Page 101 of How to Seduce a Slender

Melody glanced down to her shaking hands and found the diary shivering at her feet. Bound in its muzzle, it cried out like a wounded animal. Melody gasped for air, jumping away from it. The ghosts of the Rosemonts were gone, and it was just her. Her legs lost all their strength and she fell to the ground. The diary crawled up into her lap like a hurt animal. It shivered harder. Melody sat deadly still, watching it writhe in her skirts.

Then…it tore itself apart. Page by page, pieces of its parchment ripped out of its mouth, curled up around the edges and turned to dust. Melody didn’t move. Didn’t breathe while the haunted object tore itself to shreds, and when the muzzle finally went lax, the binding fell apart and crumbled to ash. Six sets of eyes lay in a pile with the discarded muscle, all staring up at her with milky irises.

It took her a long time to figure out how to move again as she snatched up the crystalized eyes and dusted all the ash from her skirts.

“So, you have always been a massive dickhead, got it.” Melody glanced at the eyes in her palms. “I don’t know if you wanted that to maybe make me pity you. I don’t! I don’t pity you. I don’t forgive you. Smith won’t.”

The eyes were expressionless as they stared beyond her and into oblivion. Melody’s blood pumped hot as she stormed to the fireplace. She passed wisps of ghosts lingering between the aisles, watching her. Ghouls skittered out of the way and away from the hearth as Melody threw the eyes in. She made sure, even though they weren’t seeing, that they looked at her.

“You can show me a hundred memories, I won’t feel bad for you. I won’t even try to understand where you came from. And when I finally get my claws on you Elyth, I’m going to rip you apart. That’s a promise. Now, I’m going to do what your grandmother should have done.” Melody snatched the lit candle and tossed it fully into the fireplace. Flames engulfed the whole stone hearth before her, the eyes screaming as they burned. They crackled and popped and burst until they too were nothing but ash.

Then Melody stormed away from the library, finding the halls empty. She returned to the kitchen, sitting on the table with her feet in a chair like she often did at the diner, a bowl of snacks in a hand, and an angry scowl on her lips. And Melody waited for Dahlia to get back.

Chapter Thirty-Six:

Smith

Astheylaiddownfor the night before the ball, the house was oddly still. He didn’t know how to describe the anticipation. Unlike the night before the wedding, there was nothing preoccupying his thoughts. If Elyth came for the bait, this was it. This was the end. If she didn’t come for the bait…then it was into the woods they go. Smith didn’t like going into her lair. There were still too many unknowns, not to mention chances for her to set up her trap. At the manor, they had the upper hand.

If he were Elyth, he wouldn’t chance it. But he hoped that maybe he gave her more credit than she was owed. She wasn’t the woman he fell in love with, she was the cruel, mangled, egomaniac who tried to kill the woman he truly loved. Elyth was a mistake.One he would right.The person he loved and mourned was an illusion built to control him.

Smith tried his best to focus on the woman in his arms, but his mind was an angry storm. Wind whipping left and right, snatching up trees and mooing bovine, it threw everything into the oblivion.

Melody let out a sigh, “Can’t sleep either, huh?”

“Pardon?” he blurted out, sitting up.

“Sometimes, it feels like you help lull me to sleep, but I can feel how anxious you are. You’re really spiky right now.”

His heart sank as Melody shifted in bed to face him better. He loomed over her, caging her in his arms as she lay on her back. Ruby eyes stared up at him with worry.

“I apologize,” he breathed.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she brushed her fingers across his cheek before hissing and wrenching her fingers back. Smith jerked back, sitting up on his shins. Melody let out a sheepish wheeze, “That’s on me, Smith. I just said you were spiky and went to touch your face where it’s always more intense. Sorry.”

“No, I apologize, I should be in better control of my emotions.” He stared down at his werewolf, clutching a reddened hand to her chest.

Melody arched a brow, “Says who?”

“Pardon?”

Melody wiggled up until she sat back against the headboard. “Who says you need to be in better control of your emotions?”

“Your hurt fingertips, for starters,” he chuckled, nodding to her hand.

“Bah!” Melody huffed, waving off the comment with a flip of her hand. “Pain’s already gone, see?”

She shoved her face nearly in his face and he wrenched backward from her. Melody giggled, chasing him across the bed as he tried to avoid her touch. He warned, “Melody!”

“What! How are you supposed to see if you keep running away?” she teased, scrambling across the bed as he flung himself out of it. Melody tumbled and hit the floor like a sack of potatoes as the blankets tried to trap her. Smith lurched to help her up only to hesitate as he saw his bare hands out in front of him. Melody didn’t give him the chance to hide. She snatched his hands. Holding onto them firmly, she rose to her clumsy feet. “See? I’m fine.”

“Your teeth are chattering,” he huffed, trying to rip his hands from her but she was stronger. Despite how her teeth clicked together, she held on strong.

“Maybe a girl’s cold? Huh? You ever think maybe I’m just—” She stopped as her eyes fluttered and her mouth faltered. Smith held deathly still for a moment. Only to realize what was happening. He couldn’t help the smug look that crawled over his face. Melody’s arms trembled as goose bumps broke out across every inch of her body. Her arm hairs stood on end and her thighs snapped closed again.

“Mmm, what was that you were saying? Being too cold?” He teased, brushing his fingers further up her arms.

“Huh?” She breathed, her eyes closing as she stumbled toward him. A soft, supple Melody with no control of her limbs. She sank into his chest. He relished her shiver.

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