Great Danger

Chapter 8

Melani’s P.O.V.

Harry must have seen the look in my eyes. “Melani, don’t you dare,” he warned and grabbed my wrist. I pulled away from him and ran downstairs. A huge menacing creature prowled around the dining room. It was a disturbing mix of human and wolf- not fully canine but not totally the gentle man I knew. Liam’s wolf eyed me hungrily, those burning yellow orbs that I had come to trust scrutinizing every flaw. I couldn’t tear my gaze away, not when Zayn and Harry tried desperately to drag me down the hall again, not when the wolf pounced on me.

Harry yelled something incomprehensible as the claws of the monster dug into my arms. I could feel blood pooling from the claw marks. At the last minute, its long tongue licked up and down my face, wiping away the tears. A low growl resonated from its chest, an almost comforting sound. Its eyes focused on me again, and I saw Liam briefly. Then it leaped off me and tore down the hall, heading towards Elena’s room. Zayn ran after it.

I started crying as I sat up, trying to staunch the blood from the marks left by the beast’s nails. Harry knelt beside me and took off his shirt, effortlessly tearing strips off strips of it and holding them against my neck gently. I sobbed against his bare chest. I heard Zayn cursing, the wolf growling, and it ran down the hall towards us again. Harry bared his fangs at it and hissed, holding me close. The wolf skirted around us and clawed at the door. It flew from its hinges and he bounded outside.

“H-Harry, my neck...” I whimpered. He nodded.

“I can fix you, baby,” he whispered and laid me on the ground. I smiled weakly up at him. He took a deep breath and grabbed my hand. “Squeeze if I hurt you,” he mumbled and lowered his face to where the cuts were. I was confused for a minute, then remembered- Harry could undo anything Liam did to me, the same way that Liam could undo anything Harry did. He sucked gently, then spat the blood onto the floor. A few moments passed, and the pain dissolved. I sat up and hugged him.

“Thank you…” I said quietly. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

“I would do anything for you, princess,” Harry admitted. I blushed and kissed his cheek. He grinned cockily. “We can do better than that, now can’t we?” he smirked and gently turned my face towards him, pressing his lips against mine. I pulled away.

“I… can’t. Not when Liam is…” My voice trails off.

“Not when he’s a horrible monster that can’t control itself? At least I didn’t almost make you like me!” he said and shoved me away roughly. I fell to the ground and easily picked myself up.

“What do you mean?” I asked. He opened his mouth to speak but Zayn interrupted him.

“He didn’t mean anything. Elena is hurt, but not badly. I’m going to take her to get cleaned up, don’t disturb her, okay?” he said. Elena’s small form was nestled in his arms. Harry and I nodded simultaneously and he carried her back down the hall.

“I don’t forgive you for what you said to me. What you’ve done,” I mumbled. Harry looked down at his hands sheepishly.

“I know you don’t, I’m sorry for pushing you away. I’m not used to…” he began, blushing slightly. The tips of his ears turned the faintest shade of pink.

“Not used to what?” I asked. I stood up and he stood quickly, a few feet from me.

“Not used to loving someone,” he said quietly. I nearly gasped- he loved me. I knew I felt something for him but he loved me. He wouldn’t meet my eyes so I moved close to him, so close our chests were touching. He glanced down and I blushed- the shirt I was wearing made it very easy for him to look down and see more than I was comfortable with, to say the least. I wasn’t that much shorter than him- my forehead reached his nose so his next move was almost too easy. He grinded his hips against me and pushed me against the wall.