Chapter 30 Melody
Melody
“EVERETT!” I shriek, my voice cracking as Oxford thunders toward him at a speed that no domesticated animal should be capable of.
“OXFORD, STOP!” I scream again, but the llama seems possessed, charging straight for Everett like a fluffy missile.
People scatter in all directions, parents grabbing children, everyone diving out of our path. I hear Charlie’s distinctive voice somewhere to my left, but I can’t turn my head without risking being thrown off.
Everett’s head whips up, his eyes widening as he takes in the spectacle of me clinging desperately to Oxford’s back. He drops the tree he’s holding and braces himself, arms outstretched.
WHY ARE HIS ARMS OUTSTRETCHED?
We’re only yards away, and at the speed we’re going, Oxford will plow right through him. I lean upwards, my mouth close to Oxford’s ear, and instead of screaming, I whisper soothing words, “It’s okay. We’re okay, Oxford. You can stop. Stop.”
Oxford stops so suddenly, it’s like he’s hit an invisible wall. One moment we’re charging forward, the next we’re not moving at all. Physics, however, has other plans for me.
I continue my forward trajectory, launched from Oxford’s back with alarming speed.
My arms and legs fly out instinctively as I scream and soar through the air, like one of those flying squirrels.
For one horrifying moment, I’m airborne, then I crash into Everett’s solid chest. My arms and legs wrap around him like a koala.
My heart pounds against his as he staggers back two steps from the impact but somehow remains upright, his arms securely around me.
“I got you,” he murmurs.
“Tree thieves!” I gasp, still clinging to him with every ounce of strength I have left. “Back there—four men—cutting trees—they chased us!”
Everett’s arms tighten around me. “Are you hurt? Did they touch you?” His hands move over me, checking for injuries while still supporting my weight.
I shake my head. “I think my reproductive system is permanently rearranged. But Oxford saved me. I recorded them. On my phone.” I pull back just enough to look into his eyes. “Until Marcus called, and they heard us. They had snowmobiles. Go now. Get them.”
I slide down Everett’s body, my legs feeling like jelly as they touch the ground. My hands grip his forearms to steady myself as Gabe and Finn come running up.
“What happened?” Gabe demands, his eyes scanning me for injuries.
“Tree thieves,” Everett says before I can answer. “She caught them in the act, and they chased her.”
“They had axes,” I add. “Four men on snowmobiles. Oxford and I filmed them, but then Marcus called, and they heard us.”
Gabe’s expression darkens, his jaw clenching. “Where?”
“Not sure,” I say, pulling out my phone. “I have it on video.”
Everett and Gabe look at the video, then exchange a look I can only describe as predatory, which makes my hair stand on end at the back of my neck, my omega senses on high alert.
“We need to go now,” Everett says. “They’ll be packing up if they know they’ve been spotted.”
Gabe nods. “I’ll get the snowmobiles.”
“Melody, stay here where it’s safe.” Everett turns to Finn. “Call the sheriff. Tell him we’ve got evidence of the tree thieves and we’re in pursuit. Stay with Melody.”
“Be careful. They looked dangerous.”
Everett turns to Finn. “Call Sheriff. Tell him we’ve found the tree thieves and we’re in pursuit.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Stay with Melody. Don’t leave her side.”
“As if I would,” Finn says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
“We’ll be fine,” Gabe says, already moving toward the shed where they keep the snowmobiles. “We’ve dealt with worse.”
Everett kisses me quickly, then follows Gabe. Within minutes, the roar of engines fills the air as they speed away, heading toward the north section of the property.
Finn pulls out his phone and dials the sheriff. It’s then that I notice the entire Christmas tree lot is staring at us—families with children, elderly couples, Charlie with her phone out, definitely recording this whole scene.
I wave.
What else am I supposed to do?
Oxford trots up to us, looking remarkably composed for an animal who saved me then almost killed me.
“You,” I tell him, “are the most terrifying hero I’ve ever met.”
Charlie walks over. “OMG. That was. I have no words.”
“Same.” I say, “Although I think I broke my vagina.”
Charlie laughs, “I can’t believe you rode Oxford!”
“Not willingly,” I admit. “He just scooped me up.” I turn to Oxford, scratching behind his ear. “You saved me, you magnificent, ridiculous creature.”
“What exactly happened?” she asks, guiding me toward a bench near the bonfire.
“One minute we’re having a nice winter walk, and the next I’m flying through the air on Oxford.”
I sink onto the bench gratefully. “Oxford saved me. I fell in the snow, and those men were coming, and he just…” I shake my head, not wanting to relive it.” I reach out to stroke Oxford’s neck. “I don’t know how I stayed on. Pure terror, probably.”