by Jade Thorn
Well, that fit with what she knew already. Most of the shifters that had come to Bestia, had been those rejected by their witches or covens. She didn’t know why they didn’t go back to pack lands. Given how wonderful the bond was on her end, despite the initial skin irritation, she wondered if that was why? They were chasing the dream of a better match. Or were too desperate for any match.
One of the admin ladies came into the gymnasium then, conferring with the provost who hadn’t left all day. She had swanned around, getting in everyone’s way but the councillor’s, and ordered them all to do essentially futile tasks. If she had hoped to look authoritative, she had certainly failed by a wide margin. She looked weak and pathetic.
The provost’s gaze snapped up to meet her own, almost as if she could hear Melody’s thoughts. The woman stormed over to them.
“I hear you have demanded a larger cottage to accommodate your increased number of shifters,” she snapped.
“I didn’t demand anything, Provost,” Melody said as respectfully as she could manage. “I haven’t put in a formal request yet, Professor Simmonds offered to help me apply, and then Mrs Hardinger said that she would organise something since our cottage was so damaged in the attack last night.”
“Well,” said the councillor, startling them both. “They both seem very good reasons for Melody to move cottages. You have four shifters now? In that three bedroom cottage, right?”
“Five,” corrected Melody, looking at Oz. He beamed at her.
“That’s highly irresponsible of you, Melody. Bonding shifters when you have no means of providing for them. Were you going to make them sleep on the floor? Having familiars is more than a vanity exercise for you to show off your powers. If you want to get a dog, you make sure your house is set up for it. The same goes for bonding a shifter, you need to prepare a safe environment for them to live in.”
The triumph in her look was making Melody furious. Only because she was right.
“Nonsense,” the councillor argued. “Melody knew that the academy would bend over backwards to accommodate a witch able to bond so many shifters. There are several options here on campus that would be suitable, and even if there weren’t, I know of several beast magic academies where Melody and her familiars would be most welcome to attend.”
The provost stood straighter at that threat, her hand snaking up and tugging on a pendant that she had been fiddling with every time Melody had turned around. Was it an artefact? Or had it been enchanted? She wished she could test it to see what it did.
Seeing her watching, the provost let the pendant go, smiling viciously.
“I know of the perfect option, the old caretaker's cottage behind the glasshouses. Of course, I could only offer it to the most trusted of students, as it is a little more private than most residences. I would hate to give it to a student likely to hold secret parties there, for example.” She fixed Melody with a glare, but Melody wasn’t listening.
Melody was too transfixed by the pendant hanging at the woman’s neck. She’d seen it somewhere before, for some reason, it felt like it belonged on someone else’s neck, but Melody couldn’t put her finger on it.
“The cottage has five bedrooms, so you’d still need at least two people to share, but that isn’t too horrific, I’m sure your familiars could work something out.”
This sweet acquiescence had alarm bells ringing in Melody’s head, but she couldn’t focus enough to think on it. She’d seen that necklace before, where was it? Who was it on? The only place she’d been, other than here, was back at her home compound. But surely the necklace didn’t belong to her aunt Georgia.
“I see you like my necklace, Melody. It was a gift from a dear friend. A very dear friend. You know, it’s important for a young witch to foster good relationships. Friends and allies are very important.”
It all came crashing down on her. She remembered where she’d seen that before.
The necklace was identical to the one her mother had usually worn. Aunt Georgia must have taken it from her mother when she was prepared for burial. Marjorie had delighted in telling Melody that they had thrown her mother into the garbage pits and left her there to rot with the rest of the stinking mess, but she wasn’t sure it was true.
That was how twisted her convene was, though. There was a chance that it could be.
“Well, that sounds like a very good solution. I’m glad to hear that you’re going to have such a pleasant place to live, Melody,” the councillor said, bringing her back to the present.
It was only then, with the malice in the provost’s eyes that she realised the full import of the message being relayed to her.
Aunt Georgia had taken the necklace. She’d given it to the provost. The provost had said a friend, an ally had given it to her. The provost was aligned with her aunt.
The attack on the academy hadn’t been an accident, it had been an inside job. Somehow, the provost had contrived for the wards to fail in a way that hurt her and made her look like she’d put up more of a fight than she had. If it hadn’t been for Nick’s warning, it was likely that Melody and her familiars would have been back in her aunt’s clutches, and from the shifters dead and dying around them, a source for a new generation of experiments.
She didn’t need to worry about her aunt getting in, the woman had a free pass as long as her ally was running the entire academy. They had to get out of there!
The rising panic along with her exhaustion and the emotional toll of the day were too much for her. Rather than responding to the councillor, she stood there stupefied, as her vision turned black.
Her aunt had outplayed her. They had already lost. It was only a matter of time before she came to claim what she considered was hers.
Melody, her familiars and her matriarchal power.
THE END
A note from Jade:
This is my first foray into the “academy” genre, but it’s a little different in that in my universe, the students are older. There are four women whose stories will be told in this universe (so far), but the first three books belong to Melody and her men alone. (Okay, yes, Aunt Georgia and her cohort as well).
Beneath Contempt has been one of my most successful books to date, which really surprised me. This is a low heat series and it’s dark and full of pain. Still, although I’ve had the entire plot for this trilogy written since September 2019, I’ve kind of had performance anxiety over this book. Especially after some of the reviews of the first book.
I would like to say that sometimes answers take three books to come out. It doesn’t mean that they’re a plot hole. It’s just a case of waiting to find out. Even when what I’ve written seems to contradict itself - there’s a method in my madness, lol.
I sincerely hope that you’ve enjoyed this book. I hope that you like it enough to leave me a review. These aren’t for my ego (because they can be crushing), they’re to genuinely help other readers find a book that suits their tastes, and they also help the book’s ranking - which is how independent stay-at-home-mums like me, make our living.
I look forward to sharing the next stage of Melody’s journey with you in April. Thank you for reading so far.
Jade
xoxo
Other books by Jade Thorn:
Please turn the page for other books by Jade Thorn
The Siren Saga
Catriona is a siren. They’re supposed to be extinct, but they’ve been hiding for a very long time. Now, a chance encounter in a bar has led to her being claimed by a pack of wolf shifters, and it’s the flashpoint of a war between those who want a chance to live, and those who want everything. Catriona and her fated mates must find a way to stop the horrors that will arise, while finding their own way forward in their strange new relationship.
Book 1: Siren
Book 2: Sovereign
Book 3: Saviour – March 1st, 2021
Club Frenzy
Erotic Novella Series
Club Frenzy is a vampire run club that is a re
gistered feeding place. Humans flock there for the thrill of it, and vampires linger for a meal. Explore three short stories of love and lust and plunge headfirst into the Frenzy.
Double Frenzy
Lust Frenzy
Lycan Frenzy
Or get the entire set here:
Club Frenzy Boxed Set
Of Magic and Contempt
A slave of her coven, Melody is being sent to Adolphus Academy with a mission: she must defeat and bond The Apex. Five incredibly powerful shifters, they will make the perfect breeding stock for the army her aunt is building. If Melody fails, she dies - if she succeeds, The Apex will.
This is a dark reverse harem with a slow burn. It contains content that some readers may find distressing. Recommended for readers 18+.
Adolphus Academy Trilogy
Book 1 - Beneath Contempt
Book 2 - Held in Contempt
Book 3 - Civil Contempt - coming April 2021
Claremont College Trilogy
Book 4 - Criminal Contempt - coming 2022
Book 5 - Self Contempt - coming 2022
Book 6 - Day of Contempt - coming 2022
The Brotherhood:
Grace isn’t your ordinary witch and neither are the members of the Elite Squad in the Brotherhood. Seven cities across the USA have come under attack by demons. It’s up to The Brotherhood to find who or what is behind it all, and push them back to the demonic plane.
At the same time, they also need to navigate their own issues and find the delicate balance between seven men who want the same woman.
Please note, this series has content that some readers may find disturbing. Recommended for readers 18+.
Book 1 – Kurt’s Honour
Book 2 - Grace’s Guys (A Christmas Novella)
Book 3 – Levi’s Fury
Book 4 – Nick’s Envy
Book 5 – Gage’s Languor - Part 1
Book 6 - Gage’s Languor - Part 2 coming 2021
Book 7 – Trent’s Desire – coming 2022
Book 8 – Jack’s Need – coming 2022
Book 9 – Sam’s Lust – coming 2022
Book 10 – Saving Grace – December 2022
Book 11 – Grace’s Gift – December 2022 (A Christmas Novella)
The Portal Series:
Being revealed as a Portal is like finding out you have the plague. Nobody wants to be anywhere near you, especially if you’re as strong as Jacinta is proving to be. As if she didn’t have enough things on her plate already - like her new lecherous boss, now she has to contend with her Events increasing in frequency and strength.
Then there’s the Pure Human movement who see all Portals as mutants who should be destroyed. At least her protective detail is on her side. They’re not friends, but they seem to like her.
Don’t they?
A reverse harem series, recommended for readers 18+.
Book 1 - Stellar - coming May 2021
Book 2 - Supernova - coming mid 2021
Book 3 - Black Sun - coming September 2021
Excerpt from “Siren”
Book 1 of The Siren Saga
Chapter 1
Catriona
Shayla and I are on the prowl. The club is heaving, the music is amazing, and there are more men than a girl could need in a night, but finding the right man is proving more difficult than you would think.
The song beats into the next one, and we both smile and walk up to the bar, landing against it with loud huffs and giggles. Her red wrap-around dress looks amazing against her coffee coloured skin and her tight dark curls bounce wildly. Although I’m not overly tall, she’s tiny compared to me. It’s not the only difference between us either. Her hair is almost black and springy while mine is long, mostly straight with a slight wave, and the colour is more a walnut brown. It really makes my eyes pop, and I think that they are my best feature.
I am not difficult to look at, but I wouldn’t call myself beautiful. Besides it’s not our faces that men usually look at. When you fuck to eat, well, you don’t tend to get fat, now matter how good a streak you are on. I’m not saying that I don’t have curves, I’ve certainly got enough to hold on to, and if I were more of a feminist, I’d be constantly telling guys where my eyes are, but I don’t want them to remember my face, so I’m happy to show a rather daring amount of cleavage. The little black dress I’ve got on tonight highlights my alabaster skin, and I know that I’m getting plenty of attention. Well, at least my body is, and that’s all that counts, right?
“How about that one?” she asks me, nodding towards a guy at the back.
“No, too short.”
“Well, that one then, he’s not short at all.” She’s not wrong, he’s got to be nearly seven foot. Probably not human then, but I can’t say that aloud. “I bet his cock is proportional too!” She grins at me.
“Ha. Probably not, but he’s got that unibrow thing happening, and he’s got hair, like, everywhere.” I shudder. “He can be someone else’s shagpile, thanks.”
Shayla tips her head back in laughter. The guy next to her lifts his beer and takes a sip, sneaking a glance at us as he does so. He’s playing it cool, but he’s definitely listening.
“OMG! Kat, that’s just wrong, so wrong.” She scans the crowd again. “What about him, in the pink shirt?”
I look at the guy she’s indicating. His shirt is impossibly tight against a well-defined chest, his short blonde hair curls a little in a cute little boy way. He’d be totally my type if he wasn’t gay.
“Gay.”
“What? No way.” Just then a guy walks up to him and they lock lips passionately, grinding against one another as they dance. “Well, damn. I did not see that one coming.”
I laugh at her. “Yeah, I saw them together earlier.”
“Over there, electric blue. He’s been checking you out, too.”
“Yeah. No. He’s either a kisser, or a crier. I’m not in the mood for either.”
“Kat. There’s a room full of men here, seriously, just find one and fuck him. All you need is his cock’s undivided attention for half an hour, and then we can really get this party started.” She laughs, poking me in the ribs. My actual target is right beside her and she knows it, and she’s getting bored with the charade. “I know, what about the twins in the corner over there. They’re quite hot!”
“Yeah, but they’re already with someone. I don’t need the drama. Fuck why is it so hard to find a good strong cock in a place like this?” I moan. If my target doesn’t take the bait now, I’m moving on, we’ve already wasted enough time on him. The night is still young, and Shay and I want to party! Then there’s my hunger. I’ve left it too long between feeds – again – and I’m in bad shape although I don’t show it. My skin feels too tight, I’m freezing inside and I’m only functioning on the most basic of levels. If I don’t feed soon, my body will switch to survival mode and things will get seriously ugly.
“Are you two for real?” he finally asks, and we turn to look at him.
“About as real as it gets, sugar.” Shay tells him. I can see he’s unimpressed with her sass.
“What, do you think only men have needs? We’re modern women, we have needs too. The difference between us and most men, is we have standards as well. I’m not just going to fuck anyone, if he’s lucky enough to get between my legs, then he’s got to be able to get me off too.”
His eyes flash golden at me, fuck, he’s a shifter! “You’re pretty full of yourself, aren’t you?” And that there, ladies and gentlemen, is where he loses. You don’t throw down a gauntlet like that to a Siren because we cannot resist and we will win every time, one way or another. Of course, he doesn’t know that I’m a Siren, just that I’m bruising his male pride.
Shayla likes to find a man, croon to him until he’s rigid and salivating, and then just fuck him dry or until he passes out. It’s too easy. But me? I love me a challenge. This shifter, a wolf I’m thinking and alpha to boot, well, he’s just begging me to come and make him
submit. And I will, but not before I’ve hooked him, and I refuse to croon to do that. I normally steer well clear of anything paranormal, but I’m starving and in the mood for something different, and his body is just my type. Broad shoulders, lean hips, dark brown hair long enough to run my fingers through, and just enough of a hint of asshole to him that I know I’m going to love taking him down a peg.
“Sweetheart, I know exactly what I have to offer, and if I fuck a man… well let’s just say I’ve never had a complaint, and I always leave them begging.” I smirk at him. I’m betting that that’s a line that he would normally use. His nostrils flare and I know I’ve hit my target. A challenge to his ego. “But if a guy wants some of what I have to offer, then he has to work a little for it. Manscaping at the very least. He needs to look after his body if he wants mine to worship it, and he needs to understand that I’m not after a relationship, I don’t even want to spend the night. Just an hour of bliss together and I’m gone.”
His pupils have dilated, and his breathing has picked up. I think I’ve started leaking some pheromones, not much, but he’s a shifter, so he’ll smell them more easily. I’m so hungry that my body is taking over. The club is loud and dark, but I can tell. It’s wired into me. His attention is so focussed on me that he hasn’t even noticed that Shayla is gone, she’s out on the dance floor bumping and grinding with the twins she pointed out earlier. There are two women back in the corner glaring daggers at her, but she wouldn’t have gone after them if there was a bond there. That’s another thing that sirens can do, we can sense the bonds between people. No point in luring a man if his woman is pointing a gun at your temple, right? Shay and I tend to steer clear of the taken ones, too much drama. If I hadn’t already had my sights on the wolf, I might have walked past them to check their bonds out myself.