Melody’s POV
“How did you find me?” I asked once we were back to safety.
“I got to where we were to meet but didn’t find you. I was looking for you with Neo and Nick when I heard you scream and knew something was wrong. I called dad and we traced your scent.” Nathan said.
I shook my head. Everything he said was confusing. He couldn’t have heard me when I was far away. How could he have traced my scent when he didn’t have a dog with him?”
“You brought a dog?” I asked.
“A dog?” Nick asked, looking confused.
“You said you traced my scent. Didn’t you do that with a dog?”
The boys looked at one another and laughed. “I thought you just heard dad say we were werewolves.”
My eyes rounded with surprise. I wondered how many surprises I was going to have to deal with today. “He wasn’t kidding. I thought he was only trying to scare the witch.”
“My dad doesn’t make empty threats.”
I sucked in a breath. “You are really werewolves? Can you prove it?”
The boys looked unsettled. “I don’t think that is a good idea.”
“Please. I won’t freak out.” I lied, knowing they were lying.
Nathan looked at me and then at his brothers who nodded at me. Within seconds, he had changed form and a cute little black wolf was standing in the place he had been standing in.
I gasped. They weren’t lying. They were truly werewolves. I didn’t think I could deal with any more surprise today. I went lax and felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, hating myself for being weak and fainting.
“I knew it wasn’t a good idea.” I heard Nathan sigh just before I slipped completely into the dark.
Kevin’s POV
I hoped the boys had gotten Melody to safety. I faced the witch, squaring my shoulders and glanced at Ella and Liam who were flanking me at the sides. I didn’t have to doubt that this was the leader of the coven and mastermind of the attack on Melody.
I hadn’t seen her before and her skin looked dry and grotesque which was evidence of long tampering with dark magic.
“I guess you are the one who wants the little girl dead.” I said to confirm my suspicions.
“I am. I couldn’t let those losers who kept getting seen and killed continue with the mission. I had to do that myself and I am going to kill that little wench.”
“Don’t be too sure of that.” Ella scoffed. “I think you are the one dying here today.”
“I’ve got powers you can’t beat.” The witch bragged.
“And we’ve got what can beat those powers. You didn’t know of our identity but we knew of yours and have been preparing for this day.” Ella said as she brought out a spelled mirror, tied clothes and charmed necklaces.
The witch started laughing and pointed at us and the items Ella brought out. “You think you can get rid of me easily with those? I’m more powerful than you think.”
“No, we know we can’t get rid of you with these but we can make you weaker while we fight you to death.” I said, smiling at her. “We are more brutal than you think.”
She growled. “Bring it on. I hate how I’m talking too much.” She waved her hands in the air, casting a spell and murmuring under her breath.
Ella brought out the mirror and balanced herself well on the ground while Liam and I ran towards the witch.
Ella raised the mirror up, shining the reflection on her as she cast the spell. The witch screeched as she saw her reflection and her charm backfired on her because of the mirror.
“Oh!” She groaned as Liam and I slashed her by the sides as she rocked from the effect of the charm that had backfired on her.
She tried to weave another spell and Ella threw a charmed binding necklace at her. I watched, stunned as the necklace started wrapping itself around her hands and tying them so she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t do anything because she was still weak from the spell and couldn’t save herself immediately
I quickly leaned over her before she could get back her strength-as those items we had with us could only weaken her temporarily-and dipped my clawed fingers into her chest.
She screamed, thrashing on the floor as I dug her blackened heart out and threw it down the slope. She continued thrashing for some seconds before she finally went still.
She blew off in flames afterwards.
I sighed, glad that the battle was over. It was time to get back to the Melody and the boys. I winced as I thought of Melody knowing she would have a lot of questions for us.
It was a shame we couldn’t erase memories. I guessed we had to tell her (and her mother) the truth. I couldn’t deny that telling them the truth scared me but there was nothing I could do unless I wanted to come up with an unreasonable and illogical lie.
Kevin’s POV
Contrary to what I had feared, it hadn’t been hard to tell Gabby everything that happened. She hadn’t freaked out as I thought she would and I was relieved. I wondered what I had been afraid of at first. She was stronger more than I had given her credit for.
“So, you are a werewolf?” She said after I was done telling her of the reason her daughter was freaked out, why we were here and everything that had happened to her daughter.
I nodded. “We all are.”
“Are you sure the attack on Melody is over?”
“It should. The master is dead.”
She breathed in relief. “Thank goodness.” She suddenly started giggling. “I guess that explained why you all moved in here and didn’t make friends with anyone but me. You all knew what was happening and that was why you were always around us and warned me.”
“That is the summary of our stay here.”
“I should have suspected when you didn’t enrol the kids in school for days and asked me where Melody’s school was.” She sighed. “You should have told me. Why didn’t you?”
“We thought you were going to freak out.” Ella replied.
“Am I freaking out now?” She asked, arching her eyebrows at me.
“We are sorry for underestimating you. We didn’t want to stress you.” I said.
“How is it like to be a werewolf? Melody told me she saw Nathan shift.” She smiled.
I glanced at Nathan who blushed and quickly hid his head, averting his gaze from me.
“I’m not shifting right here.” I said with finality ringing in my voice.
“Oh no.” She said, sounding disappointed. “Just once.” She pleaded, raising her finger up.
“No.” Ella chuckled. “You should have heard what happened when Nathan shifted in front of Melody. She fainted. We don’t want you doing the same.”
“I can’t faint.” Gabby insisted.
“I’m sure Melody didn’t think she would faint either when she asked Nathan to show her his wolf form.” Liam smiled.
Melody blushed. “I didn’t faint because I was scared of Nathan. I did that because the surprises today were too much for me to cope with. I found out that the clingy little girl who I thought wanted to be my friend was actually an old witch who wanted to kill me. I wondered what would have happened if I had eaten the fruits and sweets she offered me.” She shuddered.
“You would have died. Thank goodness you didn’t eat them and are safe now.” Ella said, pulling Melody into an embrace.
“I bet those sweets and fruits were as poisonous as the pill she wanted to give you.”
“I’m glad it’s all over.” I breathed.
“Are we going home tomorrow, dad?” Nathan asked me.
“Tomorrow? They aren’t staying for my birthday?” Melody asked, her eyes widening as she removed her head from where it was placed on Ella’s chest and glared at me as if I was the old witch who wanted to kill her some hours ago.
Gabby sighed and turned to Melody. “It’s okay if they are leaving tomorrow, baby. They don’t belong here and I’m sure they have a lot of things to do in their world where they come from.”
Melody didn’t look at her mother but kept staring at me. “Are you leaving tomorrow? Are the boys not going to be around for my birthday? Can’t you stay? Uhn?”
I chuckled at the way she was shooting darts at me with her eyes. “No, we aren’t leaving tomorrow. We will stay for your birthday and then leave.”
She jumped at me and wrapped her tiny little hands around me in a tight embrace. “Thank you, Mr. Allen.”
I beamed. “It’s okay, Melody.” I said, patting her on the back. I loved how little it took to make her happy.
“Thank you, daddy.” The boys grinned at me.
“Let’s go play.” Melody said as she turned to look at the boys.
The boys hopped off the seat they were on as Melody jumped off the one she was as well and they all skipped off to the boys’ bedroom to play.
“I guess I have an extraordinary birthday to plan. I have to make it a farewell party for the boys as well.” Gabby said, excusing herself from the living room and heading outside.
“There is a lot to do at home, Kevin.” Ella said the moment Gabby was outside. “You shouldn’t have agreed to letting the boys stay for the party. We should start going home now to make up for our absence. I’m sure your absence would have been noticed already.”
“We saved Melody from the witch who wanted to kill her. We might as well stay till her birthday to see if we really saved her. I’m sure my father is already handling things back at home. Don’t be scared.”
“I’m not.” Ella sighed. “You make a fair point, I guess. It’s not over until it’s truly over. We have worked hard all through our stay here. Let’s party and relax.”
“Good.” I smiled at her.