Page 115 of How to Seduce a Slender

“Ready, Wolfie?”

“You’re bringing me back?” Melody whispered.

“Now, now, sweetie. You didn’t think I’d let you off the hook that easily, now did you? I just made you my guardian. You’ve got an eternity left on your deal with me, Wolfie. And you don’t get out of my deals easy. You most of all should know that. You belong to me now, and I don’t invest in things I can’t take care of.” Persephone threw an arm around Melody’s ghostly shoulders, pulling her tight.

“Okay, I hate you even less now,” Melody hummed happily, hugging her back.

Persephone chuckled kissing her forehead. Melody turned into a floating orb that road in Persephone’s heart as she pulled out a walking staff and trudged through the snow. Melody didn’t remember going back to sleep. She just remembered it going dark as she lingered in Persephone’s chest…then…she opened her eyes.

Hereyesflutteredopento a dark crimson canopy of fabric over her. The four posters of a familiar bed caged her in. Every inch of her body ached. Unlike anything she’d ever felt before, her throat screamed out in pain that she couldn’t tend to…her hands were trapped under a thousand pounds of blankets. It took the strength of a god to keep her eyes open as she flopped her head to the side. Smith sat in a chair, a stack of files and notepad in his lap with a pen, scribbling faster than light. Only, it slowed down as her gaze traveled up his chest and landed on his face. It cleared of static and blur, showing off the soft curl of his lips and a hint of teeth. “Sweet girl, what are you doing awake. You should still be resting.”

“Is this a dream?” she croaked, shifting but groaning at the tug of her body. “Everything hurts.”

He was quiet for a long time before clearing his throat. Smith set his things aside before creeping up beside the bed. She was trapped in the middle of the bed, and he crawled up beside her. His hands hovered over her like they wanted to touch her but retracted. “That would be my fault.”

“Elyth collared you. You never would have hurt me.” She tried to defend more, but her body was weak. Her vision swayed.

Smith chuckled softly, finally placing a hand on her burning cheek. He stroked it tenderly. “I did pinkie promise.”

“You remember.” She smiled, leaning into his palm only to hiss. “You really did a number on my neck. I’ve never had a hickey this mean before.”

Smith crawled closer, draping her in his arms, pressing his forehead to the side of her face. “And I promise for the rest of eternity to never give you another.”

Melody grunted before letting out a huff, “Smith…can you help me?”

“Of course, with what?” He scrambled backward an inch.

“My arms are weak and I can’t raise my hand. But this won’t be funny if my hands trapped under the blankets.” She smiled broadly, weak but broad, as he chuckled to himself. He fished her left hand out from the blankets. Then Melody flashed him a pinkie. “Pinkie promise?”

Smith broke into a fit of wounded laughter as he immediately wrapped his pinkie around hers. He brought her knuckles to his mouth and kissed them tenderly. “Pinkie promise. Now, get some rest, sweet girl, you’ve earned more than your fair share of rest.”

“Only if you lay here with me. What if I start dreaming? Someone’s going to need to eat those.” She didn’t want him to leave her side.

He slid in close, pressing a kiss to her temple. The grounding hum of his touch was all she needed to bring her soul back to life. “The witch promised me you wouldn’t have dreams until you were strong enough to withstand me eating them…unfortunately, that deal came with you being in the Nightmare Realm woods every night you dream until you’re fully healed, so she can keep an eye on you.”

Melody frowned, watching him inch away. “Could you stay in the bed anyway?”

“I’m going to be right here, sweet girl. I’m never far,” he cooed as he sank back in his seat.

“But you’re so far,” she huffed, slapping weakly at the bed. She swore he rolled his eyes playfully before smokey tendrils tenderly slid her across the bed to the end where he took her hand in one of his. He used a second one that jutted out of his torso to work and sign things. But she grinned endlessly, having gotten what she wanted.

Melody sank back into the bed, barely tethered to the land of the living except for a singular hand clasped in her…and the steady hum of his skin against hers. She cracked an eye open just moments before she fell back asleep. “Smith?”

“Yes, sweet girl?”

“Do you think we can have another ball?” Melody exhaled heavily. “I never got to actually dance with you.”

Smith chuckled, rubbing his thumb against the side of her hand. “I’m sure I can think of an excuse. Lady Rosemont and Agatha will get behind any excuse to throw another ball.”

“Good.” Melody grinned, sleep drunk and slipping fast. He lifted her hand, and she barely registered it till she felt him kiss her knuckles once more.

“Sweet dreams, my wicked prey.”

Chapter Forty-Three:

Smith

“Juststaybyher?I need to run into town with these reports for Lord Blightwood?” he pleaded with Agatha. He’d ask Kevin but the zombie and Carl were still chasing out eldritch slugs out of the cabbage. Havershum had been stalking every shadow for the last three days. While Melody recovered, everything seemed to be on edge. When she awoke, the house seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. And then, the work began. Aravis Blightwood had been at the party with his partners and was ready to fight with the house when he heard through the portal…that eldritch beasts were running amuck in the city. Someone let them loose in the streets. While Smith had his hunch, he couldn’t confirm, and Aravis couldn’t target the councilwoman without proof.

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