"You talk as if you wouldn't do the same," she retorted. "All of you would melt like that if Strax held you like that. Let's stop pretending we're immune."
Monica, with her hair tangled and one cheek swollen from where she had been magically slapped, muttered:
"I melt just seeing him take off his shirt. Imagine hugging me after a scolding like that."
Bellatrix, who had a growing bruise on her left eye, chuckled. "I melt just thinking about being scolded. Did you hear the tone of that voice? That was a royal command. I think even my runes responded reflexively."
Cassandra, finally regaining her mobility, rubbed her temples and muttered, "That woman almost killed Mom... and yet here we are feeling jealous of a hug. We need therapy."
"Or just more Strax," muttered Xenovia, half buried in a bush.
