Abracadabra, Howls, and the Furry Guardians

Time to Suit Up

"Marika, Marika, wake up, it's time," Tate said, gently shaking her awake.

Marika jumped up from the sofa, cringing away from his touch, unsure what type of emotions he might stir up in her, and she wanted to go into this suicide mission level-headed.

Hurt crossed Tate's face for a split second, but then he wiped it away quickly with a forced smile that was even sadder in its attempt to simulate joy. It made Marika wonder if Tate had felt any joy since she entered his life, turning it upside down. Before, she only thought of herself and was so consumed in her selfishness that she didn't allow herself to realize that the encounter with her had deeply wounded Tate in more ways than one.

Yet, even with that foreknowledge, she didn't expect him to believe that she shied away from his touch because of what happened in the past. After all, she did so many things to show him she was over it. However, to a person with a guilty conscience, nothing was as clear as their own guilt.

She would need to address that more directly, but not now. For the time being, they had to focus on what was before them if there was any hope for them to survive the ordeal. And from what she had managed to eavesdrop, it seemed crucial that the two of them go there together for some incomprehensible magical reason.

"You know I wouldn't blame you if you backed out of this whole thing," Tate said, scratching his neck while shifting uncomfortably. "After everything you have been through because of the magical society, this feels like too much to ask of you, to risk your life for people who only brought you pain."

It was clear that by 'people' Tate meant himself because she was surprisingly well-treated by society, especially considering her anger outbursts. Most people didn't like her. But they didn't publicly oppose her either. She was patiently tolerated.

"Shh," Marika said, putting a finger to his lips. "I promised to do this with you, and I'm a woman of my word. I would lose all respect for myself if I failed to keep my promise."

Only after saying that did she notice how soft his lips were under her finger. Tate had one of those plump limps that just begged to be tasted, that drew attention to themselves with the perfect shape and creamy color. It didn't help that the startled look on his face made him look cuter than a serious guy like him had any right to be.

"I mean, without me there to help you out, you would be completely lost and useless," Marika said, snatching away the offending finger as if it had been burned by fire.

Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and her mouth suddenly became so dry that she had to subtly wet her lips with her tongue before she could speak. It was a feeling way too similar to how she felt when she first met him, and she didn't like that. That meant complications, and that was the last thing they needed.

Surprisingly, Flufflala didn't react to her intense emotional shift, making Marika reevaluate what emotions entailed the intervention from the magical creature. It was supposed to be an emotional support but mostly helped her control her anger. For the time being, it seemed like it mostly reacted to two emotions, anger and fear.

"That's so true," Tate said, allowing his fake laughter to echo around the room awkwardly.

"Do I need to carry anything with me?" Marika asked, looking around at the two backpacks he had ready.

"No, I got it. All you need to do is lead the way," Tate said, putting one backpack on his back and the other on his front.

He looked more like a mule than the leader of all the werewolf packs, but Marika chose not to say anything about it. Apparently, he had always had a different way of doing things because he came from the people and worked for the people. However, in this instance, Marika didn't believe that was the reason behind his chivalry. The cause was his worry about Marika and her ability to dodge danger if she was weighed down by all the different gadgets and artifacts he thought might be helpful to have with them.