"Anyway," she continues, "I'll stay around to watch. You can just come back here and call me if you're interested in a lesson. It won't be free, though. And please, spare me the dog next time. This one is feisty, territorial, and annoying."
I glance down at Liam. I can't say she is wrong about any of that... Ravena's words are stuck in my head. Liam and I have some serious talking to do. I watch her go, still full of confidence, and as she glances down at Liam with a sneer, he suddenly starts growling.
"Hey!"
I see him about to jump at her, and I try to hold him back without thinking. He reacts immediately to my hand on his fur, but not in a good way. He bites me.
Chapter 15
The pain is somewhat worse than I would have thought, but not as much as the shock. I keep staring at my bleeding hand, the bite mark pretty deep. I glare at Liam, but the black wolf already looks sorry, whimpering a bit and retreating.
"Seriously?!"
"See? Werewolves can never be trusted."
I glare at Ravena too. Why is she not freaking gone already? Seeing her sneer at this situation infuriates me, and I light up my valid hand with a big flaring fire without warning. Her expression immediately drops, her fear painted all over her face. So this is what it's like to be the advantageous witch.
"Fuck off," I hiss.
She doesn't wait for me to ask a second time. Maybe she knows that bite was destined for her, but she suddenly loses all of that confidence and she runs off into the woods, disappearing in seconds. I agitate my hand to get my fire to stop, and it's rather easy with the downpour around us.
I'm left with a bleeding hand and a sorry wolf, his tail between his legs and his ears down. It doesn't change anything, I'm still fucking mad at him for that. Why the hell did he have to bite me? It's so damn painful too, he didn't even hold himself back! As if I needed any more injuries! I hold my hand, shaking because of the pain. I can't take the sight of Liam right now. I glare once more at him and walk away.
I came here to fucking help him, and this is what I get! Alright, maybe there was some selfish curiosity in the mix, but still! I walk away, furious, drenched, and in pain. Is it supposed to hurt this damn much? I don't even know how to stop the bleeding, and I'm feeling dizzy from seeing this much blood. I never got that with the burns, but apparently, blood just isn't my thing, or maybe because it's mine.
Moreover, it's muddy around here, and I progress with difficulty back to Silver City. I shouldn't have left the house, I shouldn't have crossed through the border, and I shouldn't have followed that idiot. I'm an idiot, Selena had everything right when she called me clueless and reckless. I fucking am.
"Mara! Mara, wait!"
I don't stop.
I'm too mad at that idiot. Plus, he's apparently shape-shifted so he's following me naked. Probably not the best time to look back. I don't want to look at him; right now, I just want to see someone who could do something about me losing blood.
"Mara!"
I feel his hand grabbing my shoulder, and I finally turn around to push him away.
Damn it, he's really naked, and I'm just too angry to even care. I just glare at him, holding my injured hand against me. His eyes are going back and forth between my injury and my face, looking at a loss. Even if I can tell he's really sorry, the pain is just too much to forgive that puppy face he's making.
"S-sorry," he mutters. "I reacted without thinking, I didn't really mean to bite you..."
"Well, so much for being cautious," I retort. "If you didn't want me here, a growl would have been enough!"
"I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have been here in the first place! How the fuck did you get past the barrier?"
His eye is reflecting the storm and thunder above us, and now there's anger mixed with his apology. Seriously, he's going to lecture me too?
"Why is everybody always so keen to tell me what I can and cannot do, but no one gives me an actual answer? I have to threaten people into telling me what I need to know, and now that I finally meet someone like me, you're going to give me hell too?"
"That witch isn't your friend, Mara! She isn't going to become one, she's the enemy!"
"Well, at least she didn't fucking bite me!"
My last sentence hits him hard, he loses his anger again and takes a step back. I frown and turn around, continuing my way back to Silver City. I get to the barrier, so I guess he'll have his answer this way. I find that hole from before and, cautious with my injury, I squeeze myself back in with a groan. That thing is fluctuating and presses down on me a bit for the five or ten seconds it takes for me to get back inside the dome. It doesn't stop me, though, and I stand a few steps away from the barrier, glaring at a shocked Liam.
"How did you…? Hey, what the fuck did you do with my bike?!" he yells, recognizing the gorgeous machine a few steps away.
I forgot I had left it there. I wish I could show him, ride his own bike away, and leave him to eat my dust, but I can't, not with my hand in this state. Instead, I look around to find shelter. I'm surprised the voices aren't back, but maybe Liam's presence is keeping them at bay. Or maybe I'm just in too much pain already for them to add to it.
