistake."

"A wolf being paired with a witch is..."

"New and unheard of? I know. Trust me, I'm just as confused as you are. I didn't even want to believe it for a while, but... it’s no mistake. The more I tried to stay away from her, the more I felt like I needed her. Moreover, that's not all. It seems like... Mara feels it too."

"...What do you mean?"

I sigh, shaking my head. I can't blame him, I doubted it too...

"The fated bond, Nate. She seems to feel it as well. As if she were a werewolf, she described it to me and everything. That's... why we keep finding each other. She somehow found me again when I left her to go to the border too."

He remains silent for a while, frowning. I think he trusts my word, but not Mara. I wish he'd just lower his guard already, but my brother just seems even more confused.

"Daddy, I'm done!"

"We'll get going soon, baby star. Go wash your hands."

"Yes!"

While Estelle runs off to the bathroom, Nate checks his watch and turns to me.

"I'm not... going to doubt you about the fated mate thing. We both know that's something that can't be faked or mistaken, at least I hope. However, that witch–"

"Mara. Please call her by her name. She isn't the first witch we’ve met."

He makes a sour expression, but reluctantly nods.

"Mara. There are still a lot of things we don't know about her, so be careful, Liam."

"You don't trust me?"

"I trust you, not her. Sylviana hid a lot of things from you too, and we both know the result. She was a good witch, but it still left you in a bad state. It's not about their nature, it's about their intentions. Witches are self-centered, Liam, and nothing tells us Mara will always care about your bond as much as you do… I don't want to patronize you, but I certainly don't want you to go through that kind of shit again."

"I know."

It took me a while to get over her death. Even now, I feel sick whenever I see that tree. I don't know how many times I went through the whole scenario, over and over again, asking myself why. Why didn't she trust me more? Why couldn't I have stopped it? Even now, I wish I had the answers. I resent her for dying. She left me no choice, I had to witness it. It's just not fair.

"...What did she say about your fated bond? Does she… want it?"

"I think so. Actually, it hit me hard when I realized she might be able to reject me... I hadn't thought of that. I just kept running away from her. Maybe because I knew, or I thought, that she'd never really be apart from me. But now that I know that she can, it's..."

"It hurts, right?"

I glance at my older brother. He's the one who went through the pain of being rejected once by his fated mate, a real rejection. He was so devastated after that, it was painful just to watch him. He wouldn't even let us see it because Damian was missing his own mate at the time, but I still cannot forget how dead his eyes looked at the time. His first woman was the most cruel bitch to him. He never really explained what had happened or why. We just had that silent agreement to never mention her again.

Selena made him go through hell too, but they both had their wrongs and eventually sorted it out. They are the mismatched couple that still made it work, unlike a perfect pair like Nora and Damian. I wonder what kind of couple Mara and I would be.

I can just imagine us as a free-spirited pair, like two wolves that only need each other. Moon Goddess, I miss her badly.

"I guess you'll go see her whether I stop you or not," he says, standing up. "However, Liam, remember that I warned you about her. Don't get yourself involved too deeply before we know exactly who she is."

I nod, but it's still a bit sour. Mara cannot trust the werewolves, and they can't trust her either. When will those walls break? Is it because we don't know the truth about her identity?

I accompany my brother and Estelle downstairs. I'm happy to have seen them both for a short while, but inside, my wolf is just going crazy. I wave goodbye and act like a good uncle until the car leaves, but then I immediately run back inside to the parking lot, grabbing my bike.

I don't even have to think. I know where Mara is.

That feeling is absolutely incredible, it's like a force constantly pulling me in the right direction. The closer I get, the more this warm feeling spreads throughout my body. Moon Goddess, I want my mate. I can feel her, and I know she went to the docks. How did she get there so fast on foot? Did she find someone to take her there? My wolf growls, unhappy at the idea of another male with her. No, no, she's ours. She's our mate.

I finally park my bike in a familiar spot near Nina's diner, but Mara is nowhere to be seen. Did she find the building already? I almost run there, my heart thumping loudly. My wolf is excited at the thought of seeing his mate again. It's crazy, we've been apart for what, less than an hour? I try to tame myself, and go past the fencing panels.

I can tell something is wrong.

Mara's friend, in flashy pink, is standing on the side looking panicked. Ben Lewis is there too, in his wolf form. How the hell did they get so deep into the building? I struggle to make my way across to them, realizing they pulled a lot out of the way already.

Finally, I see it. Some strange circle with Mara, unconscious, in the middle of it. She's on the floor, looking as if she were peacefully sleeping. What the hell is going on? Her friend spots me, and just when I'm about to run to Mara, she puts out her arm.

"W-wait, please," she says with a tiny voice.

"What the fuck is going on?" I growl, furious to see my mate in that state.

"She's fine... I think. Mara found this magic circle, and she wanted to try it out, but she passed out, and then this happened. C-can you wait a few more minutes...?"

How the hell do they know she's fine? This circle of red flames around her doesn't look fine to me!