Page 74 of How to Seduce a Slender

“Smith!” Melody gasped, sitting up sharply. She missed his face by an inch as she whirled around on the tile. “You never told me you had jealous exes!”

“What? I don’t—what happened? You just suddenly threw yourself from the tub like a trout out of the river—”

“Smith! I saw her again! The lady from the journal!” The information exploded out of her chest as she scrambled to her feet. She took the towel he had in his arms and rapidly raked it across her body to dry off. “We’ve gotta go see Dahlia. And I need my journal. I showed her what the bathroom looked like when the girl was young, but I saw her and she was older. Probably old enough to have some sort of record now. Or maybe she’ll have a portrait hung or something. But she’s real pissed at you. Did you forget to break up with a poltergeist?”

Smith’s head spun in a full circle as Melody raced from the bathroom. Clothes first, then she needed to get to her sketchbook. She had more clues about the haunted diary. Hopefully that helped narrow down who it was. Melody was an inch from the wardrobe, ripping it open, when both Smith and Agatha burst into the room.

“Ms. Melody!” Agatha gasped.

“What?” Melody dabbed her hair dry tenderly before hanging the towel up on the door.

“You’re indecent,” Agatha hissed, flying toward her as if to cover her up from Smith.

“Oh Puh-leeeeease.” Melody rolled her eyes, pulling out one of the slips the banshee hung toward the front of the wardrobe for her. The closet had slowly morphed into half hers, half Smith’s. “You put me in clothes, Smith takes me out of them. Everyone in this room has seen my tits. What’s important is, Aggy, are there other ghosts in this house?”

The loud smack came from Smith’s hands hitting his forehead. Agatha floated a foot from Melody, baffled and bewildered. Her mouth opened and closed rapidly. Then, she wheezed, “Of course.”

“If I showed you a picture of who I saw, would you be able to pinpoint which ghost she is? Oh, wait, do you think she’d have a ghost if she’s haunting the journal?”

“Let’s…let’s get you dressed first, huh? Lady Rosemont has friends downstairs she wants you to meet and Smith has his…um…guest in the basement waiting.”

Melody let the banshee rip fabric onto her body as Smith hung just out of reach. Normally she’d check to see if he was observing or tease him about it, but there was something different in his aura. His static wasn’t flickering the same. She couldn’t tell until he seemed to wake up from his thoughts to offer her an arm, that he was somewhere distant. Somewhere she couldn’t follow.

“Smith?” She cocked a brow.

“You said I had a jealous ex, but I’ve never had a relationship with anyone else. Nothing real. What happened in there?” He was softer, barely raising his voice enough to be heard.

“Oh, the lady in the bathtub. She said you were a hungry beast, that you only kept me around cause I’m an easy prey. That I meant nothing to you, blah-blah-blah.” Melody flung her hand left and right as she listed all the ridiculous things the bloody bathtub witch said.

“Melody.” He stopped in his tracks, inches outside of the door. She lurched, halting an inch ahead of him. He whipped her back to him, both hands now at her waist. “Everything she said was a lie. I would never treat you like that. You mean a great deal to me.”

A burning flush filled her cheeks as she laughed nervously, “Pfft, well yeah. I know. Smith, are you worried I don’t know how much you care? I’d think it’d be super obvious. I mean, you suffered through years of bad pancakes and worse coffee? And for what? There are better places just as close to the council building than the diner. And, well, people who don’t care don’t just offer to feed you in bed or wait on you hand and foot.”

He was speechless for a moment before he gave a singular, sharp nod. “Good, then, I am glad I’ve made it apparent.”

“Smith!” She laughed harder from deep in her belly. Her hands rested against his chest. His vibrations were almost erratic and uncontrollable.That must be his heartbeat.She leaned forward, feeling the humming die down. Their lips brushed softly. She kissed him until she felt him return to his regular, soothing buzz. Melody pulled back only a breath’s width. “People only say those things because they need convincing themselves. I trust you. And don’t doubt for a second, I know it.”

Smith’s voice was barely audible, but she heard it. A broken, hurt voice that came from the depths of his chest. “And you feel the same? I hope.”

Melody blinked slowly, letting out a rattled breath. “I do…Smith, I’m sorry if it wasn’t obvious. I’m kind of a knuckle head if you didn’t already notice. But I’m pretty feral for you. You’re…you’re my best friend. You’re my safe space. And I don’t know what I’d do without you. So don’t worry your fuzzy little head. I can see that look on your face. You’re worried I don’t feel the same. But I do.”

Smith huffed, “I do not have a look, nor a face.”

Melody snatched his breath away with a kiss. He tugged her close, his arms a steel cage around her. Whoever hurt him, whoever ripped out his heart and made him believe his feelings would never be returned…Melody was going to rip out their shins and beat them with them…

Because that was her Slender. And she was his.

That’s when a scream filled the house, a window-cracking, bone-rattling scream…and it was Havershum’s.

Chapter Twenty-Six:

Smith

Heflewdownthesteps with Melody hot on his heels. The Slender was dizzy, and his body was full, making him sluggish to react. However, they came around the bend of the steps and found the latch to the basement flung open, the carpet that often covered it tossed aside. Smith took Melody in his arm.Thankfully she hasn’t eaten yet.And he blinked down into the darkness. It would take ages to race down all the steps into the depths of the house.

Thunderous footsteps followed them into the inky black. But Smith spat the pair out at the base of the stairs. Lit torches lined the walls as they came into the main dungeon room. Black iron chains dangled from the ceiling. They creaked and groaned as a hard, cold breeze blew through the basement. Sebastian appeared beside Smith in a flurry of purple lightning, Dahlia right behind him with the rest of the house.

But it was Melody who was first to act. Smith didn’t have time to stop her as she flew forward.

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