Chapter 48 : The Witch Woman

Mike

Samuel sighed contentedly and patted his round belly after eating. After a long and tiring day, the young wolf felt lethargic, and exhaustion quickly crept up on him. He yawned with heavy eyes, then curled up into a ball in the corner of the long-neglected room. He ignored the smell that pierced his nose, the smell of the old and moldy room, and the two other people who shared the room with him, both fast asleep.

Beside him, Mike's mind stayed awake. He couldn't shake the shadow of Selene that crept into his mind. He felt unhappy when he remembered how she looked dejected, hiding the pain behind her closed expression. He knew that he was the cause of her hurt feelings. His heart ached for the pain he had unintentionally caused the woman he knew he truly loved.

He was distracted by his thoughts of Selene. Even when Amy tried to get his attention by getting closer to him, he felt like there was an unbridgeable emotional gulf between them. Although he tried to answer Amy's wishes with a half-hearted smile, his eyes still missed Selene's gaze.

"Why are you so quiet, Mister Mike?" she asked, her eyes full of hope, trying to use her natural charms to get his attention. But Mike was no longer affected by her charm. It was Selene's face he wanted to see, staring at him with the sultry look she was now giving him. Not wanting to be rude, especially to a beautiful woman like her, Mike managed a small smile for her sake.

"It's nothing, Princess. I'm just mesmerized by your beauty," he replied in a soft voice. But in his heart he wondered if she really believed his half-hearted attempt at seduction. She seemed to believe him, for she leaned closer to him, her breath warm on the cheek of his head.

"Then let me taste your voice," she whispered seductively and tried to kiss him. But Mike turned his face away, laughing out loud. Then, in a practiced move, he wrapped his arms around her back, holding her close but not giving her a chance to kiss him. He had never used this technique on a beautiful woman like Amy, usually he used it to protect himself from kissing women he didn't want. Still, he didn't really want a kiss from Amy. Maybe I was just like the man she described in her own story, he thought grimly.

Thinking he just wanted to get closer to her and not reject her, Amy snuggled up against his chest and breathed softly on his neck, no doubt trying to arouse him. But Mike quickly tried to distract her.

"Princess, Sam is beside us, just a few feet away." He said in a hurried tone.

Amy still didn't want to pull away from him, even though her lips were shadowed by his racing pulse. But what Mike noticed was not an increase in excitement, but rather his growing panic. "He's asleep," Amy whispered softly as her hands moved to open the front of his shirt, exposing the top of his muscular chest, then kissed over his pounding heart.

"Amy!" he shouted, grabbed her by the shoulders and stopped her. He saw tears filling her eyes and panic gripped him. "Wait, don't cry, please, Amy."

Although Amy's eyes were still watery, no tears fell as she looked at him with a pained expression, then turned her face away in shame, pulling away from his hold. "I'm sorry, Mike. I thought... what must you think of me?" she wailed softly, covering her face with both hands.

Mike quickly put his shirt back on, then leaned over and placed an understanding hand on her shoulder, speaking softly so as not to wake Samuel. "Princess Amy, please, don't..." he started to say in a reassuring tone as she turned to him, her sadness marking her beautiful face with a mask of grief.

"Do I displease you?" she asked in a whisper so light, even so close to him, that Mike had trouble catching her words, but when he did, he tried again to stop her tears. He didn't like to see a beautiful woman cry. It was his fault for leading her the way he had.

"You are a beautiful woman, Princess Amy. Any man would be honored to be in your presence." He tried a mixture of flattery and seduction to make her smile again.

"Do you want me then?" she asked in an expectant voice, gently grabbing the front of his shirt and looking up at him with eyes so adoring it hurt him to see them, even though it was flattering to be thought of so highly by such a beautiful woman.

Trying to let Amy down with a light touch, he said, "Our paths have crossed in different ways, my dear lady. I lead a very dangerous life - one that is neither suitable nor worthy of a fragile flower. I cannot guarantee your safety." Comfortably, he put his left arm around her shoulders and brought her to his chest, where she laid her head gently, and Mike rested his cheek in her thick black hair, smelling the floral scent that hid a darker scent he could not find and ignore.

"You're like Andrew, flirting from one woman to another," she suddenly said softly in an unpleasant voice.

Not understanding, Mike lifted his head and stared at her black, bowed head in confusion. He wanted to ask her to explain what she meant, but she had already spoken. "Warriors are supposed to be good and virtuous, yet you are all the same, perverted and evil, seeking self-gratification!" she hissed at him, and then he felt a nail drive sharply into his chest, and he stiffened at the pain it caused.

"Are you trying to trick me with your empty words as well, Sir Warrior?" Amy asked him before lifting her face to reveal eyes with pupils that were no longer round black, but round fiery red and flashing sharply. He tensed even more as his consciousness began to emerge, and his fingers clasped her shoulders painfully, which she did not seem to notice.

"You are a handsome pack warrior, just like my Andrew," she told him, her red tongue flicking out of her mouth to lick his closed lips, causing him to flinch, but she held on to him, her nails digging deeper into his chest, holding him tight.

"Die!" She growled at him, flexing her arms to drive her fingers further into his chest, but Mike was faster, reacting on instinct as he threw her away from him, retracting her claws and rising to his feet with a scream of pain.

Samuel awoke from his sleep, jumping up and yelling, "What's happening?!"

He looked from the silent and tense Mike, who held his gun in a familiar defensive posture, to Amy, and they both gasped at the transformation that was taking place before their eyes. Her once beautiful face had now turned into a hideous one, with eyes glowing with an hell-like red light color, terrifying in the dark room, pale skin, and a wicked smile. Long, tangled hair floated around her head, giving her a disorganized look. Mike could see that she had magical markings or symbols that appeared on her skin when she changed shape, giving her an even more sinister look. He also saw that what had once been a brightly colored dress was now an all-black outfit that reflected her sinister nature, such as a black cape, conical hat, and other dark accessories.

Amy growled at them, and Samuel squealed in surprise at the sight before him and jumped away from her spell attack. "Mike! What's going on?!"

Jumping back, away from the deadly dark magic, he gave Samuel a quick look before answering. "Princess Amy is the dark witch she warned herself about earlier! There are no rogues or witches after her, but she is the witch!"

Then Amy continued trying to cast her spell when she let out a terrible scream and punched Mike hard in the side, sending him sliding into the wall and through to the other side, the rotting wood unable to withstand the impact.

"Mike!" Samuel yelled, worried about his friend. He saw Mike cough and rise to his feet in pain, an arm wrapped around his ribs, and Samuel knew he had been hurt.

"Run, Sam!" he cried, but it was too late. The deadly spell struck and slammed into the man's body, throwing him out and through the only window into the darkness of the night beyond. "Damn you, you evil witch!" Mike shouted angrily at the dark witch, who just laughed viciously at his anger before taking a deep breath.

He felt a strong premonition that compelled him to act. Without thinking, he lunged through the broken window, cutting himself on the sharp glass and falling to the ground as flames licked at the shattered window. In a state of pain, he got up from the ground littered with broken glass, his eyes focused on Samuel, who lay unconscious a few feet from where he was. He quickly ran to Samuel and carefully carried him to safety as the walls exploded, sending rocks flying and falling heavily to the ground.

Meanwhile, an evil witch who used to be Amy emerged from the ruins, her eyes glittering as she looked around carefully. However, her eyes suddenly fell on Mike, who immediately waved his hands to taste the air. His face was full of determination to fight.

He put Samuel away from the impending battle and reached for the weapon in his hand that sealed his fate. "I will destroy you with the destructive power of the Moon Goddess!" He prepared to unleash a terrible wind of destruction that could devour the witches. But the evil woman reached into the sleeve of her black robe and tossed a cylindrical object into the air. From the inside of it, large, familiar insects began to emerge from a small nest.

"Destroy them!" He shouted in amazement as the insects appeared. But he soon realized that the battle wasn't over. He gave the evil witch a sharp look. "You work for Nathaniel! Tell me where he is and I'll give you a quick death."

"You think you can defeat me?" the witch growled, letting out a terrible wail that made him feel uncomfortable.

"Answer me!" He demanded loudly, reaching into his jacket for a sharp knife.