Almeru lost his mind.
Or at least that’s what Matthew told her. In response, Ava just smiled and told him it was nothing but a dream. Who would have thought that Almeru’s head would be so... weak?
Because of that, the issue just died down.
Later Ava was informed that Almeru didn’t lose his mind. He just... experienced some problems in his body and is now in pain... every night.
No one knew what it was. Many assumed it was a curse but no one could find anything. Matthew assured her it was fine and that he had already taken care of everything behind the scenes.
But Ava didn’t think it would be that easy.
How could a prestigious family allow their heir to suffer like that?
"Coffee?" Ava handed Matthew the cup of coffee the moment he arrived at the office. This was a part of the deal. Business was business. And they needed to be professional. At least around everyone else.
Ava smiled when he accepted the coffee without saying anything. "You have a meeting with the VP of operations at one. And a site visit at three. Mr. Calida gave me the files that you need to sign it’s already on your table." She followed him towards the executive elevator.
"What time did you come in?" Matthew asked. The man walked inside the building at ten in the morning.
"Eight."
"Early..."
"What can I say? You hired a hard worker."
Matthew snorted and just as the door closed, he pulled her towards him. His large frame enveloped her.
"We’re not having sex inside this space," Ava said curtly. But the smile on Matthew’s face only widened. "Hey! I’m serious."
"I know."
"Then let me go."
"I won’t."
"This is... a professional environment."
"You set those rules. That doesn’t necessarily mean I agreed to follow them?"
"You— "
Seeing her frown, Matthew chuckled. He leaned down and kissed her long brown hair that she curled just this morning. Then he let her go.
Ava cleared her throat. True. She set those rules.
But that was only because she didn’t want any more rumors. The fact that she ’Assaulted’ a coworker was already all around the building. Maybe even the man cleaning the windows knew about it. Still, she was thankful that her trillium background was once again kept a secret.
Ava heard that the people who heard her that day were forced to do an oath to keep a promise. Marko must have done something to that ex-board member as they never mentioned him again. As for the head of HR? She’s still here... and well... she still sent Ava a glare every time she saw her.
But Ava didn’t care.
"Anyway, Baba asked me about the thing that you did," Matthew asked. "She asked me... what happened?"
"What happened?" Ava frowned. "I don’t understand."
"The exchange..."
"Exchange?" Ava snorted. "What exchange?"
"The law of equivalent exchange. For witches."
"I know about that law Matthew but why are you asking me those things?"
Matthew looked at her for a few seconds before he shrugged. "Don’t mind it then."
Ava nodded. It had been a week since that happened. She was surprised that it took Baba this long to ask about it. The law of equivalent exchange. It is said that a witch needed to exchange something to create a large-scale magick. For instance, a witch could sacrifice half of her life to create a storm that could sink an entire ship. A witch could sacrifice the color of her hair to heal a dying person.
The exchange should be equal.
But Ava wondered why they were bringing it up now. Did something happen? She couldn’t help but ask herself.
The two of them walked inside Matthew’s office.
"For lunch... should I just order something?"
"Ah... I want that taco..." Matthew said.
Almost immediately, she looked at Matthew. Taco? She started thinking about him eating... tacos.
For some reason, she could feel her cheeks turn hot. "Alright... tacos." She uttered before leaving Matthew’s office. It’s only been a week and honestly? Ava liked working like this.
Sorting emails and answering calls didn’t sound as challenging as chasing criminals around but... she quite liked it. It might sound boring but the quiet environment was something that she liked.
She went to her cubicle just outside of Matthew’s office and started doing some admin tasks. Around noon, she went down to get some tacos.
And that was when Ava noticed it.
She frowned when she felt two... shifters following her. But she continued walking. The streets of downtown Anchorage were a little crowded. It was daytime and there were a lot of people around her. She knew those people won’t just attack her and risk exposing themselves.
After a few seconds, Ava turned towards an alley with fewer people. The thought of being followed honestly irked her. She just wasn’t the type to wait around for these people to attack her. It is still best to confront them first.
"Show yourself..." Ava mumbled. "If not..."
*BAM!*
Before Ava could process what just happened, another bam echoed. She felt her body float in the air before she slammed into an... iron wall.
"Fucking witch..." a deep voice echoed. Despite this, Ava couldn’t see its source.
Ava cursed as she tried to get up. Her arms hurt and she might have broken her finger. "Who the fuck are you?" she used the iron wall to guard her back as she looked to her left and right. None.
No one was there.
Was it a witch?
No. Ava was certain it was a shifter. She could hear that zip zapping sound somewhere.
*BAM!*
This time Ava was able to avoid it on instinct. However, she still fell on the wet and muddy road.
"What the— "
"They said you were strong..." a mocking voice suddenly echoed inside the alley. It was a hoarse voice of a woman. "I guess you were only strong to... some people."
"Show yourself!" Ava snapped her finger as she created a shield around her.
"A shield wouldn’t work bitch..." the hoarse voice said. This time, Ava’s expression grew serious.
The shifter was fast. There was only one type of shifter that could be this fast. A werecheetah!
They said werecheetahs were one of the greatest assassins in the world because of their speed and agility. Not only that, it would be very hard to detect their presence.
"Hm?" Ava’s thoughts were halted when the zip zapping sound suddenly disappeared?
*THUD!*
*THUD!"
Two bodies suddenly fell in front of Ava.
"Huh?"
One male, one female. African American, lean and tall.
The werecheetahs?
"Who— "
"The least you could do is thank this old man for saving you."
Ava turned towards the entrance of the alley where an old man wearing an all-gray suit appeared. He had a benign smile on his face as he walked toward Ava.
"You— "
Before Ava could say a word, the old man threw a long rifle toward Ava.
"I know you are strong but not many witches could avoid a gun with this caliber. It could have hurt you... if not kill you." The way the man talked immediately reminded Ava of Baba. It was slow and languid. He sounded relaxed.
"Then?" the man stood in front of Ava and smiled. "Where’s my thank you?"
"Who are you?" Ava asked instead.
"I’ve had many names."
Ava stared at the old man’s wizened face. She found the old man familiar. But she was confident that she hadn’t seen this old man before. "You are a Shaman?" Ava asked.
"Impressive!" The man’s eyes widened. "Not many people could tell that I am one of those Shamans that people hate."
"Hate?" Most witches are either scared of shamans or admire them. This was because of Shaman’s eccentric personality. But not many people hate them. Of course, you can’t really hate someone that you haven’t even met, right? Ava slowly calmed down. Still, she didn’t remove her shield. "Thanks for saving me," Ava said.
"Ah? You actually thanked me?" the man asked almost sarcastically.
"I didn’t know that the other one was using a gun."It could have been dangerous. Since she was distracted by the other shifter. She glanced at the two bodies in front of her. "You didn’t kill them." She said.
"I have no reason to."
Ava nodded. "Ah... right." The man must be one of those eccentrics who hid themselves in the forest and refused any witch contact. Of course, they still go to marketplaces or towns to survive. In short, this man must be a passerby! Still, Ava didn’t lower her guard down. freewebnσvel.cøm
Shamans were powerful people and she... she didn’t have any confidence that she could run away if she fought against this man.
"Then... thank you. I am on my way to buy some tacos. I could buy you one... as thanks." Ava said.
The man stared at her. He looked surprised and amused at the same time. Then he burst into a puddle of laughter.
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