Marking Melody

by R. E. Butler

  Jax nodded. “One of the police officers in town, Daniel Parker, he’s taken a human woman as his mate. Before they left, Daniel was in love with one of the females. He said that until he met his human mate, he truly believed that the female was meant to be his mate, but it was a one-sided feeling because she didn’t want anything to do with him outside of occasional sex.”

  Tristan frowned. “Do you think that if she’d been raised like Melody, she would have been Daniel’s mate?”

  Jax shrugged. “Who the hell knows? As far as we know, Melody is the only female who was taken away from our pride and raised without the influence of the females. Whatever they do has to be a physical thing. So it’s drugging or mind control or something else that gradually gets worse from the time they’re very young until they shift and then it’s almost as if they don’t recognize their own family.”

  Tristan mulled over the conversation as the males continued to talk, speculating about the females. He didn’t know what taking Melody away as a baby had done to make her different, but he was thankful for it. To think that if her dad hadn’t taken her away, Tristan and Micah would believe her to be their mate, but she would never care for them. That thought made his heart ache. He squeezed her a little closer, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

  Eventually it grew too hot to sit on the patio. Their dad and uncle left to go to work, and Tristan and Micah promised to bring Melody over for dinner soon. Holden said, “You’re all welcome to stay here as long as you like.”

  Tristan glanced at Micah and Melody who made faces behind Holden’s back and stifled a chuckle. No way in hell did he want to spend another night on that lumpy couch. The only redeeming quality was the sweet, soft female who had been in his arms.

  “Thanks, but we’re going to check into Tom and Dana’s.”

  “Of course,” Holden said with a nod.

  “I was thinking,” Tristan pulled Melody close in the family room, out of sight of her uncles, “that we could go for a swim at the lake today.”

  She smiled up at him, nestled so perfectly in his arms. “I don’t have a suit.”

  He wiggled his brows at her, and she laughed, slapping him on the arm. Rolling his eyes exaggeratedly, he said, “Oh, fine. We’ll go shopping first. Micah and I need swim trunks ourselves.”

  After packing a picnic lunch and saying goodbye to her uncles, they drove to a shopping center outside of town and went into Tropix, a bathing suit and accessory store. Tristan and Micah took only a minute to find appropriate trunks for themselves, but picking out a suit for Melody turned into an hour long excursion that drove him insane with lust. Knowing that the only thing that separated him from seeing her naked was the thin door of the changing stall was a special kind of hell. She really seemed to enjoy modeling the suits for them, peeking shyly around the edge of the door before swinging it open and letting them see her beautiful body covered with small pieces of fabric. They all decided that a dark blue bikini was the best one, accentuating her pretty eyes and covering her better than some of the ones that were little more than thin bits of string and tiny pieces of material.

  A tote bag was filled with sunscreen and beach towels, and the three of them changed into their suits in the stalls and wore them out of the store. Micah and Tristan put their shirts back on, and Melody put her shorts and top over her suit. They stopped in a department store and bought her several changes of clothes and a pair of tennis shoes. She wanted to pay for everything, but Tristan and Micah insisted on covering the bills. She was their mate, after all, and they should be able to take care of her needs.

  On the way to the lake, Micah called Tom and asked if they had a room, saying they would need it for the remainder of their visit, and Tom promised to save them the biggest, nicest room. Tristan expected to sleep at Melody’s uncles a few more times so that she could spend time with them, but they needed a room to keep their things and a place to have privacy.

  The lake was King’s summer family destination. He and Micah had spent many fun summers as kids with their dad and uncle, playing in the water, climbing the trees, and cooking out with other pride members’ families. Although there were pavilions and playgrounds around the lake where humans and lions gathered, Tristan drove them to a secluded little cove where they fished and hung out as teenagers with some of their friends. He’d always thought it was a perfect place to bring a woman, but he’d never had a woman to bring before, and having Melody as the first seemed right in his mind.

  They had to park the truck several hundred feet away from the small clearing and walk, but there was a well-worn path to follow. Micah lifted Melody onto his back and they walked together, with Tristan carrying the supplies.

  The small, circular clearing was lined with trees, which grew together overhead so that it was partially shaded. Tristan laid their beach towels on the grass near the edge of the water and laid out the picnic blanket from the basket. Micah put Melody down and said, “Eat first or swim first?”

  Tristan growled lightly and pulled Melody close. “Is there a third option?”

  She giggled, her hands trailing down his biceps. “I don’t think the hard ground is much of a better option than the lumpy pull-out.”

  “We’ve got a bed for tonight,” Tristan said, kissing her. “But there are no rules against touching, are there?”

  Micah joined them. She shivered as Micah lifted her shirt over her head. Tristan put the fingers of one hand inside the waistband of her shorts, feeling the heat of her skin. She moaned softly as Micah tipped her face back and kissed her, and Tristan undid the button and zipper of her shorts.

  Tristan held the waistband of her shorts and drew them down her legs, dropping to his knees on the soft grass. He guided her as she stepped out of the shorts and folded them neatly to the side.

  Trailing his fingers up her calves, he looked up at her as Micah kissed her neck. One of her arms was thrown around Micah’s neck, holding him close, and the other was tangled with the arm that Micah wrapped around her waist. She opened her eyes slowly, as if she knew Tristan was watching, and looked down at him. Her eyes were deep blue with passion, and her lips were parted as she panted for breath.

  Tristan momentarily forgot everything as he met her eyes. She was so lovely. And she was his. His and Micah’s. In that moment, he could feel himself fall in love with her a little bit more than he already had. He’d never had feelings for anyone so quickly, but it felt right.

  He leaned forward and kissed her navel. She exhaled quickly, and her stomach twitched under his lips. He smiled. Looking up at her, he winked and then stood, cupping her face and kissing her lips. He meant to just kiss her once, but the first pass of his lips against hers made him want to taste her. He teased the seam of her mouth with his tongue, and she opened to him. Her tongue slid against his in a slow, long stroke that made lights spark behind his eyes. She moaned softly, and her hand twisted in his shirt and pulled him closer.

  He tilted her head and deepened the kiss, stroking his tongue against hers in a possessive dance that rocked him to the core. Breaking the kiss, he nipped her bottom lip and leaned back. She looked sexy as hell. Her eyes were glazed and her lips were swollen. She blinked a few times and a small smile curved up at the corner of her mouth. “You guys kiss me senseless.”

  He grinned. That was a fantastic compliment.

  Ducking to one knee, he lifted her over his shoulder and she squealed and laughed as he carried her into the water. He needed to cool them down before they went too far. The first time they made love, he didn’t want it to be on a picnic blanket, and he was about two seconds away from stripping and begging.

  Easing her down into his arms as the water rose around them, he kissed her once and said, “I think we needed to cool off.”

  She stood and reached for Micah who joined them. “Maybe for a little while.”

  “Just a little while?” Micah asked, smiling.

  “Yeah. Until we’re somewhere more private.” She nodded before turni
ng and diving under the water. She surfaced several yards away, treading water.

  Tristan said, “She’s going to keep us on our toes.”

  Micah nodded. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Chapter 6

  After they tired of swimming and grew hungry, Micah, Tristan, and Melody left the water, dried off, and sat on the picnic blanket to eat. Micah set the contents of the basket out, finding ham and cheese sandwiches, a plastic container of pasta salad, fruit, and several sodas. While they ate, they told Melody about their childhood and growing up in King.

  Like most males, Tristan and Micah had not had much contact with their birth mother. Their dad believed that it would only hurt them more in the long run to know about her, so they didn’t even know her name until they were teenagers. He wasn’t sure if it was more difficult to actually know who she was or all the years spent wondering. As kids, both he and Tristan had held out hope that their birth mother would someday decide that she loved their dad and would want to be their mom, but that never happened. Their dad had cared for their mom but said that he’d never fallen in love with her. When Tristan had been born, he’d known right away that his son needed a brother to support him and had asked the female to bear him another cub. It had taken a few months, but she’d gotten pregnant with Micah.

  Although separated from the pride, Melody and her dad had been happy in Bent Creek. She had her dad and her friends, and she hadn’t wanted for anything because her dad made sure of it. Micah wished that he’d known her dad. Judging from her uncles and what she’d shared about him, he’d been a great guy.

  Melody had done well in school and went on to college to study photography. When he’d seen the pictures on her camera, he’d been surprised by her talent, but when he saw her landscape photos blown up and framed in her uncles’ home, he realized the extent of her talent. She clearly loved taking pictures, and he wanted her to be able to start up her business again taking what she called lifestyle photographs, including weddings and high school senior pictures.

  Ashland would be perfect for that. The pride didn’t have a personal photographer. But the question remained whether she would really be welcome.

  He’d never thought of his people as discriminating against others, because as a rule, males were caring and nurturing. But the dislike and distrust of the females ran deep. If they just got to know her, Micah knew that the males in King would see that Melody was different. Micah found their mate irresistible. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was also kind and sweet and warm. Everything that he’d ever wanted in a mate was wrapped up in one devastating package, and the fact that she could shift into a mountain lion was icing on the cake.

  While they were packing up, Micah heard a twig snap, and his cat went on high alert. Tristan moved in front of Melody and growled as two males came into view. Micah tucked Melody behind him as Tristan straightened.

  “I heard you two were back in town,” Cole Hardy said, smiling as he came closer. Cole was a few years younger than he and Tristan, and a member of the pride.

  His brother, Torrin, was with him. The two stopped in front of them. “We didn’t mean to interrupt. We were looking for smartweed. One of our neighbors is human and has a serious case of poison ivy. Dad suggested smartweed, and of course we were lucky enough to not be busy when someone needed to find some.”

  “Well, good luck finding it. I haven’t seen any around,” Tristan said.

  Melody leaned against Micah’s back and trembled slightly. Torrin, who was Micah’s age, raised a brow and said, “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?”

  Tristan paused for a moment and said, “Sure. This is our mate, Melody. Melody, meet Torrin and Cole Hardy.”

  Micah angled himself so that Melody could see the males, but still be protected. He wasn’t sure what would happen if the males discovered she was a mountain lion, and he didn’t particularly care to find out.

  Torrin’s brow arched in surprise. “Did you say your mate, as in you share her?”

  Melody’s hand gripped Micah’s waist.

  Tristan folded his arms over his chest. “That’s right. She belongs to me and Micah.”

  Cole chuckled. “Man, you guys are hanging around the Fallons too much. Didn’t you want a girl all to yourself? With the females gone, there’s no reason to share for protection.”

  Micah frowned. “Do you think the only reason that lions are sharing a mate is to keep her safe?”

  Cole shrugged. “That’s what I heard.”

  Tristan shook his head. “We share because we both feel drawn to Melody as mates and so do the Fallons with their mates. It’s got nothing to do with protection and everything to do with how we feel.”

  Torrin opened his mouth to say something, and a slight breeze blew from behind them ruffling Melody’s hair. Torrin’s eyes flashed as he inhaled and then snarled, lunging for Melody. Tristan bent and rammed his shoulder into Torrin’s chest, sending him flying backward.

  “Fuck off, Torrin. I will not tell you again,” Tristan growled, crouching into a defensive stance.

  Micah felt his cat underneath his skin, his claws springing from his fingertips and his fangs elongating as he held Melody close to his back.

  “You brought a female into King?” Torrin yelled, jumping to his feet.

  Cole shook his head. “What the hell is the matter with you guys?”

  Micah squeezed Melody closer and said, “She’s different.”

  “They’re all different when they’re spreading their legs you assholes,” Torrin said as he took a step towards them.

  “Don’t talk about our mate that way, Torrin. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Micah took a slow step backward and Melody moved with him. He could feel that she was tense.

  Tristan growled and the sound cut through the woods like a knife, echoing around them. “Leave us alone.”

  Torrin opened his mouth, but Cole put his hand on his arm and shook his head. “They’re lunatics. Let’s leave them before she tries to seduce us, too.”

  Melody snorted and pressed her head against Micah’s shoulder, wrapping her arms around him as Torrin and Cole left.

  Tristan stayed in his defensive position until they could no longer hear the two males and then he straightened, snarling softly and cracking his neck. “We need to get out of here before they do something stupid like come back with reinforcements.”

  Micah knelt and finished packing up the picnic.

  “Reinforcements? It’s not against the law for us to be together,” Melody protested, picking up their beach towels and folding them.

  He looked at Tristan who was watching the path, and for a moment, their eyes met. A heavy weight settled on Micah’s shoulders. He could see that Tristan was troubled. Was she safe in King? He’d thought so when they made plans for the picnic, but now he wasn’t so sure. Whoever said that mountain lion males weren’t aggressive hadn’t been on the receiving end of Torrin and Cole’s wrath. He didn’t want to know what would have happened if she’d been out somewhere alone and run into them.

  They headed to the truck, keeping their eyes and ears tuned for trouble. Tristan started the truck, and he and Melody climbed in and buckled up.

  “I’m sorry,” Melody said, hooking her arms around both of theirs and leaning her head on Micah’s shoulder.

  He kissed the top of her head. “For what, baby?”

  “They’re your friends. You shouldn’t have to fight your friends.”

  Tristan shook his head and grimaced. “No, our friends shouldn’t have tried to attack our mate.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Regardless of what you shift into, you’re a woman and men aren’t supposed to attack women ever. It fucking boggles my mind.”

  They all went quiet, and the tension in the truck was palpable. Micah just flat out didn’t know what to say. He was embarrassed that males who he had considered friends would act so badly. They’d both believed that she would be safe here in King, and their
foolish disregard for her safety could have gotten her hurt.

  Melody took a trembling breath so softly that Micah almost didn’t hear it. His cat howled in dismay, and he quickly slipped his arm around her and tipped her face up with his free hand. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

  “Don’t cry, baby, please,” he whispered.

  She sniffled. “I feel like I’m making you guys lose everything.”

  He pressed his forehead to hers. “You’re not. Even if there wasn’t anyone but you in our lives, we’d still be happy because you’re all we need.” He picked up her hand and pressed it to his heart that was pounding in worry. “You’re our mate, Melody. Do you believe that?”

  “I do.”

  “Nothing on earth can change that.”

  She hugged him and sighed deeply. Micah looked at Tristan over her head and Tristan nodded. Whatever they needed to do to keep her safe and happy, they’d make sure it happened. Judging from Tristan’s grim face, he was going to be on the lookout for trouble and not taking anything about her safety for granted again. The best thing they could do was get to the bed and breakfast and check in.

  When they arrived at the B&B, Tristan hugged Dana Charming, and Micah shook Tom’s hand. “This is our mate, Melody,” Tristan said, pulling her into his arms.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Melody said and smiled at them.

  Micah could tell she felt comfortable around the Charmings because they were human. Tom and Dana were sweet and accepting of everyone, never judging people based on anything but what sort of people they were, not what they shifted into, if they shifted at all.

  Dana handed them a key with a blue plastic fob hanging from it. “I put extra towels in the bathroom,” she said as she smiled at them, “and dinner is at six. If you want me to send up a tray, ring me before five.”

  Tristan said, “We’ll want to stay in tonight, so go ahead and put us down to bring up a dinner tray.”