Page 49 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

"Babe... I'm sorry..."

I hear him grumble, although it's muffled in the pillow. He's really upset... My eyes go down on the ugly bite mark on his neck. Okay, maybe I did go a bit overboard. It's a red mess, and probably painful too, though he won't even let me lick it. Liam's decided to sulk, but even that is too cute. I chuckle, and caress his exposed back gently. We did go home, but we didn't end up sleeping much... Maybe four or five hours? I can't say I'm very tired, though. I chuckle and lean over, kissing his back, the sheets still wrapped around my body. The sun just got up a little while ago, and we now have full rays of sunshine on us, which I love... the smell of the sheets in the morning.

Liam's lying on his tummy, his face in the pillow in a weird position. Can he even breathe like that? I know he's not sleeping, but still. I smile; although the first part didn't go so well, the rest of the night was quite... interesting. Werewolf endurance really is quite something.

"You bit me meanly too, for the record."

"Mh-didn't-mumfumgrumbmemuf...."

"Babe, I can't understand a thing."

He growls. Uh, I'm not sure I got that. I bite my lower lip, and kiss his shoulder again. He's trying to hide it, but I know he's reacting to it... I keep spreading kisses on his back, going lower and lower.

"Don't go there..." he grumbles again.

I smile and put a kiss on his buttcheek, amused. This time, he lifts his head from the pillow.

"I said don't..."

"Done sulking?" I chuckle, putting my head in my hand with a smile.

"...You're a mean witch..."

Moon Goddess, he's so cute when he pouts, I just can't resist. I smile more, and lean over him, very conscious I'm naked too. He sighs and finally turns around, letting me lay on his chest. We exchange a kiss, although he tries to act reluctantly.

"...You're not tired?" I ask.

"I'm good. Just hungry, as usual... You?"

"I'm good. I think I’ve still got our midnight snack in my stomach."

He nods, and we exchange another quick kiss before I grab my phone to check my texts.

"Kelsi's up and making those pancakes... We're on coffee duty."

"Roger that."

"...Do you want me to do something about your neck?" I chuckle.

He grimaces.

"Your teeth are not allowed anywhere near my neck for a while. Moon Goddess, I can't believe you made a bigger mess than me."

I shrug, because unlike his, my neck is completely fine already. I can feel the scar of his bite when I touch it, but pain-wise, there's nothing left. Unlike that ugly thing I left on Liam's nape... I chuckle, and lean over him for a kiss on his lips.

"I'm sorry," I mutter. "...Are you sure you don't want me to heal it?"

"Nope, I'll be a big boy and endure it."

"Okay," I chuckle. "Well then, big boy, shower time?"

"You can go first," he laughs. "I feel like my water bill isn't going to go any lower with you..."

Thirty minutes and a shower later, we are both dressed and ready to go. On a side note, if I spend more time at his place, I'm really going to need to bring some clothes over. I'll probably change once we get there, although I do like wearing Liam's shirts. We finally get downstairs, but once we are back on the bike, I can't help but remember the events of last night... I mean, the serious ones. It doesn't feel good at all, it feels like the calm before the storm.

I try to enjoy the ride with Liam, but this time, I just really need to get my head back into business. I feel like from now on, things are just going to get more and more serious... Only stopping to grab coffee for everyone, we finally get to the apartment, where indeed, Kelsi is cooking and acting all playful with Ben.

Ben's actually half-naked, and I realize once again he's tall, but not as muscular or big as I thought. Moreover, I see the large wound on his stomach, still bandaged.

"Hey, you two!" he greets us once we get inside.

"Hi, Ben..."

To my surprise, he comes and hugs me quickly, a large smile on his face. I'm a bit taken aback. What was that? Liam gives me a little glance to the side too, but I don't dare say anything. Moreover, as soon as he's done, Ben runs back to the kitchen to hug Kelsi from behind.

"Ben!" she protests. "I told you not to do that without warning, you're making me all jumpy..."

"We watched a show that was a bit scary last night," he chuckles. "Kelsi's so cute when she's spooked!"

"I'm not spooked! I-it's just that I'm cooking and you're all over me..."

Ben chuckles, but adds another kiss on her rosy cheek before turning to us.

"Coffee?" asks Liam, raising the tray we just grabbed from downstairs.

"Hell yes!"

I let the boys get their noses into the coffees and walk over to Kelsi, who's making those pancakes, although her eyes are more on Ben than her pan...

"Someone had a good night?" I chuckle.

"You’re one to talk! Did Liam get attacked by a bear?"

"Ah... We got a bit... bitey."

Kelsi laughs.

"My boo getting all territorial! I'm happy for you, Mara, really. I feel like you've... opened up a lot more now."

"Thanks," I blush a bit. "You too, actually. I mean, I was rooting for you and Ben for a while, but..."

Kelsi nods, probably blushing even more than I am. She's actually not wearing one of her ugly sweaters today, but instead, a really pretty burgundy dress of mid-thigh length, with an off-the-shoulder white top underneath and tights. She doesn't have her huge glasses on, either. I always knew she was really pretty, but she's definitely shining right now. I smile and decide to hug her. I am so happy she’s been by my side from the start, ready to act as my friend and be supportive as hell...

It's so sudden, she freezes, and it takes two seconds before she hugs me back. My goodness... I can almost feel her trembling, and when we separate, she has cute tears in her eyes.

"I-I-I'm not crying!" she immediately mumbles.

"I didn't say a thing!"

Moon Goddess, she's so cute, it's hard to repress a laugh. She takes a deep breath and blinks to chase them away.

"I-it's just I know you're not a hugger, so... uh... It makes me really happy you acknowledge we're really close friends, okay?"

"Kelsi, it's okay. You really don't need to explain a hug to make me feel comfortable!"

She pouts.

"O-okay, but... uh... I appreciate it."

"Okay," I chuckle.

I take a deep breath, and before this gets any more awkward, I let her go back to those pancakes.

"Actually, I needed your help and opinion on something, boo."

"What? What is it?"

I take out my phone, and quickly show her the university forum with everything Liam and I witnessed last night. The tattoo, but also pictures and short clips of me. There's something new, though; it looks like one of the girls from last night posted about me removing her friend's tattoo, and warning her friend. Kelsi's eyes open wider and wider, until we switch and she takes my phone while I watch the pancakes. She frowns, looking angrier and angrier as she keeps scrolling through the posts.

"What a bunch of... idiots!" she suddenly shouts. "I can't believe there are so many pictures of you too! And those tattoos... My God, for real?"

"Some are temporary, but some are real," nods Liam, coming to lean on the counter.

Kelsi is still mad, but Ben takes the phone from her to check out the posts while she turns to me.

"Mara, that is so serious! This is really witchcraft, isn't it? Do you have any idea what it is...?"

"Some high-level witch's work," I sigh. "The problem is, this is so... unique, I'm not sure what it does exactly. I'll need to study it longer to find out."

"There are so many runes and details..." sighs Kelsi. "Wait, I'll go grab the books! I actually got some new ones..."

She runs off to her bedroom, but at the same time, Ben gets off his seat and runs over to his computer, my phone still in hand.

"Ben...?"

"I think someone from the university did this."

"Obviously, but–”

"No, I meant... someone really from the university, Mara, not a student. Don't you think it's super odd how this got onto the university forum? Those are the kind of sites you can't get on without some sort of identification. The security for these kinds of forums have been increased to protect the students. Anonymous account, my butt..."

Liam and I exchange a look, but for a few minutes, Ben gets fully absorbed into typing furiously on his laptop, while Kelsi is taking out every book about witchcraft we've got in the place. She really got even more since last time... I need to be careful she doesn't get a bit too obsessed with them. I let her get a head start and walk into my bedroom for a few minutes, just to change into clothes that are actually my size. With a little smile, I remember Liam's comment, and go for a pair of black leather pants. It's true I have rather nice legs... I pair it with a simple gray T-shirt, but add a little touch of makeup, borrowing Kelsi's once again. I need to ask her for more advice when we finally get a break from all this.

When I get back to our living room, Kelsi is bending over the witchcraft books and taking notes, while Liam has apparently been delegated to making pancakes. He raises an eyebrow once I walk in, though his eyes go down to my tight pants... I send him a little smile, but go over to Kelsi, giving her a hand in helping decipher this new spell. She's already made good progress, actually. It's scary how she almost knows those books by heart... There is some very dark stuff little Mara didn't cover with me that Kelsi actually found, and is surprisingly helpful too.

After a while, Liam brings the pile of pancakes over and we finally take our seats, the four of us eating and sipping our coffees, but most importantly, comparing our finds.

"As we thought, those tattoos are bound to humans to make them some sort of vessel," I explain, checking those details again.

"Did you determine which of the... other witches did that?" asks Liam.

"From the types of runes, I'd say the Water Witch?" mutters Kelsi, spinning her fork in her hand.

"No... the Fire Witch," I mutter.

"What? Are you sure, Mara? But those–"

"I think she used a water-type spell to reduce my efficiency against it. I struggled a lot just to remove one last night. If it had been a type of Fire Magic, it wouldn't have been able to resist me so much. Fire attracts fire, it would have come off almost naturally. This one repelled my magic... but in the end, it wasn’t strong enough. The Water Witch we met looks like she would have done a much better job. I think this spell was made by a Fire Witch, using a water-type."

"Is that even possible?" asks Liam, frowning.

"I took the body of a Water Witch," I shrug. "That's why I struggled so much too, the body wasn't prepared to handle fire to begin with, but it adapted. The elements... They are meant to cohabitate, in the first place. Just because one isn't our main doesn't mean it's completely inaccessible to us, I think... although it does mean whichever witch did this, she was powerful as hell."

His mouth half full, Ben grumbles.

"Ah, this is getting too complicated for a stupid wolf like me. Anyway, can you take it off all those idiots?"

"One by one? It would take a while, and a lot of my energy. Plus, it will be a while before we find them all..."

"The humans still don't trust Mara, either," adds Kelsi. "Just look at all those posts on the forum... The Dark Witch, I mean, the curse made sure the humans are scared of her. They think she lit several buildings on fire."

"Actually... there's that too," I grumble.

"What?"

I grab my cup of coffee, making the liquid swirl inside the cup.

"Those fires spread too fast, to too many buildings. Think about it. That witch couldn’t possibly handle my power well, she could barely fight me. The only reason she overpowered Liam was because she was in my body."

"...Which I care about..." he sighs.

I chuckle, and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Right? The curse needs a powerful and willing host. It won't use a human, but I have a bad feeling about all of this..."

"Why are those witches all after Silver City, anyway?" sighs Kelsi. "There are tons of other places to go! Why do we have three of them roaming around?"

"...They probably think I'm not legit," I sigh. "They want to take Sylviana's spot, probably thinking she should have left it empty..."

"The Royals are power magnets too," adds Liam. "We've had issues with vampires, werewolves, and witches since Nora was revealed to be a Royal."

...Is that all there is, though? Now that Liam mentions it, I do feel like I'm still missing a piece of the puzzle here...

"So, we have three witches at the border looking for a fight, someone who probably isn't on our side either and in the university, and that curse lurking around for a reason to attack?"

I think Ben summed that up well.

"...I think the Fire Witch has an insider at the university," I mutter. "I think I know who too..."

Kelsi and I exchange a look and nod.

"Professor Vutha?" exclaims Ben, his eyes suddenly perking up.

"She was the one who knew a bunch about witches," says Kelsi, counting on her fingers. "Mara had issues with students right after she met her, and she is someone with a position to make an anonymous account on the university forum. She did say some of the books you... borrowed from her came from her personal collection too. I mean, I know weird people, but that teacher had demonology and necromancy books!"

"We should confront her," nods Ben. "If we go to the university and report those posts as a... an attack on Mara's privacy, I'm sure they can find who was behind it. I already looked it up, but there's no way they can't find who made that post, even if they tried to create a private account. People have to use university identification; I double-checked."

I nod and turn to Kelsi.

"Can you go and confront her with Ben? She's just a human, she won't be able to do any magic or harm you with it. We need to know which of the witches she works for, and if she was the one who set the fires."

"Sure!" nods Ben with a large smile.

"Of course, boo. But what about you? Don't you want to come?"

"...There's someone else I should have asked long ago," I sigh.

Liam grabs another pancake with a sigh.

"The Earth Witch?"

"Yes. She definitely knows more than she said, and now that I am powerful enough, she won't be able to avoid me or try to play any tricks on me."

"What if one of the other two attacks?" frowns Kelsi. "I don't mean to underestimate you, but if you have to take on two witches by yourself... Mara, you just came out of the hospital, again!"

I grimace.

"I know. First, I don't think Ravena would attack me now. She's an Earth Witch, and she was already reluctant to attack the first time. The Fire Witch... she hasn't shown herself yet, so I can't really tell. The Water Witch is the one I am worried about, but she stays south, probably in the sea. I don't think she'll show herself if I meet Ravena in the north."

"Okay," she sighs.

I smile. She's clearly still worried about me, but for once, I'm rather confident in what I'm doing.

"Spark!"

They all turn heads, but as expected, my cat just hops onto my lap as I call him, rubbing his gold and black head against my chest.

"...I swear he had more black last time I saw him," grumbles Kelsi.

"Kelsi, Spark will be coming with you," I state.

"What?" she exclaims.

Ben scoffs on his pancake.

"He's my magic cat," I chuckle. "He'll help you if you're in trouble, and I'll know right away too."

"What trouble?! You're the one about to get in trouble, why do I get to take the cat? I already have Benny–!"

"Please?" I insist. "I'll feel better sending you to a witch specialist if you take him with you."

She keeps frowning, but I grab Spark and put him on her lap. Kelsi glances down at the cat, unsure.

"...Okay, but first, the cat better behave. Spark, I do tolerate you, but no biting or claws, okay?"

"Meow..."

As if he knew exactly what to do to pacify her, Spark acts all cute and quietly lets her pet his head. Kelsi has a bit of a sullen look on, but I know they do like each other... like two cats would, somehow. She then turns to me, looking really serious.

"Also, she is not the best witch specialist in Silver City, okay? I'm pretty sure I am!"

I chuckle and nod, totally fine with acknowledging that Kelsi is definitely a walking library when it comes to witches... and a bit too passionate about the matter too. Still, I know if anyone can give me a hand, it’s definitely her. I don't doubt she can corner Professor Vutha and make her confess everything she knows. I just hope that the professor doesn't have more tricks up her sleeve than Kelsi would be prepared for, which is why I'm sending her with Ben and Spark. Regardless of her knowledge, that professor is a human woman. At least those two will be able to protect Kelsi if anything happens.

"Will you be fine?" I ask Ben.

He sighs.

"I'm good, Mara. I may be injured but I'm healing fast. Plus, I'm a Beta, protecting someone is my specialty. Especially if it's my girl!"

"Ben!" Kelsi protests, blushing.

We all chuckle, but it's a bit late to act shy. Ben gives her a quick kiss on the cheek, and we resume eating while they flirt. Even Spark is in a playful mood, his big eyes on our food.

"What about you, Mara? You've never fought with a real witch face to face yet..."

"I'll be fine," I nod. "I've unlocked my full power now, I know probably as much as any witch out there, if not more, and Ravena is an Earth Witch, so she'll be at a disadvantage."

"What if the Fire Witch gets involved?" asks Ben, frowning. "Will you be at a disadvantage?"

"...I don't think so? It would be hard to tell, though, I guess I'll see if it happens."

"You're too laid back about this," he growls.

"We'll be fine," interrupts Liam. "Don't worry, I'm going with her. Plus, we will be near the White Moon Pack. If anything happens, we can always call Selena for reinforcements."

I nod, but I sure hope it won't go that way. I'm rather confident as a witch now, it's a bit of a matter of pride, but I don't want to have to ask the werewolves for help aside from Liam. This is definitely something that has to be settled witch to witch, which is why I'm even madder that one of them involved the humans, to begin with...

Since nothing is really urgent for once, the four of us enjoy this breakfast together, changing the subject to Kelsi and Ben's movie and Liam and I talking about our night ride. I notice Liam's smiling a lot, and I like it. This really feels like... home. I like this feeling. Just the four of us, chatting like any group of friends, regardless of our differences, whatever's going on outside or inside Silver City. We chat about university too, and I realize I don't really know what Liam actually does for a living, other than being a werewolf and being one of the Black Brothers. Still, I have this strange feeling of wanting to go back to those ordinary days, although there weren't many; just living here, going to university during the day, and maybe enjoying a double date at night. That'd be nice...

Unfortunately, enjoying a break does mean there's still a lot to do once we're done with the pancakes, and the coffees are gone too. With everyone ready, we leave, Kelsi carrying poor Spark like a potato sack in her arms... I'm shocked he doesn't even complain with his lower half hanging like that.

"Alright," says Ben, playing with his car keys. "Try to stay alive until lunch, everyone?"

Kelsi slaps his shoulder.