CHAPTER 21

                                    

                                          
"Explain," I say when we're all seated.
"As I said, I'm a witch, and I'm here to help you enter vampire territory," Ekaterina says.
"I got that part, but I don't understand why you would help us. If anything, you shouldn't want to help the werewolf King's mate find her mother." 
"I know a normal witch won't, but I'm not just any witch. I'm a witch who is alive because of the werewolf King."
"Tell me how that's possible."
"I saved her from near-death," Nate says, being vague.
"Really? You saved a witch?" I ask, surprised he did. His Mom hated witches, so I assumed she must've passed down her hatred before she died. 
"It's surprising, right?" Ekaterina says, smiling. 
"Yes, it's shocking given that his mother is the reason witches and werewolves everywhere don't get along."
"Yes, but Nathaniel doesn't hate witches. Or he didn't when he met me."
"So, he hates witches, but he doesn't hate you? You just called him by his name. You two must be really close." 
"Yes, we are," Ekaterina says, smiling at Nate, and he returns the smile. 
"Are you lovers?" I ask, seeing the way he smiled at her and needing to know.
"No, we aren't. I could never date Nathaniel," Ekaterina says. 
"What's wrong with Nate? Not good enough for you?" I say, coming to Nate's defense, not caring that I'm even drifting from the topic at hand.
"I didn't mean it that way. I see Nathaniel as a brother."
"How is that possible?"
"I'll tell you the story of how we met so that you can understand everything," she offers.
"That would really be helpful," I say, grateful.
"I was on the run because my queen wanted to kill me for my special abilities. While running for my life, I stumbled into werewolf territory. By then, Nate's mother was dead, and werewolves and witches were full on enemies. But Nathaniel didn't care. All he saw was a little girl barely alive, and he wanted to save her. So he did. That's why I'm forever in debt to him."
"Wow! That's amazing." I don't have words to describe how shocked I am by what Nate did. If he could be so kind as to save a witch, I wonder why he can't be nice to me.
"I understand how you feel. Since we've cleared that up, I can explain how I'm going to help you enter vampire territory."
"Please," Nate says.
"Like werewolves, vampires can smell other species. I'm going to create a spell to make you look and smell like vampires."
"Wow, you can do that?" I know witches can do a lot of things, but I didn't think they could do that.
"Yes, with one little problem. The spell only lasts for six hours."
"I don't think that'll be a problem. We should be out of vampire territory by then."
"Actually, we won't," Nate says.
"Why?" I ask. I don't see why six hours won't be enough every day to search for Mom inside vampire territory.
"We're not going in directly. We have to go in unnoticed. It'll take us about half a day before we enter vampire territory. Then we can talk of searching the city inside," Nate replies.
"Really? Half a day? Why do we have to go that way? Won't Ekaterina's spell be enough to make us look and smell like vampires so we can go in unnoticed?"