| |
LIAM BREATHED IN AND raised his hand. Before it hit the wooden surface, he exhaled. He knocked three times and let his hand drop.
There was shuffling on the other side of the door. Then someone opened it, and it wasn’t Henry.
Ciara was wearing a black tank top and a simple pair of jeans. Her hair was up in a messy bun that was nearly falling apart.
Liam smiled at her. “Hi.”
Ciara smiled back, trying to fix her hair updo. “Hi, Liam.”
“Uh, is Henry home?” He looked past Ciara but couldn’t see his brother anywhere.
“He...” Ciara sighed. “Henry hasn’t been here in a few days. He left on Saturday.”
That was when Ciara had heard about the witch hunter situation in Europe, and it was already Wednesday.
“Really?” Liam hadn’t heard from his brother after the weekend, because he had been busy at work.
Ciara nodded. “He’s angry because of the whole witch hunter thing.”
“He’ll come around eventually,” Liam reassured.
Ciara shrugged, unconvinced. “If you want to see him, I can tell you where he’s staying with his dragon.”
Liam raised an eyebrow. “His dragon?”
Ciara chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, he’s taking care of it until he returns to work. It’s a harmless little creature unless you don’t want your newspapers turned into ash.”
Liam laughed, seeing how Ciara was trying to hold back a grimace. “That sounds like Henry.”
“For sure.”
“I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
Ciara smiled. “Always the optimist.”
Liam smiled, too.
He had come to talk with Henry about Ciara. Instead, he had the perfect chance to talk with her.
“M-may I come in?” He couldn’t believe he stuttered as if he had never talked to her.
“Of course.” Ciara let him in and then closed the door.
He looked around the flat. Everything seemed as usual except for one open duffel bag on the floor. Inside the bag appeared to be Ciara’s clothes.
“You haven’t unpacked?” Liam asked, gesturing to the bag.
“I’ve repacked,” Ciara corrected. “I’m going back to America.”
Liam’s eyes widened. “Already?”
“Just for now. Doherty and I will talk to a few people from work, so—”
“So it’s a mission.”
Ciara nodded. “Yes.”
“Does Henry know?”
“I left him a message when he didn’t answer any of my calls.”
Liam nodded, fidgeting with his hands. “It’s odd to think that you work daily with the things we deal with only occasionally.”
Ciara tilted her head to the side. “Odd?”
Liam shrugged. “I just never imagined you’d become a hit witch.”
“I wanted to become a curse breaker originally.”
Liam smiled, remembering how much Ciara had loved hearing about his work in Peru. “I remember.”
“So, you work for the government now?”
Liam sat on the arm of the sofa. “I do.” He nodded. “It’s a little different compared to how it was when I worked overseas.” Overseas he had dealt with ancient curses. Some of them even thousands of years old. In England, the curses were more recent and acute.
“More office hours?”
Liam chuckled. “Certainly.”
It felt oddly natural, talking to Ciara. But he liked that. No room for uncomfortable silences. As if they had always been friends—as if they hadn’t lost contact.
“So, America.”
Ciara nodded. “What about it?”
“How is it?”
Ciara smiled and leaned against a wall. “At first it was exciting. New. A new job, a new country, new people. The training for the job was rough at first. The job became harder the longer I worked as a hit witch. And, well, now I’m here.”
“You didn’t work non-stop for three years. I’m pretty sure you had a personal life, too.” He wanted to know about her life, not her job.
Even the thought of her doing what she did for a living was enough. He didn’t want the details.
“Are you trying to subtly ask about Theo?” Her usually strong voice turned shaky, but her expression didn’t waver.
Liam scratched the back of his head. “I just don’t want to—”
“It’s been over six months since his death.” Ciara walked to the sofa and took a seat.
Liam joined her but kept a friendly distance.
“I’m actually leaving a day early, because I need to visit his grave,” Ciara said. “I also promised to visit his mother.”
“You still see his family?”
“Rarely,” Ciara said. “But she’s been asking, and I have to explain why I won’t be in Seattle.”
Liam nodded. “So, you and Theo. How long were you two together?”
“Almost two years,” Ciara said and smiled. “Officially anyway.”
“And how are you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
Liam didn’t push it. He could see Ciara’s hands shaking. Even though he had never lost someone like she had, he could understand how hard it was for her.
And he knew—perhaps better than anyone—she hated talking about her feelings.
“How’s your mother?” Liam asked, changing the subject.
“She’s fine, but I haven’t actually seen her in two years. She lives in Italy with her new husband.”
Liam hadn’t expected that. “Oh.”
“With my job, it’s impossible to keep in touch with her without putting her in danger. There are people who give me updates on her life here and there. I’d hear if something happened to her.”
She had visited Liam’s family, though.
But before she had known about the anti-terrorist group working against the witch hunters, she hadn’t known the witch hunters were in England. She had thought those terrorists had been dealt with. Knowing about the group now, she knew his parents were involved with the witch hunters, anyway.
Her mother wasn’t.
“Anyway, you know plenty about my past few years.” Ciara smiled. “What about you?”
Liam shifted in his seat. “Well, I moved back at the beginning of 2015.”
“With Iris.”
Liam nodded. “Y-yes. With Iris.”
“Did you start working for the government when you moved back?”
Liam nodded. “Yes. And, uh, Iris became a healer. She used to be a medic.”
Ciara nodded. Even Liam could tell she had known about Iris’s job. She was just being polite, not saying anything about it.
“Mum was overjoyed to have me back in England.” Liam chuckled at the memory of her mother’s reaction when he had come home, the corners of his eyes crinkling from the smile on his face.
“I bet she was.”
“So, uh, how long will you be in America?”
“I don’t know yet. Not three years, though.” Ciara smiled, but it was a little forced. “I’m sure you’ll hear when I’m back.”
“And you’re leaving today?”
“My flight leaves at eight o’clock.”
***
“SO, UH, HOW’S CIARA?” Liam asked Henry.
It was like stepping on thin ice. He was already dating a new girl—Iris. Henry knew about Iris, but he was still Ciara’s best friend. But he was also Liam’s brother.
It was odd how no one had mentioned Ciara during Liam’s stay. Usually Henry couldn’t shut up about what he had been up to with Ciara.
“No idea.” Henry’s voice was harsh and cold. As if he didn’t want to talk about his best friend.
“Don’t tell me you two stopped hanging out the moment you graduated.” Liam laughed. “You’ve been glued to each other for years. A friendship break-up right after graduation would be cliché.”
“Well, that’s basically what happened.” Henry turned to look at Liam, crossing his arms across his chest.
Liam’s eyes widened. Letting it all sink in, his face twisted into a frown. “For real?”
“She left England and said she couldn’t be in contact,” Henry said. “I haven’t heard from her since.”
“That’s an awful joke. Ciara would never—”
“Well, she did. It’s not a joke.”
Liam had never seen his younger brother so serious.
“So, if you want to hear how she is, go ask her Mum,” Henry said.
“Have you asked?”
“No.”
“So, you’re angry with Ciara.”
“Of course I am.”
Liam pursed his lips together, wondering what to say. “I’m sure she’ll be back with an explanation soon enough.”
Henry shrugged, not saying a word.
***
“AND DOHERTY WILL FLY to America tomorrow?” Liam asked Ciara.
“His flight leaves tomorrow,” Ciara confirmed, nodding.
“Does anyone else know about the mission?”
“I believe your Dad told most people already. Only a few of them have actually met me, though.”
“So, Mum and Dad know.”
“Yes, they do.”
“Good.”
Liam stayed talking with Ciara until she had to leave to the airport. He offered to take her, but she politely declined.
***
LIAM FELT CONTENT, having been able to talk with Ciara. The only thing left bothering him was that Ciara still felt distant.
“Did you know Henry hasn’t been home for a few days?” Iris asked, pulling Liam out of his trance.
He blinked, coming back to the dining area from the corner of his mind. They were in the middle of eating dinner, and Liam had completely zoned out.
“I was looking for him at his flat,” Liam said. “So Ciara told me.”
“She left for America today, didn’t she?” Iris asked and sipped her water.
Liam nodded. “Yes.”
“She’s leaving early to visit her fiancé’s grave.”
Fiancé? Liam thought. “Theo and Ciara were engaged?”
Iris nodded. “He died soon after, I think.”
“Oh.”
“Did you know Theo?”
“He was a contestant in the tournament in my last year.”
“So he was representing Canada and North America?”
“Yes.”
Iris furrowed her eyebrows and stopped eating. “Weren’t you dating Ciara back then?”
“We started dating after the tournament.”
“Do you think she liked him already back then?” Iris asked, twirling her fork in her food.
Liam pursed his lips together, letting the thought sink in.
Theo and Ciara had spent a lot of time together. Some days it had been as if someone had glued them to one another.
“I don’t know.”
Iris’s eyes widened. “Maybe she moved to Canada for Theo!”
“I think she moved for the job.”
Iris shrugged. “Or she’s just telling everyone that.”
“Who knows.”
He wanted to believe Ciara had moved for her job. Still, Iris’s words made sense.
***
A KNOCKING CAME FROM the tent’s entrance, gaining Liam’s attention. As he turned around to see who had cast a knocking spell, Iris—the beautiful medic—walked in. “Hey.” She smiled sheepishly at him. “I’m sorry about the whole...uh, thing, you know.”
He knew exactly what she meant. She had flirted with him and had then made a move on him.
“I misunderstood everything, and I had no idea you had a girlfriend in England.” She grimaced, ashamed of her previous actions.
Liam smiled at her. “It’s okay,” he assured. “We actually broke up.”
Iris’s eyes widened. “Oh!” She blinked twice, letting it sink in. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” He was still smiling. “It didn’t come as a surprise. The whole long-distance relationship thing didn’t work for us.”
Iris nodded. “And you weren’t ready to move back for her?”
“My work is here.”
She nodded again. A small smile made its way onto her face. “Well, if I ask you out for coffee in, like, two months, will you say yes?”
Liam offered her one of his most charming smiles. “I’d say yes if you asked me now.”
Iris’s eyes widened, glowing with excitement. “Really? In that case...would you like to get coffee with me some time?”
Liam grinned. “I’d love that.”
“Wonderful!”