Hi! I just wanted to say that Wattpad is acting up a bit on my end and I'm finding minor errors in the text here and there which isn't my doing (words mixed up etc.) It is like they are popping out of nowehere!. With that said, there is probably some errors which I have missed and am the creator of! Please do tell me if you see something really strange and I will try and correct it immediately! 

Hugs Jenny!

-Keegan-

The sight of Cara taking on Kay almost made Keegan burst into laughter, but he managed to control himself. Unlike Fergus whom had burst into laughter right in front of everyone. The look on Kay's face had been the absolute best one Keegan had seen 'til this day.

Cara was blushing because of how he had praised her for giving Kay what she deserved. They shared a silent but exhilarating look before he remembered that all of his friend could still see them, and was likely waiting for him to properly introduce Cara. 

"Who are all of these people?" She asked hesitantly as they approached the group of people scattered in the grass. Her steps slowed down somewhat when she seemed to realize how many they were. 

"It is alright. They are friends of mine." Keegan answered her. "Some of them at least." 

"Who isn't-" 

"Kayleigh." He interrupted and nodded towards the she-devil that had entered the lake again. A confused expression flew over Cara's face. "What?" 

"Is she not a friend?" Cara enunciated the word 'friend', flashed was trying to memorize it as she mimicked him.

"No, I would not call her that." Keegan answered darkly. 

"Why not?" She urged him and threw a concerned look at Kay as she dove into the water. 

"It is a long story." He muttered elusive and not wanting to explain what sort of person Kay was, or what she mostly wanted from him and his friends. He didn't want to talk about Kay at all if it was up to him. "Let's just say that if she does not get what she wants, she ruins things for others." Keegan muttered. 

Cara nodded slowly. He waited for her to ask him to repeat himself since it appeared as if she hadn't fully understood him, but she never did. 

"Keegan." John greeted him as they reached the group. 

He was sitting in the grass with one elg crossing the other and his arms supporting his upper body. The vulgar stare in his eyes quickly found Cara and they lingered on her. Ate her up. Only because she was someone new to look at, and the fact that she was breathtakingly beautiful. Keegan suppressed his urges to growl at John for ogling Cara so indiscreetly.

"John." He said his friend's name darkly as to wake him from whatever trance he was currently in. John's eyes only temporarily left Cara, but as soon as he had met Keegan's gaze, they were back to staring at her. 

"Are you not going to introduce us?" John chuckled and got to his feet. You already know who she is... you saw her at the tavern. Keegan growled mentally and watches as John readjusted his clothes to look a little cleaner. He then reached his hand out to Cara. She took it and it almost looked like she did it without thinking and shook John's.

"I think you just did it yourself." Keegan growled underneath his breath and inhaled deeply through his nose,  making his chest grow somewhat. He locked eyes with John and wasn't happy about what he found in them; complete and utter provocation as they met his, but impure intentions as they returned to Cara. "Cara." He said coarsely and exhaled. "This is John. John, this is Cara." 

"Pleasure." John purred and went to place a kiss on her hand, but to Keegan's joy, she withdrew her hand and shot John an amused look. 

"No thank you." She said and laughed kindly while waving her finger in front of him. John, so taken by her reaction to his advances, let out a surprised laughter as well to save face. However, Keegan could read in his eyes that he hadn't expected to be turned down in this manner, and it pleased Keegan. Enormously.

-Cara-

This 'John' stared at her for a second or two, stunned by her comment. She hadn't meant any offense by rejecting him, but neither did she want him to kiss her hand like that. A handshake was more than enough for their first meeting. 

"Alright." John said and cleared his throat. "Come and meet the others." He said, trying to recover from their first meeting. Keegan followed John and she him. 

"Fucking brilliant." She heard Keegan chuckle underneath his breath when John turned his back to them. Cara pouted her lips trying not to smirk and pretended like she hadn't heard him. 

John led them to the group. Fergus and John sat down and it was then Cara noticed Jared, whom was already sitting down in the grass. He gave her a polite nod and then returned to what he was doing; which was nothing. 

"Well, you already know that one." Keegan told her and pointed at Jared. Cara smiled faintly. 

"Who is that, out in the water with Kay?" She asked him quietly and looked over her shoulder at the guy in the lake. 

"Ronan." Keegan answered and looked just to be sure. "His name is Ronan." 

"Are they...?" She asked but didn't finish her sentence. Keegan easily picked up on what she wanted to know; if they were an item.  

"No." He chuckled quietly. "No, no one is with Kay." The last part he said very quietly and a hit condescending. "She isn't that type of girl." He explained. Cara narrowed her eyes. 

"What do you mean?" She asked him. What she actually wanted to ask him 'What is that supposed to mean?', but her skills in his language was still not good enough. 

"Let's just say that Kay does what - and whomever - she wants." Keegan answered.

Okay, she might not be my favorite person but who is he to judge her for doing whatever the fuck she wants? Or whomever?

"And?" Cara asked. It obviously shocked Keegan because he blinked in confusion and then watched her in silence, looking for whatever answer she had wanted to hear. 

"Feeling more relaxed today, Ember?" Jared suddenly called out to Keegan. Cara shot him an amazed but worried look, she forgot about Kay for a moment.

What is his game? She wondered and hoped Keegan could be able to control his temper. Although she wasn't putting her hopes up. It seemed like these two's relationship was built on crude jokes,  embarrassing each other and roughhousing. So, it didn't come as a shock when she saw every shred of self control pour off Keegan like water.

"Breathe." She told him, bit her lower lip and grimaced, but it was too late. His beautiful green eyes had turned dark when he had understood that Jared was trying to let their friends in on what had happened in the woods. 

Yeah... Jared is dead. She concluded when Keegan turned towards the idiot.

"Well?" He urged Keegan. A smug look appeared on his face and it made Cara roll her eyes. "Did you get some release?" 

He really has no survival instincts. Why does he have to provoke him at every opportunity that shows itself? Does he have an actual death wish? She groaned mentally and watched Keegan slowly roll his shoulders back. Oh, he is ready to go... Better run, Jared. 

She pumped her eyebrows at the guy who was about to beg for mercy. Jared just managed to catch her signal as she mouthed the word 'run' to him. He frowned. However, he wasn't quick enough when he understood that she was warning him, Keegan was already on his way over to him. Cara closed her eyes, pressed her lips together, pinched the bridge of her nose and said a prayer  in her mind.

"Suit yourself." She mumbled and watched as her own personal brute flew at Jared. This time it wasn't as aggressive as when Jared had interrupted them in the woods, but Keegan still ruthlessly wrestled his friend to the ground.

"Hey! No! You fucking arsehole!" Jared exclaimed as he was dodging slaps and punches left and right. "Watch my nose!" 

The others watched, clearly entertained,  and didn't lift so much as a finger to help Jared or break off the fight.

"A little help, you idiots?" Jared groaned.

"You are on your own." Fergus chuckled darkly. "I've lost against Ember more than I want to admit."

John and Fergus laughed and let the brawl before them go on.

"Again?" Cara turned to her left when she recognized Kay's voice. "Is this all you two do?" She called out after Keegan and Jared as they tumbled. She walked past Cara, but not without catching Cara's shoulder with her own in a rather hard collision. It was obvious that she was trying to mark her territory and it made Cara explode immediately. 

"Watch it!" She snarled in English and immediately covered her mouth when she heard the words leave her. This definitely wouldn't help her reputation. Forget about Jared... I am the one without instincts. You idiot! 

Out of nowhere, the guy named Ronan passed her as well and walked over to John and Fergus. 

Kay turned around in a gasp, gaining the others' attention. Cara looked at Keegan and Jared who were still at each other's throats. Jared noticed the change of tension in the group by accident and stopped moving when he met Cara's distraught gaze. He patted Keegan quickly on the back and whispered something when he saw that everyone was staring at Cara. The brawl immediately stopped and they both stood on their feet within seconds. 

"Did you hear that?" Kay asked Ronan, Fergus and John with a pale face. Ronan shrugged his shoulders, jot having heard Cara, but the other two nodded and their eyes narrowed. "What in the Gods' names was that?" 

"What now?" Keegan asked and made his way back to Cara. He pulled his hand through his tousled red hair on his way. 

 "What do you mean 'what now'?" Kay hissed. "Did you not just hear her?" Keegan shook his head, he hadn't but he knew something was wrong. 

"Hear what?" Jared stepped in with a tone that indicated that whatever the fuss was about, it wasn't worth worrying about. Cara relaxed slightly. Perhaps Kay would let it go if Jared would back Keegan up. She just wasn't sure how they were going to fix this hiccup of hers, without it seeming like they were hiding something. 

"She said something... and it wasn't in the common tongue." Fergus filled them both in as they tried to defuse the situation. 

"No, she speaks another language as well." Keegan explained simply but Cara saw how he panicked a little. "What of it?" Fergus and John seemed to buy the explanation, but Kay didn't. Ronan was quiet.

"What language is that, then?" Kay snapped back at him while he placed himself next to Cara. "It sure as hell isn't one I've heard before." Cara felt her heart race when she only picked up on half of the words being shot at Keegan. What was she saying to him?!

"It is called English." He retorted and gave Kay a sharp look. "Where would you have heard a different language? You've never left Tranmere in your life." 

-Keegan- 

"English?" Kay almost spat the word out at him. "Are we supposed to believe that?"

"English." Cara answered Kay and moistened her lips. Kay shot Cara a venomous look, telling her that she wasn't speaking to her. "I should leave." She whispered to Keegan without taking her eyes of Kay. 

"No." He answered her. "That will only make it worse."

Is that even possible?

"Kay, relax." Jared muttered and tilted his head to the side. "You got what you wanted; everyone is looking and listening to you. Now leave her be."

Silence fell over the group for a long moment. But Keegan could see the mistrust linger in his friends' eyes. He was about to say something when Kay opened her mouth again.

"Rumor has it that there's a witch in Tranmere." Kay stated and he became cold all over. A rumor was all it would take to destroy everything. For him, Cara and his family. True, or false, rumors could be the end even for the most honest man. They spread worse than wildfire and was just has difficult to control.

Looks where thrown in Cara's direction. Keegan wanted to kill Kay. She truly did ruin everything for everyone else if she didn't get her way. And in this instance, her way was getting to Keegan and now she was trying to turn the others on Cara. He also suspected her of being upset for having to share the amount of attention she craved for herself. 

"The only witch here is you, and that poisonous tongue of yours." Jared retaliated. A round of quiet chuckles went through the group but Keegan and Cara was dead silent. He was relieved and very grateful for his friend's quick thinking in trying to redirect the attention back to Kay. He just wasn't sure if this would be enough to keep the others from believing that Cara was a witch. 

"It is true." Kay argued and looked in Cara's direction. "The old man down the road, past the Embers, told my mother." She continued. "He also told him that he had taught this one the common tongue, for coin." Keegan placed himself slightly closer to Cara and shot Kay the darkest of looks. She didn't even flinch, but he could read in her eyes that she was about to achieve exactly what she wanted; a shunning of Cara. No matter the price.

"How was she supposed to learn the common tongue then?" Jared retaliated once more.

"This is utter horse shite!" John objected out of the blue. "There are no witches." He said reassuringly. The others, except Kay, agreed with him and started making fun of Kay for bringing it up in a short series of comments.

Keegan shot Jared a concerned look. His friend exuded calmness and reassured Keegan that as long as Kay didn't directly accuse Cara, it was anyone's guess. Even though she would be everyone's first guess.

"All I know is that someone is suspected of being one." Kay argued, holding her hands up in front of herself. "And it is not me." Her eyes once again landed on Cara, and it made Keegan's heart stop. 

"Then who is it?" Keegan snarled in return.

"No one knows." Kay answered. "But one could always take a guess." She said, crossing her arms. "After all, there is someone new among us." She said quietly and pointed with her elbow towards Cara. The others watched Cara, but they didn't look convinced. Not yet at least.

"So you're full of shite then, as usual?" Jared tried to redirect the negative attention back towards Kay again and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're truly out of your mind! You truly will do anything for attention! Are you seriously accusing the first girl Keegan finds - even the slightest - interesting of being a witch? Is it because you can't have him?" 

Keegan watched as Cara's opponent's eyes turned panicked when she lost control over the situation. She had been certain that the others would do the rest of the work for her it seemed, and now that they didn't believe her; her whole facade crumbled. 

"I don't want Ember!" She scoffed and rolled her eyes at them. 

"Jared is right! This is typical you!" Fergus suddenly chimed in and pointed at Kay. "Our Kayleigh is jealous that she is not the only girl here anymore."

Keegan swallowed and released his latest breath. He threw a look down at Cara and noticed that he had unconsciously placed his right arm around her waist. She leaned against his torso as his friends slowly started to forget what they had just been talking about and the attention of the group shifted from her to Kay. 

That was too close.

.  .  .

About an hour later, it was only Cara and Keegan left. Just as he had intended when he had asked her if she wanted to come with him. Fergus and John had tried their best in making Cara come with them. They asked her to come to the tavern with them, but Jared had stepped in once again. He had reminded them both about Keegan's mother and what she would do to them if anything happened to Cara on their watch. 

"Better it be that brute on the receiving end of his mother's scoldings and pinches!" He had told the others while winking at Keegan. He is used to it! The other two had been disappointed, but hadn't objected and then left. Kay was the first one to leave, and she had barely said a word when she did.

Keegan watched Cara in secret. Now that they were finally alone, he didn't have to worry about the others seeing him. Now he just had to make sure she didn't notice it. She was sitting quite close but not close enough so that he could reach out and touch her without risking a very awkward rejection if she didn't want be near him. 

"Your friends are... nice." She suddenly said and he instantly turned his eyes towards the lake, pretending like he hadn't been watching her. 

"They can be, some days." He said and licked the inside of his cheek slowly. "Today was not one of those days." His comment caused her to laugh quietly and it was like music to his ears.  

"Kay is-" 

"There is no words for that one." He groaned and it caused her to laugh again. When her laughter had died out he caught her looking at him. To his surprise, she didn't look away when their eyes met. 

"They were not meant to be here, were they?" She asked him with warmth in her voice. 

"No..." Keegan admitted and kept looking into her eyes. "I wanted to..." He turned silent when he wasn't quite comfortable in being this honest with her yet. Or rather, he wasn't up for being rejected by her. Not until he was sure he had mended what he had destroyed. He averted his eyes when the words failed him and he couldn't explain what he wanted to tell her. It was so frustrating that they had come so far, only to take three steps back because he was an idiot that wanted to calm his mother down.

"I know." Cara whispered softly. Keegan looked at her again. A timid but kind smile spread across her lips. "I know you wanted to be alone with me." 

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I hope you liked this chapter! 

Much love, 

Jenny