Chapter 81

Melyssa had to admit, Crow was doing a fantastic job with his manners and the way he spoke so elegantly had thrown her for a loop. He was the leader of a terrorist group, so I'm sure he had to learn to adapt to his surroundings pretty quickly. Her eyes landed on a particular man standing across the way in dark orange-tinted glasses and she'd noticed he'd been eyeing her throughout the night. They had only been here two hours and there were several more to go with the band playing. "Excuse me for a moment." She murmured to the people they were conversing with and left Crow to deal with them while she made her way toward the snack table.

Sure enough, her prey had made his way over to her, but she didn't acknowledge him and took a bite out of the mini crab cake on her plate. All he did was make a plate of his own, knowing better than to say anything or do anything here. He was dangerous, not stupid. This little party was crawling with witches and former Class VII students, on top of Machias' personal trio of bodyguards, as well as city militia. No… maybe before he left he would do something, something fun, something that'd send everyone screaming in a panic as well as send a message to his little Red Bird.

"Mmm, delicious." He popped one of those crab cakes in his mouth as he walked by her, his voice completely different from his usual speaking tones.

All she had to do was smell him. McBurn had this particular smell that he always left behind whenever he left. Smoke. She could smell it from the man that did not look like McBurn, but she also wasn't stupid and knew there were spells out there that altered looks. Narrowing her eyes, she finished her crab cake and tossed her small plate away before heading off to find Crow.

"Excuse us for a minute, won't you?" She politely guided him away from another couple and smirked when he thanked her, both heading toward the dance floor. "Dance with me." It wasn't a request as she rested her hands on his broad shoulders, teal eyes locked on curious crimson.

Melyssa opened her mouth to tell him why she had asked him to dance and realized she didn't want to ruin this night. They deserved one night where there was no drama and they didn't have to worry about Ouroboros crap. Damn it, now wasn't the time to think about how amazing this felt!

"So, I take it I saved you from insufferable boredom just now?"

"Actually, I was really, really close to getting a phone number. It turns out they're brother and sister." He laughed, catching her hand when she brought it off his shoulder to deck him, bending down to kiss her forehead before resuming the dance. "Just because you're on the fence doesn't mean the rest of us are." He had actually been dating a girl for a while, it hadn't worked out because she was too clingy and Crow did not like having someone up his ass all the time, not even a lover. "Were you bored?" He asked curiously, his eyes straying from her face to Ash, who was covering Machias and looking at her out of narrowed eyes.

He snorted inwardly – Idiot.

"Maybe a little, and you ARE supposed to be my escort for the evening, so I figured I'd at least get a few dances out of you."

Melyssa had not paid any attention to Ash tonight, not even glancing his way or saying one word to him. There was no reason to. He made his bed and he would lie in it, though she did miss her friendship with him. That wouldn't go away anytime soon. Ash wasn't on her mind tonight, it was the man she was in the arms of, who she was dancing with, laughing with and her forehead tingled from his soft kiss.

"I missed you, you know, while you've been here in the city. That cabin is too big for just one person and the quiet was slowly beginning to drive me insane." It reminded her of being in Ouroboros, isolated. "That's another reason why I decided to come to this event tonight, just to get out of the cabin and back to reality."

Melyssa looked good, Ash would admit it, if only in his head. She looked gorgeous actually and he would bet money that her and Crow's matching accents and attire had been intentional. Crow and Melyssa, he wasn't sure how he felt about that since he had loved and mourned her for two years, only to have a relationship ruin what had been the best friendship of his life. Then, he had acted like a petty fool and he inwardly sighed, knowing the damage was too much to repair, even if he knew where to begin.

"Well, the cabin wasn't meant to be a permanent home, Lyssa." He reminded her with an easy grin, shaking his head. "It's meant to be a safehouse and you can come back now. Rosalie can ward your apartment just like she did mine."

"I would like that and I don't mind if it's blood magic."

Melyssa was willing to do whatever it took to keep McBurn out of her apartment and life. Ash was wrong in his assumption – they didn't plan on matching like this, it was just the Goddess's way of doing things. Being in Crow's arms like this made her feel safe and secure, like nothing in all of Erebonia could hurt her. He had always been her protector and probably always would be.

"Crow, I…I don't know how to begin to thank you for everything you've done for me this past month. I was a mess and you were there for me, like you always have been. I just…I just want you to know that I don't take anything you do for me for granted. I don't take our friendship for granted and I never will. And I'm always going to be here for you, for anything, no matter how big or small. Okay?"

Crow had told her what colors his formal wear was, specifically, in case she DID want to match. He had told her over the ARCUS II, whether she had done it intentionally was on her, but they looked stellar and he knew it. She looked sensational and, if not for the whole thing where she had called him 'bro', he would have definitely complimented her tits.

"That feels like a break-up line," He commented dryly, though he was smiling to show he appreciated the sentiment. "Are we breaking up, Lyssa?" He teased, dipping her.

"Can't break up when we're not together, Armbrust." Melyssa remarked with a smile of her own, going with the flow. When Crow brought her back up, his hand on the back of her neck, her hands planted on his chest and their noses were practically touching. That felt exhilarating and, for some reason, her body was ignited with fire. "And for the record, any woman who does break up with you is out of her mind." I wouldn't have it in me if he was mine.

Why was she different than the other women out there he'd been with? Why did things have to be strictly friendly between them? They continued dancing together and talking, teasing each other. At this exact moment, if Melyssa would have asked him that, he would have given her the perfect example.

Her and Ash.

Melyssa and Ash had the PERFECT friendship, the very definition of best friends and then they had gotten together in a proper sexual relationship. Just LOOK at how that had turned out! Crow could only imagine how it would wind up between them given their history of botching kisses, which was all on his end. The song changed to something faster and Crow began laughing when she tried getting off the stage floor, pulling her back and led her in the fast paced steps.

"Come on, put some wiggle in your hips, woman."

There was a HUGE difference between Ash and Crow. Crow was not a sex addict like Ash. It was because of his addiction that everything fell apart between them AND…it was also the Dark Ages spell. They had a lot against them from the beginning, whereas Melyssa and Crow did not. At all. Two botched kisses and Crow telling her he only saw her as family, as a sister. If she would've known what he was thinking at that moment, she would have told him exactly that. Right now, she was laughing and dancing right along with Crow, having fun for the first time in what felt like forever. Nothing else mattered except being crazy and having fun in this specific moment.

She didn't know if he was, she hadn't known about Ash until it was way too late. However, fortunately for everyone Crow ever got involved with, he was NOT a sex addict. He enjoyed sex, but he didn't prioritize it over everything else. He also liked personal space and being left to his own devices, which was one of the smaller reasons he hadn't stayed with her at the cabin. But Melyssa knew all that about him, she had grown up with him. Currently, he was enjoying this, enjoying himself, letting loose with her in a way that they hadn't in years.

"Let's get a drink!" He shouted over the loud music after three more dances, reaching up to loosen his collar. It had gotten hot in this mansion, though people also seemed a bit more relaxed.

Machias wasn't throwing a boring, stuffy party, that was for sure.

"Okay!"

Melyssa followed him off the dance floor, clasping his hand and a little bit of perspiration had formed on her body from all the dancing. Her neck, arms, chest and face were glistening and luckily, her makeup hadn't been ruined. She helped him get the waistcoat off, hanging it over the chair at their table and took a glass of champagne he handed her, along with a bottled water. Going for the water first, Melyssa downed it and sat down, needing to rest her feet for a bit before taking a sip of the champagne.

Crow followed her lead, not about to get himself dehydrated by drinking the alcohol first after that vigorous workout. Waistcoat and suit jacket were off, he had undone his collar and rolled up the sleeves of his silver shirt. Crow was pretty comfortable and there were others doing the same.

"Machias can throw a party." He laughed, leaning forward so she could hear him without him having to yell at her. "Are you having fun?" She looked like she was, she was grinning broadly and it did his heart good, seeing her finally letting her hair down after what had happened a month ago between her and Ash.

"I'm having a fabulous time." Melyssa assured him, her teal eyes sparkling and continued sipping her champagne slowly.

She didn't want to get too tipsy since she hadn't drank alcohol in a while, not even during her mourning breakup period with Ash. Speaking of Ash…she glanced over and saw him standing against the wall with his arms folded in front of his chest, her face softening. Why did she have to have a bleeding heart for him?

"I'll be right back, Crow."

She didn't wait for him to respond and stood up, making her way over to where Ash stood. What he did to her was still fresh in her mind, but…she didn't want things to end on a sour note between them. She figured she would extend the olive branch to try to mend their friendship, at the very least.

"I need some air, it's hot in here. Will you come with me? We need to talk, Carbide." She extended her hand to him, teal eyes searching his. "Please? No funny business, I promise."

Given what he had done to her, how things had ended, that video that had been sent to her that he had promptly gotten his ass kicked over by Machias, no less… if there was any funny business, Ash wouldn't have blamed her one bit. He took her hand, letting her lead the way out onto the balcony and inhaled the crisp night air, moving away from her to lean on the railing, overlooking the grounds. Snorting, Ash tore a hand through his hair before glancing over at Melyssa when she leaned beside him.

"We should have never gotten together, beautiful." His voice was quiet and even. "It fucked up a good thing. I fucked up a good thing."

"No, Ash, it wasn't just you." Melyssa waited for him to look at her and she smiled sadly, her eyes lowering from his. "It was me too."

"How do you figure that one?" Ash was confused, raising a brow at her.

"Because…as much as I don't want to admit this, I don't think I ever loved you. I mean I loved you as a friend for sure, but as far as BEING in love with you, I wasn't. It was the spell I was under with Rean that drew me to you, for some strange reason. I still don't know the logistics of what happened, but Rosalie sat down with me and explained what exactly the Dark Ages spell did to both Rean and I. When I asked if the spell could…manifest false feelings of love into someone for another, she told me it could. And I believe it did with you." Melyssa figured being brutally honest with him now wouldn't hurt anything since their friendship was fractured to pieces. "I owe you a huge apology, Ash. I said things to you that I never should have, that weren't meant for you. Those feelings were meant for someone else and, after the spell was broken, I realized I didn't feel the same way I once did for you, but I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to try my best to make it work between us because I didn't want to believe a spell could influence me like that. And it did. And…I think that's why you kept asking me if I still wanted to be with you, still wanted you, over and over and over again. Maybe because deep down, you knew the connection between us had severed the moment the spell was broken. So, if anyone is to blame for this, for what's happened between us, for how it fell apart in shambles, it's me, not you. And I hope you can forgive me for what I've put you through someday. Because I miss my best friend…the Ash Carbide who would tease me, but be there for me in an instant. I hope one day we can fix this and go back to being friends again because I don't want to believe I've lost you forever out of my life. I never want to lose you, you're too important to me."

He had asked her, several times, if she thought it was under the Dark Age spell's influence that she had fallen in love with him. She had reassured him constantly and he didn't feel half as bad now about his sexual addiction. More importantly, not telling her about it because she had been lying to him as well.

"I should have warned you," He said finally, his voice coming out gruff, sullenly, as he looked away from her. "About my issue with sex, I hadn't been with anyone for a while, two years actually…" Because after she had been taken, he had realized he loved her, or maybe it was misplaced love, either way it no longer mattered. "I thought maybe it was gone and then… then it wasn't. I should have listened to you when you asked for time and a break, and I didn't. I'm sorry, Melyssa."