by E A Price
Her first break hadn’t exactly been restful. Hans had cornered her in the store room. Again. She was just thankful how well insulated the room was, she had gotten a little noisy... She was actually thankful of a little rest, her body felt well and truly spent.
Ilse had made her a small hawaiin pizza, grabbing a cream soda she resolved to relax and read her book. That was the plan.
She found her relaxation rudely interrupted as Hans plonked a large meat lovers pizza and two cream sodas on to the table before pushing into the booth next to her, forcing her to budge along.
She looked at him sourly. The restaurant was only half full. There were lots of empty tables. “You can’t sit anywhere else?”
“I could but I’m not gonna.” He grinned at her between mouthfuls.
She rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, misery loves company?”
“Naw, misery hates company. Misery just can’t stand missing an opportunity to piss company off.”
She groaned. “Wolf.”
“Witch.”
“Asshole.”
“Bitch.”
“Dick head.”
“Cow.”
Melody stopped to take a bit of pizza and a swig of soda, Hans took advantage and did the same. She found herself not getting even remotely angry, her tired body was heating up for an entirely different reason. She needed to pace herself or she might work herself up so much that she orgasmed right then and there. Hans would probably love that.
“Jock strap.” She bit out.
Hans chuckled heartily, the sound was so unexpected a number of customers turned round and openly gaped at him.
She cocked an eyebrow. “People are staring at you.”
He gave the staring customers a hard look before turning back to Melody. “They’ve probably never heard me laugh.”
“Wow, so a laugh from you is a bit of a mythical creature huh? Like a fairy or a unicorn?”
He scowled. “Or something other than you find on the cover of a 12 year old girl’s diary.”
She snorted and almost choked on the soda she had been sipping. “Asshole.”
“You already said that.”
“It’s doubly true.”
He smirked. “You just ran out of insults.”
“Ha! I can go all night.”
“Me too sugar.” He winked and leered at her.
She blushed furiously and he laughed again. It was starting to freak the customers out.
She regained a little of her composure. “So you say, you were looking decidedly peaky at 3am this morning.”
Hans grunted. “You could always put me to the test. Tonight?” He looked at her suspiciously. “Unless you have other plans...”
She placed a hand on her heart. “Oh me oh my! Let me check my unicorn diary.”
Hans bellowed with laughter. Some of the customers decided to leave before he did something really crazy.
Alec the pack Beta and Acksel came into the restaurant. Spying Hans, Acksel came over to the booth.
“Hey guys” he said a look of surprise on his face at finding them sitting together and actually laughing. Perhaps it was hysterical laughter.
Melody returned his greeting with a smile, Hans glowered at his younger brother. Alec nodded at them both coolly.
Melody and Hans were bunched round one side of the circular booth. Acksel and Alec slid in, much to Hans’ displeasure Acksel was sitting close to Melody.
Alec looked at Melody for a few moments. “A woman was killed last night.” Again he paused looking at Melody. Acksel’s smile was immediately replaced with a grim expression, he was suddenly all business. “Her throat was ripped out.”
“Oh shit!” Melody put her hands over her mouth. Not Him, please not Him.
Hans watched her reaction with some concern. Under the table Hans put a hand on her thigh and rubbed gently. She was grateful for the comforting feel of his body next to her. She reached down one hand and covered his. They intertwined their fingers slightly.
Acksel put a hand on her shoulder but she tensed slightly and shifted a little closer to Hans so he dropped it. He watched his brother closely, who in turn was eyeing him guardedly. Acksel had smelt Melody’s arousal when he arrived and had hopefully thought it might be for him, but for once he was the one stood on the sidelines while his brother got the girl. Well well well...
Alec continued. “It was a woman from Alexandria, she was visiting a friend. We don’t know what happened yet.”
“Do you know what... I mean who could have done it? I mean could it have been a shifter, or a vampire...?” She shivered a little in fear. Hans kept his face blank but squeezed her thigh a little tighter.
Alec narrowed his eyes at the little witch. He recalled she’d had shown the same fear of vampires when Iris Bennett, another witch, had disappeared. A little fear of vampires in general was not a bad thing but he did wonder about it... “We can’t really say for sure yet. The scene was covered in wolfsbane, not even Don could get anything.”
Don Cross was a wolf shifter and an excellent tracker but when it came to toxic wolfsbane even he had his limits.
Acksel looked directly at his brother. “We’re upping patrols, getting as many volunteers as we can. I wouldn’t normally ask but...”
“I’ll do it.”
Alec raised his eyebrows. Hans had never agreed to anything so quickly in his life. The wolf disagreed with everything just out of spite.
“Thanks man. If you could take the shift from 10 ‘til 3...”
“No. I want a later shifter.” Alright, Hans hadn’t changed that much.
Acksel acquiesced. “3 ‘til 8 then. You’re on the east border.”
Hans nodded and openly glared at the Beta and his brother, willing them to get lost. Thankfully they did, wishing them both goodbye Alec and Acksel left. Acksel stared at Melody a little wistfully but decided not to say anything.
Melody stared at the table. Reluctantly she withdrew her hand from his. He lamented the loss of her tiny hand on his.
“Finish your pizza.” Hans ordered.
Without thinking she did as she was told. He looked at her thoughtfully, he didn’t like this quiet and subdued Melody. It was unnatural. His wolf whined at her evident melancholy.
All she could think was it might be Him. He might have found her. He might be here. He might try to rip her away from Hans. Not that it would take much, Hans would probably gift wrap her and send her to Him. He’d be glad to be rid of me she thought despondently.
The warmth of his hand on her thigh had been nice, it had hinted at an intimacy of more than just casual sex. No, he was probably just horny, and she was available. Not to mention how horny he made her. He probably laughed at how wet he made her, how aroused she was for him, and how little he cared for her. She wanted to cry.
After they finished eating Hans cleared away the plates and glasses and, before giving her an uncomfortable look, got back to work. He was downcast for the rest of his shift, worrying about the mood change in Melody. He watched her as often as he could.
She had a fake smile plastered over her face as she served customers. Nobody else seemed to notice the difference but Hans did. The fake smile was all teeth. When she really smiled he didn’t show teeth, her cheeks dimpled and her eyes sparkled. Just like they did last night in bed right after they had sex, then again in the shower right after sex, then again today in the store room after a quick fumble... His cocked stirred at the memories. Fuck.
He rearranged himself unobtrusively and tried to focus on making pizzas. He had purposefully asked for a later shift so that he could walk Melody home. He didn’t like the idea of her walking home late at night when potentially something was out there ripping women’s throats out.
As an added bonus he could perhaps spend a little time testing out the sturdiness of her bed. He wasn’t usually a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but he saw the silver lining in his plan.
*
The walk to Melody’s house had been quiet.
Neither one of them felt like talking. Hans had walked closely to her, their sleeves brushing against one another.
When they arrived they stood in the kitchen awkwardly. His large frame making the room seem tiny. “You want a drink or something to eat?” She offered.
He ignored her and came to stand in front of her. Leaning over her he placed his hands on either side of her head and gently raised her to look at him. “You’ve been crying. “ He accused her coldly.
His wolf howled at him. Howled at him to make it better, to make her happy, and worried that it had been him who had made her cry.
Her eyes darted out of his gaze. She had, but she didn’t want him to know. She’d cried for the dead woman, for the fact that one day that would be her. One day He would find her. If He hadn’t already.
Whilst part of her desperately wanted Hans to love her and for them to be together another more logical part realised it was for the best that he didn’t want that. If Hans was attached to her He would kill Hans when He found her, which He would eventually...
“Just sad about that woman who was killed.” Which was a half truth.
She was lying to him again. She carried a lot of pain and sadness within her and she wouldn’t share it with him. Why would she? He made himself clear that they were just screwing around, he made it clear he didn’t want to get involved with her, so why would she share the intimate parts of her life?
“Why do you hate witches?” She asked suddenly.
He let go of her face and turned his back to her. His first instinct was to bellow and tell her it was none of her business but he soon recovered himself.
Why not tell her? It wasn’t exactly a secret.
The bitter memories flooded his mind. “A witch killed my dad. I was 13. She was a healer, a good one too. She kept giving away potions to she-wolves who were expecting pups. Told them the potion would make the babies stronger. But it was poison. She killed a few unborn pups and almost made a few of the she-wolves infertile. She was nuts. Said she hated wolves and didn’t want any more being born. My dad tried to stop her and she killed him, he was an Enforcer. The old Alpha and two other Enforcers finally took her down.”
She tugged his arm and he allowed her to turn him back to face her. The look of sorrow on his face nearly broke her heart. She stroked his cheek, running her fingers over the angry scar. “I’m sorry about that.” She kissed him deeply. “I would never do anything like that. That woman was a monster.”
He pressed her to him, kissing her firmly. She curled her fingers into his t-shirt. He rubbed his hands down her back and rested at her ass. The kiss deepened and clutching her cheeks he dragged her up his body. She clamped her legs round his waist, her sex rubbed against his arousal.
Breaking away from her mouth he kissed his way over her jaw down to her neck and shoulder. He took in a deep gulp of her scent, his wolf immediately started prancing round like a puppy.
She nipped at his shoulder with blunt teeth and he yelped in delight raising his head, eyes rolling to the back of his head.
His head snapped toward the window and his body went rigid. He’d seen a flash of movement outside. It was gone in a flash but it had looked like a face, but then not even wolves could move that fast.
She writhed in his arms but noticed he wasn’t reciprocating. She gently bit his earlobe. “What’s wrong?”
“I thought I saw someone at the window...”
She stilled in his arms and her heartbeat sped up. “Maybe one of the pack?” She asked optimistically.
He hesitated. He wanted to go out and see if anyone was there, but didn’t want to leave Melody unprotected. “No, they moved too fast. It might be nothing but I should go check.”
Grudgingly he set Melody down on the floor, her eyes were already wide with worry. “Go upstairs, into your bathroom. Lock the door. Don’t come out until I say... just in case.”
No, she couldn’t allow Hans out there on his own, what if it was Him? “No you can’t...”
His face was grim. “No arguments, do it. Now.” His tone was harsh and commanding. It said ‘don’t fuck with me’.
She gulped and wordlessly ran upstairs. When he heard the click of the lock he went out to look round.
Chapter Eight
Melody paced in the bathroom. What if it was Him? What if she had just allowed Hans to go out there with Him lurking, waiting to strike, waiting to kill. She should have warned Hans. She should have told him about her history. She should have told him she loved him... Damnit.
She had to go out there and help him, save him. She ran to the door, unlocking it she flung it open to find Hans stood on the other side.
When he saw what she was doing his face became furious. She didn’t care. She launched herself into his arms and kissed him soundly. He opened his mouth in surprise and she took advantage to push her tongue into his mouth, hungrily touching and tasting him. He held himself tautly but after a few moments under the barrage of her sensual attack he relaxed into the kiss.
He spun her back to the bed and they toppled onto it. He was laying above her, his body covering her, pinning her. He held each of her wrists and pushed them into the bed. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp but he held her more tightly.
Panic suddenly hit her, she was trapped under him, his heavy weight holding her down. She started thrashing beneath him but his kiss just became more ardent. She couldn’t move. She hated feeling helpless. He could do whatever he wanted to her and all she could do was cry and scream, just like Him...
She wrenched her mouth from his. “Get off of me!” She shrieked.
Hans stared at her in shock. He let go of her hands and she pushed at his solid. “Get off!” She sobbed.
His eyes hardened to anger. One minute she’s throwing herself at him and then all of a sudden she can’t stand him? Fucking witch. His wolf howled at him.
He stood up, looming menacingly over the bed, wolf howling. His claws lengthened and his eyes burned amber. She scrambled over to the other side of the bed and sat with her back to him. “I’m sorry...” She tried not to let her emotions seep into her voice.
Her nerves were fraught and she had stupidly panicked. She had hurt him.
“What’s wrong with you?” He demanded gruffly. He had bared his most private pain to her and now she was rejecting him?
“It’s nothing... I just...”
“What are you keeping from me?” He bellowed heatedly. His chest tightened, did he not mean anything to her?
She recoiled at his tone and felt her hackles rise. “I said it’s nothing” she said vehemently.
He spoke through gritted teeth. “You’re lying to me. Fucking witch. You’re no different from the rest.”
“Get out of my house.” She said coldly.
He scoffed. “Gladly, I don’t want to have anything to do with a heartless bitch like you!”
She leapt off the bed and rounded on him, tears streaming down her face. “You’re the one who told me he hated me the first day we met, you initiate sex and then accuse me of tricking you. You get angry when I flirt with other men, again initiating oral sex, then you make it very clear that you don’t want me and are embarrassed about anyone thinking we might actually be together. You’ve made it clear you don’t want me or even like me and I’m the heartless one? Get out!”
She shook from the force of her rant, she felt her face burning with both rage and embarrassment.
Wordlessly he looked her up and down in disgust and left the room. She heard his heavy tread on the stairs before her front door was slammed shut.
She collapsed onto the floor, wrapping her arms around her. Dios! Why couldn’t she just be happy? Didn’t she deserve that? After everything she’d been through the past few years...
In spite of his boorish behaviour the last couple of days had been wonderful. She laughed a little hysterically at that, what exactly did that say about her, that she liked the way he treated her?
But then she had to blow it. Maybe
if she had just told Hans the truth things would have been okay... Maybe if she had told Hans about Him and what he had done to her...
No, she couldn’t.
She couldn’t bear to have Hans look at her in pity or worse revulsion. Would he really want to touch her body knowing where it had been? No, he wouldn’t she thought bitterly.
Maybe it was better this way, he hated her more than ever now. It was for the best. This way at least Hans was safe from Him, should he ever find her...
She trembled at the thought.
No, no she was safe. She was sure of it. She was... almost positive.
Chapter Nine
31st October
It was Halloween. The pack were holding a party. The Alpha’s new mate insisted. She apparently loved Halloween. The wolves had never been particularly fond of it themselves, something about wolf shifters never being cast in a flattering light. However everyone was pretty excited for the party.
The pizza parlour was closing at 8pm to allow all the employees to go. Melody was not going. She was definitely not in the mood for revelry. As much fun as it would be seeing the Alpha in costume, rumour had it Rosalee had insisted on a Zorro costume for him...
After crying herself to sleep last night she had woken up with a plan. She was going to leave Rose.
It was the easiest solution. She would leave the drama behind her and start afresh in a new town. Not a big deal, she’d been doing just that over and over for the past three years. Once more c0ouldn’t hurt.
Her stomach churned at the thought of leaving. She’d never really made any friends in the other towns though, or particularly enjoyed her jobs. She had both here though. Not to mention Hans...
But it was because of him she had to leave. She couldn’t bear to stay here and have him hate her, alternatively she couldn’t bear the thought that if they were together Hans may get hurt if He ever showed up.
It was definitely for the best that she move on. Definitely...
She sighed, trying to ignore the feelings in her stomach. Trying to ignore all the things she would miss about this place, which always centred on Hans.
