Page 5 of Monster's Melody

I couldn’twait.

CHAPTER1

“Jasmine!”Mikaela squealed the moment she saw me.

“What?How?Did you cast a spell letting you know when I arrived?”I asked suspiciously.I’d literally just entered my dorm room seconds before she barreled through the door of our connecting bathroom.

“Of course, I did.So what?”

I burst into laughter.

“I missed you!”She flung her arms around me.

“I missed you too.”I hugged her back.“Where’s Elliot?”

“I told him we needed girl time, so he went down to wait for Kasi and Jahrdran in the lobby.He promised to drag Jahrdran off so that Kasi could join us.”

I raised an eyebrow.“And you think Jahrdran’s going to cooperate?”

Mikaela snickered.“Maybe?”

Maybe was right.The Varulvka was very attached to his mate, not to mention extremely overprotective, considering we were all being hunted by the Shadow Killer, Lydrel Zowen.

Not that we’d seen him since he’d attacked Mikaela and a bunch of other students during their Inner Beast Management final right before break.

“So, how’d the meet-the-parents thing go?”I asked, not wanting to think about the killer who stalked us from the shadows.

“Really well.You should have seen how happy my parents were when I showed up with Elliot.That wasn’t even the best part, though.When I went running with my dad as leopards for the first time, I thought he was going to cry, he was so happy.And Miki-Leopard was so excited when he shifted, she pounced on him and played with him.I’ve never seen my dad so happy and carefree as he was in that moment.”

She blinked back tears.“It’s weird, you know.I always wanted to give my dad that, to be able to run with him as a leopard, but it just wasn’t possible.Then, suddenly it was, but Miki-Leopard’s the one who gave him that experience, not me.”

“That’s ridiculous, Mikaela,” I said.“Miki’s present right now, isn’t she?”

“Well, she’s sleeping, but yeah, she’s here.”

“And you were present when you were running with your dad, right?”

“Well, yes, but?—”

“So you were both present during that first father-daughter run, which means youbothgave him that experience.”

“I suppose.”

“Look, Miki may have been born in the shadows, but she was also made from the leopard DNA you inherited from your father and she’s very much a part of you, in the same way your dad’s leopard is a part of him.Would you tell the man that run was only for his leopard, not for him?”

“Of course not.”She thought about that for a moment, then repeated in a firmer voice, “Of course not.You’re right.It was a truly amazing experience, Jasmine.”

“I bet.So how was meeting Elliot’s family?”

“They were awesome.Dragons are so much fun!I had no idea.Elliot took me flying over the moors of Scotland.It was spectacular.”

“Wait.You went flyingvoluntarilyon a dragon?”

“Well, yeah, but it was Elliot!”

“So, does that mean you won’t be freaking out in Dragon Riding 101 anymore?”

“I don’t freak out!”