Page 329 of His Blazing Witch

"Right? My nieces and nephews are too cute, I want you to have my baby too..."

"Okay, but first I want to finish university."

"You're still going to study?" He raises an eyebrow.

"I want to get a proper job by myself! I can't keep living off my sister..."

Liam chuckles.

"Damn, does that mean I'll have to get a job too?"

"Find a job where you can stay half-naked, then," I chuckle, caressing his abs.

He shivers.

"I don't think I can do that..."

"Come on, you've never thought of getting an actual job?" I chuckle. "You can't keep being the rogue wolf of the town!"

"I promise I'll think about it... Perhaps something to do with security, then?"

"Oh, I could see you in a uniform..."

"...Mara, you're becoming a real pervert now."

"You make me a pervert," I laugh.

We laugh and joke for a while about our plans for the future, our list of things we want to do together, half joking and half serious about it. After a few minutes of laughing about Liam's top ten restaurants we ought to try, I let out a long sigh, and he gently caresses my neck.

"...How do you feel?" he asks.

It's not the first time I've been asked that this morning, but the way Liam says it feels... different somehow. How do I really feel right now...? I'm tired, and my body is giving me hell, but Moon Goddess, I feel... good. I feel alive and relieved. I am so thankful he's here with me. I caress his cheek as well, and smile a bit weakly.

"I'm just... fine," I mutter. "Still a bit... you know, tired, and feeling the losses we went through, the hardships, the injuries, and all that mess, but... I'm glad we made it together. You, and our family, our friends... our pack. I feel... home. It's a bit strange, though. For a long while, I was... desperate to find my identity, where Mara Jones was from, get all the answers, and now... I just feel like I need more questions, even if the answers don’t matter as much. Now that I have a home, I want to leave and explore the world with you. Now that I have found a family, I want to... make another one with you, and spend time with my friends. Do a ton of stuff together, and give myself new things to think about. I'm ready to... I don't know, just live the next chapter of my life. My new life."

Liam simply smiles back at me, and I feel a bit embarrassed. I just said a lot, and he's just staring right back at me with his cheeky smile, and those tender eyes... I blush.

"...What?"

"I love you."

I blush even more now, taken by surprise. He can't be that brutally honest without a warning...

"I love you," he repeats. "I really love all of you. How you're... my girlfriend, my mate, and my best friend. How you care about everyone, everything, but you're still... you, just you."

"Liam..."

"I'll follow you," he continues. "I'll follow every freaking where you want to go. To meet witches, your family, to the end of the world if you want. Anywhere, Mara."

I take a deep breath, as if he was filling my heart with love, all by himself. I'm so happy I have Liam... I smile and lean in to give him a long, deep kiss. A bit warm, with a taste of sunshine... and cheeseburgers. We don't want to separate, and I think we're not going to for a long while... Liam smiles against my lips.

“That's my hot stuff…”

“You mean your witch.”

“...My Blazing Witch."

The End.

---