What if he didn’t want her? What if he just wanted the bond? What if she’d completely misinterpreted things. The silence behind her made her want to look, yet not look at the same time.
She needed to get out of there. She didn’t care if he heard her.
“Melody?” called out a voice to her right, and she turned her head to see Justin standing there, Jaynie running her hands over him possessively and smirking at her.
“Get a good show?” Jaynie asked her. “You really are a slut aren’t you? Not only do you fuck them all, but you like to creep around and watch them.”
“I was here first,” Melody protested. “I think you two stalked me to try and get me to watch. It’s not like he didn’t know I was here with his shifter senses.”
Justin’s jaw dropped and he pushed Jaynie off him. She shrieked at him when she fell, but he paid no attention to her.
Whatever excuse he was going to give her, she didn’t want to hear it. Like the coward she was, Melody turned and fled, crashing through the forest.
“Melody, wait!” he called out behind her.
She ignored him, continuing to weave between the trees until she ran into something immovable.
“Mel, are you okay? You’re as white as a sheet,” Nick’s held her at arm’s length, before peering into the forest behind her. Seeing nothing, his hazel gaze returned to her own.
“I’m fine,” she lied. “I just needed to go for a run and work things out. Get it out of my system, and it worked. I think I know what’s happening,” she said, distracting him with a broad smile as she saw his nostrils dilate. She knew he would be smelling Justin and that bitch together, and he’d wonder if she’d seen them. It wasn’t something she wanted to discuss.
“What do you mean?” he asked, confused. “Are you talking about the mini-tornado in the cottage?”
“No, well, yes. Sort of,” she sighed. “I think I’ve been hexed. I’ve never had this much trouble studying anything, but what if someone put a memory hex on me? I’d never be able to retain the information as long as it was there. I was wondering if one of you could check and see. I came stomping out here in a tizzy, and then I decided to wait for whoever was going to come after me, because I know you all don’t trust me to look after myself,” she groused.
“I was thinking about how it was like I’d hit a brick wall, like my thoughts were being blocked. That’s when it came to me, it was exactly like that. It just made me feel sick inside. That they’re still doing all of this crap to try and bring me down. I’ve got enough to contend with already. Why can’t they leave me alone? I’ve got bigger issues to deal with.”
It worked. The suspicion left Nick’s face and it softened as he carefully gathered her in his arms. “It’s okay, Mel. I’ll check, and if there’s one there, I’ll break it. And if there isn’t, then we’ll work out a new way to help you.”
Melody nodded, her forehead resting against his chest. His arms barely touched her for all that they were wrapped around her, and she hated that there was still this distance between them. Not just because of her injuries, but because of the layers of deceit that her aunt had put upon her. Because for all that she was seeking his comfort right then, she knew that she had to guard her heart against them.
All she wanted to do was reach out to these shifters and share herself with them. Their beasts were constantly calling to her, piteous heartbreaking sounds, and the tension of it all was driving her mad.
“Come on, let’s get you back to the cottage and see if we can’t sort something out. I reckon the others will have picked up everything by the time you get back,” he teased.
Melody blushed. “I’m sorry about that. I don’t lose my temper very often, but when I do, it’s usually explosive.”
Nick chuckled. “Then you’re in for a treat when Justin loses his. He’s usually so calm and laid back, but it’s an act. The guy is the most uptight shifter I’ve ever met, and his dragon is even worse if you could believe. I swear, if we fed them coal, they’d shit diamonds.”
Melody giggled. “That sounds really messy, and kinda painful. And also, seriously gross. Would you wear a diamond that had been through someone else’s digestive tract? Or, worse still, was actually their poop?” She shuddered, and Nick laughed. “I like bling, but I have limits. There’s no way I’m wearing a poop shaped diamond, I don’t care how much it’s worth.”
Nick snickered, lightening her heart a little. This was what they needed, time together to get to know each other, to bond in non-magical ways. Only then she’d feel even more pressure to bond them magically, even if it was only in her own mind.
When they were back at the cottage, Melody opened the door to see the others sprawled over every available piece of furniture, except for Trent who sat on the floor with his back against the wall near the fire, reading a textbook. It was his favourite place to curl up. She often found him there in the morning, in his fox form, lying on the rug she’d put down for him.
“Okay, sit down here Mel, and close your eyes. I want you to calm your thoughts, think of something peaceful,” Nick instructed.
The others watched, curious.
Instead of calming, however, her brain did the opposite thing, and she was flooded with images of Justin making out with Jaynie.
“I said calm, Mel. I can’t do this if your brain
