Page 23 of The Sea Witch’s Son (The Villains of Wolf Hollow #1)

Chapter 22

MELODY

Erik is waiting for me downstairs.

He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, coffee mug in his hands, staring out the window. The grass looks damp and cool under the overcast sky, and I can’t help but feel it sets an ominous tone for the day.

“I’ve submitted an application to the Dragon.”

My trek to the coffee machine halts.

“For what?”

“A job. I thought an official offer of employment would be a better way of going about this.” Tired eyes meet mine, “It could help eliminate an unpredictable variable.”

Irritation slashes through me, “And you didn’t want to consult me before doing this?”

“You’ve been MIA all weekend. I didn’t think a text message would be appropriate. ”

My teeth grind together, “It’s been a long weekend. I was at the mayor’s house yesterday.”

“While you were visiting the daughter, I was working on-

“You were jumping the gun, Erik.” Cutting him off, I blow out a frustrated breath, “You were supposed to let me figure this shit out. I don’t want you to end up with a job that involves torturing people or selling drugs or God knows what else that woman pays people to do.”

He sighs, “We have to have faith that everything is going to work out the way it is supposed to.”

My mouth opens and closes.

The hideous accusations, the ugly truths start to pound on the vault inside my chest, desperate to get out.

Desperate to be heard.

“Next time.” I inhale sharply, “Talk to me before making rash decisions. You could have jeopardized everything.”

“Communication goes two ways, Melody.”

I stare at him, angry and frustrated and a little bit hurt, “We were in this same situation before. Do you remember what you said?”

“You needed to trust me.”

“And I did. So, why can’t you do the same for me?”

Erik breaks eye contact and looks back out the window, “This is different. You’re in the line of fire every second of every day.”

“To sacrifice is to survive.” Walking over to where he’s standing, I take his hand, “Don’t go throwing away our motto now. ”

He chuckles softly, “You were always the fighter in our family.”

No. I was the only one willing to sacrifice.

“Someone had to be.” I blow out a breath, “Stop stressing and enjoy this time off. She would hate to see you like this.”

“I miss her so much.”

“I know.”

“One day I’ll get to see her again.” His eyes start to glisten, “One day I’ll get to hear you two sing together just like you used to.”

I swallow hard, “Don’t live in the past, Erik. Keep looking towards the future.”

“When it comes to matters of the heart, the past and the future tend to look very similar.” His lips tighten, “You can fall in love with hundreds of different people, but only one will stain the open road ahead.”

“Arielle would be pissed you’re stealing her lyrics.”

The tension breaks with a smile, “Old habits die hard.”

“Apparently.”

Our moment ends when the doorbell rings. Giving his hand one last squeeze, I break off and find an unexpected guest waiting at the door.

“Finley! What are you doing here?”

He flashes that boyish smile, “You never got back to me about the date, so I thought I’d try the old fashion way.”

“That’s so... sweet.”

Unease curdles my stomach as I look at the guy standing on my doorstep. His blond hair is carefully brushed back, his polo shirt neatly tucked into jeans. Everything about Finley is nice and put-together, from his looks to his personality.

And here I am, wearing leggings and a hoodie that barely covers the bite mark Marlin left behind.

“You’re doing that thing again.” He lifts the notched brow, “The one where you don’t give me an answer.”

“Oh, right.” Guilt slaps me across the face, “The thing is-

“You didn’t tell me you have a date today.” Erik peeks his head out the doorway, “Can I get an introduction?”

Cursing his terrible timing, I wave a hand in his direction, “Finley, this is my stepfather, Erik Prince.”

“A pleasure to meet you, sir.” Another boyish grin flashes as Finley steps forward and offers his hand.

Erik takes it, “Likewise. Do you go to school with Melody?”

“I was lucky enough to bump into her on her very first day.” He glances at me with a smile, “She’s been quite the distraction.”

Erik gives me a knowing look, “I’ve heard there are quite a few distractions this year.”

I cough awkwardly, “Finley is on the swim team.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes, sir. Just had our time trials last week.” Finley shrugs modestly, “There’s some work to be done, but I’m looking forward to a season of improvement. ”

It should be cute, the fake modesty and charming smile hoping to win my stepfather over. He’s saying all the right things, making all the right comments, but they sound so...

Fake. Scripted.

A little too perfect to be real.

“What were you doing for this date?” Erik crosses his arms and does his best to look intimidating.

Finley clears his throat, “I was hoping to take Melody to Hollow Lake. It’s about twenty minutes past the college, quite the scenic spot at this time of year.”

“Oh.” The arms uncross themselves, “That sounds lovely.”

“Well, that’s the plan if Melody agrees to it.” Finley looks at me expectedly and I realize I never gave him an answer.

“Uh, yeah. That sounds great.” Mustering up a smile, I gesture inside, “Let me go change. I’ll be right out.”

“No rush.” Finley rocks back on his heels, “I’ll be here.”

Tendrils of guilt hit my gut as I walk back up the stairs and head for my closet. The little black skirt is at the front, like it always is, and I quickly push past it.

Grabbing some jeans from the back, I pair them with a cropped sweater that will keep me somewhat warm in this weather.

The ridiculous heart Marlin left for me is still on top of my dresser. I returned the seashells and the starfish to their original positions, but I didn’t touch the bundle of red lace. It put a reluctant smile on my face this morning and for some reason I’m not ready to let that go .

The bright colour lingers in my mind when I walk outside to join Finley.

“Ready?”

“After you.”

He leads me down the main street, steering clear of the muddy trails I hiked along yesterday. We talk about idle things, his upcoming swim meets, the amount of homework already assigned this early in the semester, and other mundane activities until we finally reach our destination.

“Woah.” I breathe out the word, staring at the glass-like surface of the water. It’s perfectly still, the body of water just barely reaching the rocky shoreline before us.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Finley smiles, settling himself down on a rock, “Besides the oceanfront, this is the best view in Wolf Hollow.”

I glance at him, “Where’s the oceanfront?”

“On the other side of town. To catch a glimpse of it, you either walk through the forest or risk going through the Queen's Maze."

At my baffled expression, he chuckles, “The shoreline sits on Seaborn property. Unless you wish to become the Sea Witch’s next science experiment, you try and find a way to see it without crossing the border.”

I walk over and sit down beside him, “She’s that scary, huh?”

“From the stories, yes, although I don’t know how much of it is true.” He raises a brow, “Some people think she has tentacles instead of legs. Could you imagine? ”

“That’s... disturbing.” Biting back a laugh, I look out over the water, “The rumour mill is something else out here. It’s hard to know what to believe.”

Finley nudges me gently, “I’m really glad you came today. That is something you can believe.”

I turn and look at him. He’s staring at me with warm brown eyes, the tiniest smile playing at his mouth.

“Would it be alright if I kiss you, Melody?”

I swallow, dropping my eyes to his lips. They’re kind and soft and everything that a girl should want.

But all I’m seeing is the red heart waiting for me back home.

“No.” I shake my head, “I’m sorry, but I... I don’t know what I want right now.”

Finley stares at me for a long time. I turn and look back at the water, wishing I couldn’t feel his disappointment.

“Is it Marlin?”

There’s an edge to his voice.

“It’s everything.” I hold back a sigh, “There’s so much going on right now. I feel like I’m sprinting on a treadmill, desperately trying not to fly off the end.”

“But there is something between you and Seaborn.”

Annoyance pricks at my skin, “Why are you so concerned with Marlin? I thought you were over what happened at time trials.”

Finley clenches his jaw, “I don’t care about swim results, Melody. I care about you. ”

“But you don’t know me.” The anger leaks into my voice, “Besides the handful of conversations we’ve had, you know nothing about my life.”

“I know that if Seaborn gets inside your head-

“This isn’t about Marlin! This is about your ego being too bruised to take no for an answer.” My cheeks burn with frustration, “This was a mistake. I never should have come.”

Pushing off the rock, I start walking home. Curses flare up behind me, the hasty sound of footsteps following suit.

“Melody, wait! I didn’t mean it.”

I keep walking, ignoring the pleas.

“Look, I messed up. There’s something about him that grates me, and the thought of you with him-

“Finley, stop.” I turn abruptly, almost causing him to stumble into me, “You have no right to force unwanted opinions on me and I despise you for it.”

He looks at me with wide eyes, “I’m just looking out for you.”

“No. You are looking out for yourself and making assumptions along the way.” I take a second to breathe, “Clearly, this was never going to work, not even as friends.”

“There are rumours about you too, you know.”

“What?”

Finley shakes his head, “The girl running from her violent past. People are saying your father beat your mother until the day she died.”

He looks at me with something close to pity and I hate him for it .

“I don’t want you to go through that again. I want you to find a decent guy.”

“And you’re the decent guy in this scenario?” Disbelief clouds my tone, “You’re the knight in shining armour riding in to save me?”

“If you let me, I could be.”

I stare at him, seeing the sincerity reflected in his eyes. He truly believes I am some damsel in distress just waiting for a hero to carry her away.

He thinks I’m weak. Useless.

“My mother died from cancer. And my father didn’t lay a hand on her after he died of a heart attack six years ago. ” I let out a bitter laugh, “Do you know what kind of guy I deserve, Finley? I deserve someone who sees me as an equal. Not a child who needs rescuing.”

“Melody-

“ No. ” I’m spitting mad now, and the rain starting to fall is only making the situation worse, “You’ve disrespected me enough today. I’m going home.”

I don’t give him a chance to respond. Marching all the way home, I don’t acknowledge the footsteps trailing after me.

A bark sounds in the distance just as I slam the front door shut.

“Back already?” Erik looks up from his phone.

“Not now.”

Storming past him, I stomp up every creaking step until I’m back in the safety of my bedroom .

“This is all your fault.” Hissing at the stupid heart on my dresser, I strip off my damp clothes and fling myself onto the bed.

Crawling under the covers, I pull up my knees and hug them into my chest. The anger drains from my shivering body until the only thing left is an ache of sadness.

I’ve dated guys like Finley before. Three of them, to be exact, and they all followed the same train of thought.

I needed protecting.

I needed saving.

None of them ever bothered to step back and see the kind of person I was. The horrifying things I’ve done to ensure my mother didn’t have to cry herself to sleep every night.

I was her knight in shining armour. I secured her fairytale ending.

But nobody ever saw that.

Nobody, except Marlin Seaborn.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: I take it the date didn’t go well?