Trevor

The drive to the studio was one of the most stressful trips of my entire life. I’d never heard Melina sound that vulnerable, and I wanted to kill whoever had made her feel that way. I was desperate to get to her and cursing the long drive. I’d busied myself at the beginning with calling Julia to go over to my house to stay with Mr. Whiskers. Julia had kept me on the phone much longer than she needed to for something as simple as agreeing to condor-sit, and I suspected it was because she was worried about me.

After finally getting off the phone with Julia, I drove through the transport tube before calling Dylan.

“Hello,” Dylan answered in a distracted tone.

I could hear Sam’s loud purring through the phone, so I suspected Dylan was home alone with Allie’s new familiar. That kitten was incredibly needy.

“Hey, Dylan,” I began and then hesitated because I wasn’t sure what the hell I wanted him to do for me.

“Trev?” he asked, immediately sounding focused and alert. “What’s wrong?”

I took a deep breath before beginning. “There’s been another murder. Another actor from Night High. Fuck, Dylan. I have no clue how I’m supposed to keep Melina safe. I’m terrified that something is going to happen to her, and I hate that I can’t be there for her all the time.”

“You really love her, don’t you?” he asked.

“She’s my witch,” I said simply. “I know it’s hard to believe, considering how many witches I’ve been involved with, but it’s true. Melina is it for me.”

Dylan chuckled. “I believe you, my friend. You’ve never said any witch was the one before now. Yeah, you’ve been fascinated and even claimed they might be the one. Might is the operative word. Even when you were first chasing after Mel, you never once indicated that she was your witch, just that she drove you crazy and you had to have her.”

After considering what he’d said, I realized Dylan was right. While I’d been the type to jump in with both feet, I’d never once been convinced any other woman was the witch I’d spend the rest of my life with. Melina was it for me, and that made all of this even harder. “It’s my fault.”

“What’s your fault?” Dylan asked.

“Melina being in danger,” I explained. “It’s also my fault two people are dead. If I hadn’t been such a selfish ass, one of my crazy ex-witches wouldn’t be out killing people.”

“I love you like a brother, but you can be a real dumbass at times, Trevor.” Dylan sounded exasperated. “I understand why you’re beating yourself up about this, but you have to know this may not have anything to do with you.”

“Then what else could it be?” I demanded.

“It could be a crazy fan,” Dylan pointed out. “There might be someone who worked on the show with a vendetta. It might even be one of the witches who are upset over the way the show portrays witches.”

“Or, it could be one of my exes,” I insisted. “That’s the most likely scenario. In fact, all the evidence points to that conclusion.”

“You’re right,” Dylan admitted. “It probably is one of them. Hell, it might even be one of the clingy ones you were an asshole to near the end. That doesn’t mean it’s your fault they went off the deep end and started killing people. Getting your heart broken doesn’t give you the right to go on a killing spree.”

Dylan did his best to keep me on the phone as I made my way toward Melina. I could only assume he was as worried about my state of mind as Julia.

I was almost at the security gate to the studio lot when a thought occurred to me. “Can you help me find someone to guard Melina? The network added extra security, but I’d feel better if someone was watching her more closely. I’d offer to take time off from work so I wouldn’t have to leave her alone, but we both know how she’d react to that suggestion.”

Dylan chuckled. “Do you honestly think she’s going to react any better to you hiring a bodyguard for her?”

I thought before answering. “Yeah, I think she’ll be fine with it. Melina can be stubborn, but she’s smart. When it comes to magic, I don’t know many people more powerful than my witch, but it might be a good idea to have someone with some brute strength if it’s needed.”

“I have an idea,” Dylan began. “This will help you, and it will also make Allie happy. Do you trust me to send you someone capable of taking care of your witch?”

“Of course,” I assured him.

“Good. I’ll talk to the guy I have in mind and see if he’s willing to take the job.”

“Thanks, Dylan,” I told him. “I owe you one.”

“Any time,” Dylan said before ending the call.

I made it past security at the gate faster than I’d expected, considering the recent murder. Then again, they were used to seeing me. To say the studio was a mess would be a huge understatement. The shade police were there, but all I got was a nod from Detective Anson as I passed him, which was a relief since I needed to get to my witch.

When I finally spotted her, I was amazed at what I saw. While I knew she was upset about the actor’s death, she was comforting the other cast and crew. I stood there, watching her, unsure if I should walk over and risk breaking her focus on remaining calm. When her eyes landed on me, she excused herself and hurried over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist, and burying her face in my chest.

“Take me home, Trevor,” she breathed out.

Home. She’d asked me to take her home, and despite all the stress of the day, that one word made me breathe a sigh of relief because it meant my home was becoming our home.