Page 15 of The Sea Witch’s Son (The Villains of Wolf Hollow #1)

Chapter 1 4

MELODY

It’s a sullen drive home.

Erik doesn’t say a word until we pull onto the driveway. He puts the car in park and turns off the engine, but neither one of us make a move for the door.

“The mayor’s daughter is in the hospital.”

I stare out the windshield, not saying a word.

“The local station said she went in for major surgery.”

“I didn’t realize radio stations send updates on college students.”

“Melody.” Erik snaps his teeth, “You need to stop acting like everything is fine. These people are dangerous-

“You think I don’t know that?” I whip my head in his direction, “You think I don’t know normal people don’t attend class with a knife tucked in their skirt? I saw three extinct species tonight, Erik. They were hung on some guy’s wall like it was a fucking silent auction.”

Tension stains his handsome features when he looks at me. I stare back, trying to fight off the needles of guilt attacking my stomach.

“I know about the messages.”

“What?”

“The ones you wipe off the bathroom mirror.” Disappointment clouds his features, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m handling it.”

“By erasing the evidence and refusing to talk about it.” Erik shakes his head, “You can’t keep doing this. You can’t keep shutting out the pain as though it’s never going to catch up.”

The sting of guilt quickly turns into a swarm of anger.

“I’ve been a little busy dealing with psychotic classmates to sit down and talk .”

His brows pinch together, “It’s not just college, Melody. You refuse to talk about your mother, you refuse to sing-

“ I can’t sing .” My shrill voice pierces through the car, “Don’t you get it? My voice was attached to my heart and my heart...”

A sob rips from my throat, “Is no longer strong enough to carry a song. I’m not shutting out the pain, Erik. I’m barely keeping it from overflowing.”

Tears stream down my face, leaving a river of salty residue and heartache behind. Erik doesn’t say anything for a long time, he just stares at me with glistening eyes .

“You don’t have to push me out.” His words are barely above a whisper, “I loved her too, you know.”

“It’s not the same.”

The words are sharp and meant to hurt, and they do just that. Erik blows out a strained breath and gets out of the car.

I don’t move for a long time. I just stare at the cracks in the windshield, the splintered glass that somehow manages to hold itself together.

When I finally make it inside the house, my feet guide me to the living room. I don’t stop walking until my knees hit the bench sitting beneath the piano. I reach out and stroke the board, running my finger over the black and white keys.

“I was so mad at you for leaving me.” I whisper the confession, wishing I didn’t feel the lump in my throat, “But now... Now I just miss you.”

A silent tear slips down my cheek and hits the keys.

I sit down on the bench and watch another tear join the first. The unsung notes stare back at me, haunting my conscience and doing nothing to break the dam that’s been built in my chest.

The figure moves through the shadows of the living room. I feel him before I see him, the familiar presence making himself comfortable on the bench beside me.

“It seems like I never know the right thing to say.” Erik sighs heavily, “That’s one thing that hasn’t changed over the years.”

“It’s good to have consistency.”

He’s quiet for a moment, “What do you think she would say? If she could see us right now? ”

When I don’t say anything, Erik nudges me.

“It would be something ridiculously optimistic like with every closed door comes a new opportunity. The world is your oyster, so let’s go out for dinner.”

My lips pinch together, “Arielle loved any excuse to go out for seafood.”

“I don’t know why. She would cry every time she saw a crab sitting stuffed on a plate.”

A reluctant laugh escapes me.

We fall into companionable silence, both of us lost in memories about the bleeding heart lost at sea. I run my hand over the keys again, remembering the bruised fingers that would shake and tremble but always knew the right notes to play.

My mother wasn’t a strong woman. She was kind and gentle and very beautiful, but she was not strong. She took the world at face value, never pushing back and questioning whether she deserved better.

Whether I deserved better.

“I need to know who it is.” Erik speaks quietly, trudging carefully over the newfound peace between us, “The person breaking in at night.”

I close my eyes, picturing that arrogant smile. The crashing wave covering his forearm. The tip of his erection digging into my ass.

Goosebumps spread along my flesh as those hands close around my throat and squeeze.

“Marlin Seaborn. ”

Erik hisses out a breath.

I open my eyes, trying to forget the way he danced me around the ballroom tonight. The way he whispered threats and promises of punishment in my ear as though they were sweet nothings.

I’m trying to forget the way my body ached for his touch.

The way it’s still aching.

“I’ll get the locks changed tomorrow.”

“That won’t make a difference.”

I reach up and touch my neck, feeling the indent of Marlin’s teeth. The bastard bit me tonight like my body was his to own.

Fucking vampire.

Ignoring the throb between my legs, I reach over and take Erik’s hand. His brows are pinched together, the severity of our situation sitting heavily on his shoulders.

“He knows.”

His hand goes limp in my own. I squeeze it hard, reminding him this is exactly what we came here for.

“Stick to the plan, Erik. Everything will be fine.”

He doesn’t acknowledge the lie. Instead, he squeezes my hand back and leaves without asking for a song for tonight.

I wait until he’s upstairs to press on the keys. A sharp note rings out, echoing through the empty halls of a dead woman’s house.

My mouth opens but nothing comes out .

The ache in my heart grows until I’m gasping for air. Pressing a hand to my chest, I can feel the wall built up inside, hidden beneath layers of flesh and bone.

Why didn’t you fight back? Why didn’t you fight for me?

The words stay trapped inside me, locked in the vault still holding my voice captive. Sealing my lips shut, I climb off the bench and make my way up the creaking stairs.

It’s a strange sensation, the anticipation and dread swirling through my body. You would think after the first couple of nights, I would get used to Marlin’s little surprises. Grow accustomed to being on edge in my own bedroom.

I haven’t.

The light switch snaps painfully against the chipped wall and my room is washed in colour. Nothing screams out at me, but then again, it never does.

Instead of checking every nook and cranny for whatever horror Marlin has left for me, I admit defeat and crawl into bed.

I try to close my eyes and go to sleep, but I can’t escape him. The silky glide of his tongue presses against my neck while the sharp edge of his teeth sink into my flesh. I shudder under the covers, reaching up and touching the bite marking my skin.

I trace the gentle divots of the mark, thinking of the shark who left them there. The twisted mind hidden behind an arrogant smile and violet eyes.

My hand slides lower, over my neck and across my collarbones. Heat travels south as my fingers smooth over the hard tip of my nipples, feeling the tight grip of Marlin’s fingers .

His hands become my own as I glide them around the curve of my breast and down along my ribcage. A quiet moan escapes when my fingers brush the edge of my waist, teasing the skin the same way he did that first day.

Pushing past the string of my panties, I trail my hand further down, feeling the wet material throb under my fingertips. The tip of his erection digs into my ass when I press down on my clit, and I have to bite down on my lip to keep from crying out.

He’s behind me now. Pressing that hard body against me, sinking his fingers into my flesh and bending me over. I rub the bud harder, faster, as Marlin chuckles in my ear, the low sound igniting every nerve.

That wicked smile keeps my hand going, his nails digging into my neck as my breathing grows heavier and my pussy grows wetter.

When the pressure becomes unbearable, I slip a finger inside my soaked panties and push past the slick folds. Stealing the cum from inside, I slide it back up to my clit, stroking the swollen flesh until my hips are bucking off the bed.

You’ll be able to take me, little saint. I’ll make sure of it.

I finish just as Marlin sinks his teeth into my neck. The dull ache lingers as I lie panting and trembling in bed, waiting for my orgasm to pass.

“Oh my God.”

The mortification sinks in the moment I catch my breath. Quickly peeling the damp material off my legs, I fling the panties across the room as if that might erase what just happened .

Sucking in a shameful breath, I roll out of bed and retrieve the pyjama bottoms lying on the floor. I wince when I pull them on, my pussy lips sore from the rough handling.

Disgust rises in my throat when I finally walk over and check the hidden nook. I register the empty space, refusing to acknowledge the sliver of disappointment.

Shoving my jumbled emotions aside, I crawl back into bed. My body sags against the mattress, desperate for an escape from the madhouse of my mind.

I close my eyes, trying to think of anything except Marlin Seaborn.

I’m just about to drift off when my phone lights up with a new notification.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Thinking of you tonight.