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She quivered in Jake's arms and he held her close, sickened by the smell of her blood, though certain she was right; he could see the wound coagulating and healing already. It couldn't have been deep.
"I caught a glimpse of Miranda grabbing Sally and I tried to fight, I did, but he hit me over the head and then…well, you're here, so you know as much as I do from that point on," Melody said, her gaze darkening with guilt. "This is all my fault."
Jake's jaw clenched. He had never heard something so stupid.
"No," he barked at her. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have left you unprotected. I should have listened to Lewis and his father and gone to Dash when I had the chance."
"I should have fought harder," Melody said as if she barely heard him.
Jake grabbed hold of her shoulders and looked her deep in the eye. "This is not your fault. Miranda is insane. She's a danger to the whole pack, causing trouble like this. I should have notified the others a long time ago."
Guilt gnawed at Jake. He was the one who had dragged her into all of this; whether they had slept together or not, he had hired her as his daughter's nanny even after Miranda proved how unhinged she was.
"I should have done more to protect you both," Jake said, cupping her face in his hands. He had to fight the urge to kiss her. Now wasn't the time. "I have to get you home and go after Sally."
"Not alone," Melody protested. "I'm fine and I'm coming with you."
"No."
Melody scowled at him. "You said you should have asked your pack for help, remember? I'm a member of that pack, and besides, I love Sally, too. There's no way I am going to sit on the sidelines."
The determination that shone in her dark-brown gaze told him there was no arguing with her.
"Do you have your phone?" Jake asked. Whether he liked it or not, Melody was right. They needed the pack now.
Melody reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
"Call Tara," Jake instructed her. "She's likely easier to get hold of than my cousin. She can gather the pack."
Melody nodded, already dialing the number. Even as she lifted the phone to her ear, she said, "Go, I've got this."
"I am not leaving you alone and undefended," Jake protested. "That bastard hit you hard."
"If he can do this to me…" Melody said, her voice trembling. Jake didn't like the thought of where her words were headed. Bile rose in his throat as he thought again of his daughter.
Still, he didn't feel right leaving Melody alone, and besides, he had no idea where to start looking. Sally's scent was fading and jumbled with others. Though his nose was good, Jake was well aware he was trying to track not only a werewolf and her pup but a warlock. He wouldn't put it past Kai to have conjured another trick or two.
"They went that way," Melody said, pointing back the way he came. Her phone continued to ring out. She gripped hold of his face with her free hand and looked him dead in the eye as she said, "Please go get our girl. I'll be fine."
Chapter 14 - Melody
As expected, Tara knew everything about everyone in Silverdale, right down to where Kai the warlock lived. And so the she-wolf met Melody right outside the house along with Malia Michaels, the witch who had married one of Dash's best friends.
"I can't smell anything," Melody said, standing on the sidewalk, straining her ears toward the small townhouse at the center of Silverdale.
Tara's response was to look at Malia. "What can you sense?"
Malia closed her blue eyes and her entire body seemed to grow rigid. Melody watched and sensed the fizzing energy all around the witch as she used her powers upon the building before them.
"I can't sense inside the house, but judging from the protection wardings I can feel, I'd say there's definitely someone or something in there that doesn't want to be found," Malia said, and when she opened her eyes again, they were glowing an unnatural purple.
"What do we do?" Tara asked. "Can we get in?"
Malia looked doubtful. "I can't just go breaking people's wardings without just cause."
"There's a kid in danger!" Melody yelled back at her, hands tightened into fists at her sides. It took all she had in her not to shift and try to force her way through the front door. Werewolves were no match for magic wardings, and she'd probably be burned to a crisp or something.
"Mel is right," Tara said, looking Malia in the eye. "Dash gave his blessing to use whatever force necessary."
