Page 26 of The Witch & the Tiger

Her breathing slowed, and her body undulated, relaxing after all that built-up tension. He relaxed with her, stroking her hair, pulling out of her when he began to soften.

“Willow,” was all he said, all he needed to say.

“Martin,” she replied huskily, and he inhaled deeply. He wouldn’t mind hearing her repeat his name like that over and over again.

Chapter Eight – Willow

She didn’t want to sneak back. She’d rather cuddle with Martin for the rest of the evening, but since his parents were due back at any moment, along with his sister – Willow needed to make herself scarce. A few hasty kisses, some whispered affirmations that everything was wonderful, incredible, and that she very much looked forward to future dates and opportunities to grow closer to him.

She did have to bail out of the window unceremoniously at the sound of keys in the lock, and the last thing she saw him do was spritz an air freshener to clear the musky scent from the room.

Good luck with that, she thought in amusement, knowing tiger senses to be more advanced than human ones.

The walk back was dark but not lonely, as she had her thoughts and recent pleasant memories for company. The way they came together – the way the desire boiled over into such a delicious, all-consuming thing. No wonder people became addicted to that feeling – no wonder they wanted to have it over and over. She’d had one time, and it wasn’t enough. She needed more. There had to be more.

Those thoughts fizzled when she read the email from Professor Z’Hana.

“The summoning spell works. The mist appears about five minutes after we use it. It had the scent of salt upon it. We didn’t go in the water, but we are set for tomorrow. Make sure not to use your magic or exhaust yourselves. We’ll need our wits about us if we’re to make sure we can break Martin’s enchantment and see if this place may have anything to do with some of the problems appearing in our corner of the world lately.

Stay safe and keep warm. We’ll meet up in Oakwend tomorrow just before noon.”

Above her, the moon showed itself, engorged with a brownish-yellow tint. She imagined little beavers scurrying about in the dark, building their dams, all beneath the moon that had been named after them.

It was a good, calm night for a walk. Nothing about it suggested any lingering threat.

Back in her dorm room, sleep came easily to Willow, which surprised her, as she’d expected to be up half the night anxiously overthinking.

Instead, she slept like a baby, comforted by the memories of Martin’s smile, kisses, and warm hands. Their breaths mingled, the little sounds made in the confines of the bedroom. Memories that dominated her mind until she fell asleep.

The next morning, realizing she was in her bed without company, she felt an absence.

Her phone tinged.

Harrow: Good luck! You’re stealing my boyfriend – make sure to bring him back in one piece, yeah?

She smiled at Harrow’s message, but now the peace within slowly began to morph into anticipation, feeling that something big was about to happen and that she needed to be prepared for anything. She resisted the urge to use her magic for frivolous things. She wanted every ounce of power possible to channel toward protecting them from water.

Of course, with any luck, they wouldn’t need her magic at all, and the high tide that occurred while the students were in the cave was simply because they lost track of time.

The closer it got to noon, the more Willow couldn’t sit still. Eventually, she headed toward Oakwend and encountered the rest of the group a short distance ahead of her, making their way down the beaten path. She scurried up to join Professors Z’Hana and Umber, Katerina and Marlon. Each had their own special abilities. Marlon and Kati both had abilities far more intriguing than Willow’s, but people seemed to be impressed with her brand of magic as well.

I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side.

“Is it weird that I brought my swimming gear?” Kati asked, all bright-eyed and enthusiastic. She had a faint overseas accent, though Willow couldn’t quite pinpoint where it was from.

“A little bit,” Marlon said. “As far as I understood, we won’t need them with Water Girl here.”

“You don’t,” Umber confirmed in a gruff voice, “if the tide comes in on us, Willow will do exactly as she should – we’ll be fine.”

Six of us are going, Willow thought.

She’d been practicing with ten bubbles. Hopefully, that practice would pay dividends.

They arrived in Oakwend and the beautifully tranquil woodland next to it, a mix of evergreens and bare-branched trees, their leaves turned to mush on the ground from the rains. Martin, waiting by his front gate, waved. He seemed just as antsy as Willow felt. Both of them tried to play it cool in front of everyone. She didn’t quite want anyone to know about their developing relationship just yet.

Martin’s amber eyes locked with hers as he reached out to shake her hand. “Thank you all so much for coming. It means a lot that I’m finally getting the help.”

Professor Umber cleared his throat rather dramatically. “About time,” he growled. “It’s a shame that things got to this point. Anyway, all of you should be aware that this trip may be dangerous. You must have your wits fully about you. You must be ready to activate your powers at a moment’s notice: Kati, should we encounter a fae that will not let us go; Marlon, if things go terribly wrong and we need to turn back time; Willow, if our only escape is through the water. As for me, I’m the muscle and fire-breather, and Z’Hana has her own set of dark magic that may come in handy. All of us should perform well.”

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