Fuck!
The flames in the forest—where Justin still was.
Nick shifted, launching into the air, the provost screaming at him to come back. Quickly he flew to where he’d left Justin, thankfully nowhere near the wildfire spreading through the forest. Nick sent his magic out, dousing the flames, before kneeling beside the man he loved as much as if they were blooded kin.
There was barely a patch of unblemished skin. He couldn’t be sure, but he was willing to bet that the mad witch was Melody’s aunt. He would have to try to see if he could find an image of her to be sure.
Carefully, he lifted Justin’s body. While he was used to healing arts, this was a little beyond his skill. He would certainly nurse his brother back to health. That Justin would heal completely was not in question. Whether Justin would return to Melody was.
Only time would tell if the wounds his brother carried on the inside, would mend as well as the ones on his body.
32. Melody
It was only when the irate provost had ordered them all to return to their rooms that they noticed the damage to their cabin. An entire wall had been smashed in, and the cabin tilted dangerously to one side.
“We can’t sleep in that!” Melody said aghast.
“No, you can’t. Not like that. But I doubt any of us have the strength to set it to rights tonight. Come on, I’ll set you up with cots in the gymnasium. Don’t worry about your belongings, the staff will be here all night sorting this mess out,” Mrs Hardinger said.
After ordering them all to bed, the provost had disappeared back inside the warren of buildings herself.
Nick? She tried calling out to him, not sure if the pack link was working, but there was no response.
“Is the link open?” she asked Asher, who stood beside her.
He looked pointedly at Dean, who shook his head. “Nope, can’t hear you man.”
“I’ll stay,” Oz offered. “When they get back, I’ll let them know where we’re staying.”
“But Justin was injured!” Melody exclaimed. “What if they need help?”
Dean wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “The fires have gone out, they’re probably just checking that they got all of them. The forest is pretty dry, if they’ve left embers, it could all go up again.”
She rubbed her chest. It felt tight and kind of sore. Wave after wave of anxiousness spread through her.
“What are you doing, Mel?” Ryan asked her, watching her hand.
“I don’t feel good. Everything feels tight, like there’s something wrong.”
“Aww, sweetie. We love you too, it’s okay to feel anxious, but don’t read too much into it, it’s just a new bond thing. We all feel it when you’re out of sight of us too. Like the other day, Nick and Trent came because they missed you and felt anxious,” Dean reassured her.
Trent watched her with amber eyes, shaking his head. “No, I came because I felt what she’s feeling now. That something was wrong, and it was. I felt her anxiety.”
“Melody,” Mrs Hardinger said. “Trent is right, tell us what you’re feeling, close your eyes, think about it.”
The shifters gathered closer around her and she closed her eyes, reassured by their proximity. She focussed on the sensations in her chest. “Fear,” she said as it crashed over her. “There’s guilt and anxiety and horror, but the strongest feeling is fear.”
Her eyes snapped open, her hands flying out to regain her balance. “Fear for Justin, he’s hurt. We need to find them.”
Toby stepped forward to Mrs H’s side. “What do you need?” he growled.
“Set up search parties, only the staff and any senior students and the Apex. They’re in that forest …”
“I can see them!” Asher yelled.
Melody turned to where he pointed, noting a human form carrying another. It was Nick, she knew it in her bones, the bond only confirmed it. The limp form in his arms could only be Justin.
She was moving before she even knew, the thud of feet around her telling her that she wasn’t alone. That was as much attention as she could spare, that they were there, because the rest of it was focused on the man striding tiredly before him.
She didn’t yell out like the others were, she sent her magic ahead, sensing Justin’s injuries. He was burned, everywhere. What on earth could burn a dragon shifter? She’d thought they were pretty immune.
The wolves reached him first, each of them carefully taking a part of Justin, doing their best not to hurt him, but taking the load from Nick who was sweating with the effort of carrying him alone.
“What happened?” Melody asked, first running her hands over Nick to check for injuries. He was covered in ash and blood, but the latter seemed to be Justin’s and not his own.
“We were hunting the witches, one of them threw hellfire at us. Justin jumped in front and took the hit while my own hellfire was chasing the witches through the academy. She opened a portal and left before I could hit her back, and I chased her to behind the dorms where I’ve trapped another group of shifters. When I saw the flames, I realised I’d just left him there, burned …” Desolate eyes looked up at her. “I left him there …. He moved in front … I left him there …” His voice broke.
Melody could feel his heart breaking, his shame and his guilt. “You thought he was dying?” she asked, trying to understand.
Nick shook his head. “No, I knew he was going to recover, it will take a lot, but he will. It wasn’t life threatening. But I left him there. Vulnerable, while I knew that not all the bitches had left. They could have captured him. They could have killed him while he was unconscious. The fire could have …”
She gripped his face between her palms. “Nick, did any of that happen?”
He
