Chapter Seventeen

Melody’s sense of elation faded swiftly under the cold blue gaze. Her jaw set and she stared back at Skye, working to quell the defensive reaction to what was obviously sudden mistrust. Not that it wasn’t entirely warranted, but the entire situation was something she struggled to come to terms with and thought she finally had.

“You pay him to get me going, which he is extremely good at. So why are you suddenly surprised that I slipped? It wasn’t his fault, and he only took the tiniest bit of whatever it is you take from me when I come.”

“I don’t blame only him, Melody. You’re the one who has a contract with me, and you’re the one who managed to void it after only one day.”

“Did you stop to think that maybe it was a ridiculous thing to expect? I’m not some kind of bottomless well of sustenance you can just take from as it suits you. I was willing to attempt the arrangement because I liked you both. Garen made me want more, and you showed me exactly how amazing it could be if I let myself give in to the idea.”

Skye clenched his fists and his blue irises flickered with bright light for a second. A ripple of emotion passed over his face, brows clenching in what could have been pain or hurt as his throat worked to respond. Melody had the sudden urge to turn and leave him there to work out his issues—to go after Garen and try to comfort him. They had both messed up, but she was only human, after all, and he was extraordinarily adept at arousing every kind of emotion and exquisite sensation in her, body and soul. The only problem was that Skye incited the same reactions in her, and the abruptness with which that realization hit terrified her.

“You were aware of the requirements.”

“Did I actually manage to displease you last night? Was my performance somehow lacking as a result? Tell me that, please! Because unless you feel like you really got shafted because my own body betrayed me—that you didn’t get what you think you were due—then you really need to rethink the terms. I’m already rethinking them, to be honest. Because in spite of how fucking ~amazing~ last night was for me, I don’t think I really like you all that much. I’d have been better off pining for Kol and pretending to enjoy sex with normal men for the rest of my life.”

~That’s right, lying through your teeth makes everything better,~ she chided herself. In spite of how unhappy she was with his reaction, saying she didn’t like him was more than an exaggeration. She despised the way he looked at her now, but her heart ached with the knowledge that either of the men might be hurt over such a confounding situation.

Nobody was truly at fault, she knew that. Yet, her stomach churned with a combination of the same shame of failing Skye she’d seen on Garen’s face and her own shame at having failed herself and given in to emotion so easily. She could not let herself fall apart over a man so swiftly, much less two at once. She’d have to get her damn feelings under control if she intended to see the contract through.

She stalked past Skye with a huff, tore off the shirt and bent to grab the robe she’d been wearing earlier—the only garment of hers that hadn’t been ripped to shreds. The sheer fabric did nothing to conceal her body, but at least gave her an illusion of feeling dressed. When she picked up her other garments she grabbed his jacket and tossed it on the edge of the sofa along with his discarded shirt.

A small clattering reached her ears as something hit the floor near her feet and skittered under the sofa’s leg. She bent down to retrieve what looked like an intricately inlaid golden box, its surface reflecting the pink morning light.

“Don’t touch that,” Skye said, his voice tight with emotion.

She ignored him and reached for the box, clutching it in her palm before he could reach her.

“Is this yours?” she asked, holding the beautiful shining box up to him. The object seemed to warm in her palm and the glow of light she thought was a reflection from the window brightened, clearly coming from within the box.

“No!” Skye said, stepping toward her with a panicked look on his face.

There was a tiny ~click~ and the box seemed to split cross-wise in the center, the corners springing outward to reveal a smaller cube-like frame within, inside which was a glowing orb of beautiful golden light.

“Oh!” Melody exclaimed, blinking at the dazzling shape. She extended the index finger of her other hand to the glowing haze around the orb, but an invisible barrier seemed to be holding it in a tiny force field.

Skye stopped cold right in front of her, his hands dangling by his sides. “Mother, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” he said under his breath. Or at least, that was what Melody thought she’d heard.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to open it,” she said. She hurriedly pressed the box closed again and stretched out her hand toward him.

Skye gingerly took the box from her, eyeing it with suspicion. He turned it over in his hands, squeezing with his fingers as though trying to find the latch. Finally he simply cursed in frustration and stuck it into his pants pocket.

Instead of heading to her room as she intended, she paused to watch him, curious.

As he dressed, his eyes kept darting to her, his expression bemused. At least he was no longer giving her that disappointed scowl from before. Now he simply seemed indecisive, his brows scrunched together and his eyes staring off at nothing every so often while he buttoned his shirt.

“What are you going to do?” Melody asked, suddenly apprehensive about precisely what it was he was working out in his head.

“Review the contract. Rewrite it. Burn it. I don’t know. Before I do anything I need the absolute truth from the both of you.”

“I told you the truth. Garen was doing his job and I just couldn’t hold back. That’s it. I actually did it to myself, if you must know. He happened to be in contact with me at the time.”

She stared at him defiantly, silently daring him to contradict her. She was tempted to spit out the dirty details just to see how he would react. ~I masturbated while he finger-fucked me and I loved every second of it.~

But she had less at stake than Garen had. It might be a setback for her dreams, but Garen’s life was more closely tied to Skye’s than hers was. She’d be able to move on without looking back, or she’d have a better chance of it, at any rate. Either way, she was pretty sure she’d regret it if she continued down this path with these two amazing men and one ridiculous yet enticing contract.

Skye gave her a dubious look, seemed thoughtful for a moment, then his shoulders sagged with defeat. “If you say so. I hope his account doesn’t contradict yours.”

“Is it really so bad for it to happen? You’ve never once explained ~why~ it could only be you and me. Yet you force him to be in such close contact with me—”

“He was never forced. I trust him to do the job without taking advantage of you. I do trust him more than you at this stage. Until you can prove your loyalty to me, consider yourself on probation.” His jaw set and his gaze turned cool again—businesslike. “You’ll remain here at my whim at least until I believe I can trust you fully. You’ve had a day to understand what your job entails, so I trust there won’t be any confusion as to what is expected of you.”

Melody clenched her teeth, angry in spite of the brisk tingle of arousal that shot down her spine at the suggestion of truly being confined here, ~at his whim~. The contract had provided for some freedom of movement—she had free run of the city, for example—but there had been a clause regarding discipline should she fail to perform her duties as outlined. Confined for his pleasure meant that he would at least still need Garen to do ~his~ job, and the thought made her relax.

* * *

Skye came close to hitting the elevator button to take him to the roof when he remembered the time of day. The sun was rising. Garen may have flown last night. In fact, he was reasonably sure he had, but he would have left that morning in Dove. And considering the mood he’d been in, it was unlikely he’d returned to his own apartment. He would be driving today and tracking him down would be a challenge.

But it needed to happen, so Skye headed to the garage and climbed into his own car, a blue Bentley with seats that hugged his ass almost as enticingly as Melody’s legs had. His cock hardened at the thought, the taut flesh pressing against the sharp object that rested inside his pocket. Ignoring his erection, he fished the box out and set it on the dashboard. It remained obdurately shut, even when he forced a small surge of his power into it.

He hoped that laced with Melody’s energy now, his own might be enough, but it still didn’t open for him. He glowered at it and swung the car out of the parking spot, tires squealing on the pavement as he tore down the street.

Needling impressions of humanity crowded in again, now that he was away from Melody. The fresh din made it difficult for him to focus at first, but with the top down and wind blowing past, he managed to pick out the thread of Garen’s bond to him and follow it. He’d gone north, so Skye followed, sinking his foot down on the gas pedal and speeding across the Golden Gate Bridge.

It took an hour of driving before he drew close enough to reach out mentally. ~“We need to talk,”~ he sent the moment he could sense Garen’s emotions, still a dark tangle of shame that lingered, mixed with the trail of Garen’s aura left behind as he’d driven.

A few miles later, Skye spotted Garen’s car at a turnout and pulled in beside it. A path led into the woods, Garen’s trail of energy glowed, easily apparent to Skye’s dragon sight. He found his friend at the edge of an inlet of the bay, staring out over the water.

“What did she tell you?” Garen asked when Skye was within earshot.

“That she did it to herself. It wasn’t your fault. I sense a lie, but I think she’s trying to protect you.”

“Half-truth,” Garen said. “It was my idea, but she brought herself off.”

“Why did you let it happen?”

Garen stared down at the reflection of the sunrise on the water. “It was only envy. I was the highest-ranking Guardian of our generation for five centuries. When I lost that status, I worried that I’d lose the respect I had along with it. Being unable to find a mate—or even a woman I found desirable enough to consider mating—I feared I’d lose ground. What kind of dragon would I be if I couldn’t find a treasure as bright as Melody? I simply wanted to understand why she was so special that you and Kol would have come to the agreement you did. To know what I should really strive for.”

“I trust you’ve satisfied your curiosity and can get back to work then,” Skye said.

Garen turned and stared at him. “You’ll let me continue?”

“I wouldn’t trust any other dragon to do the job, my friend. And she seems to like you. I also need you to make sure she continues to test the rules as set out for the duration of the contract.”

“Test them? You want me to actively encourage her to break her contract?”

“There’s something about her Kol and I didn’t share before the interview. I wanted to wait until I’d had a full day of her before I told you. Garen, she’s a Blessed.”

Garen expelled a surprised breath, his eyes widening. “That … explains so much. How she knows some of what we are. How she’s so responsive and willing. But why do we want her to break the contract?”

“It was for her benefit. Kol’s bond took over before she had a chance to choose. The man’s a powerful force where women are concerned. She signed the contract while under his influence, which means encouraging her to break the contract will help break her bond to him. With our help, it will allow her to choose her fate. And in spite of what I saw this morning—whatever happened between the two of you—I saw only a faint hint of Kol’s bond remaining in her. Help her break the rules. She’ll test you, but let her. And when it’s done, she’ll have the option to proceed with the contract and … and become my mate at the end.”

Garen’s expression clouded and he stared out over the water. “So you will mate her when this is over. That’s … I’m happy for you. You’ll finally earn your inheritance.”

Skye’s chest tightened in response to the wash of emotion coming off his friend. Mostly he sensed loneliness and despair, but deep beneath was the same cold fear of loss, only it was twofold now. The fact that Garen didn’t even try to conceal his feelings from Skye was very telling. It was a more convincing gesture of honesty than even words could be. To know that his friend not only feared losing Skye’s friendship, but now also feared losing the Melody’s growing affection made his heart ache.

“It’s only been a couple days,” Skye said softly. “Surely you’re not so taken with her …”

Garen shook his head. “Isn’t it an effect of her blessing? I’ve never been so drawn to a female before. That I can’t even try to see if she’d be able to …” He clenched his fists by his sides and stared at Skye, his face filled with anguish. “I will do what you ask of me, but please don’t draw this out any longer than necessary. I won’t be able to bear it afterward. Losing you will break me.”

The sense of loss gripped Skye suddenly, his gut tightening enough for him to lose the ability to breathe. It was true—if he mated Melody, it would mean a kind of exile for Garen from the life he’d known. And it was all for the power held in that tiny little box of his mother’s.

Garen turned to leave before Skye could answer him, but Skye remained frozen in place. It wasn’t until the sound of the Stingray’s engine revved and he heard it rolling back across the gravel that he fished the box out of his pocket and glared down at it. He knew what he needed to do.

~She won’t be my mate, if I have the last word,~ he thought. ~She’ll be yours.~

With that, he stretched his hand back over his head and flung with all his might, sending the tiny box through the air to splash into the water of the bay far from shore.