by Jade Thorn
Suddenly, Mrs Hardinger was in front of him. “Dean, how’s your lion coping?” she asked solicitously.
“He’s close to ripping out the provost’s throat,” he confessed, and there were gasps from around the room.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less of him, son. Are you talking to him?”
“Yes, Ma’am. He’s still listening, but I’m worried that he’ll lose it once it happens. I’d recommend you getting out of reach in case I shift.”
Mrs Hardinger nodded, taking several steps back. “Dean and his lion, Melody needs you to stay strong and focussed. She doesn’t need you shifting and getting out of control. That’s going to cost her more in the long term, punishment for you both because she couldn’t control you. You can’t draw on her for strength right now either, so you’re going to have to do this on your own. If anything, she’s going to need your strength over the next three days. Can you be that for her? Can you be her provider and carer when she’s at her weakest?”
The counsellor wasn’t saying anything that he didn’t know already, but his lion took notice. Hearing it from a second source seemed to prove the validity of Dean’s arguments, and the beast gradually calmed down. He nodded his thanks to her, and she nodded back before resuming her place at the edge of the room with the other teachers.
“Very well,” said the provost, looking at them all, “if everyone is ready?”
Dean nodded, noting the ozone scent of magic around him. It seemed that the teachers were holding their power ready in case either Dean or Asher attacked.
The provost stood and released the spell, and instantly Dean was flooded with agony as it ricocheted through Melody. “Oh fuuuuuuuuck!” He roared, but she was silent, already unconscious on the floor in front of him. He roared again as the geas hit, the wound like a sharp tipped set of claws running down his back, only it was her back he was feeling, and it was only an echo of what she was actually experiencing.
Nick and Justin had him in a firm grip, while on the other side of Melody, Oz and Ryan were supporting a sagging Asher. It gave him a grim sense of satisfaction to see the arrogant asshole pale and suffering at the loss of his bond. Dean knew how it felt, it wasn’t that long ago that it was him on his knees, roaring at his loss. Asher was silent, his wolf in shock.
Slowly, Dean adjusted to the pain. It tormented him to no end that even unconscious, her body was in agony. He forced himself to relax, but it wasn’t until his canines had retreated that the dragons let him go.
Nick dropped to his knees in front of her. She had collapsed in a parody of the foetal position so he carefully lifted her until she was sitting up, calling on Justin to support her so that she didn’t fall backwards. Dean shoved his way in and did it instead before the dragon shifter could. He carefully placed an arm across her shoulders, knowing exactly where she hurt and how much pressure he could apply.
Pulling the cork out with his teeth, Nick tipped the small bottle up against her lips, allowing it to drain into her mouth entirely, before he closed it and rubbed her throat while her head was tilted back. Melody swallowed, and then again and a third time before Nick judged it was safe to let her head down again. Gingerly, they returned her to the floor.
“Nick, under the powers that I hold over this academy, I grant you the authority to create a portal for a single use from here to her cottage,” the provost said in ringing tones, and the dragon looked up at her. “Nobody needs to see her like this, Nick. There’s nothing the healers can do, either. The only thing that might save her is in those two bottles. Georgia is too impatient to temper the punishment enough for it to not risk killing her. You know when to give them. I can have more made if you think it’s necessary.”
“Please, if you would, Provost, I would be forever in your debt. I’m worried two may not be enough. Not if what she thinks is true and this is worse,” said Nick.
“I can already tell you that it is,” said Dean. “It’s not one lash on her, but four or five. There’s so much pain, I can’t make it out clearly, but the wounds are deep. We may need a blood restorative as well as whatever that bottle held.”
“I will organise several of each to be delivered to you,” promised the provost. She turned to the staff surrounding the walls. “Ladies and gentlemen, the same rules apply as last time. You may only discuss this with me, and only within this room.” They all nodded.
The two dragons stood, conferring, and then Dean felt their magic emerging, and smelled the stinging scent of ozone which hit him even harder. The two men had joined hands, and in a ring between them grew a black nothingness. It expanded until it almost touched them, then they crouched down, brushing their hands on one side along the stone while raising the others in the air as high as they could.
They unclasped the lower hands, and the blackness seemed to stick to the stone floor. The dragons stood and raised their hands as high as they could, forming a slim archway. Then they let go of each other and stepped back, the blackness expanding with them until it was a wide door shape. They looked at each other and nodded, and suddenly the blackness was replaced with an image of the inside of Melody’s room.
Dean looked on in awe as Justin stepped through to the other side, disappearing out of view for several minutes before sticking his head back through.
“It’s all clear, there are no traps or hidden people,” he told them.
“Ryan, Oz, get the asshole back to his dorm room. He’s not to come near her until he’s ready to challenge. I won’t have anyone else making these fucking accusations against her,” Nick commanded, and the two wolves pulled Asher to his feet and dragged him from the room. “I mean it, Provost, with all due respect, if Shawna comes after us again, I’ll kill her myself and damn the consequences.”
The provost nodded her acceptance. Nobody pissed off a territorial dragon, and right now, that’s how they were all feeling about Melody. Bonded or not, she was theirs, and they were hers. Forever.
Dean gently picked her up so that she lay in his arms facedown. Nick grabbed her legs to keep them from dragging on the floor, and Dean rested her head in the crook of his arm, his palm supporting her torso. It was a damn awkward way to carry her, but it would hurt her the least, and thanks to the provost and the dragons, they didn’t have far to go.
As soon as they were through the portal, it snapped shut behind them. Dean didn’t give it a second thought though, he was too desperate to rip her shirt off and see the damage to her back. On one hand, he needed to see it, so that he could work out how to help her. On the other hand, he was frightened to. He knew that the image would haunt him for the rest of his life.
“Stay alert, Dean, I can’t afford for you to wig out on me now,” Nick warned him, and he nodded.
Together they gently set her on the bed, and then the two dragons turned to him.
“You can’t stay for this, Dean. Your lion is roaring at us even now. We’re going to treat her wounds, and then you can come back in and see her when she’s bandaged up, okay?” Justin took him by the shoulders and turned him around, pushing him through the door, before closing it firmly in his face.
“It’s warded, just so you know,” Justin called out.
Dean grunted. It was just as well because they were right, his lion was barely in control. Minutes later, he was joined by Oz and Ryan who were just as agitated as he was.
“Come on,” said Ryan, after Dean had paced the room a dozen times. “Let’s shift and go for a run. Our beasts are going nuts and we need to let them out. It’ll do us all good.”
“Since when are you the sensible one?” asked Oz.
“Since the pair of you are going to wear holes in the wood,” came the tart rejoinder.
Dean huffed. The wolf was right. He reached for the dragons in their magical link, but Nick was already there reassuring them that it was a good thing, and that they should do an entire lap of the academy. What they were doing was going to take a while.
That nearly caused Dean to lose his shit then
and there, as it was, he barely got his clothes off before his lion burst out of his skin. Oz and Ryan were only seconds behind him, and it was then that they realised their mistake. Still connected by the magical link, the dragons sent out their magic and opened the door for them. In the back of the lion’s mind, Dean made a note to change the front door handle to a bar one, instead of the round knob that was impossible for shifter beasts to manipulate.
3. Dean
The three of them jumped out of the cottage, the door closing behind them. From seemingly nowhere, a large fox joined them; Trent. Together the four of them set off at a good clip.
Dean had assumed he would have to slow down for the fox, but the smaller beast had more stamina than the lion, and it was Dean they slowed down for. Lions were not runners, not like wolves and foxes. They could have short bursts of speed, good for a quick hunt, but if they had long distances to travel, lions tended to trot or lope. This galloping speed had him huffing in minutes, and the three canids teased him for being out of shape.
I’m brute force, not speed, he told them, balefully.
Yeah, yeah, slacker. You keep telling yourself that, taunted Oz.
Dean ignored them. Instead, focussing on putting one foot in front of the other, until they ate up the distance around the edge of the academy.
He could feel it every time the dragons touched one of her wounds, his hide twitching in response and his lion whimpering.
She’s in pain? asked Ryan.
Yes, he said, not wishing to elaborate.
Ryan put on a burst of speed, galloping along to the next corridor and then doubling back to them. He did that continuously around the perimeter of the buildings until he must have traveled double the distance that they had. Until they had the all-clear from the dragons, none of them would return.
When they had done a full lap, or more in Ryan’s case, they moved outward until they were at the perimeter of the academy grounds, a circle with a much larger circumference. Then they began their trek again. This time, Ryan stayed with them. The four of them caught the scents of witches several times, unusual this far from the buildings and in the cold, but then again, sometimes one had to travel quite a distance to find privacy at the academy.
Frequently, there was the scent of sex amongst the bushes to accompany the witches’ scents, so they studiously ignored it.
They had almost made it full circle when Nick finally called them.
We’re done, you can come back now, the potions are here, and we’re about to give her the first blood restorative, he said.
Dean picked up his pace. Now that there was something to run for, a purpose, his lion got a second wind.
Together the four of them sped back to the cottage, barely pausing to shift as they reached the door. All of them trying to fit through at the same time might be a comical image in another lifetime, but for now, it was merely frustrating. Dean nearly shifted back to his lion just so he could claw his way through.
Somehow, though, it was Trent who got inside first. Dean wondered at that, until he noticed the fox’s tail that was still retracting. The sneaky bugger had shifted and slipped between their legs. For once, he was jealous of the smaller beast. His alpha tendencies would never have allowed him to take a non-combative route, but because foxes didn’t have alphas, Trent could do what he damn well liked.
It was certainly something to ponder at a later date. Right now, he had to see Melody, had to touch her, to know that she was alive and breathing, even though his bond told him that she was.
At the sight of all the blood on the dragons, though, he nearly shifted on the spot.
“Easy there, big cat,” Nick said, calmly. “We did everything that was possible, and we made a lot more progress than we thought we could. She’s not out of the woods, but now that we have an idea of what to expect, we can prepare for it. I’m going to ask the provost to get us a nasogastric feeding tube set up. If we can get food into her, and those potions, we’ll have a better chance of being able to nurse her through this than we did last time. We might have to swear a healer to secrecy, but it will be worth it if we don’t have to roll her over to give her the medicine.”
Dean nodded, his canines lengthening as his beast ached to go to her.
“No shifting, dude,” warned Justin. “Your lion is too fucking big to get on that bed with her in this condition. Human ass only.”
Dean pushed past him and through the door to the bedroom that belonged to Melody. A blanket had been artfully draped over her lower half, but everything from the waist up had been removed. There was nothing to see, although the scent of blood permeated everything. A large dressing covered her entire back, firmly held down with some sort of specialised clear adhesive. On a couple of spots, he could see blood starting to seep through to the outer layer, but it seemed that overall, she wasn’t as bad as he’d feared.
He almost moaned in relief, gingerly climbing onto the bed beside her, so that his forehead rested against her elbow where her arm was crooked above her head on the pillows. The pain that he had felt emanating from her earlier was now a dull throb, and he assumed that was because the potion had kicked in. She was hot to the touch, but they knew that would happen. It was now a matter of time. They had to care for her as best they could, and wait for her to heal and wake up.
Part of him almost hoped that she would be too weak to beat Asher in his challenge in a few days time, but Dean had an idea of Melody’s strength now. There was no way this would hold her back. She would conquer that fucking wolf, and then she would bring him to heel, and Dean? Well, he’d make sure that the asshole paid for this for the rest of Melody’s life.
4. Asher
Asher had heard the rumours. He’d seen that viper Shawna and her horrors talking about Melody and the Apex before he’d finally challenged her. The reality of what he was faced with, however, was on a different plane entirely.
As soon as their bond was broken, the others dashed back to their cottage through a portal, leaving him stunned in the provost’s office. Initially he thought he was alone with the head witch, but when his mind cleared a little, he became aware of Ryan and Oz flanking him.
“Come on, man. Let’s get you back to your quarters in the dorm. You can check on her later. Right now, you need to rest and shake this off,” Oz coaxed.
Stubbornly, Asher waved them off. “I’m fine, I can get there by myself. Go check on her, I know you’re dying to get there.”
Ryan dashed away, muttering about stubborn idiots.
“Look,” Oz said, lingering a bit longer. “We saw Dean go through this when he bonded her. He also had his broken. It knocks you about for a bit. You really should let me walk you back. It’s going to make you easy prey for any witch determined to trick you into challenging them. You’re weakened, so some of them who wouldn’t ordinarily have a chance, would.”
“Thanks, Oz. But I’m fine, really. I just want to sleep.” He’d had a taste of Melody’s power bonded to his own shifter magic. Despite the drama that had ensued, he was more determined than ever to have her. Nothing and nobody else would suffice.
It wasn’t long before he regretted his bravado, stumbling through the corridors as though drunk. The sudden wave of fatigue had taken him by surprise.
A soft-spoken voice had enquired after his wellbeing, and his foggy thoughts had cleared enough to find himself surrounded by a bevvy of witches, cooing and consoling. They were running their hands over him, stroking him, caring for him, helping him when his balance failed, until he found himself in an unfamiliar bedroom, half-naked, with Shawna slowly peeling her clothes off in front of him.
At that moment, his sanity returned. Asher stood to excuse himself, but the wily witch simply threw herself against him, landing them both on the bed as she giggled and straddled his waist.
The door to her room blew open with a bang, but it was no natural breeze that had done so, he’d could smell the ozone of magic. Nobody was there, but several passing students saw them in a
compromising position, Shawna draped over him and moaned as she ground herself against him.
Asher had had enough. He sat up, causing her to slide off him and onto the floor where she landed with a curse and a scowl. The near call had caused adrenaline to rush through his veins. His heart was pumping, his chest heaving. He probably looked more aroused than angered, but Asher was going to take whatever help he could get.
How he had made it to the female witch dorms instead of the male shifter ones on the other side of the campus, he didn’t know, but he knew he had to get out of there fast.
He didn’t even bother putting on his shirt, holding it balled in his hand as he strode down the hall and out the door onto the path. People everywhere stopped to look at him, but he wasn’t in the mood to preen at the attention. Oz hadn’t been kidding when he’d warned Asher, and he felt a fool for not listening and accepting his help. He owed Oz a solid.
Every day he walked to Melody’s cottage, where he was told that there was no change. Melody was still unconscious, feverish and incredibly weak.
For a week, Shawna and her hellcats stalked him, finding him no matter where he hid, and draping themselves around him and all over him, giving him no chance to get away without using force. Shifters craved touch and the women knew it. It was obvious they were trying to lure his wolf to them by giving him what he wanted most.
Only, the thing he wanted most was her, Melody. After being connected to her even for the briefest of moments, Asher knew that nobody else would ever match up to her. These other witches were pathetic, thoughtless and weak. His wolf wanted to slash them and rip them with his claws. However, one thing that had been drilled into him since he was a pup was that witches were to be feared and treated with the utmost respect, so Asher hesitated to push them away.
It was a mistake. Shawna took it as encouragement, telling anyone who would listen that he was simply in shock from having his first bond severed, and that once he recovered, he was going to challenge her instead. He had found a better witch.
