003 - No Decency

ALTHEA.

“Have you got no decency?” I shrieked at him. “You hideous creature! Get that thing off my face!”

“Can you fucking calm down! I’m a shifter! Nakedness doesn’t bother me!”

“'I'm not a shifter and I don’t go around naked or see naked people around me!”

“If you’re not fucking aware, I can see your breasts and your pussy but I don’t act as if it’s the end of the fucking world!” He scoffed. 

I hissed before I swam to the nearest rocks and hid part of my body before I spoke. “Again, leave.” 

I had no idea if I was disappointed he saw my private parts or because he was simply ignoring that he saw them while I was so affected by his nakedness.

“Are you a witch? I need to speak with the witch of the red mountain." He ignored my words again. 

“I don’t have time to answer your question!”

"Oh, come on, little mermaid! Just answer my question, and I’ll be out of your hair!”

I glared at him but didn’t answer. I motioned with my hands, and my clothes shot up in the air and landed in my grip.

I saw his eyebrows raise, but I was already squeezing myself behind the big stone so he wouldn’t see me while I put on my clothes until I heard a loud splash in the water.

My head peered from where I was hiding, and I saw the big man swimming gracefully. 

His body was covered with tattoos and scars, but I would say it suited his build and his rugged look. He was rather attractive, unlike the men I would see in the city with their baggy pants and chains hanging around their waists.

I kept staring and studying his features that I didn’t notice that he had swam across the water and ended up in front of me.

"Now that you are decent and my cock is hidden under the water, are you free to talk with me now? Where can I find the witch of the red mountain?”

I glared at him before I answered. “Eight kilometers to the east.”

“Is she there alone? Or are there any other witches there with her?"

“Alone.” 

“Okay. Does she live in a hut or in a cave?”

I rolled my eyes at him as I pulled my hair into a ponytail. “Under the ground.”

“What do you mean? Is it an underground cave?”

“Six feet under the ground. She’s dead. When I found her, she was already dead. I hadn’t perfected lifting a body in the air then, and she was too heavy to carry, so instead, I dug the earth with my hands and my magic for hours until I got the perfect hole where I could place her body. The witch you’re looking for is dead! Now that you have your answer, you are free to leave.” I said it in one breath and found my body shaking as I fought my tears.

I had never spoken to anyone about her death or the agony of the days after. Although saying it now didn’t take away the pain, I felt a burden lifted from my shoulders.

The big man opened his mouth and closed it immediately. His face softened but was gone in a split second, and the cold demeanor returned. 

We stared at each other in silence before he turned around and swam to the other side of the lagoon. 

I didn’t look at him anymore as I jumped over the stones until I got to the ground and began walking in fast strides.

I was already preparing the chants in my head to shield me from being sensed, but even if I were, I didn’t do anything.

I had no idea why.

I kept walking until I heard footsteps behind me.

“You should leave. It’s dangerous out here.” I told him.

“I live for the danger. I want to ask more questions.”

“Go ask someone else. I don’t have time for you.”

“I’ll wait until you make time for me.”

“What do you want? The witch you are looking for is dead.” I was still walking ahead of him, and I knew he could definitely catch up on my steps, but he chose to remain behind me. It should be a red flag, but for some reason, I was not even worried he would strike me or do something devious behind my back.

Oh, spirits! I think living in isolation made me so careless that I would entertain anyone who wanted to speak with me. 

“I presume you are a witch, too. I need your help, especially if you know something about the demon realm and about reaching out to someone from the dead.”

My ears perked up. I stopped and turned around, making him halt as well. He had his clothes on, but I could see the bulk of his muscles perfectly. And despite having a rugged get-up and a scowly face, he was really good-looking. 

“What do you want to know about the demon world?” I asked. The demon realm has always interested me. “And who do you want to reach out to from the grave?”

“My mate. She died, but I didn’t get to tell her many things.” His whole aura changed and the arrogant man I saw earlier just disappeared and was replaced by a man with a defeated soul. 

“What you want is against the rules of nature. No one should disturb the veil between the living and the souls of the dead.” I told him in a calm tone. 

I had no idea why pain struck my heart. Was I hurting on his behalf, or was there something more? 

“Have you not done it before?” He asked.

“I’m not a dark witch, and I have no plans to be one.” I turned my body around and walked away again. 

“How about the demon world?”

“If you think conquering the demon world means you get to see the soul of a bereaved one, then you’re wrong. The underworld only held rotten souls, the unrepentable, and the outcasts of the other realms. Unless your mate is a rotten soul, you will never find her there.”

“I have a different request about the demon world, and I think it’s safer if we go to your place so no one can overhear us if we discuss it.” He answered.

“I don’t trust you.” 

“If you didn’t trust me, you would have walked away, and yet you keep answering all my questions. Or was I too attractive that you couldn’t stop yourself from entertaining me?”

I stopped in my tracks, disgusted at the arrogance in his words, and before I could stop myself, I was spewing rude words at him already. “Aren’t you arrogant? Me fancying you? Look at you! I bet even in the dark, you’re still hideous.”

“Aren’t you fucking rude?”

“No, I’m just plain stupid. I should be walking away now, but for some reason, I keep answering your questions.”

“Do you know why?” He asked and the arrogant smirk was back on his face.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.” 

“Do witches have mates?”

“Like werewolves?” I chuckled sarcastically. “No, thanks spirits!”

“What’s with the sarcasm?”

“You have a heart. Why rely on a mate bond to fall for someone?” I asked, crossing my arms across my chest. “Probably because shifters are the most indecisive and arrogant creatures on this earth. Every so-called alpha male wants all the females on their feet, so your goddess needs to coil ropes around your neck to…”

I was not able to finish my words when his hand cupped my jaw.

“Enough!” He growled, and my reflexive instinct was activated, and before I knew it, I had let out an energy and knocked him away from me. 

His body flew and his back slammed on a tree with a loud thud, but he was able to balance himself and remain standing. 

“Don’t you dare hold me again!” I felt heat rising from my body as my chest heaved. 

He just looked at me with an amused expression, and it annoyed me more.

“Leave!” I said one more time before turning my back on him.

I had already taken a few steps when his voice reached me and made me stop in my tracks.

“You’re my mate, little witch.” It was loud as if he roared. “The Goddess decided to coil my neck with an invisible rope and tie me up with a witch for a second chance mate.”

It took a while before his words sank in. 

I knew things about wolves, especially about the mate bond. My mother talked about them a lot and about one couple she knew that were fated mates, and even the king of the demons was not able to separate them. 

But I had never heard of second chance mates. He must be bluffing — just his way of getting information from me, and that was a real cruel joke. 

I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. I wanted to lash out in anger, but instead, I decided to walk away.