The Host (The Host 1)

Ahhh, she groaned weakly in my head.

I couldn't think to greet her. I was on fire.

The fire burned its way to her, back to the tiny corner where she drooped, nearly lifeless.

My hands fisted around the fabric of Jared's T-shirt, yanking it up. This was their idea; I didn't tell them what to do. His hands burned on the skin of my back.

Jared? she whispered. She tried to orient herself, but the mind we shared was so disoriented.

I felt the muscles of his stomach under my palms, my hands crushed between us.

What? Where. . . Melanie struggled.

I broke away from his mouth to breathe, and his lips scorched their way down my throat. I buried my face in his hair, inhaling the scent.

Jared! Jared! NO!

I let her flow through my arms, knowing this was what I wanted, though I could barely pay attention now. The hands on his stomach turned hard, angry. The fingers clawed at his skin and then shoved him as hard as they could.

"NO!" she shouted through my lips.

Jared caught her hands, then caught me against the wall before I could fall. I sagged, my body confused by the conflicting directions it was receiving.

"Mel? Mel!"

"What are you doing?"

He groaned in relief. "I knew you could do it! Ah, Mel!"

He kissed her again, kissed the lips that she now controlled, and we could both taste the tears that ran down his face.

She bit him.

Jared jumped back from us, and I slid to the floor, landing in a wilted heap.

He started laughing. "That's my girl. You still got her, Wanda?"

"Yes," I gasped.

What the hell, Wanda? she screeched at me.

Where have you been? Do you have any idea what I've been going through trying to find you?

Yeah, I can see that you were really suffering.

Oh, I'll suffer, I promised her. I could already feel it coming on. Just like before. . .

She was flipping through my thoughts as fast as she could. Jamie?

That's what I've been trying to tell you. He needs you.

Then why aren't we with him?

Because he's probably a bit young to watch this kind of thing.

She searched through some more. Wow, Ian, too. I'm glad I missed that part.

I was so worried. I didn't know what to do. . .

Well, c'mon. Let's go.

"Mel?" Jared asked.

"She's here. She's furious. She wants to see Jamie. "

Jared put his arm around me and helped me up. "You can be as mad as you want, Mel. Just stick around. "

How long was I gone?

Three days is all.

Her voice was suddenly smaller. Where was I?

You don't know?

I can't remember. . . anything.

We shuddered.

"You okay?" Jared asked.

"Sort of. "

"Was that her before, talking to me-talking out loud?"

"Yes. "

"Can she. . . can you let her do that now?"

I sighed. I was already exhausted. "I can try. " I closed my eyes.

Can you get past me? I asked her. Can you talk to him?

I. . . How? Where?

I tried to flatten myself against the inside of my head. "C'mon," I murmured. "Here. "

Melanie struggled, but there was no way out.

Jared's lips came down on mine, hard. My eyes flew open in shock. His gold-flecked eyes were open, too, half an inch away.

She jerked our head back. "Cut that out! Don't touch her!"

He smiled, the little creases feathering out around his eyes. "Hey, baby. "

That's not funny.

I tried to breathe again. "She's not laughing. "

He left his arm around me. Around us. We walked out into the tunnel junction, and there was no one there. No Ian.

"I'm warning you, Mel," Jared said, still smiling widely. Teasing. "You better stay right here. I'm not making any guarantees about what I will or won't do to get you back. "

My stomach fluttered.

Tell him I'll throttle him if he touches you like that again. But her threat was a joke, too.

"She's threatening your life right now," I told him. "But I think she's being facetious. "

He laughed, giddy with relief. "You're so serious all the time, Wanda. "

"Your jokes aren't funny," I muttered. Not to me.

Jared laughed again.

Ah, Melanie said. You are suffering.

I'll try not to let Jamie see.

Thank you for bringing me back.

I won't erase you, Melanie. I'm sorry I can't give you more than that.

Thank you.

"What's she saying?"

"We're just. . . making up. "

"Why couldn't she talk before, when you were trying to let her?"

"I don't know, Jared. There really isn't enough room for both of us. I can't seem to get myself out of the way completely. It's like. . . not like holding your breath. Like trying to pause your heartbeats. I can't make myself not exist. I don't know how. "

He didn't answer, and my chest throbbed with pain. How joyful he would be if I could figure out how to erase myself!

Melanie wanted to. . . not to contradict me, but to make me feel better; she struggled to find words to soften my agony. She couldn't come up with the right ones.

But Ian would be devastated. And Jamie. Jeb would miss you. You have so many friends here.

Thanks.

I was glad that we were back to our room now. I needed to think about something else before I started crying. Now wasn't the time for self-pity. There were more important issues at hand than my heart, breaking yet again.