"What do you want to do?" suddenly asks Selena.
I pause for a second, surprised. She’s... letting me decide our next move? I hesitate, but all eyes are on me, indeed waiting for my decision. I even find myself blushing a little. I've always felt like I was under their care, so it feels a bit strange that she's... suddenly letting me lead. Not just them two, but even all three of the Black Brothers...
"Mara, you're the Silver City witch," chuckles Nora. "You're the expert. What do you want us to do now?"
I nod, a bit ashamed I’m just standing here.
"Let's bring Ayesha in," I decide first.
"Are you sure?" frowns Selena.
Even the other Fire Witch raises her eyebrows.
"Yeah, it's probably better to have her where I can see her... where we can all watch her. I need to ask her more about the curse too, and also, I can't keep running north and south around Silver City. If the Water Witch attacks, I'd rather make sure this one is under control."
"Fair enough. I can break more fingers if needed..."
Ayesha grimaces and glares at Selena, but at least she probably won't risk anything more today. Liam comes to rub his furry body against my legs, regardless of the dirt on both of us. I grip his fur with my fingers without thinking; I'm just glad to feel him close to me...
"Kelsi?"
"I'm still here and listening, boo," she answers over the phone.
"Stay at the university, I'll come right there to join you, okay? I–"
"Mara," interrupts Nora. "I know you want to know more, but... you've been fighting a lot, and despite my healing, I think you could use a little break... okay? Kelsi can join us at my house."
I hesitate, but... Nora's not wrong. I'm fine mentally, but my body is exhausted. I thought I’d be fine not sleeping much, but I didn't think I'd have to go all out against another witch, either... or have my magic supply drop to a new low. Moreover, Nora's house is around the midpoint of Silver City, so it's not a bad position for me to be at the moment... I've lost track of Ravena's whereabouts and I'm too tired to try and track her with my magic right now. Moreover, Liam must be exhausted as well. I don't want to push him, even if I know he won't say a thing. Going to Nora's house could be a good way to gather all the information we have, ask Ayesha more, and prepare something of a plan... I take a deep breath and nod.
"Okay. Kelsi, can you join us at Nora's house?"
"No problem. I'll send you what I found so far if you want to get a head start, boo! I'll join you as soon as Sparky and I are done opening all these drawers..."
Sparky? I smile, and she's already back to opening and closing things, probably going through every nook and cranny. When she's got something in mind, Kelsi certainly doesn't know how to hold back... I can imagine the absolute mess that office has got to be right now. I turn to Nora.
"Let's go, then."
Luckily, they brought cars, so I can actually sit in the back and relax on the way there. Since he stayed in his wolf form and probably didn't want to dirty the sexy engine, Selena took Liam's bike to ride it to the house.
I'm in the car, Nora driving while Liam's in the passenger seat, and I guess I'm supposed to guard Ayesha in the back, but she's just staring outside, looking completely out of it. I suppose I'm not the only witch that’s exhausted. I'm more worried about the pictures Kelsi sent to me, and just after studying the professor's documents some more, I sigh and close my eyes.
"Told ya," chuckles Ayesha.
Kelsi and I were both wrong.
The pattern and all those things found in the professor's office were the work of an Earth Witch. Ravena.
Chapter 31
"Boo!"
I open my eyes, getting out of the half-asleep state I was in just seconds ago. Damn it, I really tried not to fall asleep. I wanted to at least wait until Kelsi was here, but after we got to Nora's house, I was pushed to the bathroom for a much needed hot shower with Liam. He and I were so dirty and tired, we didn't even think of doing anything... naughty. He just changed back into his human form, taking some of his brother's clothes, while I also changed into a tank top and a pair of jeans, probably Selena's, judging by the size. Sadly, the leather pants went straight into the laundry pile...
Once we got back to the living room, it was apparently around lunchtime already, and Nora had magically gotten food ready for everyone. On the table, several plates were displayed like a buffet, including a large pan with an impressive quantity of bolognese pasta, a pyramid of burritos, and some cold slices of beef. I can only imagine how full their fridge must be to be ready to welcome werewolves at any moment...
However, I was almost too tired to even eat. I set myself in one corner of a couch with the plate I managed to fill up before the others got to it, and I just ate mindlessly, fighting the urge to sleep. With Ayesha still in the room with us, I really didn't want to give in, but it looks like I lost the fight...
Kelsi runs to me, while behind her, Ben's got both eyes on the table.
