The Keeping (36 page)

Ryne turned his
attention back to the spot where Melody sat. She was tracing rings
in the spots of water on the bar, occasionally nodding in agreement
to the men who stood around her chatting. Obviously, her success at
the pool table had made her a bit of a local celebrity. For a
moment, he pondered the irony of the fact that getting tipsy had
probably improved her game.

A light was almost
directly over her head and the beam illuminated the gold in her
hair. It seemed to glow as did her skin, giving her an almost
ethereal quality. With his keen sight, he was able to detect how
her lashes swept down over her cheeks. They appeared a bit darker
and spikier than normal as if tears had recently pooled in her
eyes. An ache in the region of his heart was accompanied by a wave
of regret. While the logical part of his brain told him that the
present situation was no cause for guilt, the other half was
heaping chastisements on his head.

Something one of
her groupies said had her to looking up and Ryne could see the
sadness in her eyes. Oh, she was trying to hide it, laughing
politely at the man’s comment, but it was there and he was the
cause. And now, he was going to add to her misery. With great
reluctance, he pushed off from the bar.

Walking over to
where she sat, he shouldered his way in beside her, ignoring the
protests of the men gathered there.

“Melody—”

“Hey, man. You
can’t just barge in here. Me and the boys were talking to her.” A
rough voice spoke to him and someone pulled at his arm.

Ryne didn’t even
turn around, merely shrugging the hand off. He tried again.
“Melody—”

Not even looking
his way, Melody responded. “Just go away, Ryne. I have nothing to
say to you.”

He leaned his
elbow on the bar, bending a bit in an attempt to see her face more
clearly. “Well, I need to talk to you.”

“Too bad.” Melody
looked up at him this time, and he saw the anger and hurt in her
eyes. He reached towards her instinctively, but she leaned away
avoiding him. Her obvious rejection of him cut deeply, even if it
was what he deserved.

“See? She doesn’t
want to talk to you. Now get away from her.” A burly man sidled up,
placing his arm around Melody’s shoulders, and glaring at Ryne. A
look of discomfort passed over her face and she shrugged out of the
man’s grasp.

“I don’t think
she’s too keen on you either.” Ryne pointedly stared at the man’s
arm that now lay limp at his side.

“Will both of you
just leave me alone!” Melody’s cheeks were flushed and there was a
tinge of desperation in her voice.

Armand must have
noticed it too, for Ryne saw him begin to move down behind the bar
towards where a small crowd had started to gather. The possibility
of a fight always spread like wildfire through the establishment.
Tonight was proving no different.

Seeking to avoid a
confrontation, Ryne merely curled his lip at the man, biting back a
growl, before shifting his focus back towards Melody. He’d just
quickly say his piece to her and then leave before things got out
of hand.

Unfortunately, the
man wasn’t following the same script. “Don’t turn your back on me.
I’m not through with you yet!”

Irritated Ryne
faced the fellow. The events of the night had shortened his temper
considerably.
How dare this person interfere
? “Listen,
buddy...”

He barely had the
words out of his mouth, when the man swung his meaty fist. Only
years of practice enabled Ryne to instinctively shift enough so the
punch hit his shoulder and not his face. Unfortunately, he didn’t
even have time to brace himself and as a result spun around from
the force of the blow. The momentum propelled him towards Melody.
Some instinct must have warned her of impending danger for she
raised her arms defensively in front of her face. As his body
impacted with hers, they both fell to the ground, the bar stool
collapsing under the sudden force. Ryne landed on top of her, her
elbow shoved up into his face. A sickening scrunching sound filled
his ears accompanied by a wave of pain as his nose broke. Blood
gushed, running into his mouth and down his throat. Melody gave a
cry. Shouts erupted around them. Chairs scraped across the floor
and soon several people were reaching down, grabbing at the two of
them.

Giving his head a
shake, Ryne pushed the helping hands away and surged to his feet.
His mouth tasted of copper and he spat the bloody liquid onto the
floor. Using his arm, he wiped the blood from his face, then
searched the crowd for his attacker. He’d only seen the man for a
few moments, but it was enough; the image and scent were imbedded
in his mind. In moments, Ryne located his target.

A rage such as he
hadn’t experienced in years came over him. With a roar, he swung at
his attacker, sending the fellow spiralling across the room.
Without even thinking of his audience, Ryne rushed after the man.
Who did this person think he was, to not only strike an Alpha,
but touch his female as well? The punishment must be swift and
heavy
. His wolf growled menacingly.
I will be satisfied with
nothing less.

Yet even as he
grabbed the man’s throat, he was attacked from behind. Turning to
face his latest adversary, he met a set of glowing eyes. Strong
hands held his shoulders while another, equally powerful pair
grabbed at his arms, trying to drag him away. His rage grew, his
muscles bunched.
Who were these that sought to keep him from his
rightful revenge?

He snarled a
warning and prepared to strike, then a noise caught his attention.
A cry...
his female!
A glance in the direction reassured him
that she was being helped up, not hurt. There was blood on her arm;
her face was pale...

“Ryne! Come on,
man. Snap out of it.”

An urgent voice
penetrated the wildness that consumed his brain and he jerked his
eyes towards the speaker... Bryan?

“That’s it. Look
at me. Get control of yourself.”

Ryne blinked and
shook his head. He felt the rage subsiding. A quick glance showed
him that the man who had attacked him was unconscious. Across the
room, Lucy appeared from somewhere and was guiding Melody to
safety, cradling her arm in a towel while expertly weaving a path
through the various brawls that seemed to have erupted around the
room.

“We need to go. If
anyone sees you up close right now, your eyes will give you away.
And if they don’t, your teeth will. Your fangs are showing.” Bryan
began tugging at Ryne’s arm. “I’ll stay here and take care of
things. Daniel, take our wildman home before he does any more
damage.”

Daniel answered in
the affirmative and Ryne suddenly found himself outside the bar,
heading towards the pickup. He dug in his heels and stood
still.

“No. I need to go
back and make sure Melody is all right.”

Daniel, in his
usual calm manner, gently tugged at Ryne’s arm. “She’s fine, Ryne.
Lucy is taking care of her. You can talk to her in the morning.
It’s more important that we get you home.”

Shrugging off the
boy’s hand, Ryne rubbed his hands through his hair in frustration,
not wanting to listen to the logic of Daniel’s argument, but
knowing he must. Daniel was right. He’d been in fights before, but
he’d never lost control like that in public. The sooner he was out
of sight, the sooner people would begin to forget. Bryan would stay
behind fulfilling his Beta role by helping Armand break up the
brawl. Knowing Bryan, he’d probably use a liberal application of
free liquor and some carefully worded suggestions, to lead the bar
patrons into doubting what they had seen. With any luck, by morning
the story would just be that of a usual fight over a woman. No one
would recall the ultra human speed at which he’d crossed the room,
nor the distance he’d thrown the man. And his broken nose...well,
it would heal by morning and everyone would assume it had just been
a bleed.

Finally nodding
agreement, he followed his pack mate to the truck and headed
home.

Chapter
26

Melody winced as
she dressed the next morning, her injured arm stiffly responding to
her commands. Her back wasn’t happy either, telling her in no
uncertain terms that it didn’t appreciate how she’d landed on the
floor last night with a large man on top of her. Neither was her
rear end overly pleased with its part in acting as the initial
point of impact. She had a headache from too much beer, her eyes
were gritty and her mouth tasted like...well, she didn’t even want
to think about that.

A hot shower,
several cups of coffee, and the liberal use of both mouthwash and
toothpaste helped alleviate some of her woes, but the gash on her
arm wasn’t being as cooperative as the rest of her anatomy. Her arm
throbbed from the cut she’d received the previous night. When Ryne
had crashed into her, they’d both fallen to the floor and the bar
stool she’d been sitting on had shattered. Somehow, a sharp piece
of wood must have cut her arm, though she didn’t recall exactly how
it had happened. At first, she’d thought the blood had all been
Ryne’s. Her elbow had ended up in his face and she was sure she’d
broken his nose, given the amount of blood that had been
present.

Initially, she’d
been stunned, lying on the floor, not sure what was going on around
her. Dimly, she’d been aware of a roaring noise and a rush of
movement... When she’d managed to sit up and look around, Ryne had
already been across the room seeming intent on giving payback for
the punch he’d received. Meanwhile fights were breaking out all
over the room. Having never been in the middle of a brawl, it had
held a sort of macabre fascination. Fists were flying; furniture
was being knocked over and thrown about. Grunts and shouts; blood
and saliva, spilt drinks... The sights and sounds had been
overwhelming and she’d done her best to scuttle backwards towards
the relative safety of the bar. Searching the sea of angry faces,
she’d spotted Bryan and Daniel. They were making their way over to
Ryne, probably planning on restraining him. Unfortunately, she lost
sight of them when Armand had stepped in front of her.

The bar tender
must have watched the whole incident start and was aware that she
was on the floor somewhere. He’d pushed the crowd away from her,
effortlessly lifting her to sit safely on top of the bar before
wading into the various skirmishes, yanking the participants apart
by the scruffs of their necks. Mel was so engrossed with what was
going on around her that it had taken a few minutes before she
noticed the nerve endings in her arm had started to protest.
Glancing down, she saw her arm was covered in fresh blood—much of
it hers, not just Ryne’s. The cut had begun to throb and burn
painfully. Tears pricked her eyes and were sliding down her face by
the time Lucy, who’d just arrived for her shift, rushed over to
check on her.

Grabbing a towel
from behind the bar, Lucy had helped stem the bleeding and then led
her to a relatively quiet area near the back. Once there, she’d
cleaned the cut before applying bandages and then offering a ride
home. Mel declined, not feeling up to answering the slew of
questions that were probably percolating in the waitress’s
mind.

As she’d made her
way towards the door she’d paused once to scan the crowd. Most of
the fights had wound down and many of the former participants were
helping to tidy up, merely avoiding the few who were still pushing
and shoving each other. Surprisingly, there had been laughter
coming from various locations, as if it had all been in good fun.
Even Armand had chuckled once or twice, though his expression
soured when he spotted the cracked frame on one of his
paintings.

She’d watched as
Bryan approached Armand and placed what appeared to be a consoling
arm on his shoulders, while talking quietly. Armand nodded and took
the painting down, tenderly cradling it in his arms. As he headed
towards the bar, he’d called out a crowd-pleasing statement. “A
free drink for everyone. Bryan is buying!”

The patrons had
cheered and gathered around the young man, thumping him on the
back. Bryan smiled in return, giving high fives and looking
thoroughly at home being in the thick of things. Mel searched the
crowd again for signs of Ryne or Daniel, but neither appeared to be
there. A faint wave of concern swept over her, but she ignored it.
They must be all right or Bryan wouldn’t be buying drinks. Besides,
she was disgusted with Ryne and he didn’t deserve her interest.

Over the heads of
those gathered, Bryan suddenly looked up and made eye contact with
Mel. Even from a distance, she could sense his concern for her, so
she’d nodded and given him a half smile as a means of reassurance.
Slowly he’d nodded back and she was sure he was trying to convey
that the other two men were fine. Someone jostled him and he’d
turned away, switching his attention to those crowded around
him.

Mel chose to leave
then. She wondered why Bryan was buying everyone a drink, but
decided it was all part of some strange male bonding ritual and
really none of her business.

*****

When she’d
finished reminiscing about the previous night’s escapade, Mel
rinsed out her coffee cup before gathering her supplies for the
day. She checked that she had her list of questions for Ryne then
shouldered her purse and headed towards the car with a determined
stride. Thankfully she’d left her laptop at the Gazette over night;
it made for one less thing to carry when she only had one fully
functioning arm.

As she drove into
town, she gave herself a mental pep talk. Today was the day. No
more delays. No more distractions. Ryne Taylor was going to answer
her questions whether he liked it or not. She was sick and tired of
his little games. It didn’t matter how charming and sexy he was,
there was no way she was putting up with his avoidance tactics any
longer. Obviously, he was only interested in her for sex; last
night had proved that. Oh, he’d warned her. Lucy had warned her.
She’d even warned herself. She’d have to give the devil his due, he
excelled in the love making department, but he was definitely not
interested in anything deeper. But some crazy little corner of her
mind had hung on to the hope that Ryne really did have feelings for
her. Well, she thought, that certainly wasn’t the case.