Page 54 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

I slowly open my eyes. There's this strange sensation of heaviness, both in my head and my heart, but I don't fight it. I just take my time to slowly come back to my senses. Nora's cool hand on mine is my guide. Her touch is so soft on my skin, she's even gently rubbing it with her thumb as if to comfort me. I take deep breaths and slowly sit back up.

"Are you alright?" she asks.

"I think so... I didn't manage to beat her, though," I sigh.

"Did you have an actual... fight?"

"Not really," I confess. "More of a... talk."

Not a pleasant one, either, but it still left me pretty... confused. What was that, exactly? I try to explain it to Nora, or at least, to the best I remember. I feel like this short meeting with the curse inside me was like a dream, so fleeting I am already about to forget everything she said. Recounting it to Nora word for word actually helps me to remember even better, and she just nods, listening to my words carefully. She only gets up to refill our mugs with more hot cocoa, and I didn't realize how much I needed it until I felt the warmth between my hands. When I'm finally done explaining everything, I take a breath and taste it, so sweet on my tongue.

"So this is why you snuck away?"

I almost spit out my cocoa, and turn around to see an unhappy Liam standing at the entrance of the kitchen. Uh oh, I forgot I had my back to the door... He's frowning, his arms crossed, and, much to my delight, still half-naked. I exchange a glance with Nora, who looks a little sorry. This is entirely my fault anyway... I should have woken him up. I sigh and turn to him, although I don't get up; I'm afraid I'll feel dizzy.

"Hi..." I mutter, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, how much did you... hear?"

"Pretty much everything about my girlfriend trying to provoke a witchy curse hidden inside her body with my sister-in-law's help. What were you both thinking?"

"I wasn't at risk," I sigh. "Nora's light... magic kept it at bay, the curse didn't even try approaching me."

"Mara, it doesn't need to; that thing is inside you!" he protests, walking up to me. "Why are you always so reckless?! Without telling me too!"

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you," I sigh. "I don't think I was reckless, though. Liam, I really wasn't at much risk this time, okay? I had Nora and–"

"Mara, I know I'm not grasping everything about the Light and Dark Magic stuff, the curse, and all the witch stuff. I thought I was the expert in Silver City, but since I met you, I'm just dragged behind and just hoping to understand whatever's going on before you get yourself killed. You can't..."

To my surprise, he closes his eyes, and lets out a long sigh. Before I can say a thing, Liam puts one knee down in front of me, leaving me totally speechless. I glance toward Nora, but she's leaning against her kitchen counter and smiling behind her cup. I focus again on Liam.

He takes my hands gently, and his eyes, bluer than usual, hold me hostage.

"Tiger, I know you're damn strong, but... please, please, don't do things without me."

"Liam, I just didn't want to wake you..."

"Mara, I don't care. Wake me up. Kick me if you need, but don't... do things like that again without me. I don't want to wake up and have two minutes of panic wondering where you are. I'm done seeing you in danger, half-dead, or fighting for your life and others, okay? I just–"

He interrupts himself, and glances to the side at his sister-in-law, who’s still smiling.

"Nora, can we have five minutes alone, please? I can literally feel you staring at me."

"Sorry," she chuckles, before stepping out.

We both wait until Nora has left the kitchen, a bit embarrassed. I don't know if I should find this funny or cute that he's embarrassed to be heard after what he said... and he isn't even done yet. Liam lets out another long sigh, grabbing my hand again, a bit more relaxed this time.

"Do you have to be on one knee...?" I ask, a bit awkward.

He chuckles and, taking me by surprise, suddenly lifts me off my chair as he gets up. Before I can even protest, I'm put down on the counter this time, and I even almost spill my hot cocoa. Liam chuckles and gives me a quick peck on the lips.

"Alright. Are you listening now?"

"I'm all ears..." I mutter, embarrassed.

Do we really have to be in this position, though? He's leaning forward and dangerously trapping me, my legs on either side of his hips, the wall a few inches behind me. I make myself tiny in front of him, trying to pull away, slightly intimidated by his sudden male Alpha position. ...Does he realize he's half-naked? Because I do, I really do, and his bare torso in front of me does a damn good job of grabbing all of my attention. I need to remember to breathe. He's dangerous when he makes his big bad wolf gaze like that...

"You don't leave me alone," he says.

"Okay..."

Is it me or did his voice get a bit deeper? We are so close, I don't even get to shy away from his striking blue-gray eyes. We're just a breath away too, and I really want to kiss him, but doing so while he's scolding me might not be the best idea...

"Mara, you better stop being such a reckless witch, because I'm going to get really mad at some point. I'm serious."

Just as he says he's serious, I smile nervously. I think I like serious Liam... He frowns and I have to pinch my lips together, but it doesn't really help.

"You think I'm funny?"

"N-no..." I try hard not to laugh.

I take a deep breath and put a quick kiss on his lips.

"...But I think you're really cute when you're mad at me," I confess.

He growls.

"That is not the effect I was looking for. Can't you take your boyfriend seriously?"

"You're the one underestimating me, and provoking me too," I retort, my eyes going down to the pairs of abs lined up right in front of me.

Liam grabs my chin between his fingers, making me raise my head.

"Look here," he says. "Mara, I am really, really serious. I was really worried just a couple of minutes ago. Don't you disappear on me again, please."

"Sorry... I didn't disappear, though, I was just downstairs..."

"Downstairs doing dangerous witch stuff. What does it take for you to understand I worry about you? My girlfriend is a walking bomb, she loves to get herself in trouble and with nobody to help. You need to have me tag along, Mara. I am your mate. I may not be a witch, but I am your mate. Don't leave me on the sidelines. Please."

I let out a long sigh. I know where he's coming from, and... I just can't blame him. He has watched me go through hell and back, all in just a matter of days. I can understand he doesn't trust me, in many ways... I put my arms around his neck, only too happy to caress his skin. Damn, he's sexy with his post-nap hairstyle... I just want to brush it forever, but for now, we’re having a serious talk.

"Alright, I'm sorry," I whisper. "I know I should have... probably woken you up."

"Not probably," he growls. "You should have. That's it. Mara, I'm never going through that shit I went through again. If I have to put my witch on a leash, I will."

I smile and tilt my head.

"We might just try that sometime," I whisper into his ear.

Liam raises both eyebrows, and I swear I almost saw his wolf ears perking up.

"That might be–Hey, are you trying to change the subject right now?"

I shake my head, and give him another quick kiss to have him drop that frown.

"No, we're right on topic. I get it, Liam, I promise. No more leaving you. Or at least, not without telling you where I'm going and so on. ...But once again, for the record, I was literally just downstairs."

"Downstairs doing witch stuff with Nora. What was that, by the way?"

Although the conversation took a more serious tone, he wraps his arms around my waist, not letting me go at all. Not that I mind, but we are still in someone else's kitchen... Oh, well. I guess Nora must be used to half-naked brother-in-laws. Lucky her...

"I thought that with Nora's help, we... I could get rid of the curse inside me, for good. Nora's power is basically nothing but pure Light Magic. She was trying to help me clean the curse out of my body, to make it short."

"So... it didn't work, from what I understood?"

I grimace a bit.

"Not really... I don't feel like... I lost, though. It's a strange sensation, but I think the curse wasn't as... aggressive as before."

"You mean it didn't try to completely take you over?" says Liam, raising an eyebrow. "I hope we're never doing the body swap thing ever again, because that was really disturbing."

"No," I chuckle. "I think we're good on that one. No, I just think... The curse was actually trying to tell me something."

"I heard the part where it said you were a Dark Witch. Are you going to tell me that isn't complete bullshit?"

I grimace, hesitating a bit.

...Is it, though? In some ways, the curse wasn't completely wrong... Moreover, it's a very ancient being, it probably knows loads more about Light and Dark Magic than I do. I just feel like it was trying to teach me something. I've been seeing all of this as a... a bit of a black or white situation, so far. Light Magic against Dark Magic. Good witches against evil ones. Is it really that simple, though...? I keep trying to think about it, but something was off today. Really off, in the curse's attitude. I just can't pinpoint why. It wasn't as aggressive as before, and I thought it might have been because of Nora's doing, but... No, I feel like something really changed. Did I trigger something? Or is it because little Mara is gone?

Liam kisses my forehead, reminding me where I am and with whom.

"Sorry," I mutter. "I was thinking..."

"I could tell. You ignored me and my abs for almost a full minute straight. I'm vexed."

I chuckle and, just to play, I lean forward to kiss him, while running my fingers down those abs... Liam shivers and grabs my wrist.

"Oh, no, no, no, you bad witch... Hands off that area, please."

Bad witch.

...Am I really a Dark Witch? Is it about my magic or my body? Or my actions? I can't begin to understand what that curse was trying to say, but I feel like there's something very important about it. Why has it changed so much since the last time?

"...And there she goes again," sighs Liam.

"Sorry," I sigh, kissing him quickly again as an apology. "That curse just gave me a lot of... food for thought."

"Anything I can help with?"

I hesitate... Well, we do need more honesty, so...

"Liam, do you think I could be a Dark Witch?"

To my surprise, after raising an eyebrow, he clearly hesitates. I see him making little movements with his lips, seriously pondering over the subject. I wait. I know he wouldn't lie just to comfort me, and seeing his reaction, I'm even more curious now...

"To be honest, I'm... not really sure what you are. I always thought you had a totally different vibe from the other witches I've met. I thought it was because we were mates, or because you are half-werewolf... You're kind of a lot of different things, so it's hard to compare with anything I've known, but..."

"But?"

"I don't know," he shrugs. "Mara, you're really... different. You might be the first witch she-wolf in a while too, and you had kind of... an unusual story."

That's for sure. I was basically born from... a curse myself, wasn't I? Clarissa and little Mara converted the energy of their dark curse to create me. At first, I wanted to tell myself they had used Light Magic and created something good out of something bad, but... isn't that too simple? Or just my wishful thinking?

There is no... right or wrong in magic circles. The curse is undoubtedly dark because it is nothing but a bundle of dark feelings, that's a fact. However, what about everything else? Witches aren't born evil, they turn to the darkness because of resentment, anger, envy. They do bad things and use magic in a wrong way, using it to torment others, but... would it make sense that magic itself was evil?

"Mara, Sylviana had mentioned that... Dark Witches use other people's energy to feed their magic. Good witches use their own, and that's how they get the dark markings. They use their own life force, and they sacrifice their lives for it..."

"...I haven't been getting dark markings," I whisper.

"What?"

"During my fight with Ayesha. I mean... since little Mara is gone, there has been no trace of those dark markings, that would say I use my own energy."

Liam gasps, realizing what I'm saying.

Shit, I didn't even realize. I had become so powerful all of a sudden, I didn't even notice I wasn't getting marked by my use of magic anymore. I felt powerful, and tired when I used too much, but something in my body definitely changed. How? What did I do, what happened? More importantly, where have I been getting all that energy I have...?

"Mara!"

We both turn our heads and Kelsi runs in, but she makes a brutal stop once she witnesses our position, and Liam's naked torso. She becomes red and turns around, just as Ben, still in his wolf form, walks in too.

"S-sorry!"

"You're good, Kelsi," I chuckle.

"If you're going to date a werewolf, you might want to get used to that," laughs Liam.

I punch his torso, making him groan.

“ Don't tell my best friend to get used to you being naked! ”

“ What, it's the truth! We're all always half-naked, it's easier to shape-shift... Ben too… ”

I keep glaring at Liam, but turn to Kelsi, as she can't hear our exchange.

"Did you find something?" I ask.

"Y-yeah! I mean, I might have found something... I'm not a hundred percent sure, but it's a solid theory..."

"That's my girl," I smile.

I turn back to Liam, and push him away from me to get off the counter. He steps back, but still sends playful glances my way. We will settle this later...

"Go get a T-shirt," I whisper to him, before walking off.

I hear him chuckle, but he goes back upstairs while I walk up to Kelsi. She's holding a huge book again, full with little sticky notes she probably put everywhere. When we walk inside the living room, Nora's there with Ayesha, still in the position we left her. They are looking over the impressive stacks of papers and notes that cover the coffee table, which is saying a lot considering that table takes up the entire area in front of the large couch.

"You've been busy... How long did I sleep?" I chuckle, grabbing one of the papers.

She really did go through everything. Judging by how Ben yawns and stretches, I'd say there wasn't much surveillance needed for Ayesha either. I glance at the other Fire Witch. I can't tell if she has any markings, her body is actually mostly covered by her clothes... Now that I think about it, is that why all the witches we've met were so covered? I'm always kind of hot so I got into the habit of wearing rather short clothes, but Ravena's dress was covering a lot of her body, same with the Water Witch and now Ayesha too.

"What?" she asks, noticing I've been staring for a while.

"...Where are your markings?" I ask.

She grins.

"Show me yours and I'll show you mine..."

I make a sullen expression. I don't have any to show, that's my issue... I decide to ignore her and turn to Kelsi instead.

"So?"

"I think I found where the curse is. Or at least, places it could be."

"...How so?"

Kelsi smiles.

"Actually, I think it was... simpler to think the other way around. The curse is where no one else is."

"What?" asks Liam, walking in, T-shirt on.

"Well, it's a bit far-fetched, but I think the curse is where... there are no werewolves."

"This is Silver City," I say. "There are wolves everywhere. Every place is werewolf territory!"

"Well, I thought–"

"No, Kelsi might be onto something," says Nora. "There is one place in Silver City that is not a part of any territory."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," she smiles, crossing her arms. "A place that sure brings back some memories..."

"East Point Ground?"

We turn around as Selena just walked in. She's wearing a new set of clothes, an off-the-shoulder white top that shows off her tan and denim shorts. I can't help but remember what Nora mentioned. Yep, they went to reconcile...

Nora smiles and nods.

"It makes sense, doesn't it? The stadium is still being rebuilt, and it used to be on the Blood Moon territory before Damian let it be for everyone. Historically, the only place I can think of that always remained completely neutral was East Point Ground."

"True..." mutters Selena.

"Why did it remain neutral?" I ask, surprised. "I thought all areas of Silver City were divided between the different werewolves packs..."

"I'm not really sure," says Nora, tilting her head. “It's a bit of an... odd place. It was always used as some crossroad between territories too, so I guess no one ever really thought of claiming it. It's a rather large area, though. Because it remained neutral for all the werewolves, we use it for duels, mostly. The humans don't go there because it's a fighting spot too..."

"This is still just a theory, though,” says Liam.

Kelsi makes an apologetic expression, putting her book down on the table.

"Sorry, that's really the only one I could think of, and I did try to come up with the best ones I could. In any case, I think a witch would have eventually... found something if they were always with a wolf pack. Nephera spent her childhood with the Sapphire Moon Pack. Sylviana was with the Purple Moon Pack. At first, I thought that since both the witch and the female werewolf from this story are obviously related to those packs, it could be somewhere on their territories, but then, Sylviana or Nephera would have eventually found it, right? Moreover, if we take Nora and Selena's history into account too, it's almost all of Silver City that would have been covered!"

"...I don't follow," frowns Liam.

"With the abilities we have now, Nora or myself should have been able to detect something," Selena explains.

He nods.

I am a bit unsure with that theory as well, but I have never been to East Point Ground, so it's hard to say. The only place I ever felt a big amount of magic was Sylviana's tree and the hangar where Clarissa had made that magic circle. Other than being filled with werewolves, Silver City was a rather... normal city to me so far.

"Plan B would be to search the old fashioned way," shrugs Kelsi. "I haven't found anything else that could help find the curse's original location in all those books, boo, sorry..."

I smile. How can she look so sorry when she's done so much? I walk over to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Kelsi, you're a witch genius. Don't worry, it's not like we have to find it this minute, either..."

"Easy to say," retorts Ayesha. "You don't know when that old wench Ravena will find it..."

"Well, judging by all of her stuff we got, she might be at the same point as we are," I retort. "What else could she do now? Her lackey fled and there are now two Fire Witches in Silver City."

"Wait a second. Since when were we on the same team?" frowns Ayesha, crossing her arms.

I glare at her.

"We'd better be on the same team," I retort. "Otherwise, you're trespassing, and I'll happily kick you out."

Selena starts growling to support me and Liam too, glaring at the Fire Witch. Clearly outnumbered, Ayesha uncrosses her arms with a sour expression.

"Fine, fine, I get it... It's not like I have much of a choice, anyway."

"Right. So you might as well help us," I say. "Anything you want to tell us that could help?"

She rolls her eyes.

"I'm not a bookworm like you guys. I see danger, I throw fire. I'm a very blunt kind of witch, for the record. Honestly, I shouldn't even be here after witnessing the kind of crazy you are. I've never seen a witch like you, and that's not a compliment!"

I shrug. Indeed, there's no one like me, but I can live with that. I’m born from a curse, haunted by another one, half-werewolf, the reincarnated cousin to a pair of girls with Royal blood, mated to an Alpha male, and with half a soul keeping me alive. Oh, and a magic cat. Can't forget my poor Spark...

I sigh, and actually walk up to the couch to grab the bundle of gold and black fur. I still can't believe how relaxed he is in a house full of werewolves...

"What about Ravena's spell, then?" I say. "Did you find anything about those tattoos?"

"Nothing more than we already did. I already alerted the people at the university so those who can get rid of it will, but... not everyone has come forward, I think."

Damn it, and we don't know when Ravena will actually strike... I nervously bite my thumb, upset. Is there really nothing we can do?

"Alright," says Nora, suddenly clapping her hands together, "I'm going to start making dinner, everyone should be here soon."

"Dinner already?" Kelsi whispers to me with a frown.

"Werewolf stomachs," I chuckle.

I have to admit, I'm hungry myself... again. Damn, do we really burn that many calories? Is it because I used magic to visit the curse earlier? I actually don't know what time it is, I didn't check when I woke up... Moreover, Nora probably has to prepare for a lot of people.

"Ben, Liam, can you get some wood for the firepit? We should have a barbecue," says Nora, happily. "Mara, Kelsi, you two can help me in the kitchen."

"It's not that I don't want to help," says Kelsi, "but I thought I could do more research..."

"You've already spent the whole afternoon reading all that stuff," protests Selena, taking her book out of her hands. "You and Mara need to learn to take a break from all that stuff. We can go visit East Point Ground after dinner to see if we find anything, but for now? You both stop it."

Just like that, Kelsi and I are not given any choice, and pushed into the kitchen to help. Is that really alright? Just like Kelsi, I feel guilty for not looking more into this curse, especially after I already napped this afternoon! Yet, Nora doesn't listen to anything we say, and before we can find something else to protest with, Kelsi and I are suddenly peeling potatoes and helping Nora prepare several dishes.

Meanwhile, Selena and Ayesha are apparently tidying the living room, piling up all the papers and books Kelsi was working on. I can see Liam and Ben outside, more playing than actually getting the wood ready. I suddenly realize, Liam has been putting up with all my crazy for several days too. He probably deserves this break even more than me... even Ben is still healing from that stab wound. I'm glad Nora was able to help him, but still. He got involved because of me. Kelsi too. Now, she's silently trying to figure out how to cut the vegetables without losing a finger, but would she have become so knowledgeable about witchcraft if it wasn't for me?

A strange wave of gratefulness pours into my heart. Damn, I'm really... not alone.

Despite the situation, I feel very calm and happy, all of a sudden. No, not happy, just... content. This is the kind of thing I could see happen over and over again. Having dinner at Nora's house, with the family and friends. Kelsi and I, being ridiculously bad at helping her out but laughing about it. The boys outside, showing off their strength and bickering. Nora's gentle humming.

Suddenly, a huge ruckus comes from the entrance of the house. Nora smiles.

"Here they come..."

"Mama!"

A little boy just ran in to grab the bottom of her skirt.

"Hi, my baby," she smiles.

She takes off her oven mitts and apron to lift her son up and hug him. Damian Black walks in right after, barely glancing at us before going to kiss his wife. Kelsi and I, intimidated by his silver irises, look down automatically and do our best to make those squares very, very even...

With the children back inside the house, it's a lot livelier all of a sudden. I don't think I'm much of a kid person, but Selena's daughter, Estelle, is incredibly polite and easy to be with. She's rather mature for a girl who is... what, about seven or eight years old? I'm not sure, all the werewolf kids look rather big to me. She helps Kelsi and I cook, and James too is happy to sneak around to get whatever he can... Now I know where he gets those plump cheeks from! There's a lot of noise in the living room, probably more people, but Kelsi and I stay in the kitchen to help out, neither of us too confident in mixing with the werewolves. Moreover, from the way Ayesha went outside to take care of the fire pit while everyone came inside, I feel like this is sort of a daily werewolves meeting thing. I hear Damian, Nora, Nathaniel, and Selena talk a lot. They might be updating everyone who missed anything on our current situation...

I let out a long sigh, realizing how my situation has become everyone's...

"What are you sighing for?"

I get a delicious chill from the two arms surrounding me from behind. I smile and turn around, putting a quick peck on his lips.

"Why aren’t you with them?"

"Adult stuff," he pouts. "I got kicked out."

Hm, more like he didn't want to handle it... Still, I'm happy he came to us. Ben comes into the kitchen too and walks up to Kelsi, much to the pleasure of the children, who run to play with the big wolf.

"That guy is going to be even bigger than Boyan if he keeps going like this," frowns Liam.

I smile, but I think he's still not that big, though. I can't forget the sight of the enormous werewolf I saw. That guy definitely has werebear blood, I don't understand how he can be that huge... Then again, I have yet to see him in human form, though I'm definitely curious.

"Damn, I could get used to you cooking," chuckles Liam.

"That's easy to say when everything's already almost done!"

"We are both no good compared to Nora," pouts Kelsi across the kitchen counter. "I really want to steal her recipe book. I barely have enough skills to make us breakfast..."

Liam and I chuckle, but Kelsi's baking skills are plenty enough for us. Liam and I are useless in the kitchen... although I feel I could definitely learn from his sister-in-law.

"Mara?"

I turn my head, and to my surprise, Nathaniel Black is standing in the doorway, looking as serious as ever.

"Daddy!"

His blue eyes suddenly soften when his daughter runs to him. She really is his copy... They have the same striking blue eyes, and even her blonde hair is closer to her father's shade. They chat for a couple of minutes, but apparently, they already saw each other today, so Estelle quickly comes back to finish her mix with the flour. I hesitate, and Liam tightens his arms around me too.

"Can I speak to Mara... alone?" Nathaniel insists.

Liam and I exchange a glance, but he reluctantly lets me go to his brother.

"If he's rude, you can burn his eyebrows!"

I chuckle, but I'm still very nervous. Without saying anything else, Nathaniel walks out to the garden, toward the firepit. Ayesha seems to be simply meditating and to my surprise, she's got a sort of big dark lizard with large scales and a strange head on her shoulder... Her familiar?

Nathaniel briefly growls as a warning, probably not happy with yet another witch invited... however, he ignores her, and we walk even further past the firepit. I suddenly realize, he doesn't want the others to hear what he's about to say. I glance over my shoulder, and indeed, Liam is at the kitchen's window, staring our way.

“ Tell me if he says something nasty. ”

“ No eavesdropping, hot stuff. ”

With that, I cut off our mind-link. I hope I'm not going to regret being alone with his older brother... If Damian Black is a hurricane, Nathaniel is like a snowstorm. That guy has the aura of a cold-blooded murderer. I don't know if it's my werewolf instinct or my witch senses speaking, but I'm not fond of being alone with him. Are Nora and Selena immune to his aura or something? I can almost see it, the black cloud around him... I blink several times to ignore it, and he turns to me once we're far enough.

He takes a deep breath, and to my surprise, simply puts his hand in his pants' pocket, looking relaxed.

"I think our last meeting wasn't the best," he simply says.

"Uh... yeah, I guess."

When he found me in his brother's apartment acting all lovey-dovey? Yeah, not the best memory I have either...

He lets out a long sigh, and nods.

"I won't apologize for that. I have always done my best to protect my brothers, especially Liam. He tends to be reckless, and with our history, I didn't think him seeing a witch was the best thing either."

Yep, I definitely got the message about that...

"The truth is, Liam was hurting a lot after what happened during the war; Damian and I had... a lot of other things to focus on, and we felt sorry neither of us could really help. Even Nora tried her best, but Liam ignored us for a while. He was at a low point, and none of us were able to help him. He became almost like a rogue."

I nod. I'm not sure where he's going with this, but I'm kind of glad it isn't the he's-too-good-for-you kind of talk... It's not, right?

"Anyway... When you came along, I was rather surprised he was finally learning to be more... open toward others. I didn't think he'd accept another witch into his life so easily."

I cough a bit, unable to hold it in. So easily? I have memories of me running after some stubborn guy in the rain that doesn’t match Nathaniel’s words. He makes it sound like Liam literally fell for me on day one. Not that I would have hated it, but there's more to our story than that...

"Then again, I suppose I can be quite... stubborn, in my own right. I also tend to rely on my wife's opinions a lot, and as you know, Selena wasn't fond of you, either, at the beginning."

"Truthfully, she was right not to be," I sigh. "Selena was able to tell a part of me was... still containing some darkness."

Nathaniel nods, but without looking my way. Actually, I realize he's probably keeping an eye on Ayesha, somewhere behind me. Ever the watchdog, I guess... He takes a deep breath.

"Anyway. Time has passed, and... I have to admit, you've proven yourself to be more than what we thought you to be. I acted rude too, that time at Liam's apartment. Not only to you, but I didn't trust my brother with his... choice, either. I am probably the worst in this family, in terms of being able to judge people."

"It's... alright," I nod. "I wouldn't have trusted myself either. Moreover, I... I am happy that Liam has older brothers like you to count on. ...In case he meets the wrong witch."

Nathaniel smirks.

"Indeed. Anyway, this is my... apology, for before. From both me and Damian, actually. Don't expect this kind of talk from our older brother, though, so I'm just saying this for the both of us."

"Oh... uh, thanks... I mean, cool."

Great, Mara. Awesome. Speech of the year to the stiffest guy you know handing you an apology we wouldn't even have dreamed of. Let's just be glad no one else is listening...

Nathaniel suddenly lifts his hand, and taps his eye.

"Thank you for healing him too. Liam quickly explained to us what you had done for him. It was something that was weighing on our minds for a while, and normal medicine couldn't do anything for him no matter what we tried. I think this injury was what made him somehow... darker too. So, thank you."

"You're welcome," I mutter. "It was... a remnant of Dark Magic, so.... if it makes you feel any better, there really was nothing human medicine could have done."

He nods, and as his hand goes down, I can't help but stare at... his missing one. I bite my lower lip.

"I... I wish I could do something for you too," I mutter.

He glances briefly that way, but shrugs.

"It’s not important. I already knew it was too late after the battle when we couldn’t recover my arm. I spent a long time convincing Selena it was okay, and I really am. I've learned to live with this. But... thank you for mentioning it."

I nod, a bit embarrassed. I guess that's... it, right?

"Nate!"

We turn and Selena is walking up to us, while Liam is standing a few steps away in the garden. She smiles as she approaches Nathaniel.

"Liam asked me to save his girlfriend from you... What are you guys doing?"

Nathaniel and I exchange a glance, but as neither of us comes up with an answer, she laughs.

"Don't tell me, he gave you the brother-in-law speech?"

I blush, while Nathaniel rolls his eyes.

"I'm going to go back," I mutter. "Thanks for the pep talk!"

I turn around and walk away, as fast as I can without running.

Why the hell did I say that…? We were almost done, Liam, you idiot!