SCT-Novel Chapter 494 Ann’s Return
Chapter 494 Ann’s Return
The rest of the night passed quietly.
After the chaos, after the blood, after buildings got torn apart and the streets turned into a battlefield, the silence that followed almost felt unreal. Most of the werewolves stayed outside cleaning up while others guarded the surroundings carefully in case the vampires decided to return.
Then Sarah arrived.
Liam finally got to witness the witch properly this time.
She stepped out of a black car wearing a long dark coat that reached almost to her knees, her hair tied loosely behind her back while her calm eyes scanned the destruction around her. Compared to the chaos surrounding them she looked strangely relaxed, like someone arriving late to fix a small inconvenience instead of an entire neighborhood being turned into ruins.
At first Liam honestly thought Irina exaggerated about the reversal spell.
Then Sarah started chanting.
The ground itself reacted.
Symbols spread across the streets glowing faintly blue under the night sky while the air turned strangely heavy. Liam watched cracks in the road slowly begin closing themselves. Rubble moved backward unnaturally. Broken walls reformed piece by piece like time itself was rewinding.
Destroyed houses rebuilt themselves.
Glass fragments flew backward into windows.
Burn marks vanished.
Blood disappeared.
The whole thing looked insane.
Even Liam who had already seen monsters, vampires and impossible powers still found himself staring.
It felt wrong watching destruction reverse itself.
Like reality itself was bending.
Lana stood beside him quietly while watching Sarah work. Even she looked impressed despite already knowing about the spell.
Within less than an hour the entire place looked untouched again.
No signs of battle.
No signs of death.
Nothing.
By the time everything settled down the exhaustion from the fight finally started catching up to him heavily. His body healed fast but that did not erase the strain Alexander put him through.
So eventually he and Lana left the mansion and returned to their hotel.
Anya also left quietly for another hotel nearby after Liam made sure she was settled safely.
The moment Liam entered the room he barely even spoke. He showered quickly while Lana teased him about looking like he got run over by a truck. After that he dropped onto the bed feeling like every muscle in his body weighed ten times heavier.
The fight with Alexander replayed in his head one last time before sleep completely swallowed him.
He did not even know how long he had been sleeping.
It could have been hours.
Maybe half the day.
All he knew was that suddenly a sharp ray of sunlight pierced directly into his eyes making him groan instantly.
"Ughh... close it Lana..."
His voice came out rough and half dead from sleep as he buried his face deeper into the pillow.
But instead of closing the curtains the person there pulled them even wider.
Sunlight flooded the room completely.
Liam furrowed his brows hard and grabbed another pillow beside him before slamming it over his head.
Then suddenly the entire bed bounced violently.
"Hey!"
Liam nearly rolled off completely from the impact.
Still half asleep he tried opening his eyes properly but the sunlight made him squint hard. Then he smelled it.
Shampoo.
Perfume.
A very familiar scent.
His brows furrowed slightly.
That wasn’t Lana.
No way.
He opened his eyes fully this time and turned around quickly.
Then froze.
Ann stared right back at him with the biggest smile on her face.
For a second Liam genuinely thought he was still dreaming.
She looked different.
Still ridiculously beautiful.
Still the same Ann that could steal attention the moment she walked into a room.
But now her hair had changed completely. It was fuller, curlier, wider around her shoulders giving her an even more striking look. Combined with her glowing skin and those deep eyes staring at him excitedly she honestly looked unfairly gorgeous.
Before Liam could even process anything properly Ann launched herself straight at him.
"Missed me?"
"Wai—"
Too late.
She crashed into him fully and both of them flew right off the bed together.
Boom.
Liam’s back smashed against the hard floor immediately.
"Ahhh!"
Pain shot through him instantly while Ann stayed comfortably on top of him grinning shamelessly like she had done absolutely nothing wrong.
Liam stared at her with wide eyes.
"Are you crazy?!"
Ann rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Oh please," she said casually. "I’ve watched you get thrown through buildings before. Suddenly you can’t survive a little fall?"
Liam opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Ann smirked proudly at winning the argument instantly.
Meanwhile Liam just stared at her face quietly now that she was this close.
God he missed her.
Her skin looked soft and warm under the sunlight pouring into the room. Her curly hair framed her face beautifully and her lips kept twitching like she was trying not to laugh at his expression.
She looked happy.
Really happy to see him.
And for some reason that hit him harder than expected.
A slow smile finally spread across Liam’s face.
"Come here."
Before she could react properly he suddenly wrapped both arms around her and pulled her tightly into his chest.
Ann instantly burst into laughter at first.
Then regret hit her.
Fast.
Because Liam hugged like a monster.
"Hey—"
He squeezed tighter.
"Liam—"
Tighter.
"Baby I can’t breathe!"
She forced the words out while laughing helplessly against his chest.
Liam ignored her completely.
If anything he hugged her harder on purpose.
Ann immediately realized he was taking revenge for jumping on him earlier.
"You’re doing this intentionally!"
"Mhm."
"You’re evil."
"Mhm."
"Liam seriously—"
He buried his face into her neck comfortably while still holding her hostage against him.
Ann tried pushing herself free but it was useless. His arms barely moved no matter how much she struggled.
"You smell nice," he muttered lazily.
Ann stopped resisting for a second after hearing that.
Then she smiled softly.
"I changed my shampoo."
"I noticed."
"You like it?"
"Mhm."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"That’s all you’re gonna say?"
Liam finally loosened his grip slightly before looking up at her again.
"You look beautiful."
Ann’s expression softened instantly.
Even after everything they had been through together hearing him say that still affected her badly.
She tried hiding the smile growing on her lips.
Failed completely.
Then she poked his cheek lightly.
"You look terrible."
Liam looked offended immediately.
"What?"
"You heard me," she laughed. "You look like you fought a war."
Liam stared at her silently for two seconds.
Then both of them burst out laughing together while still laying on the floor beside the bed.
Lana walked into the room a bit later carrying a small basket and a plastic bag filled with vegetables. She had her hair slightly tied back and her arms were full so much that the vegetables were almost covering her mouth as she tried to balance everything at once.
Liam, still lying on the floor with Ann half on top of him, turned his head slightly and looked at her with a lazy side glance. He squinted like he was trying to confirm what he was seeing.
"...Are those vegetables?"
Lana’s voice came out muffled from behind the bag as she shifted it slightly.
"Hey Ann, care to help me out here?"
Ann didn’t even hesitate.
"No."
She said it immediately while still comfortably wrapped around Liam like she had no intention of moving anytime soon. Her tone was flat and final like she had just been asked to do something illegal.
Lana stopped walking.
Silence.
Then she tried again, a little more dramatic this time.
"Pleaseee?"
Ann blinked at her.
Liam raised a brow, already amused.
Ann sighed loudly like she was the most burdened person in the world and finally released Liam slowly.
"Fine."
She stood up reluctantly and stretched her arms before walking over to Lana.
Lana immediately shifted the vegetables toward her and Ann took some of the load, still complaining under her breath as they both headed toward the kitchen together.
From the kitchen Lana’s voice echoed back into the room.
"I’m cooking, by the way."
Ann replied instantly.
"Why do you always want to cook like you’re trying to prove something?"
"Because I can cook."
"That’s not an answer."
Their voices faded as they moved deeper into the kitchen area and started placing things down. You could hear light clattering of bags and the fridge opening.
Liam slowly sat up on the floor with a tired expression. His body still felt heavy from everything that had happened. Even after healing, exhaustion from battle always lingered in a weird way that sleep didn’t fully fix.
He rubbed his face and sighed.
"You two have seen each other already?"
Lana shouted back from the kitchen without even looking out.
"Of course, I was at the hotel earlier."
Liam frowned slightly as he leaned back again.
"What time is it?"
There was a short pause.
Then Lana replied casually like it was nothing important.
"1pm."
Liam froze.
For a second he just stared at the ceiling like he was trying to process the betrayal of time itself.
"One... pm?"
He repeated it slowly.
He actually slept that long.
That was not rest, that was a full reset of life.
He turned his head slightly.
"Ann, where is Lilith and the rest?"
Ann, who had just come back into the room wiping her hands, shrugged.
"They had a delay. They’ll be here tomorrow."
Liam nodded slowly but still looked half dead from sleep. His body dropped back onto the bed again like gravity had personally given up on him.
"I’m sleeping again," he muttered.
Ann laughed lightly and sat at the edge of the bed watching him.
"You just woke up."
"I don’t care."
Within two minutes he had actually closed his eyes again.
But peace did not last.
Because suddenly Lana walked back into the room.
And without any warning she climbed right onto the bed.
Liam felt the mattress dip and opened one eye slowly.
"What are you doing..."
Lana didn’t answer immediately. She just shifted comfortably beside him and then lay down in a way that placed her directly against him. Not awkwardly. Not far.
Right there.
Close.
Her body pressed lightly against his chest while she rested her head in a relaxed position like she had no plans of moving anytime soon.
Liam stared at her for a second.
Then sighed through his nose like he already knew sleep was over again.
But what really got him was her outfit.
She had changed into something lighter. Just a simple singlet and shorts from what he could see. Nothing fancy. Just comfortable home wear. But the way she was lying on him made everything feel way too close, way too warm, way too distracting.
Her hair fell slightly over her shoulder as she adjusted herself and her presence filled the space around him easily.
Liam looked down at her quietly for a moment.
Then gave a faint grin.
"Are you trying to kill my sleep on purpose?"
Lana didn’t even open her eyes.
"Yes."