Page 58 of The Sea Witch’s Son (The Villains of Wolf Hollow #1)
Chapter 57
MELODY
I've never liked asking for help.
Choosing to handle difficult situations on my own meant that I got to keep my cards close to my chest. I got to sweep dirty secrets and traumatic events under the rug without a moment’s thought of how I was going to deal with them.
In my mind, asking for help was a sign of weakness. An offer for someone to take advantage and knock me down when I’m at my lowest. It’s one of the many reasons I’ve spent so much time pushing Erik away.
Because I didn’t want to be perceived as weak.
“Lift your foot, little saint.”
Marlin leans into me, offering his broad back for balance as I wobble on one leg. He slips the lace on carefully, waiting for me to put my foot back down before lifting the other .
The creep stole a pair of my panties during one of his nightly visits. I growled when I found out, but it came in handy when it came time for me to get dressed this morning.
I didn’t want his help for such a mundane task, but I knew I needed it.
I knew I needed him .
The road to recovery is long and daunting ahead of me, but last night Marlin helped me in ways I can never explain. He cut himself into pieces, offering the same level of vulnerability just so I could feel like I had power again. Something to hold onto when my own shattered pieces were no longer strong enough to keep me standing.
He was the presence I needed, the caretaker who gave so much more than he took.
He was the person who made me feel like myself again.
“This is my third favourite dress shirt, you know.” Marlin sighs, carefully pulling the lavender material over my shoulders, “You ruined the last two, so try not to do the same with this one.”
“How generous of you.” My lips pinch into a smile as I watch him slowly do up each button, “Did you make sure to iron it before offering it to me?”
“What do you think I was doing this morning?”
I huff out a laugh, “Freak.”
The dress shirt falls to the top of my knees, the silky material offering far more coverage than I was expecting. Marlin was all too pleased when my clothes were ruined and he got to dress me today.
In addition to bows, this man has a thing for me wearing his clothes.
“You really do say the cruelest things, little saint.” Sliding the last button in its designated hole, Marlin takes a step back and tilts his head, “How about a kiss to make me feel better?”
I roll my eyes, “Still a sensitive man, are you?”
“Crippled, some might say.”
Stepping forward, I go up on my tip toes and wrap my arms around his neck. He lifts me in the air just like he did all those weeks ago except this time, I’m the one who doesn’t want to let go.
“Shut up and kiss me, Marlin.”
He licks my face like a fucking animal.
I gasp, “What the hell is wrong with you-
My complaint gets cut off by his lips. He kisses me with everything, every ounce of passion in his passionless body and I take it all.
I take everything and leave nothing behind.
Most people kiss until they are out of breath. Marlin and I kiss until we are fighting for it, fighting each other for the oxygen neither of us are willing to give up. It’s sick and twisted, poisonous in a way that only someone who craves the darkness can understand.
“Thank you.” Whispering against his lips, I feel my tear ducts start to burn, “Thank you for staying by my side. ”
“I told you, little saint. There is no hiding from me in the darkness.”
My heart overflows and so do my tears. Marlin kisses away each one, consuming my sorrow as easily as he does my pleasure.
“You will get terribly dry skin if you keep this up.” He swats my ass lightly before lowering me to the ground, “Hurry up and do your hair so I can take you home. I am a busy man, you know.”
“What’s wrong with my hair?”
He grimaces, “My fingers can only do so much. Try not to look in the mirror until you run a brush through it.”
Laughter breaks out of my chest.
Marlin’s eyes light up at the sound, and that's the sight I will remember most about the last twelve hours. Not the humiliation, not the pain, not the blood this man had to clean from my body.
I will just remember the love shining through his eyes.
The sun has begun to set by the time I make it home. The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder, but that doesn’t deter the residents of Wolf Hollow.
Torches are lit all along the road as if in preparation of some big party. Music drifts through the darkening sky, the ominous sound of bells in the distance making even the loudest crow keep quiet.
The council has been summoned .
I find Erik lingering by the kitchen window, watching dusk chase away the last few rays of sunlight. Streaks of purple illuminate the clouds, casting an eerie glow over his solemn expression.
“Erik?”
He blinks, shifting his gaze from the darkening sky to me, “Melody. I didn’t know you were home.”
“Just got back.”
“From the Seaborn Mansion, I presume.” His brows lift as he takes in my state of dress, “I hope you don’t have another note for me.”
“Not this time.”
I walk over and join him by the window. He takes in my cuts and bruises silently, his jaw tightening before he looks back out the window.
“Does he hit you?”
“No.” My throat feels dry, scratchier than I remember, “He killed the person who did this to me.”
Erik’s lips press into a thin line, but he doesn’t inquire further.
“I’m sorry for pushing you away.” Clearing my throat, I tell myself not to cry, “You’ve always seen me as the strong one of the family. The fighter who always finds a way to get back up. I just... I just didn’t want you to think of me any differently.”
“You don’t have to be strong by yourself.”
“I know that now.” Swallowing hard, I shove the lump back down my throat, “I know that it’s okay to lean on your support system. To communicate and learn to accept changes in a plan. ”
I lose the battle and tears spill onto my cheeks, “I know that even the strongest people fall down and sometimes they need help getting back up.”
“Oh, Melody.”
My stepfather opens his arms and I step into the embrace.
“I should have come to you sooner.”
He sighs, pulling me close, “We could spend a month talking about the things we should and shouldn’t have done. There’s no point in focusing on the past.”
“Just look towards the road ahead.” I close my eyes, breathing in his familiar scent, “Quoting her lyrics again. Mom would be proud.”
“She’s always been proud. Especially of you.”
The tears return, but I don’t fight them. I let the grief and pain wash free from my soul, soaking my skin with memories and regret that one day I’ll learn to carry.
My stepfather holds me, offering a shoulder to carry some of the burden and I take it. He lets me cry about things he knows all too well and things he will never know. He just takes the weight and carries it, offering me the support I refused to accept when we first got to Wolf Hollow.
Sucking down a shuddering breath, I do my best to pull myself together. There will be lots of days like this, days when I am unable to stomach the pain of my broken parts, but those are the days when I will have to be strong enough to ask for help.
When I will have to let someone else be strong for me.
“Hey, Erik? ”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for being my dad.”
He goes perfectly still.
I glance up and find tired eyes glistening with unshed tears. Erik stares at me, his expression so full of love and gratitude that I wish I had called him that sooner.
“Please don’t cry.” My lips tremble on their own accord, “You look so handsome and put together.”
He sniffs, making a valiant effort to remain composed, “I just wasn’t expecting to hear that today.”
“I have the worst timing.”
“No.” He clears his throat, “This was the perfect time.”
I give him one last squeeze before pulling away.
“Are you ready?” Smoothing the lapels of his suit, I make sure there isn’t a wrinkle in sight, “Tonight’s the big night.”
“I’m ready.” Erik blows out a breath, “It’s about time you stepped back and let me have a turn.”
“Just be careful.”
He gives me a knowing smile, “And don’t trust anyone.”
Tendrils of guilt snake through my stomach, replacing the grief with something much stronger.
Don’t trust anyone.