Stop it, Hall. No fairy tale endings, remember? Melanie resisted a sigh, realizing she was hoping for things she probably would never have. Tristan wasn’t Liam. Hell, if not for Tristan’s dragon, the man would probably have nothing to do with her.
And that stung a little.
Before she could think too hard about why it did, Tristan said, “We’re here.”
She eased her head up and looked at Tristan towering over her. “Did the smell last the entire way here?”
He shrugged, but didn’t comment. She hoped this wasn’t a sign of Tristan-the-asshole returning.
Since she lived with Samira now, she took out her key from her pocket and unlocked the door. Unsure if anyone was home, she opened the door and was instantly attacked by a little boy flying at her as he said, “Auntie Mel!”
The boy hugged her legs as she put her hand on the head of Samira’s three-year-old son, Rhys. Smiling, Melanie said, “Someone should be about due for a nap.”
Rhys looked up at her, a small frown between his black eyebrows. “No, it’s not nap time. It’s lunch time.”
That would explain the smell of curry spices in the air. Thankfully, it didn’t make her stomach turn. “Where’s your mom and dad?”
“Dad’s gone. Mum’s in the kitchen.” Rhys looked around Mel’s legs and said, “Who’s he?”
She turned and waved toward Tristan. “This is Tristan MacLeod. In a few years, he might be your teacher. So if I were you, I’d be nice to him.”
Rhys assessed Tristan with an over-the-top seriousness and Melanie barely resisted laughing. Finally, the boy said, “My mum doesn’t like you.”
She glanced at Tristan and bit her lip to keep from laughing at the momentary surprise on his face. But just as quickly as it had arrived, it was replaced with a cool, collected one. Tristan raised an eyebrow and said, “Care to tell me why?”
The boy squeezed her legs tightly and said, “Because you’re mean to Auntie Mel.”
The little boy’s protectiveness went straight to her heart. It seemed that trait manifested early in dragon-shifter males.
Now was not the time for a conversation about how Tristan should treat her. If everything went well with his sister, she’d be initiating that conversation herself.
To change the subject, she pried Rhys from her legs and maneuvered him toward the kitchen. “Let’s go see your mom about lunch. Whatever she made smells good.”
The boy reluctantly nodded and let her lead him into the kitchen in the back of the two-story cottage.
They entered the warm kitchen filled with smells that made her mouth water, which was a nice change from earlier. Samira smiled when she saw them, but her smile instantly faded as soon as she spotted Tristan behind her.
~~~
Tristan watched Melanie lead the little boy out of the room and while she hadn’t invited him to follow, he did anyway.
The sight of Liam and Samira’s son had put his dragon in the background, which was a good thing considering his beast didn’t like Melanie staying in another male’s house. Even now, he could smell the other male, and neither half of him liked it.
Liam was a nice enough bloke, but even though Liam was mated to Samira, Tristan’s dragon was in a dangerous in-between stage when it came to Melanie. Seeing any adult male put a hand on Melanie could set off his inner beast and his human-half could lose control.
As he entered the kitchen, Samira didn’t see him at first and she greeted Melanie with a smile, but it died when she looked at him. “What’s he doing here?” She glanced to Melanie. “Did he grovel and beg for you to take him back?”
He should hold his tongue, but he’d never been very good at that when it came to conversing with adults. “It’s none of your business, Samira. What is between Melanie and me is our business.”
Samira held up the wooden spoon in her hand and pointed it at him. “Seeing as your bastard ways have made it so she’s staying with me, it’s very much my business. I was on your side originally, Tristan MacLeod, but not anymore.”
Before he could reply, Melanie stepped between them. “Stop it.” She looked to Samira. “I’m just here to change my clothes and brush my teeth. Can I leave you guys alone for a few minutes while I do that and not worry about you two biting off each other’s heads?”
Samira lowered her spoon and stirred the contents of a pot on the stove in front of her. “Don’t you both have classes to teach this afternoon?”
Tristan beat Melanie to the reply. “Not anymore. Melanie’s morning sickness hit, and while she’s changing, I’m going to let Bram know and ask someone to cover for us.”
Samira’s expression softened as she looked at Melanie again. “Are you feeling okay now?”
Melanie nodded. “I’ll be fine.” She shot Tristan a look. “And I have something to do before Tristan changes his mind.”