Marking Melody Read online

  Hanai said, “I’ll leave the books for you to look at more, Jilly.”

  He said goodnight and left, and after Dag said goodnight, she was left alone on the couch with her mates.

  “We’re not officially mated?” she asked, leaning back against the plush couch cushions and looking at the twins. She didn’t know how it was possible, but she could tell them apart easily. Although she could see that they were identical, from their straight noses to their lush mouths to their blazing green eyes, she instinctively knew that Fate was sitting on her left and Wyked on her right.

  Fate asked how old she was, and she told them she would be eighteen at the end of August. “We’re nineteen,” Fate said. “Panthers don’t mate until everyone is twenty-one. We blood-shared with you, which is a mild form of marking, but real mating, with the neck marking and other stuff, doesn’t happen unless everyone is twenty-one.”

  Immediately she thought, We can’t have sex for three years?

  Wyked inhaled slowly and growled in his throat. “It won’t be easy, but it’s our way.”

  “If we were all twenty-one?” she asked.

  “Then we’d be finding a private place for the night,” Wyked said with a low voice.

  She shivered and Fate snarled. “Knock it off, Wyked. I’m not a masochist, so stop thinking about things that can’t happen right now.”

  “Sorry,” Wyked said, but he winked at her and she smiled.

  They stood together, and Fate carried her bag to a small bedroom with a set of bunk beds attached to the wall. The top bunk was a small, twin-size bed, and the bottom bunk was a full-size bed. “I think we can fit if you don’t mind snuggling,” Fate said, flicking on the overhead light.”

  Wyked mocked, “I thought you weren’t a masochist.”

  “Want to sleep tied up to a tree outside?” Fate shot back.

  Jilly chuckled at their banter. Although their words were harsh, there was nothing but brotherly love between them. It made her ache for Henry.

  She left them in the bedroom and went to the small bathroom where she changed into pajamas from her backpack and brushed her teeth with a toothbrush left on the counter for her by Dionne. When she joined them in the bedroom, Wyked laid against the wall on the bottom bunk wearing jeans and no shirt. She’d never been attracted to a man before. Yes, she’d seen good-looking guys, but there was something about Wyked and Fate that spoke to the very core of her.

  Patting the space in front of him, Wyked grinned slyly. “Normally, you would be going back home to sleep tonight, little kitten, because like Fate said, we’re not masochists. We can’t mate you until you turn twenty-one, which is three agonizingly long years away.”

  “We can hold you tonight while we sleep, though, and then tomorrow we’ll figure out what to do. You have a lot to learn about yourself and your people,” Fate said as he came to stand next to her.

  She nodded. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

  The humor dropped away from Wyked’s face. “We wouldn’t be anywhere else, Jilly.”

  She climbed onto the bed and settled on her back next to Wyked. Fate turned off the light and shut the door, joining them. After some maneuvering, she ended up tucked on her side between them, Wyked’s arm banded around her waist as he cuddled her from behind, and Fate’s smooth, warm back against her chest, the spicy scent of them filling her nose with each inhalation.

  Although her mind was still spinning with what she had learned in the last few hours, she closed her eyes and let herself rest in the safety of her mates’ arms.

  After the most restful sleep she’d ever had, a delicious breakfast cooked by Dionne, and many stolen kisses, she found herself facing her stubborn mates, arguing.

  “Absolutely not,” Wyked said and shook his head. “You’re not going anywhere near any lions, period.”

  She clenched her hands into fists. She had received a text earlier that morning from Layla, saying she was disappointed that Jilly had snuck out without saying anything. The text alluded to her believing that Jilly had gone off to find a human to have sex with. And then Layla had said they were planning to abduct the strange female lion in King.

  “They could kill her, Wyked. I can’t just do nothing. When you guys shared your blood with me, it gave me back all my emotions. Not just for you, but for others. I would feel terrible if I did nothing. Please.”

  Fate stepped close to her and wrapped his arms around her. “What would you do?”

  “I don’t know. Go into King and find the female’s uncles maybe. They work at the automotive place. I could warn them and they could get her out of town before something happens.”

  Wyked gnashed his teeth. “Unacceptable.”

  “Wyked, please,” she pleaded.

  Dionne, who had been watching the argument from the camper said, “We can go together, all of us. We’ll drive into King and make sure she’s safe, and then we’ll bring her back here.”

  She could tell that Wyked and Fate were not happy with their mother’s idea, but Jilly pleaded more and finally they relented. Within an hour, she was in a van with her mates, their parents and uncle, and two males, Robert and Markham, from the clan.

  “We could have called,” Wyked snarled angrily, still annoyed that they were taking risks with her safety. She’d never had anyone care about her safety so much before, outside of her father, and it warmed her through and through.

  “They might not believe me. If they see me, see us together, they’ll know I’m different now and believe me.”

  The gas station, however, was closed. Jilly had completely forgotten it was July fourth until she read the sign on the door explaining why it was closed. “Well, shit,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and looking around. “Where would they be?”

  As she turned her back to the door and looked at her mates, she felt a breeze ruffle her hair and looked over her shoulder to see Bella, one of the females, open the door to the gas station and jerk her inside.

  “Traitor,” Bella snarled, flipping the door lock as Wyked and Fate shouted in alarm. Something jabbed into Jilly’s neck and fatigue blanketed her as she was carried through the gas station and outside. She heard whispered female voices as she was dropped heavily onto something and then an engine revved and everything went black.

  Chapter 10

  By Friday, Tristan was completely smitten with Melody, and he knew that Micah was feeling the same. They had stayed Wednesday night at her uncles’ home on the lumpy couch. He’d thought it would be difficult to sleep with her and not make love to her the way they had the two previous nights, but instead of feeling as though he was missing out on something, the three of them had whispered long into the night, sharing their lives and growing closer.

  They’d not ventured out much during the daylight hours, preferring to visit with Tom and Dana and spend time getting to know each other. Melody liked Dana a great deal and had helped her make dinner a few times. She said that the females she had been forced to live with in Canada had assigned duties, and she’d been part of the cleaning crew. She loved to cook and had made meals for her dad when he was alive, and she missed cooking.

  The B&B had a small courtyard and flower garden in the back, and the third morning they were there, Melody pulled him and Micah outside and took dozens of pictures. She’d even relented to letting Micah and Tristan take pictures of her and then the three of them together. They emailed the best pictures to the photo lab of a drugstore in the next town and were going to pick up the prints Friday.

  The three of them left the B&B Friday morning with the hot July sun already beating down on them. They first headed to the drugstore and picked up their photos. Tristan picked a picture of himself and her together, Micah picked a similar picture with her and him, and Melody chose a picture of the three of them together. She’d also taken candid shots of their family members, too. Micah had taken pictures of her with their dad and uncle, as well as a few with her and her own uncles. They’d had duplicates made for the
ir families, and Tristan looked forward to giving them out. But just as he knew that their families would put the pictures up in their homes, he realized that they hadn’t really talked about where they would call home.

  She touched his face and he looked at her. “You look kind of sad. Are you okay?”

  He smiled, always in awe of her ability to know what he was feeling. “I’m okay. I was just wondering where we would put these photos. We haven’t talked about where we’re going to live.”

  “Do you think it would be safe to stay in King?” she asked.

  Tristan shrugged. “I don’t know. I kind of expected males to show up at the B&B with pitchforks and torches after Torrin and Cole found us, but that didn’t happen. So either they didn’t tell anyone, or the males aren’t going to do anything. But if that means it’s okay for us to live here? I don’t know.”

  Micah sighed. “I like being back in King, but it doesn’t really feel like home anymore.”

  “Well,” Melody said, “except for my stuff being in storage in Bent Creek, I’m pretty much homeless. I like Tom and Dana, but I don’t think we can live here forever, and there is the worry that the males might not really want me here and might cause trouble for us down the road. I don’t want my uncles or your family to get caught up in anything bad with the other males.”

  “I think your uncles will come to Ashland, Melody,” Micah said. “They want to be with you because you’re family. If we don’t settle here, then I think they’ll come with us.”

  She hummed in her throat. “It’s weird to think they’re willing to give up everything here to move, just because of me.”

  “Why not?” Tristan asked. “You’re their only family.”

  “Your dad and uncle aren’t leaving King,” she pointed out.

  True, but Tristan figured that his dad and uncle were just too set in their ways with the pride to start over. A lot of males, Tristan recalled, thought the Fallons were crazy for leaving King and didn’t understand the other males’ desire to start somewhere fresh. He was glad that he and Micah had done it, though. If they hadn’t been in Ashland, then Melody would probably be in jail, believed to be some kind of villain sent by the females to destroy them. He shuddered inwardly at the thought.

  After stopping for lunch, they went back to the B&B. Dana was walking down the front steps as they got out of the truck and said she was heading to the grocery for supplies for dinner and asked Melody if she’d like to go along.

  Although Tristan warred with the idea of letting her go alone, he knew that Melody was feeling a little cooped up. He kissed her on the cheek and watched her drive off with Dana.

  Micah said, “I don’t much care for her leaving without us.”

  Tristan agreed. But she wasn’t a house pet they could keep confined. She was a woman. And he never wanted her to feel like a trapped animal with them.

  “It’s just the grocery,” he said, trying to sound unaffected by the sudden need to keep Melody safe. He muzzled his angry cat in his head and walked into the B&B.

  * * * * *

  Melody rolled the window down of Dana’s Ford Focus and stuck her head out. It felt strange, and she probably looked ridiculous, but it was also freeing. It wasn’t that she had minded being with Micah and Tristan for the last week, but it was nice to spread her wings.

  Dana chuckled. “I guess cats like to put their heads out of the windows, too, huh?”

  Melody grinned. The wind whipped her hair around her face and stung her eyes, but she didn’t care. Settling back in the seat, she kept one hand outside. The short drive to the grocery store in town was filled with comfortable silence. Dana was forty-two, and she and Tom had been married for twenty-four years. They had never had children and were devoted to the B&B, enjoying the variety of people who stayed with them for short periods of time throughout the year.

  She parked and they got out, Dana grabbing a cart and pushing it ahead of her. “Anything you need, let me know,” she said, pulling a long list from her purse and heading for the produce department.

  Melody helped Dana load the cart, picking up Micah’s favorite candy bar and Tristan’s favorite kind of chips, and snagging a package of strawberries for a snack. “You’re not weirded out about us all being together?” Melody asked as Dana looked at boxes of pasta and made a few selections.

  “Why? Because there are three of you?” Dana cast a questioning glance at Melody.

  She shrugged. “That and the fact I’m a lioness.”

  Dana set two cans of pasta sauce in the cart and pushed it down the aisle. “Honey, I learned a long time ago not to judge what other people do. I don’t understand the stuff between the lions and I’m human, so it doesn’t really affect me. It wouldn’t matter to me if you had scales or feathers because you’re friendly and kind. And we’ve known Micah and Tristan forever, and I can honestly tell you that I’ve never seen them happier, and that makes me happy.”

  Melody blushed. “I make them happy?”

  “Of course. Love does that.”

  Melody smiled and helped put a large bag of sugar under the cart. She knew that she was fast falling in love with Micah and Tristan. Her cat purred every time she thought of them, and even now she couldn’t wait to see them again and wished they were with her. She reached for her phone and sent each one a text saying she missed them. They were fast to respond, promising they missed her, too.

  “Oh, you’re glowing.” Dana sighed. “I miss young love.”

  Dana pushed the cart up to a check-out lane, and Melody helped her unload the groceries onto the conveyor belt.

  “Have you talked about getting married? Having babies?” Dana asked, leaning over the front of the cart and pulling out items.

  “Marriage yes, but kids, no,” Melody answered. “My uncles want us to make things legal. I think they’re a little on the old-fashioned side and don’t necessarily like the idea of me living with Micah and Tristan without being married.” She thought it was adorable of them, and just how her father would have acted as well. She, Micah, and Tristan had talked about getting married Wednesday night when they’d been snuggled up together on the lumpy pull-out at her uncles’ home. They’d been unable to do anything but talk. Micah and Tristan wanted to marry her and make a home with her, and she knew that would include children. They hadn’t talked about having kids, and she wondered if they were worried whether their children would turn out to be like her or like the other females.

  A strong hand wrenched her around and flattened her against a revolving magazine rack. Her eyes watered as a metal rung poked into her back.

  “What are you doing in here, female?” a man snarled. No, not a man, a male mountain lion.

  “I’m here with my friend. Let me go,” Melody said as she tried to twist her shoulder out of the male’s grasp, but his grip tightened further. The magazine rack creaked and the metal rung dug deeper into her back.

  The male’s eyes flashed from blue to amber, and he snapped his jaws. “You’re not welcome in King.”

  “Hey!” Dana yelled. “Let her go this instant!”

  Another male crowded close. “Stay out of this, Mrs. Charming. This doesn’t concern you.”

  “It does so. She’s with me. Let her go!”

  Melody heard buttons being pushed and wondered if Dana was calling the police. According to Micah and Tristan, the police force was entirely lion, and she figured they would most likely want to lock her up just for being female.

  “Let me go. I’ll leave right now,” Melody said, purposely speaking in a calm tone even though she wanted to scratch the males with her claws. They were touching her. No males but Tristan and Micah should ever touch her.

  “You’ll be leaving alright,” the first male said, smiling in a nasty way.

  Dropping to one knee, Melody took the male by surprise, and he released his hold on her shoulder. She dove to the side and shot to her feet, heading for the front door. She nearly crashed into an older gentleman who was coming out of an
office. He grabbed her before she fell as she tried to avoid taking him to the floor with her.

  “Are you alright, young lady?”

  He smelled human, thank goodness. Dana stormed towards them. “She’s not okay at all, Harry. Two men tried to hurt her!”

  “I’m fine. I just need to go.”

  “You’re not fine. You’re bleeding,” Dana said, gesturing to Melody’s back. “I called Tom and he and your men are on their way. Harry, can she wait in the office?”

  Harry looked completely confused and Melody knew she must as well. She didn’t know why the males would have been so aggressive with her. Her dad had always told her that the males were kind and sweet by nature. They shouldn’t have been so vicious. “That’s fine, Dana. Come on in.”

  Harry pushed open his office door, and Dana shut the door, leaving Melody alone. Her phone had been buzzing when the males had cornered her, and she pulled it from her pocket with trembling hands, knowing it was one of her mates.

  Answering, she said, “I don’t think we can stay in King anymore.”

  * * * * *

  Tristan had never been so scared and so furious at the same time. He paced in the small office belonging to the manager of the grocery store while Melody sat in Micah’s lap, and Tom stood with Dana who explained things to the police officer. The two males who had hurt Melody — hurt her! — had fled, but Dana knew who they were and Daniel Parker, the officer on the scene, had promised to look into the situation.

  Tristan growled and clenched his hands into tight fists. He didn’t want Daniel to look into what happened. He wanted him to arrest the two males for assaulting Melody.

  “Stop pacing,” Melody said. “You’re making me nauseous.”

  He froze. “Sorry, baby.”

  She smiled, but it was small and forced. “It’s okay. Can we leave? I just want to not be here anymore.”