Marking Melody

by R. E. Butler

  Melody was entirely healed from the beating that Micah said she had taken at the hands of the females, and Micah bore no marks from the restraints, but the emotional wounds inside, Tristan knew, could be far longer lasting.

  Their comforting turned to passion, and they made love together on the bed before eventually falling asleep, Melody held tightly between him and his brother.

  When the morning sunlight woke them, they dressed and headed down to the dining room. Before they reached the landing, Melody pulled on their hands, and they stopped and turned to her.

  “I don’t want to stay in King.”

  “Now or permanently?” Tristan asked.

  She shrugged and chewed on her bottom lip. “Both. I want to spend time with my uncles, but I just don’t feel safe here anymore, and it’s not because I think something else will happen. The whole town feels tainted to me.”

  He felt the same way. But even if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have subjected his sweetheart to living in a place where she was afraid. It burned him that both Micah and Melody had been kidnapped. He hadn’t believed that the females would dare to come into town and be so bold. His foolishness could have cost him the two most important people in his life.

  Tristan gently freed her bottom lip from her teeth. He brushed his thumb across the lower swell and looked into her amazing blue eyes. They were lovely. Bright and earnest, like sapphires framed with thick lace.

  “Indiana or Ohio?”

  She blinked. “Ohio?”

  “Sure. Bent Creek where you’re from. Or Ashland. Or we can go somewhere else, anywhere else you’d like to go.”

  Her eyes brightened a little from unshed tears. “I love you, Tristan. Wherever we go will be home.” She stepped closer and went on her toes, pressing her lips against his.

  “I love you, too, Melody.”

  Turning to Micah, she shared a kiss with him as well, and they whispered I love you to each other, which made Tristan’s heart swell in happiness. He wasn’t jealous of the love he could feel between Micah and Melody. He was glad that his mate was loved so much. He didn’t care that they’d only been together for a week. When he thought he would lose her, he realized how short life could be and that he’d never had a chance to share his feelings with her. Now, he wasn’t going to waste any more time.

  Micah said, “Well?”

  She smiled. “I think Ashland would be a good place to go.”

  “If we don’t like it, we can always move on,” Tristan pointed out.

  They walked into the dining room of the B&B together and found not only John and James with Jilly, but also the panthers who had helped them the night before. Based on texts he’d received from his dad, he knew that he and his uncle and Melody’s uncles had stayed late into the night catching up with James and John, who were staying overnight in the B&B.

  James stood when they walked into the room. He moved quickly to them and said, “Melody, I owe you a huge apology. I let my old fears override what you said. I didn’t used to be such a jackass.”

  John barked out a laugh, and James shot him a dirty look. Tristan stifled a chuckle.

  Melody said, “I forgive you. After learning from Tristan and Micah what you’ve all suffered at the hands of the females, and experiencing it myself, I don’t blame you. There’s a silver lining here, though. I found my mates and reunited with my uncles. I’m choosing to focus on that and forget everything else.”

  James nodded vigorously, his shoulders slumping in relief. “We’ve learned a lot about mountain lions since connecting with the panthers. But in spite of everything we now know about why our people are the way we are, John and I had already sworn to welcome you into the Ashland Pride with open arms.”

  “What have you learned?” Micah asked.

  “An unbelievable truth,” James said, and turned to the long table where everyone gathered. Melody and Jilly hugged, and Jilly apologized for not being able to set them free. Melody said she was glad she’d tried. John apologized to Melody, Micah, and Tristan and said the entire pride now knew that Melody and Jilly were no threat to the males, or any future cubs, in any way. Tristan could tell by the way Melody’s eyes glittered that she was overwhelmed by the support.

  After gathering breakfast from the buffet, they sat across from James and John while a panther male named Hanai told a story about a goddess and the first mountain lion pride. Tristan was dumbfounded. He had never believed in that sort of nonsense. But looking at how different Melody was from the females he had grown up with, and now seeing Jilly — who he’d known as a self-absorbed, male-hating female — cuddled between the two panthers, he knew he heard the truth. A fantastical, almost unbelievable truth…but truth nonetheless.

  When breakfast was done and it was just the three of them in the dining room, Melody toyed with her spoon and said, “My dad really did save me from being like the females, even if he didn’t know what he was saving me from.”

  “We’re really glad he did,” Micah said.

  She smiled at Micah and turned to Tristan. They made plans to pack up their few belongings and head to her uncles’ house for a get together to say goodbye. It was a good way to end their visit to King, by saying goodbye to the people they’d come to see. He knew that they’d visit King more often, and he hoped that his dad and uncle wanted to come to see Ashland at some point, too.

  * * * * *

  Melody helped her Uncle Holden chop vegetables to be marinated and grilled. Tristan enjoyed watching her from the open backdoor while he stood on the patio with his dad, uncle, Micah, and Jax.

  Jax took a drink of beer. “The Fallons take off?”

  Micah nodded, keeping one eye on Melody in the house. “This afternoon, yeah. Jilly and her two mates rode home with them, and the panther clan followed.”

  The panthers were nomadic people and moved around however they cared to, staying in one place for only weeks or months as it suited them. They practiced a strange mating custom that each partner in the marriage had to be a minimum of twenty-one, so they weren’t going to be mated for several years. And since Jilly was still technically a minor, and wanted to get to know her family again, she was going to live at the boarding house on the second floor with her cousins, dad, and uncles. The panthers were going to find land and set up their RVs.

  Tristan didn’t think he’d care for year-round camping, but watching Melody chew on a carrot stick and laugh at something Holden said, he knew that he’d live anywhere to be with her. House. Tent. Under a bridge. Even an RV.

  Melody came out of the house carrying a zipper bag of vegetables in a marinade and told Jax that it needed to soak for a bit before going into the grill pan. Already one of the grills on their back patio had two chickens skewered on a rotisserie, and the other was waiting for the vegetables and steaks that Tristan had seen in the fridge earlier.

  They stood around talking while the meat and vegetables cooked. Melody brought out her camera and took pictures. While he and Micah watched her fuss over positioning the four males together for a picture, Tristan said, “I think our cubs are going to have more pictures taken of them than any other kid ever.”

  Micah chuckled. “The walls will be covered with pictures.”

  “She’ll go crazy when she meets the other lions. There won’t be a safe place for any of them in the house from her camera.”

  “Hey!” She scowled. “I heard that!”

  Laughing, Tristan said, “You know I’m right.”

  She smiled sheepishly. “I love to take pictures.”

  “And we love you for it,” Micah said.

  Eventually the food was cooked and the camera put away, and they all sat at the big picnic table and prepared to eat.

  Jax stood and said, “I’d just like to say how happy Holden and I are to have our sweet niece with us once more. I know that Bradley is watching over you, baby girl, and I know he’s proud of the woman you’ve become.”

  She smiled at him.

  Jax continued, “I also kno
w that Bradley would want us to be a family again. Because King isn’t the place for you, then it means that it’s not the place for us, either. So Holden and I have decided to pack up and head to Ashland.”

  She stood with a gasp. “Are you serious?” She darted around the picnic table and hugged Jax.

  Holden stood and hugged her. “We’re serious. James and John said there’s plenty of room and even a garage in Ashland that could use some more workers. It’ll be hard to leave King since we’ve grown up here, but you’re the only family we have, and we don’t want to be an eleven-hour drive away.”

  She sniffled and hugged them both harder. “I love you both. Thank you for being there for me.”

  “We wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Holden promised.

  Tristan looked at his dad and uncle. His dad said, “We’ll think about it.”

  He chuckled. He had a feeling that his dad and uncle would decide to move to Ashland eventually, too.

  The meal wound down, and they were about to eat ice cream for dessert when a loud knock sounded against the side fence that enclosed the backyard. Torrin and his brother, Cole, opened the gate and came inside. Tristan immediately tensed and stepped in front of Melody.

  Before he could demand the two leave, Torrin put his hands up in defense and said, “We’re not here to pick a fight.”

  “Then why are you here?” Holden asked.

  Cole rubbed at the back of his neck nervously and said, “We wanted to apologize. We heard you were leaving for Ashland, and we didn’t think we’d have another chance to say we’re sorry in person.”

  Torrin nodded, dropping his hands. “We heard about everything that went down with the females, and we’re glad that you’re all okay. Melody, I’m sorry we were such dicks. We had no right to judge you so harshly.”

  Cole said, “We’re both sorry.”

  Melody put her hand on Tristan’s shoulder and stepped to his side. Micah joined them, sandwiching her between them. “I forgive you. Thanks for stopping by. Would you like some ice cream?”

  Cole’s eyes widened. “Yeah? Sure!”

  As Cole and Torrin joined the group and ice cream was scooped out in abundance, Tristan leaned down and kissed Melody’s cheek. “You’re a sweetheart, baby. How’d we get so lucky?”

  “I’m lucky, too.”

  In the morning, her uncles gave her a box of her father’s belongings they had in the attic. It contained old photos, yearbooks, and some of the letters he’d sent over the years. They were working on coming to Ashland, but didn’t expect to be able to come to live for a few months. Tristan and Micah’s father had given them his old truck to drive, since Tristan’s was totaled and currently with the police. As Micah and Melody got into the truck, Jax and Holden pulled Tristan aside.

  “We understand how fast the weddings seem to happen in Ashland, so we just ask that you wait until we’re there, okay? She’s our only niece, and we’d like a chance to see her get married.”

  “I promise,” Tristan said. He and Micah had discussed asking her to marry them earlier that day while Melody had been in the family room with her uncles talking about photography. They were already mated, but he wanted her to have their last name. They first had to propose, and he was leaving the details up to Micah, who was more romantic. “I know she’d want you to walk her down the aisle.”

  Holden nodded. “We want that, too.”

  After saying goodbye once more, Tristan turned on the engine and left the driveway, starting their journey home to Ashland, leaving King behind.

  Chapter 18

  Micah could feel how nervous Melody was as they parked at the side of the boarding house and Tristan turned off the engine. Tristan turned in the seat and glanced at Micah for a long moment before turning his attention to Melody.

  “It’s safe here now, Melody. Even before James and John came to King to see Jilly, they had already decided that you were going to be welcomed into the pride. What we’ve all learned about why the females are the way they are just reinforces what we already knew about you.”

  Tristan tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

  “What did you already know?” Her brow rose.

  Micah grinned. “That you’re different, but in a great way. Not like any other female.”

  “And ours,” Tristan added.

  She smiled. “I’m glad to be yours.” She inhaled slowly and then exhaled sharply. “Let’s go meet the pride under better circumstances.”

  They got out of the truck, and Micah and Tristan both grabbed her hands and walked towards the front of the house. Micah couldn’t help the snarl of unhappiness that rumbled in his chest as they walked through the front door and he recalled the night they’d had to steal Melody away.

  “You’re growling,” she whispered.

  “Sorry,” he replied, “my cat is feeling a little residual anger.”

  She pulled them to a stop in the foyer and said with a low voice, “I don’t blame them. They didn’t know any different, but now they do. I’ve accepted their apologies and holding onto the anger isn’t going to do anyone any good. Let’s put it behind us. I have.”

  His cat purred and Micah smiled down at his mate. “You’re right. I don’t want to be mad at my friends.”

  “Me either,” Tristan added.

  With a kiss to both of their cheeks, Melody started walking, and they fell into step with her, leaving the foyer and heading through the kitchen into the large family room. Three big couches were set up in a U-shape with a coffee table in the center. The entire pride was in the room, including Ethan, Eryx, Callie, their kids, and James and John’s older brother Rhett and his human wife, Lisa. The couches overflowed, and chairs had been brought into the room so everyone had a seat.

  James stood and motioned for them to stand in front of the fireplace that graced one wall. Micah looked around the room. Everyone was smiling. He relaxed fractionally and felt Melody relax as well.

  James cleared his throat. “I’m not such a jerk that I can’t admit when I’m wrong. Our whole lives, we’ve never known anything different than the detached relationship between the males and females of our people. We accepted things as they were and although attempts were made to change them, most of our forefathers went to their graves with unrequited love for females. When Melody swore she was different, I didn’t believe her. I thought it was a trick, a way to get to us because it seemed like the females wouldn’t leave us alone to live our lives without them. I was wrong.” James looked at them and smiled sadly. “I’m so sorry, Melody. I know I apologized before, but I want to make sure the pride knows that I regret my behavior. Aside from the fact that you’re different from the females and were telling the truth, I’m a police officer and should have never restrained you. You’ve more than proven yourself to be a female of worth, and we welcome you into the pride with open arms and hearts.”

  Melody’s voice was thick with emotion when she said, “My dad always wanted a pride like this. If he were alive, he would gladly join your ranks, and I do as well. With open arms and heart.”

  Micah and Tristan released her hands, and James hugged her and kissed her cheek. The pride cheered, and one by one, each member came up to welcome her. The unmated males — Ray, Wesley, Chase, Dylan, and Hunter — shook her hand after Wesley leaned in to hug her and Tristan growled in warning. Micah hadn’t much cared for the males touching her either, but somehow James and John hadn’t affected them. Micah figured it was because they were older and had become more like father figures to them than romantic rivals. Not that Melody was going to share her affections with anyone besides him and his brother. Micah was positive that he and Tristan held Melody’s heart completely, the same way that she held both of theirs.

  When the kids surrounded Melody, she broke down, falling to her knees and hugging all of them. The kids, all very tenderhearted like their dads, cried along with her. Micah’s eyes misted, and so did many of the other males. It was difficult not to be affected by the sight before t
hem.

  James said, “It’s so easy for the kids.” Looking at the other adults, he said with a sigh, “I wish it had been that way from the beginning.”

  Melody wiped at her tears and gave them a watery smile. Callie, Ethan, Eryx, and their young children were last. They’d suffered a great deal at the hands of the females, but they were just as willing as the others to welcome Melody into the pride. Their youngest, Cameron, who was going to be two in the fall, toddled into Melody’s arms and clutched a lock of her hair.

  “Pwetty,” he said with a big smile, and Micah’s heart melted. Melody stroked Cameron’s cheek and gave him a kiss, which earned her another smile.

  Callie said, “Welcome to the pride, Melody. I heard you like to take pictures.”

  Melody stood, untangling herself from the mass of young kids, except Cameron, who clutched her leg with both chubby arms, and began to talk to Callie about the photography business she’d started in Bent Creek before her dad passed away.

  Eryx came over to Micah and Tristan and shook their hands. “Thanks for helping bring our cousin home. I’m glad that you’re all okay now.”

  Tristan nodded. “Any news about the females who were arrested?”

  Eryx shook his head. “I’ve been in contact with the King police. The Twin Pines police are keeping an eye on the house you were found in, just in case any of the females who escaped come back. The others are supposed to be arraigned tomorrow, and Daniel Parker said that a good number of males were planning to go to the courthouse to protest bail. I’ll let you know when I hear anything.”

  Even knowing that the females acted the way they did because of an ancient curse didn’t change what had happened. They’d caused untold damage to males over the years and, Micah was certain, would have eventually killed Melody and perhaps even him when he outgrew his usefulness.