Marking Melody

by R. E. Butler

  Tanya stifled the desire to pinch her again and shoved her shoulder instead. “We need to be there to pick up the females when they’ve stopped the couple from leaving the park.”

  “What about the truck that Layla’s driving? Won’t it be totaled?”

  Tanya pinched Claire, and she yelped and rubbed her arm. “We have the van, idiot. Now stop talking and get in the fucking van!”

  All the sappiness of the mountain lion couple was making Tanya angry. She just wanted to grab the female and be done with things. In Tanya’s mind, if the female in question wasn’t willing to join their pride, then she was better off dead.

  * * * * *

  “Suppose we should head back to the B&B?” Micah asked.

  “Do you think they’re done with the cleaning? It didn’t look like fun,” Melody said, wrinkling her nose.

  He took her hand as he stood and pulled her to her feet. “I hope so.”

  He opened her door and she sat down, buckling up as he shut her inside. He opened his door and climbed inside. As they turned out of the parking lot and down the secluded dirt road that led to the main street in King, he said, “How about we stop off for ice cream? We can bring Tristan back some, and Tom and Dana, too.”

  Her answer was drowned out by the sound of a revving engine. She screamed as a truck raced towards them, slamming into her side. The truck groaned as metal buckled and twisted and glass shattered. Micah’s head cracked against his window. He gripped the steering wheel and jammed his foot on the gas to try to do something to get away, but the truck wasn’t moving. Something stung his eyes and he realized it was blood. Dizziness swamped him as the truck that hit them backed away, and their own truck groaned as it settled back on its tires.

  He tried to see, panicked that he couldn’t tell if Melody was okay, and called for her. She moaned softly and the sound was cut off from him as something heavy creaked and female voices filled the car.

  “Is she dead?”

  “Grab her.”

  “What about him?”

  His hearing faded as he drifted off into unconsciousness despite his desperate attempts to wake up and protect Melody. He was certain that the females had somehow engineered the crash and were going to take him and Melody somewhere. He just didn’t know where. Or why.

  Chapter 12

  Tristan spread a plastic red, white, and blue tablecloth over a round table on the patio behind the B&B. He’d been working for hours helping Tom and Dana set up. After cleaning the patio furniture and arranging it for the guests, he was now helping decorate. Although he didn’t mind helping, he missed Melody and wondered what was taking Micah and her so long to return. He’d known they went to the park because they stopped by so Melody could kiss Tristan goodbye, but that had been hours ago.

  His cat had been pacing in his mind for the last hour and anxiety spiked through him from time to time. He almost felt…afraid. Looking around at the mundane patio that was slowly being transformed for the barbecue later, he couldn’t help but continue to feel unsettled.

  He snapped out the next tablecloth and paused. Were his unsettled feelings because of Melody? Was she in trouble?

  His cat howled in his mind, angry and worried. Snatching his phone from his pocket, he dialed Micah and then Melody. Both phones went straight to voicemail. He tried again. And then once more.

  “Micah, call me immediately,” Tristan nearly shouted into the phone that he gripped with tight fingers. But even as he ended the call he had a feeling that his brother wouldn’t hear the message.

  “I’m going to the park. Can I borrow your car?” he said to Tom.

  “Is everything alright?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Tom tossed his keys to Tristan, who caught them and raced through the back gate towards the parking lot. Calling his dad as he drove quickly to the park, he said, “I think Micah and Melody have been taken. Meet me at the park.”

  He called her Uncle Jax and relayed the same message. Within ten minutes, he was turning down the dirt road that led to the park and saw the winking of police lights through the trees. His heart pounded in his chest and dread slithered through him. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see his truck smashed in on one side, off to the side of the dirt road, but shock stilled his mind as he pulled off to the side of the road. Another pickup, similar to his own, was nearby, the front smashed in. Glass glittered in the sunlight like diamonds, surrounding his truck which was completely smashed on the passenger side. The windshield had cracked and both windows were shattered.

  Daniel Parker strode towards him. “Tristan? I was just about to call you.”

  He couldn’t bring himself to ask what had happened. Too many horrible images crashed in his mind.

  “Hey, was it Micah and your mate in there? I smelled them when I leaned into the cab. Come over here.”

  Daniel led Tristan to the wreckage. Tristan looked inside. He saw blood on the driver’s side door, and he smelled both Micah’s and Melody’s fear. He could still feel his connection to Melody through their mating, but it was muted. Distant. He didn’t want to think about what that might mean.

  Daniel said, “The other truck smells like females, Tristan. I think they took your mate and Micah.”

  Icy cold fear slithered down Tristan’s back and grabbed hold of him. Daniel said the truck was a rental, secured using a fake ID with a blurry picture and an address that was non-existent, meaning the name on the receipt was a dead end.

  “Oh no,” Jax said as he joined Tristan, along with Holden and Tristan’s dad and uncle.

  “What happened?” Tristan’s dad asked.

  Daniel said, “A young family called the station a little while ago saying there was what appeared to be a wreck but no people around. I was out patrolling so I came here directly. I called for tow trucks, but once I scented in the cab, I recognized Micah and Melody and saw their blood, and I knew that something bad had happened. I was just about to call Tristan when he showed up.”

  Tristan nodded numbly. “I’ve been feeling weird for a few hours now. Anxious. Scared. It took me forever to realize that it wasn’t my feeling exactly, but Melody’s through our mating connection. Now, I feel her a little bit, but not like I did. I don’t know what that means.” He choked out the last words and then ground his teeth together until he felt as though they might crack from the pressure. He was determined not to fall apart. Not when Melody and Micah needed him.

  Dashing at a few stray tears that leaked by his defenses, he turned to his family. “We need to find them.”

  His uncle put his hand on his shoulder. “We’re with you all the way, Tristan.”

  Daniel’s walkie squawked, and he stepped away and then said, “Guys? I think I have a clue. Follow me to King Automotive.”

  Tristan had a hundred questions, but didn’t ask them. Instead, he followed the squad car into town. Another squad car waited in the parking lot of the closed gas station where Tristan parked behind Daniel. A large van was in front of the building, and several people Tristan didn’t recognize were standing around, glaring angrily at the police officer, Daniel’s brother Gavin, who appeared to be ignoring them.

  “What’s going on?” Tristan asked.

  Gavin said, “I got a call that someone had broken into the shop, and when I showed up, there was this group here,” he said as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “They were attempting to flee the scene. They deny breaking into the shop, but there’s no denying the back door is busted open, and there appears to have been a struggle.”

  An older man with graying, black hair snarled, “I said you could arrest me, but let my family go. It’s of grave importance.”

  Gavin shrugged. “I don’t really know what’s going on. I don’t think they broke in, but they know something they’re not telling me, and I told them they couldn’t go anywhere until I knew the whole story.”

  Tristan looked at the group consisting of the older man, a couple, twin young men, and two other men who appea
red to be in their late twenties.

  Holden said, “They’re not human.”

  Tristan said to Daniel, “I want to talk to them.”

  “Sure.”

  Daniel walked with Tristan to the small group, and immediately Tristan picked up the scent of female lions. Not just one, but several.

  “My name is Tristan Harrison. My mate and my brother were kidnapped by female mountain lions earlier today. Do you know anything about that?”

  The nostrils of one of the twin’s flared, but they all remained stony-faced.

  “Tell me, please. We can help each other,” Tristan pleaded.

  The female said, “Our sons are mated to a female mountain lion. We came here with her to warn the males at this shop that the female mountain lions were planning to abduct a strange lioness.”

  One twin said, “We thought the shop was empty, but when she turned her back, a lioness opened the door and snatched her from us. By the time we raced to the back of the shop, a van was taking off, and the police showed up and wouldn’t let us leave.”

  The twin’s face crumpled in worry, and the other twin put his arm around him. “Let us leave so we can find our mate, please.”

  Uncle Mark said, “I thought Melody was the only female who had a mate? What female are you talking about?”

  In unison, the twins said, “Jilly Fallon.”

  Tristan felt as though the world had dropped out from under him. Jilly? She was mated?

  Shoving the new information to the back burner, he turned to Daniel and said, “You have the story now, Daniel. Can they leave?”

  Daniel nodded. “Yeah, of course. What can I do?”

  Tristan looked at the small group and the twins who had claimed Jilly as their mate. He saw the same rage and determination in their green eyes that he felt inside himself. “If females took Jilly, then Micah and Melody are probably with her. If they found out that Jilly was mated, then they may think something is wrong with her and treat her like a prisoner.”

  The male with graying, black hair stepped forward and extended his hand, introducing himself as Hanai. Then he introduced his brother and his mate, his nephews and the other two males as members of their panther clan. “Let’s pool our resources and get your mate and Fate and Wyked’s mate back safely.”

  “Right,” Tristan said, pulling out his cell. “The first thing we need to do is find out where the hell the females live.”

  Chapter 13

  Micah woke up slowly. His head pounded and his body ached. He suddenly remembered what had landed him in pain — the accident — and he forced his eyes open. He was in a bedroom, lying on a bed. Tugging on his arms, he found that he was handcuffed to a wrought iron headboard. He was also stripped of his shirt and shorts, wearing only his underwear.

  He wiggled himself to a sitting position. He groaned as his vision swam and his head thumped in pain, but he forced himself to power through. Gathering his strength, he snarled at the sight before him. Melody sat in a straight-backed chair, a rope looped around her chest with her arms behind her back. Her head hung to the side and dried blood streaked her face and matted her hair. She wore only her bra and underwear.

  “Baby?” he said, his voice cracking. “Melody?”

  She didn’t stir. He watched her chest rise and fall and knew she was alive but either asleep or unconscious. He didn’t know how injured she was. Her side of the truck had taken the brunt of the accident. He was injured, too, but for however long he’d been unconscious, his body had been working to heal him. He was thankful for his accelerated healing and hoped that Melody’s injuries were not severe and healing quickly, too.

  Licking at his dry lips, he called her name a few more times, but with no success. A lock disengaged and he tensed, growling low as the door swung open. Three lionesses strode into the room, their faces twisted in cruel smiles. Micah recognized them. Tanya and Layla had been a year ahead of Tristan in school, and Bella was in her early thirties.

  “Well, well, well,” Layla said, coming to stand next to the bed. “I was wondering when you would wake up.”

  “Let her go, please,” Micah said, trying to keep the desperation from his voice.

  Layla’s brow arched. “Who, her? The strange female you and your brother decided to bring back to King? I don’t think so. I think we’ll keep both of you here, until we figure out why she’s different.”

  A young female who looked familiar, but Micah couldn’t recall her name, came into the room carrying a bucket. Bella took the bucket from her and tossed the contents onto Melody, who gasped awake as the water doused her.

  Micah roared in anger, his wrists straining at the handcuffs.

  Melody shook her head as if trying to clear it. She looked around, blinking in confusion, until her gaze settled on Micah. She snarled angrily, her fangs elongating in her mouth, as she struggled with the rope that bound her.

  Tanya grabbed a handful of Melody’s hair, twisted it roughly, and pulled a knife from her back pocket. She pressed it to Melody’s throat. “Don’t even think about shifting, stranger. We’ll kill him.”

  As if to prove that they were willing to hurt him, Layla’s claws sprang from her fingertips, and she raked them across Micah’s stomach, cutting him. Not deeply enough to do any real damage, but painful nonetheless. He clenched his teeth to stop the curse in his throat.

  Melody hissed in rage. “Leave him alone, you bitches!”

  Tanya nicked Melody’s neck, and a drop of blood slipped down the column of her throat. Micah froze and Melody did as well. Their eyes locked, and he shook his head ever so slightly. She inhaled slowly, and her features smoothed from anger to calmness. He knew if they were going to get out of here, they had to remain calm. He was glad she was able to settle down before either of them forced the females to react more violently.

  Layla hummed in her throat. “Isn’t that interesting?”

  “Nauseating,” Tanya snorted.

  “What do you want?” Micah asked Layla. She seemed to be the leader of the females. He remembered her as very domineering and hateful towards anyone the males cared for.

  Layla shrugged. “To understand why she’s acting the way she is and to ensure it won’t happen to anyone else.”

  “We’re leaving town, Layla,” Micah said. “We’ll leave right now if you just let us go.”

  She smirked. “No, I don’t think so.” She leaned down slowly. Then she looked towards Melody and licked the blood from his wounds. Disgust rolled through him. Melody’s eyes darkened with anger.

  “Stay away from my mate!”

  Layla chuckled darkly. Straightening, she tapped her chin in thought and said, “If you shift, stranger, we will kill him. If he shifts, we will kill you. Do you understand?”

  Melody seethed with rage, her lips pulled back in a snarl. But she nodded.

  Turning to the other females, she said, “I’m hungry. Let’s leave the two lovebirds to chat.”

  “What if they escape?” Bella looked at them suspiciously.

  “How? The windows have security bars and the only way out is the door we will lock. If you’re so worried, you can stand guard.”

  “Damn it,” Bella sighed. “I’m hungry, too.”

  “Well, your suspicious nature just cost you a snack,” Tanya laughed.

  The females filed out, and the door was shut and locked.

  “Baby? Are you okay?” Micah asked Melody.

  “No,” she said. Her lip quivered and she moved as though she was struggling to get out of the rope.

  “Are you hurt?” He jerked on the handcuffs, but all it did was make them bite into his skin.

  “No. Yes. I mean, I’m pissed as hell, and I want to get out of here.” She dropped her head to her chest, her shoulders slumping. “I think they’re going to kill me, Micah.”

  “I won’t let that happen,” he growled.

  Lifting her head so he could see the tears that dotted her cheeks, she said, “When you’re free, tell Tristan that I’m r
eally happy that I found you two. I’m glad to be your mate, even if it’s only been for a week.”

  “Don’t give up,” Micah pleaded. “We’ll get out of here. Somehow.”

  Time moved slowly, inching by. If he’d been alone, he might have gone crazy, but he wanted to stay strong for Melody. She tried to get free of the ropes around her, but she was bound too tightly.

  He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he figured several hours since he’d woken. There was a strange, sliding sound outside of the room, and the door unlocked and opened slowly. Micah tensed, worried about what was going to happen, when a young female slipped through, dragging an unconscious female with her. Micah recognized her. “Jilly?”

  She rolled the female against the wall and shut the door. “We don’t have much time.”

  She raced to Melody and began working at the knot behind her, her face a mask of concentration. Micah willed her to be able to undo the ropes that bound Melody so she could get free. He didn’t care what happened to him; he needed Melody to be safe.

  Jilly’s voice was low as she worked at the knots securing Melody. “I found my mates, and I’m different now. I left last night and didn’t plan to come back, but the females shared their plan to capture you with me through texts. I went to the automotive place to find Melody’s uncles, not realizing it was closed for the holiday. It turned out that it was a test. The females thought something was up with me, and somehow they knew I’d go there to warn your uncles. They snatched me right out from under my mates’ noses.” She looked at Micah with eyes filled with sorrow. “I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you ahead of time.”

  The door opened, cracking with force against the wall, and Layla and the other females stalked into the room.

  “Traitor!” Tanya yelled, backhanding Jilly. She spun and hit the wall.

  “Leave her be,” Melody shouted as she struggled against the ropes.

  Jilly tried to get to her feet, but Tanya kicked her and knocked her into the wall again, and she hit her head with a crack and fell to the floor, unmoving.