Kira Marie Lauzon is a witch.

Janina Vea Suico is a witch.

Cedric Suico is a witch.

Morgan Lee Angeles is a werewolf.

And Mattheus Brent Franco is an annoyed and envious boy who has been wearing a pout on his face the entire ride.

“Does it hurt?" Morgan whispered.

“That everyone gets to play with magic except me? Yeah. It does.”

“I meant that wound on your arm.” Morgan shifted and tapped him on the head lightly. “Is that what you’re sulking about? I thought you were in pain.” It was already awkward sitting on a car ride with Kira, Cedric, and Janina. No one wanted to talk about what just happened or at least know how to start the conversation. It would all be quiet if not for Matt's groaning and pouting. "I’m just glad we got out of there alive. All of us. But I’m gonna be dead tomorrow anyway.”

“The broken guitar?”

“Greyson’s gonna kill me.”

"Well, after I tell Doc what happened tonight, especially the part where I jumped in front of a werewolf, I’m sure we’ll meet in the afterlife.” Matt sighed, perking up when they turned a street. "Wait, I kinda know this place. So the school guard's gonna be fine, right?"

"Yes!" Janina responded, annoyed by Matt's incessant talking. "How many times do I have to tell you he is going to be fine? My spells work. He's probably still frozen right now, and by the time the other guard finds him, that's only when his body will start moving again. That should give them enough time to bring him to the hospital."

"Well, forgive me if I am not accustomed to your witchy ways. For all I know, that kind of wound is a sure ticket to the mortuary. But it's good to know no one else is dying tonight. And nifty spell, removing my fingerprints from him. I'd ask how it is done, but it is not like I can do spells anyway."

"You never just shut up, do you?" Janina gave Matt a terrifying stare, but Matt was too high on adrenaline to even care. It is amazing knowing that the werewolf scratched his arm earlier, leaving fresh wounds in two lines but he knows how to apply a tourniquet for himself.

"Earlier, you seemed different? I don’t think you noticed, but you grew fangs and your eyes were not normal.” Matt whispered, finally lowering down his voice as if the others would not hear him. In fact, they all perked up when they heard the question. “It looked so cool. But are you okay? Did it hurt?”

“I don’t know," Morgan answered in a low voice, but he was sure everyone in the car could hear. “I felt different too. It was like I was about to get this power, but it wanted me to be angry first. It’s actually the same way I feel after the full moon. I wake up feeling enraged, and then I calm down soon after.”

“Is that bad?”

Morgan shrugged. "We should really get you checked out first. That’s more important right now.”

They all panicked earlier when they saw just how much Matt was bleeding. This was after Matt kept insisting that the cut wasn't that deep and he could just wrap it up and work on it as soon as he got home. Kira was adamant that he get proper help, so they jumped into Cedric's car and drove up the hills. It was far away from the hospital, but Matt already had suspicions as to where they were headed. Especially since it was Kira who had been guiding Cedric, giving directions on where to go.

They stopped by an old Victorian mansion, just as Matt expected. The tall metal fences and the large silver gates were just as beautiful as Matt remembers them—maybe just a little more reachable than the last time he was here. The wooden walls painted in maroon were still visible under the dim lighting of the night. It was even more inviting when brightened by the orange glow of the lamp lights. The gate was already open, waiting for them. Riley Sta. Maria was standing by the porch in her shimmering green satin nightgown, holding a large glass of red wine in one hand and a look of disdain on her face.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

“Somehow this is unsurprising," she said soon as Matt reared his head out of the vehicle. "Here I was, on my Grey’s Anatomy marathon, with my wine and popcorn, all relaxed. Until I get a call, now I have to play doctor, and it’s another werewolf encounter no less. Your uncle’s gonna flip when he finds out.”

“I’ll just tell him when he’s tired, and he’ll think it’s just a dream. Fancy get-up you got there. "Matt held on tighter to his wounded arm. “Castellan Mansion. Wow. How did you get in the house? Are Sightlighters trained to pick locks too? That’s so cool.”

“Excuse me. I'm no trespasser, as I am sure you are. I have their permission to stay here. The least they can do for sending me here in the south is to give me proper lodging and an internet connection. But yeah, they do teach us how to pick locks at the institution as well.”

“The Castellans? You know them. Are they magic too? Don’t tell me they are witches as well,” Matt said in disbelief. He turned to Kira who had already nodded her head in confirmation. "Seriously? Can someone please take me to my grave so I can reincarnate into my next life, please?”

Riley approached him and held her hand over Matt’s arm. Green light soon glowed from it and slowly patched up Matt’s wound as if it had never happened.

“Tell me where you wanna be buried, and I can arrange that for you.” Cedric grinned at Matt. “Nice work, Sightlighter. Not at all useless after all. We’ll leave these two here and get going. I am sure you can at least handle these two.”

Now there is the Cedric that Matt is used to.

Kira swiftly got in the middle of them before Riley could even attempt to throw a glass full of wine on Cedric’s face. “He meant to say thank you. Really, thank you, Riley. I’m glad you haven’t left town yet. There would have been a lot of questions if we took him to the hospital, so you really helped us here.”

"Oh, is that what he was trying to say? Good. I thought I heard something different coming from our golden boy.” Watching a small-statured woman go toe toe with a six-footer like Cedric is so much fun knowing that Riley is more likely to come out on top if ever a fight actually breaks out.

“Yeah, Riley. Thank you," Matt said sincerely. "And I really wanna ask how you two know each other, but I’ll just assume everybody knows everybody in the magical community.”

“Some people aren’t worth remembering, actually," Cedric chided, prompting Riley to prepare to pounce on him. It was like watching a hamster take on a mastiff.

"Okay we gotta go!" Janina shouted, pulling his brother back into the driver's seat.

"We should talk soon," Kira said. The determination in her eyes was unsettling for some reason, as if whatever it was she wanted to speak with Matt about was long overdue. She turned around with so much hesitation, maybe wondering if she should say anything more, but she didn't.

They heard a heaving sigh, and Riley had her arms wide and hands on her hips as she struck them with an exasperated look. "Something tells me this isn't the last time you'll be in trouble."

"I can guarantee that." Matt laughed as he pressed on his arm. It is all healed, though there is still a slight stinging sensation that should go away soon.

"I'll get a room prepared for you," Riley said before emptying the glass of wine in one gulp.

"Actually, can you just get us some pillows and blankets?" Matt knew where he wanted to stay instead of inside one of the guest bedrooms. "We'll just hang around the fireplace in the east wing by the conservatory. We could use the warmth." Riley hesitated for a moment, but she agreed, noting that it would be easier to wrap up without needing to do a clean-up in one of the rooms.

They quickly settled around the fireplace, just like they always do by the pyre at the mausoleum. So much had happened tonight, but they still couldn't get to sleep. Morgan is still devastated, grabbing his brother's guitar, which is now split in half after it got thrown down during the rumble. They didn't notice it at first because of everything that was happening, but Morgan knew right away, just as screwed he is, that he has been practicing what to tell his brother for an hour now.

"They're kinda being nice lately, won't you agree?" Morgan said, caressing the guitar case as if it would magically repair itself after a few more rubs. "Do you think they have a spell to fix this?"

"If they did, I think they would have used it already," Matt replied, burying his head in his arms as he lied face down on his tummy, feeling the warmth of the fire. The Castellan Mansion is just as cozy as he remembers it to be. He used to visit this house a lot during the summer when the Castellan sisters would be in town for a visit. While the adults were busy catching up with each other in the main living room, the kids would be in the conservatory with easy access to the gardens so they could play. Matt could still remember the last time the Castellans were here. All five of them—Elizabeth, Clarisse, and Faye, plus Kira and himself—had a blast playing dodgeball the entire afternoon. "I noticed it too. Their being that nice is kinda weird, I would agree."

Morgan laughed, his face full of happiness. Matt could easily tell why. He has had more interactions with Kira in the past few weeks than he has in the last few years.

"There's something, though," Morgan said, his voice shifting and sounding much more serious. "The werewolf that attacked us. It spoke to me. When it was growling, I understood it. It kept saying something. You know, break the chains. Something with Prometheus. I don't know it's weird, but I know what I heard. Maybe it's nothing or mayb—"

"You mean the Chains of Prometheus?" Matt was just about to drift off to sleep but the excitement overwhelmed him. "I know that spell!"