“I will always put the needs of the academy first,” the provost said, regaining her composure.
Melody began to relax, until the councillor opened his mouth again.
“Well, see to it that you don’t do so at the expense of the wellbeing of its students,” he snapped, obviously annoyed with her efforts at smoothing things over.
The provost stiffened, but fixed a grin on her face and bowed. “Of course, Councillor,” she said firmly, refusing to look Melody’s way.
Oh, that did not bode well for them. What the councillor forgot to realise, was that Melody and the shifters around her, would have to live with the long-term fallout of that morning’s events.
“Oh, and Sienna?” he snarled. They all looked at him again, waiting. “Finish fixing the fucking wards.”
He opened a portal and stepped through it.
Yep, everything was going to go to hell. The furious gaze the provost turned upon her guaranteed it.
“Don’t just stand there gawping, girl. Get to class,” she snapped.
There was no use pointing out that they had missed breakfast. It wouldn’t be taken into consideration. Obediently, Melody turned to go. For now, they would have to play the game and see where the dust settled. They would need to choose their way forward very carefully.
28. Dean
Dean’s lion yowled at him to take care of her. She hadn’t eaten, and now was about to run the gauntlet of hexes, pranks and harsh words to get to class. The other students may have been turned away from watching the drama, but he knew they had not gone far.
“Go with her to class,” he growled under his breath, knowing the others would hear him while Melody would not. “Oz, Ryan, please head back to the cottage. I’m going to see if I can scrounge up some breakfast rolls, anyone want to come with? She hasn’t eaten.”
There was a shift in his head, and then he could hear all of them.
Sorry, sent Nick. I was kind of distracted, I should have had this open all along. They’re not going to allow all of us to go into class with her. I suggest Asher and Trent go, as her bonded shifters, they won’t object too strongly to both of you, as long as you pipe down.
I’ll go with Dean, Justin said. Then I can take breakfast to the wolves.
It didn’t escape anyone’s notice that he was avoiding Melody, but nobody called him out on it.
Fine, I’ll come too, I can help Dean carry enough for the five of us. Then I’m going to need to let my dragon out. Today was a shitshow before she pulled that bonding crap. The new provost is going to be trouble. She’s trying to invoke the whole witch dominance thing again. She wanted me to kiss her fucking ring.
Hey, snarked Justin. If she expects me to bend over for her, she can kiss my fucking ringhole.
The others snickered. Dean relaxed a little, the whole scene had been intense. Melody’s emotions down the bond were becoming clearer. She might be resigned to no food, and relieved that the whole thing was over, but she was more tense than ever. It wasn’t only Nick who was worried about the new provost.
“Hey, Mel,” he said to her. “What do you have first again?”
“Enchantments,” she said quietly. “Why?”
Dean smiled down at her, kissing the top of her head, eliciting snarky comments, gagging sounds and the odd giggle from lookers on. It never failed to astound him how immature the witches were that attended the academy. It was possibly because they lived longer lives and matured more slowly, but sometimes he swore they were more like teenagers than witches who had reached their majority at twenty-five.
“The guys and I are going to grab something to eat and meet you there, okay?”
“I don’t think he’ll let us eat in class,” Melody said, heaving a sigh.
“Then I guess we better be fast and get there before class starts. Otherwise, I’m sure they’ll taste just as good after class.”
Dean gave her shoulders a quick squeeze and jogged ahead with Justin and Nick. The chime sounded to announce the start of classes and he cursed under his breath. So, she wouldn’t get a meal before the lecture started, and if it turned out to be a practical session, then she’d be even hungrier afterwards.
“Hey, where’s the fire?” Quinn called out as they approached him and Carla, moving quickly towards their own classroom.
“The thing with the provost meant we missed breakfast. We’re seeing if we can grab something. Food, man, I’ll always run for food,” Dean joked, trying to move around Carla, but she deliberately stepped in his path making him halt abruptly. The two dragons surged around him and kept going. Good, the sooner they got food to Melody, the better.
“So, what is the bitch up to now? Inviting her coven back to attack us again?” the angry witch snarled.
“Hey, Carla, I thought we talked about this?” Quinn said, stepping up beside and slightly in front of her.
“No, Quinn,” she snapped. “You talked about it, about her, at great length. I just tuned you out.”
Dean heard Quinn’s wolf whimper. What the hell was going on with Carla? He’d thought that she’d been cool at first.
“I don’t know where you’re getting your information from, but it’s wrong,” Dean told her quietly. He knew that matching her fire with his own temper would get them nowhere.
“Melody was a slave, she was as much a victim of that attack as the rest of the academy.”
Carla scoffed, and his restraint started to fray.
“That raving bitch, her aunt, murdered Melody’s mother to get control of the coven. Now, she’s murdered the provost, the closest thing Melody had to another mother-figure. She’s been beaten, tortured, forced to endure psychological abuse that would
