“Head’s up, teach!” Mel barely had time to turn before an amethyst geode came her way, lobbed gently from Cade’s hands. She caught it easily and placed it on the shelf where she wanted to use it as a bookend for the few volumes she had on stone identification. “You know, saying that ***before*** you throw things at me might be a better idea, Cade.” Mel turned and looked over her shoulder and gave him *the look* that he knew well. It got her a laugh and a cheeky wink. “Unless you are wanting to get in another wrestling match with Gabe. I know you two boys just love trying to knock one another out.”
“I’m up for a rematch. What about you?” Gabe turned and gave Cade a shit eating grin before putting more books on the shelf as they got Mel’s office ready for the new semester that she’d be teaching. He had to admit, none of his professors had ever had an office like this. Then again, none of his professors in college had ever looked like Mel.
“I’m not the one that ended up with the cracked rib. What do I care?” Cade winked at Mel who was now getting something out of the box next to him as he moved a new one up to her desk since she’d emptied the last one he’d put there for her. He wouldn’t add that he’d had to fight limping for almost a week due to his knee. Getting yelled at once had been enough.
“I don’t care but if you have more cracked ribs,” first she rolled her eyes at Gabe then shot a pointed look at Cade, “or injured knees,” she gave him a sarcastic smile to let him know that he fooled no one and loved the look he got on his face from it. “I will let my brothers heal you and I can tell you that if they do it while you’re awake and VERY slowly, it’s not fun. Besides, I think I’m due for another training session with both of you.” She heard dueling groans from behind her, and grinned as she put artifacts from past digs up on shelves where she wanted them. “I thought I heard that you were the fun professor? Can you be the fun boss too? Let Beau be the crabby and mean one?” Gabe teased and gave her a boyish grin when she turned around feigning insult. “Or are you hoping we’ll bribe you with exotic chocolate and coffee? That’s what it is, isn’t it? You want us to worship you as a princess.” He palmed two round artifacts of some kind and walked over towards where she had gotten up on a step stool and had her hands out for them. “Your rocks, my liege…” He bowed and extended his arms up over his head towards her. “Oh dear lawd, you two are going to drive me to day drink.” Mel laughed as she took the two fossils and put them up on a high shelf. They were real and she didn’t want to chance them getting knocked off. Some of what she had in her office were reproductions, the originals being of cultural significance to the location that they were found in. There were a few that the local governments had allowed her to keep for various reasons and she always honored and protected those. When it came to things in her office, it was all above board and legal. She would never chance her new position back at LSU, or compromise the reputation of the school. It was the items that held magical and mystical powers where she broke local, state, and international laws like glow sticks at a rave. Those items were the ones that would never see LSU, or even Louisiana most likely. They were the ones that she and her team handled covertly.
“Day drinking is part of the culture, belle.” Cade winked at her as he crossed over to where she was with more items for her to place on shelves. “What kind of Cajun boy would I be if I didn’t drive you to do it? Mint juleps in the afternoon after mimosas for breakfast. Cherie, I must uphold my reputation as a good Creole.” He gave her a roguish grin and handed her a couple things that looked like they’d break if he tossed them to her. “Let’s get this stuff done so we can go do a boil out at your house tonight before we have to beat the mosquitoes off with tennis rackets.” The trio laughed and worked together to empty the rest of the boxes that they’d brought up to her office. Things had changed for Mel and her bodyguards since moving up to Baton Rouge from the family estate in Darrow where she had been staying since returning to Louisiana. On the weekends, they were still going back to Darrow or New Orleans, where Alexander and Beau were living in the house in the Garden District. The “new normal” for Mel was anything but what most people would call *normal*; however there was a comfort to it that she would be hard pressed to explain to those who were not living it with her. The two men in the room seemed not to have any problems with their routine.
She was currently running La Hérisson with Beau, hunting mystical and magical artifacts with Beau and Alexander, and preparing to return full time to teaching at LSU. Saying her life was full would be an understatement. Mel rarely had a spare moment, something she was grateful for most days. Too much free time gave her time to analyze things, and that activity normally brought with it memories. During those times when she didn’t have something planned, she headed to the beaches of Long Beach, MS and the home and boat that she owned there as well. Rarely was she still if she could avoid it, dragging at least both of her bodyguards along with her. Through it all, Cade and Gabe were there to make sure that there was not a repeat of the event that led to her being in the grips of Ambrose and Adama. Both of the men who had previously held her captive still had associates who would want to exploit her LaVeau blood now that it was no longer a secret.
When it came to the three of them, they had become a team. When school started, Gabe and Cade would take turns with who would be on campus while Mel was. To keep the school from being too nervous, they would keep to the shadows and do a lot of electronic surveillance, while not being so far from her that they would be unable to be there in seconds. It wasn’t the roomiest, but there was a storage closet down the hall from her office where she had been able to convince Dwayne to allow her to setup a small desk for one bodyguard to be able to keep watch. With the story of the kidnapping and now Ambrose and Dominic missing, he had agreed immediately to let her do it. She was at least thankful for that.
Soon it would be time to walk back into the classroom, and that actually made her less nervous than anything that she had done so far since returning *home*. When she was in front of students it was like she was an actor on stage. She put on her *teacher face* and it was an act. When in her office and not working on grading assignments, she was preparing for her lectures and classes, so by the time she walked in front of students, it was all memorized and rote. Sometimes she was giving the same lecture multiple times in a day or week. It didn’t hurt that she loved what she was talking about, so even tangents were easy for her to handle. Cade or Gabe would be sitting in the back of the lecture halls and classrooms, dressed casually and blending into the background as best as they could. They would obviously be older than the students, but all were used to returning students or other professors auditing a class. They would mostly go unnoticed. Females would definitely notice them.
Everything found a place on the shelves, the few side tables, or Mel’s desk. Some might find her office cluttered, but the eclectic mix of artifacts, geodes, fossils, and fandom pieces made her office feel perfect to her. It was filled with pieces there were uniquely and distinctly *Mel*. Standing by the door, she linked arms with her two bodyguards who were so much more, they were truly friends and meant the world to her. Through everything on Grand Bahama and back in Louisiana, they had helped her keep her sanity and more. When the semester started, they would once more help her move forward with her life at LSU while her family and other friends were keeping the other parts of her life moving forward as well. She was back and defining life on her terms. It was not the life that she had before the Memorial Day ball the year before, but it was one that she was ready to face head on. This was her life and she was going to live it with no apologies and no fears. Time to reclaim it all.
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