“I don’t know,” Melody replied. “It wasn’t something we ever experimented with. I usually did it at arm’s length.”
“Alright, then that’s what we’ll do,” she said, continuing to lead them around.
Justin’s eyes followed her every move. Well, at least the one of them that she could see did. Shawna increased her posturing even more, dropping kisses on his scales and cooing nonsense at him, but for all Melody could tell, he ignored the bitchy witch.
Shawna flicked an auburn lock over her shoulders, ignoring Melody in turn and trying even harder to get a reaction from the dragon. She tried everything, shy of sticking a finger in his eye. It was a wise call on Shawna’s part, Justin was already pissed off. Melody didn’t realise the vapid witch had the restraint to resist.
It was what she saw when they rounded the side and began to approach him that made Melody stop again, her heart clenching in pain. Resolutely, she continued, refusing to let the equally shocked Carla bother her. If this was where Carla wanted to put her time and energy, trying to seduce a dragon when she already had a wolf shifter, then so be it. Melody knew that neither woman would be enough to tame him and certainly not when Carla already had one beast to monitor.
Melody knew her jealousy was completely uncalled for, and seriously irrational. She couldn’t take on another shifter right then. Already the bonds with the three she had were pulling at her. She might be experienced in bonding shifters, but she’d never had one longer than an hour.
There was one other factor to consider. For the first time ever Melody had a choice over whom to bond and when. So, either Justin could wait until she was ready, or he could find someone else to bond with. There was no way she was going to cave and march to someone else’s tune again. This was her life. Hers. Nobody was going to take it from her again.
“Get back from him, you bitch,” snarled Shawna. “Coven Bestia isn’t welcome at this academy.”
“I’ll be sure to tell them if I see any,” Melody replied, centering herself for what was about to happen. There would be no way she could force his dragon to stand down if she was upset herself. He needed her to be strong and determined.
“Shawna, girls, you will step back from Justin now. It’s time for him to shift,” Mrs Hardinger told them.
Shawna sputtered. “You’re not going to let the traitor bond him are you? Are you insane? She's not good enough for him.”
That drew a reaction from the dragon. He lifted his head, knocking it into Shawna and sending her flying into the pool.
At any other time, Melody would have laughed, but the baleful silver eyes in front of her killed any mirth. A rumble sounded deep in his chest and Melody half wished that she had Nick with her to translate.
Still, if she couldn’t hear him out, then he would have to hear her.
“It wasn’t fair of you,” she said, not naming it for everyone who was desperately listening for details to gossip about later. “You know what I’ve been through, what I was forced to do. Now, for the first time I get to choose. I have space, I have freedoms that I never had before. I don’t have to spend ten minutes brushing my teeth. I don’t have to go around the cabin and kill every spider. I don’t have to cook all the meals and clean up after them, or make sure that I serve my aunt first and give her the prime parts. I can live, Justin, do you understand that?”
The beast in front of her rumbled mournfully, she could see the ire start to drain from him.
“You stupid fucking bitch!” screamed Shawna stomping out of the water, understanding despite Melody’s attempt at subtlety. “He challenged you and you turned him down? How could you? He’s been stuck here for hundreds of years and all you had to do was give him a fucking bond, and you’re whining about your rights? You’re twenty-five, you’ve been without your precious fucking freedoms for a fraction of the time that he’s been without his, and you’re asking him if he understands.”
Her wet hand rested on his jaw, and there seemed to be a curious thrumming to it, but Melody couldn’t feel any actual magic. Was Shawna doing something to him?
Whatever was going on, Justin was no longer relaxed, the venomous glare he sent her way telling her all she needed to know. There would be no reasoning with him tonight.
Fine.
Melody gathered her magic and shoved everything at him. “Shift,” she yelled at him, and he did.
Around them, everyone gaped, Justin included, but Melody had had enough. She turned her back on him and walked away.
26. Nick
He’d expected it much sooner, but it was over a week after the battle that Nick was summoned to the admin office.
“Ah, Nick,” Mrs Hardinger turned to him with a fixed smile. “I’d like to introduce our new provost to you. Provost Venefica, this is Nick, a member of the Apex and the strongest shifter at the academy.”
The woman in front of them looked stern and imposing, steel grey hair bound up tightly in a bun while icy blue eyes swept over them all. She waited expectantly, her arm held in front of her, and Nick’s spirits sank. This woman would not be as laid-back and respectful of shifters as Provost Aer-Canticum. She was waiting for him to kiss her ring.
Following protocol, Nick stepped forward and bent low at the waist, and she thrust her hand right in front of him. He did not, however, kiss it.
She could suck his balls, he was only required to bow deeply to her, not touch her, no matter what custom had turned this formality into. If she wanted to make things old school, then he would make them ancient school.
He also
