by K. M. Raya
The small woman frowned—her thick, well shaped brows pulled together, fighting a battle between anger and bafflement. Her reddish brown eyes narrowed on Angel in a peculiar way as her frown morphed into a calculating grin that made Soren's heart beat just a little bit faster.
"You really mean it? You want me in your big bus?" she asked in an animated voice that was clearly a few octaves higher than normal.
Angel was taking the bait like the dumbass he was as they all looked on in amusement.
"Sure thing, sweetheart." He took her small hand and she followed him enthusiastically. Angel opened the bus door with a cheeky wink to the guys before climbing on—oblivious to the fact that this little hellion was fucking with him.
Suddenly, the girl faked a step, released Angel's hand and slammed the door in his surprised face causing him to stumble backwards and fall flat on his ass. If Soren could have recorded that moment, it would have made some amazing blackmail.
The little pixie calmly resumed her course towards the venue without a glance back at the band and disappeared through the doors as if she hadn't slammed a door in the face of one of the most famous men in the world.
4
Lilith
That infuriating man boy put her in a foul mood. She thought she'd prepared herself for this sort of thing— being a female in the rock world was nothing to scoff at. With hundreds of frantic women vying for the attention of a few sweaty men, it was easy for them to lump her in with the rest. She knew this. But the blatant way that he had assumed her interest in his dick had irked her.
Sound check went about as expected. She tried to hide the fact that her eyes scanned the venues backstage for Serenity Rising. Seeing them in the parking lot was vastly different than having them listen to her music. Behind the mic, she was no longer just some chick. She was the chick.
The rest of her band showed up shortly after and they took the stage effortlessly just as they had every Friday night for the last four years. The venue was a popular club for up and coming bands or rappers to hit the big time. It was small and packed with bodies. It was stiflingly hot but she loved everything about it. The music was loud and the walls were thumping and the crowd tonight was buzzing with energy. She wondered if it had anything to do with a certain rock band that had showed up unannounced.
She heard the MC announce Hayzed and Confuzed and so she ran onto the fiercely lit stage as the roar of the crowd washed over her. The second those lights hit her eyes she felt as if she became another person entirely. The drums began as she hefted the strap of her guitar over her head and it settled against her body like an old friend. Her guitar was an extension of her own limbs. She couldn't see the crowd very well, but she could feel them. They writhed beneath her and chanted their name loudly. They were a club regular and so they already had some loyal fans.
Serenity Rising was nowhere to be found, but they were probably watching from the side stage. She refused to glance over and check. They weren't her priority now, her crowd was. After playing their first song, the crowd went nuts. They chanted and screamed and waved their arms in the air, reaching for her like she was some sort of God. She felt like a God.
Her words rolled off her tongue like she was weaving magic. She had always been blessed with what her parents had called the "voice of an angel." A fallen angel, she figured. She had a raspy quality to it, and it was low enough to be perfect for alternative rock music. She had worked hard at building an image for herself and making sure that she was not seen as a pop princess who liked to yell occasionally. Her music was raw and guttural, but still melodic and beautiful. She knew how good they were.
Her band was one of a kind in her opinion. They'd been playing together since they formed back in middle school—growing up together, bonding over music and lyrics and the love of entertainment. She forced herself to not stare at the empty keyboard to her left. She forced her heart not to clench every time she felt the absence of Rose's back up vocals. The song felt hollow somehow and she hated it.
Lilith had written most of their songs with Jett and Rose. Their lyrics stemmed from stories the band told to one another, stories of heartbreak, of loss, drunken shenanigans and even nonsensical songs that really meant nothing other than providing a good rhythm and a catchy tune.
She hoped that Serenity Rising would see the same magic in their performance that their crowd did. In her heart, she knew she needed this performance tomorrow. She needed it like she needed to breathe.
5
Soren
The back of the cavernous room had box seating towards the ceiling with dark glass windows that separated the band from the crowd. Soren longed to be down there—moving with the bodies, feeling the bass and rocking out like he used to, but he knew it was impossible. One glimpse at his recognizable face and the club would turn to mayhem.
He watched from above as their focus of the night took the stage. He heard Angel suck in a sharp breath from beside him at the same time that he heard his other bandmates chuckling. Soren watched in utter disbelief as the pixie girl from the parking lot ran onto the stage and strapped a guitar to her petite body. Her dark, lush hair was wild and her eyes were shining under the flashing lights.
Their music blasted through the speakers without hesitation and he could tell right away that they knew exactly what they were doing. The girls voice sunk into him and chills broke out across his skin. It had a rough quality to it—as if she'd been a smoker at some point, but it did things to his insides. He felt her voice curl around his skin, caressing him like some kind of spell.
"Holy shit," breathed Miles from somewhere in the room. Soren couldn't pull his eyes from the stage to look.
"Fuck..." replied Nero breathlessly and Soren wanted to punch them both. He needed them to shut up so that he could hear the music. But they were right, of course. As much as he loathed to admit it, Hayzed and Confuzed were damn good.
Gabe approached the glass window—a smug smile stretched across his too pretty face. Soren blinked at his manager's knowing expression. "I knew you'd dig em. Their manager sent me a video of their studio time this morning and they fucking blew me away."
Soren grunted, "It's still a no from me, G." he said with finality. He wasn't relenting. They didn't need some chick opening for their tour for an entire year. Their vibe would be thrown off completely and she would become a major distraction in the long run. He could already see the wheels turning in Angel's head and it made him want to scream.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Max looked at Soren in confusion. "This band is the shit and you know it. Hell, they're even better than our original openers."
Soren ignored his friend and continued to glare at the girl. He didn't know her name and he didn't care to. She was a nobody and if he had his way, she would remain so. This was a waste of time but still he could not pry his eyes away. Damn she was beautiful. He thought reluctantly. Her band was good looking too if he was being honest. Their drummer was a bulky bald dude with a serious expression on his strong face and a mural of tattoos on his arms. The bassist was a skinny chick with a short mohawk and a sly looking smile on her pretty face. She wasn't anywhere near as striking as the frontwoman but still nice to look at. It was their rhythm guitarist that would be a huge draw, especially for the ladies. Soren wasn't into men, but if he had been, this guy would have been a no brainer.
Bitterness filled his chest as his eyes bounced between the girl and the guitarist. He wondered if they were romantically involved in any way. The thought made him shudder and break out in a cold sweat. What the fuck is wrong with me? He thought to himself with a shake of his head. He had no business sizing up the man as a rival. A rival for what? For who?
"That's it, I dont give a shit what Soren says," Angel announced as he turned away from the window. The big blonde man crossed his massive arms and frowned at Soren. "Look at how they control the crowd, man...we need energy like that." Soren huffed but Angel continued, "Don't give me that bullshit about female singers blah blah. Clear
ly she isn't falling into that category." He gestured with one hand at the window and Soren couldn't even argue. He felt stupid for being so stubborn but red flags were going up all over the place. This was a bad idea.
6
Lilith
Her face was dripping with sweat and her limbs were still shaking as she guzzled an ice cold bottle of water. The post performance high was in full effect and she was loving it. The crowd was still going nuts even after they had left the stage after their second encore. It was a good night regardless.
Before they could exit the side stage, Lilith spotted Lenna jumping in place from the corner of her eye. Lenna's short black hair was flipping up and down making her look like a mental patient. She loved Lenna but the enthusiasm was tiring.
"Come on, were being summoned." She nudged Alex. His blonde head whipped around, sweaty hair smacking her face and she winced. "Gross!"
Alex laughed and nudged her back playfully. "Shut up it's just sweat, let go see what crazy wants." He nodded towards the still jumping Lenna.
"I hope they let us shower before we have to meet the band, I smell like a locker room right now," Blair complained from behind her. Her mohawk was weighted down with sweat.
She doubted they would have time for that. A band such as Serenity Rising didn't seem like the sorts who waited on others for anything. Bitterness filled her for a brief second as she recalled their unofficial meeting earlier that evening.
They reached Lenna and the woman stopped jumping only to vibrate in place. She could visibly see the excitement rolling off of their manager.
"They loved it, you sons of bitches!" she squealed and Lilith felt her heart squeeze in her chest. This was it.
"No shit?" asked Jett in disbelief. He high fived Alex before whipping out his phone.
Lenna snatched it out of Jett's hand before scolding him like a child. "Not yet—not a word of this gets out until you meet with the band and sign some contracts!" she demanded and they all groaned. Lilith hated paperwork. But it was a necessary evil of the job.
On that note, Lenna turned on her heel and headed into the hallways that led to the back rooms. They followed behind like good little ducklings until they reached a door at the end of the hall. Lilith's stomach tightened as it sunk in that one of her favorite bands stood on just the other side of that door. Sure, they were asshole fratboy pigs, but they were damn talented asshole fratboy pigs. She fidgeted with her damp hair and hated herself for it.
The door opened a second later and they all filed into the room. It was dimly lit, just the way they liked it after enduring the harsh lights of the stage. A table was set up to their left, filled with finger food and beers. Lilith had no appetite whatsoever but she just might go for a beer depending on how everything played out.
Serenity Rising sat in various chairs and couches around the room but immediately rose to their feet as they walked in. Each of them were much taller than she remembered from earlier and now that she could see them clearly—much better looking.
Her eyes honed in on the blonde behemoth that she slammed the door on at their bus. She smirked as she noted that his sky blue eyes were latched into her with single mindedness that almost made her giddy. No, Lilith, shut that shit down right now. You don't need that kind of mess. Nope. She thought to herself. More like scolded herself. She needed to control her hormones. Angel Markson was all wrong in all the right ways. She would need to stay far away.
She scanned the rest of the group picking out Miles, the bassist with his blue hair and wide smile—he looked like a perfect English punk rocker. Nero, their rhythm guitarist stood next to him, all long limbs and corded muscle. His hair was swept back into a messy bun at the nape of his neck and his face was covered in a thick beard. Max was next, he stood before her with bulging muscles and a shining bald head just like Jett—covered in black ink tattoos. He was an intimidating but handsome man.
Skipping over Angel for obvious reasons, her breath caught when her eyes latched onto none other than Soren James. The Soren James with his crew cut, buzzed black hair, eyebrow piercings, deep brown eyes and tattoos covering every inch of his beautifully muscled body. He was every rocker chicks fantasy and she immediately knew she was in deep shit. He watched her with an intensity that truly surprised her. She stared back at him just as hard until a small frown formed on his handsome face. Good.
"It's really good to finally meet you guys, and let me just say you guys killed it out there tonight," said a tall man with fancy dark hair. He looked like an Ivy League graduate. This must be their manager.
Lenna stepped forward. "Thank you Gabriel, and yeah, they rocked it. Glad you guys could make it to the show."
Gabriel gestured for everyone to take a seat and they all fell onto couches positioned in a sort of semi circle in the small room. Lilith worked hard to ignore Soren's burning stare that had yet to leave her face. He was making her acutely aware of every move she made. It was unnerving but not necessarily unwanted.
"So!" announced Gabriel suddenly with a loud clap of his hands that had Lilith jumping in her seat. "As we discussed before, Lenna, we would love to offer you the opening slot for tomorrow's show if that's something you all would be interested in." He flicked his eyes around to each of her band members.
"Very much interested," Lilith found herself saying before she had even made the conscious decision to speak.
Gabriel smiled, "Great! I'll have some contracts drawn up for each of you and sent over in the morning." He clapped his hands again and rubbed them together. "In the meantime, I'd like to discuss another opportunity that just popped up."
They all sat up a little bit straighter as Gabriel smiled at them. This man could change things for them all. She wanted to seem professional and collected but she could feel the tension bubbling below the surface, just aching to get out.
"Go on," prompted Lenna as she propped her chin in her hands—casually lounging in her chair.
"As you may know, Serenity Rising leaves for a much anticipated twelve month world tour in two weeks. Coast to coast before heading to both Europe and Canada." Lilith felt her heart beat pick up.
Gabriel continued, "Our opening band is unable to join us on said tour thanks to their frontman's unfortunate check in to a rehab facility." He rolled his eyes but the smile remained on his face. “We need a replacement and I feel like Hayzed ‘n’ Confuzed would make a perfect fit for the tour.”
The room was shrouded in silence as Lilith and her friends let Gabriel's words sink in. Lenna's eyes were bugging out of her skull and Lilith could almost see the dollar signs floating in their blue depths. One by one her bandmates hooted and guffawed in utter disbelief. Even the chance to open a single night for Serenity Rising was a big deal for them as an up and coming band, but to go on tour with them? A world tour? It was life changing.
“What do you think?” asked Gabriel, oblivious of the the collective stroke he had just given every single non famous person in the room.
“We say hell yeah!” shouted Alex and Lilith couldn't help but laugh.
Lenna spoke next after recovering from her shock. “Well, we will have to speak more privately, Gabriel, considering we have only two weeks to draw up the proper contracts...not to mention the promo work that needs to be done—” She slapped a hand to her forehead and raked her fingers through her black hair. Lilith could already foresee the panic attack in the near future.
Gabriel waved his hand—titanium wristwatch glinting in the low lighting. “Don't worry Lenna, our lawyers have it all taken care of. If you could meet with me tomorrow before the show in the arena green room we can sit down and discuss the details. For now, I'd like the band to focus on tomorrow's performance. We will be announcing their presence on the tour before they leave the stage so they need to be ready.”
Things were all happening so fast and Lilith felt like her head was spinning. She was excited and nervous. This was everything she had ever dreamed of and yet somehow...she still felt apprehensive. She kne
w it was because of Rose. Her sister would have been over the moon at this news but she wasn't here. Lilith's eyes flicked up and locked with the brooding guitarist as he continued to stare at her. She could hear her bandmates talking in the background but they could have been underwater for all she knew.
Soren gazed at her with a perplexed frown on his handsome face. She felt hot tears that threatened to fall from her eyes but blinked them back. Soren cocked his head to the side as if studying her. Her attention was brought suddenly to the large blonde man beside him. Angel's blue eyes bounced between Lilith and Soren and a small, knowing smirk tilted his lips. She decided to ignore both men.
As the night went on, they barely had the chance to socialize with Serenity Rising before they needed to get home and get some sleep.
But as she let the door to the back room close behind her on her way out, she felt her body being hauled backwards and into the shadows. Soren boxed her in against the wall with his massive tattooed arms and she was simultaneously grateful for and resentful of the lack of road crew.
"You shouldn't be here," he whispered against her lips. He was already too close.
"Get off of me," she halfheartedly struggled out of his grip but instead of backing up and letting her go, his hand drifted downwards until he gripped her hip and pulled her body flush with his.
There was this unspoken connection between the two of them the likes of which she'd never experienced before. The way he watched her in that room made her feel things that lived dormant inside of her for so long. She'd been numb after losing Rose and it was jarring to feel emotions again.
He smirked at her bitterly—he knew exactly what he was doing to her body. Her pupils were probably blown out and she could already feel herself breathing too hard.
"You don't belong here, little girl. This is my tour and I'm not gonna let some little pop wannabe ruin this for us."
"Pop wannabe?" she scoffed. "Do you hear yourself? I'm pretty sure you just watched our whole set. We were fucking good and you know it."