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"What happened?" she asked as he set himself down on the stool beside her and picked up his steak in his hands. Just like a true werewolf, he tore into the barely-cooked meat and blood and plasma dribbled down his chin, into his beard. Melody watched it with fascination. It wasn't the first time she'd seen such a thing. Surrounded by werewolves all her life, she was used to it, but somehow this was sensual. Her tongue itched to lick the juices from him.
Fighting the urge, she instead picked up the steak he had cooked for her and, elongating her fangs, bit a good chunk.
It was perhaps the best meat she had tasted in a long time, and against her will, she let out a moan of pleasure.
"Good?" Jake asked, eyeing her with a wry smile.
Blushing, Melody licked the juices from her own face and nodded. "Thank you."
She took another bite, this time silently, and wiped her chin before asking again, "What happened?"
Jake sighed and looked down at the red juices on his plate. It was clear he was reluctant to answer.
"Nothing," he said, but Melody could tell from the way he held himself that something was clearly bothering him.
"You know I'm a werewolf too, right?" Melody pointed out. "And packmates have that weird sense of knowing when one is lying to them."
Melody told herself that was all it was, but deep down, she knew it was more than that. Something connected the two of them in a way she had never been connected to another wolf. On the very edge of her consciousness, she could sense his pain.
"You're hurt, aren't you?" Melody asked when he declined to say anything.
"It's nothing," Jake assured her, but Melody knew better than that. His skirting around the question was enough to make her add pressure.
"Damn it, Jake, tell me what happened!"
Jake winced as if she had struck him. He still didn't look at her as he admitted, "Miranda's warlock boyfriend paid me a visit."
Melody gasped in horror. "What did he do?"
She had heard enough horror stories over the years to know that warlocks were bad news. Just the thought that Jake had confronted one made her feel sick.
"The usual cheap warlock tricks,” Jake shrugged, and winced again, clearly in pain this time.
"Let me see," Melody insisted.
"It's really nothing," Jake assured her and he took another bite of his steak. "Eat."
But there was no way Melody was letting this one go in a hurry.
"Jake Silverdale, let me look at your injuries or so help me, I'll—"
"You'll what?" Jake asked, his voice husky and seductive as he turned his blazing blue gaze on her.
"Stop acting a fool and just let me take a look!" Melody said, scowling back at him.
Jake huffed and gripped the top button of his shirt.
"It's nothing that won't heal," he said, starting to undo the buttons. Melody quivered and had to remind herself that this was strictly for medical purposes.
"I will be the judge of that," she said, grabbing a damp towelette from the tray between their plates.
Jake offered no further protest as he undid a few more buttons and pulled the shirt right off over his head.
The moment Melody saw his back, she gasped, horrified. It was a patchwork of black and blue bruises that looked more than a little painful. Only knowing that he had a wolf's healing abilities stopped her from worrying about internal bleeding.
"How bad is it?" Jake asked, but Melody could not find her voice.
Instead, she stood and gently laid a hand upon his back. He flinched and she eased off her touch, her fingertips brushing the bruised skin.
