Gold pupils turned amber, and his smile turned leering. “Then you can sleep between Dean and I? I think I’d like that.” His heated gaze eyed Dean hungrily.
Dean turned to her with a ‘what the fuck?’ look.
Nick chuckled. “Trent is bi,” he told the lion.
“Oh, right well um. Sorry man, I’m not.”
“Pity,” Trent murmured. “What about watching?”
“Trent!” Melody snapped. “You’re happy, I get it, you're horny, okay. But I’ve got four bonded shifters and this is way outside my comfort zone right now, and you know it. You’ve got an agenda. Fine. Keep pushing it, see exactly where it gets you.”
“I’m open to that,” the kitsune said, stepping towards her.
“A spot by the fire,” Melody told him, unamused. “That’s where it gets you, right over there.”
She called on her magic and his rug and pillow zoomed from her bedroom back to their spot.
“That’s not big enough for me,” the kitsune whined.
Asher gave a low chuckle. “But it’s the perfect size for a fucking fox to curl up. Get with the program dude, you’ve pissed her off.”
Cool eyes regarded her for a moment. “As my lady wishes,” he said with a bow. When he straightened, Trent’s eyes were golden again.
“I’m so fucking sorry, he’s a prick,” Trent apologised.
Nick grunted. “He seems a bit more like a dragon than a fox.”
Melody shot him a look of alarm.
“Not my dragon,” Nick quickly amended. Then canted his head. “Although possibly like Justin’s, he can be a real jerk.”
“Tell me something new,” Melody said drily, and the men laughed.
There was a knock at the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone, so Dean answered it, Asher was close by his side.
“Professor Simmonds?” Dean’s voice hiked up in surprise.
“Good evening, I know it’s getting late, but I’d like to talk to Melody if I may.”
She moved forward to greet him. “Of course, professor, please, come in.”
He inclined his head at her, and stepped into the open plan space, glancing at the armchairs.
“Please, have a seat,” she said, gesturing to him to come in further.
The professor took one of the armchairs, Melody taking one opposite him. Nick sat on the arm of her chair, while the other three squished together on the couch.
“Melody, I know that what happened today was unorthodox, and that it may possibly cause further problems for you.”
She nodded.
“I wanted to apologise for that, I had very good reasons for what I did, and if you’re amenable, I’d like to explain myself to you.”
They all stared at him in surprise. Professors did not apologise to their students, at least not for something like this.
“Professor,” she said, regaining a little composure. “I truly appreciate you coming here, but you don’t have to explain yourself to me. It’s your classroom, you may discipline it as you wish.”
His shoulders sagged a little with relief. “Well, yes, that was part of my reasoning. I will not tolerate bullies, and I will also not tolerate unsanctioned magic in my classroom. She is not the first student I have done this to, but it’s been over a decade, so the rumours fade into myth.”
“Or to oblivion, I’d never heard of it happening. I mean, I knew it must have at some point, but I assumed it was very rare. I certainly hadn’t heard of a specific case.”
“Yes, although it seems my stance is moot. The provost has vetoed my decision. That is against the academy charter, but she seems to have some high connections, because my own coven warned me not to cross her before we even knew she was coming.”
That was worrying news.
“I also did it to try and provide you with a safe space. All the staff have been ordered not to show you any preference. That you have been coddled and spoiled and that we are to be firmer with you than we would any other student. It’s all carefully worded, but basically it means we’re to turn a blind eye to any attacks against you, or face disciplinary action ourselves. It’s supposed to toughen you up and speed up the development of your bonds with your familiars.”
“She wants Melody to bond the rest of the Apex,” Trent said.
“It wasn’t mentioned, but that is the feeling I got. It makes no sense though.”
“She tried to force me to bond Nick this morning,” Melody told him. “She threatened us both with expulsion. Ironically, Nick and I ended up bonding later in the day anyway.”
Nick stiffened, and she smiled up at him, resting a hand on his leg. “I don’t regret it, Nick. I chose it, remember?”
He huffed. “My dragon was pretty loud, other than hearing you agree to bond us, I didn’t hear much else,” he confessed.
The professor nodded. “Then there are things going on that we don’t understand. Witch politics are complex and subtle. We live a long time and so we play a long game. You’re being manoeuvred, Melody, but towards what I don’t know. I wanted you to know that some of us are on your side.”
“But not all of the staff,” Melody said, nodding. “I understand. I’ll be more careful.”
“There are some who don’t like it, but not everyone here has tenure. Some want to support you, but need their jobs. If you tell me what you need, I can let those who are silently in your corner know.”
“We need a bigger cottage,” Nick told him. “Especially if she ends up bonding the rest of us.”
Professor Simmonds nodded. “Yes, yes, of course. I’ll see what I can do. The larger cottages are behind the witch and shifter dorms, but most of them are empty. You would probably need a couple of them side by side once you have bonded them all.”
“Not happening,” Nick growled. “We’ll sleep in bunk beds if necessary, but we’re all sleeping under the same roof, our beasts need to protect her. So do we.”
The professor blinked at them. “Good to know, in that case, I’ll leave you in peace and get right on that. Mrs Hardinger will be of
