Page 73 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

6 Months Later

I take a step in, as quietly as possible. The apartment is so quiet, as expected. Well, it's early in the morning, so those two must be sleeping. I walk up to the fridge, opening it as silently as possible.

“ Babe, can you grab some breakfast too? There's nothing in here… ”

“ Gotcha. ”

I smile, and close the fridge before heading to my bathroom. We've only been gone for a weekend, but it sure feels good to be home! I take a quick shower and get ready for the day, grabbing black tights, a short but long-sleeved dress I know Liam will love, and a jacket to put on top. I'm still putting on my earrings when I hear someone knock.

"Mara, is that you?"

"Ben!"

I smile and walk over to hug him, his chuckle welcoming me. He probably just got up, judging by how he's only wearing his pants, and his red hair is a complete mess too.

"Who else were you expecting?" I ask with a frown.

"Sorry, I forgot you said you'd be back this morning... How did it go? Liam isn't with you?"

"He went to get breakfast first, he'll be up in a minute. And everything went fine, as usual. ...How are you?"

To my surprise, Ben grimaces.

"She made me sleep on the floor again..."

"What did you do?" I ask as we walk back to the kitchen.

"Why do you assume I did something?!"

"Ben," I laugh, "I know Kelsi. She doesn't get mad for no reason! Come on. Is it because of a scary movie again?"

"No! I've been careful not to pick those kinds of movies anymore... No, it's just... I've been busy with work as a Beta lately, and last night, we finally had a date night, but I acted like an idiot..."

"What did you do?"

"I got... a bit too jealous..."

Well, that's a surprise. I'm about to add something when I see my Spark jump on the kitchen counter, coming to me with much purring and rubbing his nose against my arm. I hug my cat, but still turn to Ben.

"Jealous? Since when are you even the jealous type?!"

"I've never been! It's... just..."

He lets out a long sigh, ruffling up his already messy hair, and crosses his arms. I've noticed he's whispering and keeps sending glances toward their bedroom door. He's probably worried about either of us waking Kelsi up, but if I'm not wrong, her alarm should go off soon anyway...

"Kelsi... She's been even prettier lately."

"...Prettier?" I scoff, unable to hold it. "Ben, Kelsi's always been pretty."

"I know! Of course, I know that, but... you know, she's switched back to contacts, she changes her clothing when we go out, her hair, she's even putting on makeup... I mean, I love Kelsi regardless of what she does, whether she dresses up or not. You know I find her the cutest nerd ever. But... You know, all that stuff makes her stand out, and I've noticed at the university, she's getting more attention, and when we go out too. It makes my werewolf instincts get all upset about other guys checking my girlfriend out!"

Oh, Moon Goddess, I swear those two are so cute together... I sigh, and start setting the table for breakfast.

"Ben, relax, Kelsi doesn't care about those guys. Plus, who do you think she’s making herself pretty for?"

Ben doesn't answer, but he seems to be brooding over this... He can think about it as much as he wants, I'm really not worried. Those two are still a bit awkward even after six months of dating, but they love each other like crazy. Kelsi getting back to sexier clothes and allowing herself to look "pretty" again just means she is finally comfortable enough to do so, and it's all thanks to Ben who loves her regardless of her nerdy looks.

Liam finally walks in, carrying our coffee and breakfast. He walks up to me right away and, while I take it all off his hands, he leans in to kiss me.

"I missed you."

"It's only been twenty minutes!" I chuckle. "Go shower, you hungry wolf!"

He gives me a wink and walks around the kitchen, greeting Ben quickly before he disappears into the bathroom. Thank Moon Goddess, coffee and donuts! With Ben's help, I get breakfast ready for all four of us, adding a few slices of toast and omelets for the werewolf stomachs.

As Liam and I decided a while ago, we're now sharing the apartment with Ben and Kelsi. Liam gave his former apartment back to his brother, since it didn't feel like his in the first place, and I asked Amy to pay her rent for real, so all four of us can share equally and live together like normal roommates. This arrangement has been working surprisingly well so far, most likely because the four of us aren't actually glued together or anything. Lately, Liam and I are rarely in town on the weekends, and since all four of us have occupations during the daytime, plus the time we spend with our respective families or friends, we just get to have breakfast or dinner together like this from time to time.

"How is Bonnie?" I ask Ben while taking a sip of my coffee.

"Oh, she's doing great. I think she's dating a guy, but she didn't want to talk about it yet, so..."

I smile and nod. Bonnie is still rather private, but I do see her almost each time I'm in town, and she comes here when she can. She's always more curious about how we can apply some of the witches’ healing methods to wolves and humans... Just as I am about to ask something else, their bedroom door opens, and Kelsi steps out. Her long hair is a mess and her eyes are half-closed, but she still automatically runs over to hug me, wearing that gigantic bubblegum pink T-shirt I bought for her birthday.

"Boo! I missed you so much..."

"I missed you too. How are you?"

"I'm good... Do you have any tips for curbing a wolf's territorial issues?" she asks, sending a frown toward Ben.

"A leash? A collar?" I suggest with a chuckle. "Sorry, no tips from me. Oh, come on, don't fight when we just got home... We got you breakfast too."

"Oh, yes, donuts!" she exclaims, taking a pink one enthusiastically. "So, how did it go? You met the witches as planned?"

"Yep," I nod. "Two young Fire Witches, teens. They were pretty nice and open. A bit surprised to have me come for real and help out, but it was high time. One set her own school on fire, and neither of them had received any guidance from older witches before... In any case, they should be fine now, and they can call or write to me anytime."

"You must be a real superstar among witches now," chuckles Kelsi. "You've met more than a hundred across the world now, right? I mean, the new dean did say they were receiving more applications than ever for the paranormal course. Silver City is turning into the place to be for all the werewolves and witches around. Did I tell you? I got an email from the professor last week, she actually wants me to become an assistant..."

"Really? That's great!" I exclaim. "You love that course, and that professor we have now only came to temporarily fill Vutha's spot, right? Wouldn't you be interested in becoming a professor eventually?"

"I don't know," she sighs. "I love occult arts and being able to help you out, but if I accept, I'll have less time for my blog and I'll have to fulfill a ton of obligations... plus, you know I'm not very comfortable with public speaking."

"You'd do great!" says Ben. "You're super passionate and you already know more than that teacher anyway!"

"That's true," I nod, grabbing a donut too before the boys eat them all.

"I don't know..." mutters Kelsi, blushing a bit. "I'm still not too sure about taking Professor Vutha's... you know."

Just as she finishes her sentence, Liam comes back, half-naked with a towel over his head, and sits next to me, grabbing a donut. He puts his other arm around my chair, and we exchange a smile, but first, I take Kelsi's hand.

"Kelsi, Vutha was arrested three months ago now. Everyone knows she isn't coming back to teach at the university, and they need a professor. You should just accept the assistant's job for now and see if you like it! You did great at taking over to organize her things with Ayesha!"

"Yeah... I'll think about it."

We move on to chat more about the university, but since we are both taking free classes now, we have a much more flexible schedule. Even Liam and Ben have fuller schedules than we do as they work for the packs, although both are seriously thinking about their careers. Ben wants to become a paramedic to help out his sister while keeping his position as Selena's Beta, and Liam is seriously thinking about taking the exam to become a cop next year... Kelsi goes to her bathroom to get ready while Ben updates us on the pack matters, although everything is going as well as usual in Silver City.

Since there are no more borders of any kind, all werewolves just live together in harmony with the humans, and the Alphas and Lunas now only intervene to resolve issues between the wolves or when foreign packs appear outside of town. It sounds a bit utopic, but since the curse is gone, Nora and Selena both agreed there has been a lot less conflict. For a while, wolves and humans were just focused on building back what was destroyed in Silver City, and it helped create new friendships. Of course, there was also a period of mourning for those we had lost... The first few days were hard, but we all had enough to keep ourselves busy and not think about it too much, and slowly heal. Then, life went back to its usual course. Everyone wanted to cherish their loved ones and spend some time in peace, while Liam and I left at the first occasion to spend time together outside of Silver City while looking for new witches. I didn't abandon Silver City, and I was there when they needed me, but I was glad Selena and Nora could handle a lot without me, and Ayesha stayed around to help too. We actually came back so often, I don't believe they noticed much of our absences until we began leaving for longer periods, or whole weekends like we do now.

"Nora invited us for dinner tonight," I suddenly remember as we all get ready to go to work or university. "Are you guys coming?"

"Sure!" Ben smiles. "We're having fondue bourguignon! The whole family will be there so prepare yourselves, it's going to be packed and cramped for sure!"

"We will," I chuckle.

Liam gives me a little wink and takes my hand as we leave the apartment. I'm sure he and I can find the right time to escape the craziness...

The four of us walk to the car; as usual, Ben will drop us girls at the university while he and Liam go to the other side of the city. My mate and I get in the backseat, but I notice Liam doesn't want to let go of my hand at all, even as we drive away. Ben turns on Kelsi's favorite pop music to try and have her stop pouting toward him, both of them unaware of the two of us flirting behind them.

“ ...What are you doing? ” I ask Liam as his hand caresses my knee.

“ I don't want to part with you... We've been together the whole weekend and now I don't want to spend my day away from my witch. ”

He leans his head on my shoulder and I chuckle. I feel that too... He and I are almost inseparable lately. He sticks to me like a bodyguard at all times, and since we get to spend every day, night, and weekend together when I don't have classes, it feels odd whenever we can't be close to each other...

“ Come on, we have to live like normal people. Remember, this is what we wanted. A normal young adult life. Having fun with our friends, working or studying, having a place that we actually pay for instead of living off our siblings? ”

“ ...Do you think your sister will like me more once I get a real job? ”

I grimace.

To my surprise, Amy didn't care much about me having two male roommates, but one being my boyfriend did make her raise an eyebrow... I think she takes Liam for some hooligan or something, and she literally grilled him with all her questions when we went to see her. Although, she did say she'd respect my choices. I think she was more worried about me "meeting" my father at that time, but that was really nothing special. He just turned out to be the arrogant prick I had figured he'd be... at least he agreed to answer my questions. He confirmed he was a werewolf, although an Omega who didn't give the gene to his children, and decided to live like a human and forget his previous pack. Strangely, the more I listened, the more I felt he was someone who had a difficult past with no desire to go back to it, so I didn't ask. He did give me information about Clarissa's birth mother, so we managed to find and visit her grave two months ago...

The relationship with that estranged biological father will probably remain a bit odd, but I don't care anymore. Amy, however, calls me once a week, and we see each other when there's an opportunity. I think she's the only person I consider my family who doesn't live in Silver City...

“ Can you have a... man-to-man chat with Ben? ” I ask Liam.

“ With Ben? Why? ”

“ He and Kelsi keep fighting lately, so... I think he could use a little pep talk from an expert. ”

“ Oh, so I'm an expert now? ” he asks, kissing my temple.

“ Kelsi isn't a werewolf... and I'm not just a werewolf, either. I think they just need some assurance that it can work… ”

“ Well, there are other ways than a bond between mates… ”

I smile, and my eyes go down on the ring on my finger.

It's not a fancy one, just a simple silver ring with a little black diamond on it, but it matches the one on Liam's finger. We didn't even have a fancy ceremony or anything like that. We just bought these on a whim last month, but in our hearts, we were actually engaged long before that. This was just... another token of our promise to stay together.

"Alright, ladies, we have arrived, please don't forget to tip your driver!" announces Ben with a chuckle.

"You silly..."

Still, Kelsi puts a shy kiss on his lips, making him all happy again. Liam gets out of the car to take the passenger seat, hugging me before I go.

"Stay out of trouble, hot stuff," he whispers.

"You too, babe. See you tonight..."

We kiss each other a couple more times, unwilling to part, until Ben honks to remind us where we are. I chuckle and let him get in the car while Kelsi pulls on my bag.

"Come on, he's had you all weekend, it's my turn!"

I laugh and walk to university arm in arm with my best friend as she doesn't even wait before telling me all about their messy date night. I won't tell him, but I also enjoy spending time without Liam; Kelsi being human allows me to forget all about the witch and werewolf matters for a moment, and just be a young woman like any other living her life. Plus, it makes it twice as exciting when we reunite...

I think this new, strange, and busy life balance is exactly what I needed. University is just the right dose of boring I needed in my life, and as I sit down to take notes for my first class, I leave all the crazy outside, just chatting with Kelsi like any other duo of girls complaining about our clingy boyfriends... She even insists on redoing my black nails as that class is even more boring than anticipated, and I don't say no.

I know she has noticed I grew a few visible gray hairs in just six months, but Kelsi didn't ask about it. Either she already knows, doesn't want to know, or knows I don't want her to, I can't tell. Perhaps both of us know we don't want to talk about it, so we don't; I don't care about it, either, I'm just glad the way things are. She knows her witch of a best friend has her secrets, like I always have, and we are both okay with it. It's even cute how she is an expert on witches and witchcraft so she can help me, but we also have random conversations about video games, our latest dates, and any gossip we can get from the university. I still get weird glances or people whispering behind my back from time to time, and I'll never really blend in with the other people our age, but I don't care.

I've got the greatest friends I could possibly need by my side already.

After our last class of the afternoon, Kelsi and I decide to walk downtown to grab a coffee, outside of the university campus; this might only be our first year studying there, but neither of us want to stay longer than needed. Without much of a surprise, Spark appears at the corner of a street to greet us with a loud meow, and I happily grab my cat to carry him in my arms, the usual purring following.

"I just wish he'd be more... human, at times," sighs Kelsi, "and at the same time, I hate that I'm almost forcing him to be less of a werewolf! I feel like I'll never compare to the chicks in his pack..."

"Wait, Ben has girl... friends?"

Kelsi pouts, brushing her long black hair back. She does gather some attention now that she's not hiding in her oversized clothes nor behind those ugly glasses... She went from the typical invisible nerd to one of the prettiest girls on the campus, and our duo doesn't go unnoticed anywhere.

"More or less," she sighs. "Well, he has two sisters so it can't be helped, I suppose. Plus, he is a Beta and super outgoing too. I just feel like if I have him out of my sight for more than ten minutes, some other werewolf girl is just going to jump in and mark him..."

I chuckle. It probably won't happen anytime soon. Is Kelsi thinking about how quickly Liam and I marked each other? It's very different, though, we are both werewolves, and fated mates too... I put my arm around her shoulders, glad I put my high-heeled boots to match her height.

"Kelsi, relax. From what I can see, Ben is the one worrying about you dumping him. He was super worried about you being upset this morning, and plus, each time he makes a mistake, he tries so hard to make up for it. Don't worry, you guys are rock solid, and his furry butt is crazy for you. I promise."

She gives me a shy smile, and Spark meows as if to agree, getting another smile from her too. We finally reach one of our favorite coffee shops, a chain cafe but with nice servers and an amazing selection. We quickly put our orders in and take a table right by the bay window so we can see the Silver City river and people passing by. Needless to say, a few guys stare back, but once they catch sight of my black nails, the black cat on my lap, and golden eyes, they go on their way.

"How about you and Liam...?" she asks, a wry smile on now that this is about me instead of her.

"What about us?" I blush a bit.

The server comes to give us our drinks, sending an extra long unnecessary glance toward Kelsi, and goes back.

"Come on," she smiles. "You guys are turning the heat on whenever you're in the same room together, and it's not from your magic! How was your weekend together?"

"It was... really nice," I confess, even redder. "You know, since we get to travel together, it's one surprise after the other, and we don't have time to get bored, either. I just feel a bit sorry for him when I'm with another witch and he has to wait, but he always says he's fine as long as he can stay around."

"Well, it's almost your job now," she nods. "You've inherited a ton of responsibilities, it can't be helped... but it's getting better now, right? No more headaches?"

Oh, that's one thing I'm glad is over...

After I received so much knowledge, and worse, the ability to mind-link all the witches I wanted, it just became too much for me to handle. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't focus on the present at all. It was as if I had just... too much going on. Someone was talking to me from the other side of the country, and all of a sudden, I was living the same scene over and over again, unable to tell the difference between my foreseeing and the present, trying to remember if something had really happened or not. Each time I tried to control my foreseeing abilities, I ended up having a hard time remembering what had already happened, or if I had only foreseen it and it was about to.

It did become too much, after a while, to be the greatest witch or something like that; I just couldn't take anymore of all those voices calling me, controlling my magic, the werewolves, and all the knowledge in my head. At that time, Liam was once again the one who saved me. He took me to that little chapel where we had our first conversation, surprisingly still there, and we stayed there together in the silence, until I could overcome it. I know it's just an old abandoned building full of dust and spiders, but I love that place. Liam even asked his brothers to see if we could somehow save it, and now, his older brothers promised they'd try to keep it safe from destruction, at least.

"No, I'm a lot better at handling it now," I smile, spinning the ring on my finger. "Plus, most young witches who needed help already had the talk with me once, so it's not like they'll reach out this way unless there's a major emergency again..."

And there have been a few! I never realized how problematic it would be for a young witch to be completely unsupervised, but it did happen a few times, most young orphans with no idea about why they could suddenly provoke a flood in their village or provoke an earthquake on a whim...

"So, um... Can I expect to be a bridesmaid soon?" she chuckles, her eyes on my ring.

"I don't know..." I admit. "I know Liam would marry me anytime if he could, but you know I'm not fond of ceremonies or crowds. I think we might do something simple this summer, just with close friends and family. I'm pretty sure Nora is just waiting for me to say the word to get on it."

"That's for sure," chuckled Kelsi. "Her hints last time weren't very subtle..."

I chuckle. Nora suggested we borrow their garden, and did mention a few ways we could hold a quiet but still very nice wedding, at least before I get pregnant or something. I think they are all expecting that me and Liam will have a child soon, but we agreed to wait at least until I finish university and he passes the exams to become a cop, so...

"I'm fine with how things are for now," I say, sipping on my coffee.

"Me too... I love having you guys as roommates!"

"We are the best roommates ever," I laugh. "We're away almost every weekend and we bring you guys breakfast on Mondays!"

"Don't say it like that," she pouts. "You know I'd rather stick with you all the time... To be honest, sometimes I miss when it was just you and me; between Ben's snoring and having two young and energetic couples under the same roof, I don't know what is worse..."

I can't agree more. Our bedrooms are right next to each other, and as we have all noticed, not fully soundproof...

"Oh, Kelsi, would you come with me to the cemetery later?" I ask. "I want to take care of the graves..."

"Sure. We can even go now if you want. It'll be a little walk, and I'll bring some flowers for Ben's brother too..."

I agree, and we take our coffees to go, Spark leading the way as always. I'm rarely cold anymore, but from Kelsi half-opening her jacket, it's probably a bit warmer in the sun. It's almost mid-November already... Now that I think about it, I have been in Silver City for a while now, although I always come and go. Liam and I have gone to almost all the neighborhoods and tried tons of restaurants and places. It's like coming home to this city gives us an excuse each time for a new date elsewhere... I smile helplessly as we walk by another sandwich shop where I know my mate's favorite pick. We certainly have been glued together for about six months now...

"I thought about introducing Ben to my brother," Kelsi drops suddenly as we keep walking.

"Seriously?"

I'm surprised. She almost ran away from her family so she barely has any contact with her parents anymore, but I know her brother and her have gotten closer as of late. For Kelsi, this would be a potential first step to making things a bit more official with Ben... She nods, looking a bit nervous.

"Just... you know. I've mentioned a couple of times I was seeing a guy, so my brother said he'd come around next month, and since I'll most likely spend Christmas with Ben's family..."

I can't stop smiling, happy for her. They don't look like it, but those two are definitely taking their own baby steps together... Kelsi doesn't add anything after that, her cheeks a bit pink, and I don't get more inquisitive, either. I know they need to take things at their own pace, and after what my poor Liam endured with my sister, I really can't blame them. I was lucky that Nathaniel and Damian were rather blunt in their attitude toward me since the beginning. Of course, it's a lot better now, and we are regularly invited to the family brunches. Nathaniel loves to complain that instead of taming Liam, I made him twice as wild... and I accept the compliment each time, of course.

We reach the cemetery, buying some flowers outside before going in. It's a bit strange how I feel fine going into that kind of space, but I think death is... somehow a part of me. I may have lost my Earth and Water Magic, but I can still feel the soil beneath us, the quiet and calm atmosphere floating between the tombstones. We quietly part, Kelsi naturally going toward Levi Lewis' grave. Meanwhile, I walk to the pair of white tombstones a bit farther. As expected of a former Alpha and Beta pair, they are well taken care of. I smile at Lysandra and her lover, and put down the purple flowers I chose. The truth is, their bodies were cremated with everyone else's after the battle. After what we had witnessed, it felt like a much better solution, and something that would appease both werewolves and humans, too... Still, we raised many tombstones here, so we could have a place to pray.

I didn't cry at the funeral, and I never cry when I come here either. I can't really explain why... perhaps I had already grieved enough at the hospital. I apologized to Boyan, over and over, but he was the one who comforted me instead... That big guy hugged me despite his own state, telling me that at least his sister was gone with her mate, defending the pack like a Beta. His words in my mind make me choke up more than the sight of their names on the white stones... Lysandra was a part of my family too, and I'm grateful for what I learned from her. I mutter a silent prayer, and once I feel a bit better, I move on to the next place.

Little Mara's. It’s been cleaned, and now, I take care of it whenever I can. I had Clarissa's name added to it, so they can be together in death once more... and that's my own way to not forget them either.

I leave them a big crown of flowers, and spend a few minutes in silence, going to what I call my mindspace to share my latest memories with them. I still feel as if a little part of them is with me. I don't want to ever forget how I came to be, my strange history, and our unique bond. They will always be in my heart... I chose not to tell the whole truth to Clarissa's older sister, and I'm sure this is what she would have wanted. Perhaps Amy already knows that her little sister has changed into... someone different, but she won't ask. It's perhaps better left that way.