Chapter Four

Tuesday – Southern Maryland

Melody

I gasp and sit bolt upright in bed, looking around the room. I can tell by the shade of the soft gray light filtering through the blinds that it’s early morning. My alarm hasn’t gone off yet. I flop back onto my pillows and take a deep breath. What was that dream about? “Just breathe,” I tell myself, rubbing my eyes, “it was just a dream.”

Just then, my phone chirps with a new text message. I throw my hand out onto the nightstand and feel around it. Still woozy with sleep, I knock it onto the floor. Shit! Rolling to the edge of the bed, I feel around in the dim light and it chirps again from the floor. Who the hell in their right mind is texting me this early? Finally, I find it under the edge of the bed and unplug the charger as I roll back over.

Finn: Good Morning, beautiful. Hope you have a great day!

Finn: Sorry if I woke you. I wanted to text you before my shift and let you know I was thinking of that beautiful smile of yours.

I type a quick reply with a couple of emojis and decide that’s enough for six in the morning.

Mel: Morning XOXO

“Oh my god, how did I get so lucky?” I ask the ceiling, staring up at it. I notice the time on my phone is 6:03 a.m. It is the end of the Winter semester, and I have a final on Thursday that I have to study for and class at eleven. So, I’m not working today. I lie there for another few seconds. Oh well. I guess I’m up now, I think as I toss back the covers. I can't shake the feeling of the cold ground under my back from the nightmare, and I don’t want to lie in bed any longer. I decide to get an early start studying, so I get dressed, head downstairs to make coffee and hit the books for the day.

Later, as I am finishing up my morning class, I hear my phone chirp upstairs and decide I can stand to take a break and check back into the real world. Still wrapped in my most comfortable sweater, I head to get it. When I’m halfway up the stairs, I pause because I hear something. Wolves? That can’t be wolves. It sounds like howling in the distance, and I stand on the landing looking out the large window into the woods. But I don’t see anything, and my phone makes another noise. I must still be freaked out from my dream last night. I continue the rest of the way up the stairs to my room. When I grab my phone, I see that Sam has been texting me and roll my eyes.

Sam: Work sucks without you.

Sam: Seriously, girl, school is for the birds. When are you coming back?

Sam: Gah! Mel, WTF did you do to Big Bad? He looks like total shit today.

Sam: All right, seriously! That creep from the other week is back, and Ms. Sandy is no help in that department. I need you to come back to work, Mel! When are finals over?

Sending her my replies one after another, I continue to read through her messages.

Mel: Sorry. Studying is no better than work. Trust me, I’m not partying it up over here.

Mel: What do you mean? What’s wrong with Finn? Sorry, Ms. Sandy is no help with that creepy guy. Don’t worry, I’ll chase his ass out of the store if he shows up when I’m back next week.

Mel: Hang in there, girl, you got this.

I quickly check my email and take my phone back downstairs with me. Sam said that Finn doesn’t look good, and I have a knot in the pit of my stomach, but I’m not sure why. Even though I usually leave my phone out of reach during school hours, I know I need to text him. I check the time, and I have fifteen minutes before my next class, so I text him.

Mel: Hey, I hope you’re having a good day. I missed seeing you today, but duty calls and I have to cram for finals this week. Can’t wait for Friday! XO

I’m halfway through my second class of the day when I hear my phone chirp on the kitchen counter. I know I should focus on the professor currently talking to me on my laptop. But I can’t focus, wondering if it’s Finn. So, I turn off my camera and am still sort of listening as I dash to the kitchen.

Finn: Shouldn’t you be in class right now?

Mel: Yes, sir. I would be if you weren’t texting me.

Finn: Then get back to class and off of your phone.

Mel: Again, I would, but you keep texting me.

Finn: Smile, sexy lady, and get back to work. X

I take my cell back to the table with me and turn my webcam back on to finish the lecture. Two more days, and I’ll be done for the semester. After class, I decide to head to The Sub Shoppe to surprise Sam at the end of her shift and grab my favorite coffee as a treat for finishing my last official class before my final. When I pull into the parking lot, I notice Finn’s truck is parked in one of the spots by the door. I decide to park next to him and head inside.

I scan the store for Sam and Finn. I don’t see her and figure she is packing up in the breakroom. But when I turn towards the coffee bar, I see them standing together, talking. I head in that direction.

“Hey, guys!” I put a smile on my face, but I know when I make eye contact with Sam, my eyes say, “I will kill you,” and she laughs nervously.

“Hey, Mel! We were just talking about how neither of us can call it a good day without seeing you. Look, now here you are.”

“Oh, yea? I’m sure you were, Sam. I mean, being such a chatterbox, I can see how you two would have so much to talk about.” I shoot daggers at her with my eyes. I haven't even looked at Finn yet. But my body has come to life because of his proximity. I have goosebumps down my arms, and my pussy is clenching just standing this close to him.

“Hey there. Calm down,” Finn says as he reaches out and puts his hand on my shoulder. The shock of electricity that shoots through me to my groin is almost too much, and I inhale sharply.

“I just finished my last class and decided I needed to get a cup of coffee and see if you wanted to have some girl talk before you headed home. You seemed like you wanted to chat a bit.” I squeeze Sam’s arm.

“Were you two ladies texting earlier? I thought you had an important class you needed to finish, Mel, for your final?” Finn inquires, and I can hear the warning in his voice. Shit. I was texting Sam instead of working like I should have been, and he isn’t happy about it at all.

You were texting me too, Big Bad. Shit! I freeze as I make the connection between my dream and his eyes. Finn’s eyes, the amber eyes. I’ve seen them before. My eyes go out of focus as I try to remember the wolf's eyes from my dream.

“You all right there, lass?” Finn asks, brushing his hand down my cheek.

“Hey, Melody. Are you in there?” Sam’s waving her hand in front of my face.

“Sorry, guys. I was. Just… I’m exhausted. I had a bad dream last night, and I just had… I don’t know. I guess I need a minute.” I turn away from them and grab a coffee cup. Walking to the carafe on the counter, I fill it, but I can feel him behind me. I know Finn is dogging my every step. Ha! I think. Good choice of words there, Mel. Dog, Wolf. Finn. Your dream. What is going on?

“Hey.” He stops me when I turn around, with my cup of coffee in my hand, and our eyes meet. Then his flash from chocolate to amber and back again. I blink, confused, and glance down into my coffee cup, watching the liquid ripple out in growing circles.

“Finn, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything with the attitude when I got here. I just know Sam can be one to gossip, and I was worried about what she might have told you while I wasn’t here.” I laugh at the end and study his eyes, still trying to figure out what I saw in them. Before, when we were at the club, I could have sworn it was the lighting. But here and after that weird dream, I’m pretty convinced I’m losing my mind. I scold myself, Good job, Mel. Way to go! You finally find a super-hot guy to ask you out, and you’re about to end up in the looney bin.

“Not that I have secrets that I am trying to keep from you, but I mean a little mystery in any relationship is nice, right?” Looking back up at him, he raises a brow at me.

“Really. What’s going on? Talk to me, lass,” he says and steps closer to me, and I step backward, bumping against the counter top behind me.

“Finn. sir,” I sigh, “I had this dream last night. Your eyes. I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know how to explain it.” I’m rambling, and he is looking at me, confused. I’m pretty positive I just set off like a million alarm bells.

“Come here, lass,” he says, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and one around my waist. He pulls me up against the length of his body. “It’s okay. Nothing is going to get you, lass. I’ve got you. Do you wanna talk about it?” I press my face into his shoulder and squeeze my eyes closed, taking in a deep breath. The warm scent of his body fills my nose. I don’t know what to do. But I look up into his eyes and know in an instant he will protect me. No matter what.

“Sure. Can we? I think that might help.”

I look around for Sam, but I guess more time has passed than I initially thought, and it looks like she is gone. When we get out to the parking lot, I scan the employee area for her car and see that she has definitely left for the day. Finn wraps my hand in his and leads me to the passenger side of his truck, opening the door for me. He helps me up into my seat and closes the door. Holding my coffee in my hands, I take a small sip and let the warmth from it spread through my body. I still haven’t been able to get warm after my dream from last night, and I bounce my knees nervously, waiting for him to cross over in front of the truck and get in on the driver's side.

“Tell me what’s going on, baby. Something has you spooked. You said you had a dream?” Finn reaches across the truck's cab, lifts the center seat making it one big bench, and pats the middle for me to slide over towards him. I move over and breathe, trying to steady myself. Then I decide if he brought me here, he obviously is willing to help, and since he hugged me inside, he isn’t going to think I’m nuts if I relax. I rest my head on his shoulder, sighing.

“I had a dream last night that I woke up in the woods. It was cold and damp. When I sat up, I was surrounded by–” He lifts a hand and rubs the side of my face, my voice is shaking, and I’m on the verge of tears.

“Hush. Lass, it was just a dream. It’s okay. Nothing can hurt you here.”

“I was surrounded by giant wolves. They had red eyes, but there was one with these amber eyes. It… no, he was protecting me from them. Then I woke up, but the cold, the feeling I had. It wasn't like any other dream I’d had before. It was real. I can’t shake the feeling that it means something. But I don’t know what it could mean.”

“Well,” he says and clears his throat. “It could mean anything. It could be that you ate too close to bedtime. Or were you thinking of wolves before bed? Did you have any anchovies and ice cream?”

I notice how thick the Irish accent is again, and he is obviously nervous. Apparently, it's not just alcohol but also nerves that bring out the accent on my Irish Wolf. Damn it, Mel! Stop!

“Anchovies and ice cream?” I look up at him. “Really? That sounds awful. Of course, that would give anyone nightmares. I’m going to have nightmares just thinking about it!” I make gagging noises and giggle, starting to relax.

“I doon’a think that the saying implies that you have to eat them together. I just think maybe one or the other. Look at me, lass.” He puts his hand under my chin and turns my face to his, then bends down and gently places a soft kiss on my lips. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. I promise. It was just a dream. Why don’t we just sit, and you can finish your coffee with me before you head back home?”

“Thank you, that sounds good.” I lean my head back against his warm shoulder and sip my coffee in silence, just soaking in his warmth and letting the scent of his soap and testosterone surround me as I inhale deeply. God, I really hope I smell like him later.

***

Finn

I watch Melody make the turn off of the main road and know she is headed home safely. I continue on to my house. I pull in the driveway and turn off the truck’s engine.

“Fuck!” I yell, slamming my palms on the steering wheel. “What the fuck are you doing, Caomhanach. You cannot get this girl involved in your shit. Now she is dreaming about wolves? Come on, this has gone too far.” I finish giving myself a pep talk, and by the time I’m unlocking the front door, I’ve decided I’m going to break it off with her. I toss my keys onto the kitchen table and collapse back onto the couch when my phone chirps that I've got a message.

Mel: Made it home safe, sir. Hope you have a great night. too “Fuck,” I growl low under my breath and inhale deeply through my nose. I can still smell her scent on my shirt, the coconut shampoo, with a touch of apple from her lotion. Mixed with the intoxicating feminine smell she is always putting off when she is around me, the one that I know now means that she is ready for me to slide into that tight wet–

I terminate the thought and stand quickly. Deciding I’m going to go for a run, I slip out of my boots, pull my t-shirt off in one swift movement, and head for the back door. I make it across the backyard to the wood line in three large strides. The sun is just getting ready to drop below the horizon. It’s my favorite time of day to hunt. The animals are all heading in for the night, and I decide I’m going to enjoy dinner in another form tonight. I lunge forward and shift before my feet hit the ground, then I take off into the woods on all fours, searching for my meal.

Fifteen minutes later, I turn my nose up to the sky and howl when I catch her scent. I circled back around my house and was following a game trail. But I ended up in the woods behind Mel’s place. I see her sitting on the back deck, a blanket wrapped around her, feet on the chair, a mug in her hands, her cheek resting on her knees. She is looking into the shadows. It’s thirty-four degrees, and she is going to freeze out here. Damn it, Melody, what are you thinking? I should spank your ass for this. I growl, and she stops with her mug halfway to her lips and looks directly at me. I squeeze my eyes closed and melt back into the shadows groaning internally at my own stupidity, which seems to be boundless around this woman.

***

Melody

I’m wrapped in a blanket on the back deck when I hear a wolf howl, and I quickly scan the woods. This is the second night this week I’ve listened to that sound, and while we do have a lot of wooded areas and surrounding farmlands here, we are more prone to see a few foxes or maybe a coyote around than anything else. I thought wolves were only in the western mountains of the state. I shiver at the memory of my dream, cold on the forest floor surrounded by wolves with red eyes, all but the one set of amber. Looking right through me. I shake my head and lift my mug to my lips. I freeze like a scared rabbit when I hear a growl from the trees. What the fuck?

I see a flash of amber in the trees and turn my head to get a closer look, but in an instant, it's gone. Amber eyes? I don’t hear any movement. “There’s nothing there,” I say trying to convince myself. Setting my mug down on the table, I stand and fold my blanket over my arm. Better safe than sorry. I toss one last look over my shoulder into the woods and see a dark shadow move just out of view as I slide the back door closed and lock it behind me.

***

Finn

Well, at least she is inside and out of the cold now. I shouldn’t have come here, but happy accidents and all. Now I don’t have to worry about my girl being out in the cold. I head back home but decide to make one more stop for dinner along the way.

***

Tuesday – Southern Maryland

I watch the pup leave his woman's house back the way he came and settle on my haunches once I’m sure he is gone. Watching the lights in her place go on and off as she makes her way to her room. Warm in her bed tonight, I’ll be sure the sweet thing dreams of me again. I lick my jowls and smile.