by Trina M. Lee
ADRENALIZE
REBEL HEART BOOK 6
TRINA M. LEE
ADRENALIZE
Copyright 2019 by Trina M. Lee
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Published in Canada
Editor
B. Leigh Hogan
Cover Artist
Covers by Christian
Published by
Trina M. Lee
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
CHAPTER ONE
TEQUILA SCORCHED A fiery path down my throat, and I winced. It wasn’t my favorite. At Jett’s insistence I’d taken a shot, along with everyone else gathered around our table. We were heading out on tour right away. It was our last night hanging at The Spirit Room before we hit the road. So in true Jett fashion, we had to kick it off with a bang. Or in this case, tequila.
Friends and fans in the rock community came out to see us off. The steady stream of well wishes and support blew my mind. I kind of wanted to cry. We were lucky to live in a city that kept rock music alive and kicking ass.
Of course, our friends weren’t the only people who vied for my attention. My very own personal demon lurked near the bar, chatting up the hot blonde bartender. Every so often Koda would slip a glance my way. Waiting for his opportunity to get me alone.
“It sucks that we’re poor as fuck and have to share a bus with those idiots though.” Jett slammed her shot glass down and jerked her head in the direction of the table where Paul and his jerkface bandmates from Sacred Stone sat.
“Sucks is putting it lightly,” I quipped, reaching for my hard iced tea. “But at least it’s not only them.”
The day our manager, Joe, had called us all in to discuss tour details had included the not-so-stellar news that our band, along with Molly’s Chamber and Sacred Stone, would all have to share a bus.
Tour buses were crazy expensive. Seeing as we were all new to the label, they weren’t willing to cough up a lot of money for us to go on this tour. If it had just been us on the road, they’d have made us foot the bill for travel ourselves, which probably would have meant a road trip in Tash’s van. Because it was a festival tour with several other bands, they’d agreed to pay for a bus. But since it slept twelve, we’d be sharing.
It wasn’t easy to make money in the music industry. We knew that when we’d signed on for this. Acts more successful than we were had been sharing buses to cut costs for years now. We weren’t in this for the money. Sharing wasn’t the problem. Paul was the problem.
“We should place bets on how many punches Arrow and Paul throw at each other before the tour ends,” Rubi suggested with a snicker.
Jett nodded and tossed back another shot. “I’ll take that bet.”
At the mention of his name, Arrow jerked his gaze from his phone and sneered, “Classy as always, ladies.”
A glance at his screen and I could see that he’d been stalking his band’s YouTube page, scrolling through the comments on their latest video. The thought of living in the cramped confines of a tour bus with Arrow freaked me out a little more than the thought of being stuck there with Paul.
Arrow and I had been together for a few months now, our relationship growing stronger by the day. I didn’t want anything to ruin that. Although we’d both be so busy that travel time on the bus might be our only chance to stay connected.
“On that note,” Jett continued. “I wonder how hard it will be to get laid on a bus with that many people. I’m not going on a dry streak all tour.”
Next to her Sam laughed and shook his head. He gazed at her like she was the brightest star in the darkest night. Every damn time.
Arrow and I exchanged a smirk. Lifting a brow playfully, he leaned in close so only I could hear amid the chatter and music. “We won’t be going on a dry streak either. I’m up for being creative.”
His breath on my ear sent a fun tickle down my spine. A blush warmed my cheeks. Mischief shone in my smile. “I don’t doubt that you’ll dream up something risky as hell. Count me in.”
Flirtatious whispers turned into a brazen below-the-table grope that got me giggling and blushing. We were stupidly into each other. Despite the odds stacked against us and the strange circumstances that brought us together, I couldn’t get enough of him.
“You guys are total dorks.” Jett’s observation was met with agreement from the rest of the table.
Which didn’t include Rowen. Instead of hanging with us, he stood as far from us as he could get without leaving the building. Near the stage, chatting with a guy from a new band that had just played, Rowen paid us no attention. He’d barely said more than hello all night. Could I blame him? That would be a world of no.
I understood all too well why he kept his distance. In just days he’d be trapped on a bus with his brother and his ex, who were now an item. As uncomfortable as it might be for Arrow and me, it couldn’t compare to how Rowen must feel about it.
Feeling my gaze, he glanced over. Dammit. I looked away, embarrassed. We were friends still. Well, that’s what we called it. The reality of it was that we were forced to remain in one another’s lives due to circumstances beyond our control. So we made the best of it. But we would always love each other in some way, so it was awkward as fuck at times, despite doing our best to play it cool.
“Yeah, but I’m a happy dork,” I offered Jett with a lazy shrug.
She laughed and slid another shot in front of me. “If I got laid half as much as you do, I’d be constantly happy too.”
Rubi and Tash were quick to call bullshit, so I didn’t have to. Jett was easily the friskiest of us all. High strung even for a werewolf, she was always up for some action. It was as routine for her as breakfast.
Several minutes later I felt the distinct sensation of eyes upon me. When I turned, I half expected it to be Rowen. But it was a pair of devious red eyes that I found.
“Just go talk to him,” Arrow said, nodding in Koda’s direction. “He’s been eyeing you all night. Probably has something he wants to say before we leave. Most likely another marriage proposal.”
Arrow laughed off the demon’s antics, but I’d stopped laughing Koda off years ago. He unnerved me, more so these days than ever before.
“Might as well get it over with.” I shoved my chair back and rose. “Don’t let Jett order me anymore drinks.”
Ignoring Jett’s feigned offense, I left Arrow at the table and made my way through the room. Koda watched my approach. His studious gaze made me hyperaware of how tipsy I’d gotten. I knew my limits, but it still took more concentration than usual to walk a perfectly straight path.
Koda nodded to the bartender he’d been flirting with and stepped away. Every time I looked at him now, I flashed back to seeing his true form on the
other side. Still him but different. So different. Horns and a tail with a scorpion stinger, a lot freakier than the human form he wore now.
“Spike,” he greeted me with a suspicious head nod, raising his drink to me before taking a swig.
“Koda.” I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my New Years Day hoodie and eyed him up. “Is there something you’d like to say? You’ve been gawking at me all night.”
A dark brow arched as he stared at me over the rim of his glass. “Not particularly. Just can’t help but wonder sometimes what the hell you see in Arrow. Trying to figure out if you’ve lost your mind. Is he forcing you into it? Blink twice if you need help.”
“Very funny,” I muttered, unable to muster any humor.
“I’m not joking.” Somehow he managed to come across as dead serious. “You know you can’t trust him. He’s dark. People like Arrow, they don’t change. He’ll always be dark, Spike.”
Now I wished I did have a drink in my hand. So I could throw it in his stupid face. Swallowing down my rage to rob him of the satisfaction he sought, I hissed, “I’m going on tour. I know you’re aware of that. Don’t follow me. I mean it. Give me a break from you, Koda. Let me have this one human thing.”
Sipping his drink, he continued to appraise me over the top of it. “The moment you step foot in a new city, the demons there will know it. You’d be lucky to have me around.”
I burst out laughing, unable to hold back. Not that I wanted to. “Lucky? Nothing about having you around is lucky. I can’t imagine having you lurking around is going to win me any points with the locals. I’ll risk it.”
Koda met my mocking laughter with a stony stare. “What about Flint?”
“What about him?” I countered, refusing to let any demon’s name intimidate me. Not in front of witnesses anyway.
“Don’t think for a minute that he’s not keeping tabs on you. You’re on his radar now.” Spoken with a shrug, Koda tried and failed to convince me that this didn’t bother him.
The dragon king had shown interest in having me as his bride, not that his interest was in any way returned of course. Seeing as Koda had been trying for months now to push me for the very same thing without success, I imagined he didn’t love Flint’s less than romantic proposal.
Well technically he hadn’t proposed. He’d tried to get me to sleep with him so he could decide if I was wife material. It had ended with my sword in his eye and the unspoken threat that the dragon would not so easily forget about me.
“Maybe so,” I agreed, unable to argue. “But that’s my problem, and I can’t see any reason why you’d care.”
Holding that red stare steady upon me, Koda swirled the liquor in his glass before downing the rest of it. Once the tension had thickened enough to make me wish I’d never come over here, he moved fast, getting too close. I could feel his whiskey breath hot on my face.
“One of these days, Spike, you’re going to regret being such a stone-cold bitch to me.” Koda didn’t wait for a response. He shoved by, leaving me standing there.
“Well, ok then.” I wasn’t sure if I should take his declaration as a threat or not. It wasn’t the first time he’d said something like that. Probably wouldn’t be the last.
Because I had to finish packing for the tour, I opted to write it off as an irate demon with butthurt feelings. That was Koda’s problem, not mine. I hadn’t asked for a personal demon. If he wouldn’t, or couldn’t, give up and leave me alone, then this dance would keep repeating until I was forced to finally end it. Somehow.
Despite Jett’s bad influence and attempts to keep us partying, Arrow and I headed back to my apartment to enjoy a final night alone. In a matter of hours, we’d be crammed onto a bus with way too many other people.
The scent of banana bread greeted us when we entered. Cinder stood over a fresh loaf, breathing in the scrumptious aroma. “I thought you could take some baked goods along. You should stock up on fruit and vegetables. Have you done that yet? Will you have time?”
I exchanged an amused look with Arrow and stifled a laugh. “We’ll be fine, Cinder. Don’t worry. Thanks for the bread. It smells delicious.”
“I’ll be here each day to take care of Seth.” Cinder gestured to the tortoise in his terrarium in the living room. “Is there anything else I can do before you go? Laundry? Errands?”
Cinder might have thought he had me fooled, but I knew him. Better than I knew maybe anyone else in my life except Jett. I tossed my hoodie on the back of a kitchen chair, pulled it out, and pointed at the opposite seat.
“Wanna come sit and tell me what’s got your undies in such a twist?” I inclined my head toward the table and sat down.
Arrow ambled toward the bathroom. “I’m going to grab a shower.”
Despite the much shorter amount of time he’d known Cinder, Arrow seemed to have figured him out somewhat as well. When Cinder got into a frenzy like this, it usually meant something was bothering him. Usually something that meant impending doom and danger for me. Arrow’s shower was more than likely a way of allowing Cinder to speak to me alone.
When the sound of water came muffled through the closed bathroom door, Cinder took the chair across from me. “Nothing has got my undies in a twist. It’s more of a bunching really.” The angel wrinkled his nose.
I had to laugh at his piss-poor humor. “Alright, spill it. What are you worried about? Koda already preached the woes of stranger danger and dragon kings. So whatever it is, let me have it.”
I sat there expectant and unafraid, just wary. And maybe a little weary. This tour was about chasing a human dream. There was so much more to me than the blood of my father. Yet it would always define me and, in many ways, dictate my path. But not just mine. Rowen and Arrow’s too.
“Stranger danger,” Cinder repeated with a small chuckle. “I’m not worried. I trust that you’ll all be careful to avoid unnecessary demon interaction.”
“Of course. Unfortunately, that’s not always optional. Case in point, Koda.” I mustered an expression filled with disgust and dismay.
“Maybe it’s time that I have another chat with Koda.” Cinder paused and glanced toward the kitchen. “Would you like some banana bread?”
Dirty-blond hair fell over a scarred eyebrow as he awaited my response. I shook my head. He tried to play off his concern about me heading out of town, but he couldn’t fool me.
“We’ll be careful,” I promised Cinder. “Try not to worry. We’ll only be gone for four weeks. I’ll be back before you know it. And you can pop in any time.”
“You can use the break from me, I’m sure.” He reached across the table to slug me lightly in the shoulder. “I trust you to make good decisions, but I also know you’ll be in a chaotic environment. I’m sorry, Ember, but as much as you want to just be human sometimes, you’re not.”
“I know,” I said softly, hating that he was right. Hating that chasing a human dream came with demon baggage whether I liked it or not. “I’ll be careful. We’ll all be careful.”
Cinder’s smile faltered. He seemed to hesitate before adding, “And yet, it’s the human temptations I fear will pose the greatest threat. There’s a dark side to every dream, Ember. That’s where being human becomes the foe. Getting what you want comes with its own challenges. Watch out for one another.”
“We will.”
My gaze slid to the closed bathroom door. I couldn’t help it. The temptations of tour life would hit us hard and fast. We all had our vices, some of us more so than others.
CHAPTER TWO
“I CALL A MIDDLE BUNK.” Paul flung an overflowing duffel bag onto a bunk as he staked his claim.
Standing just inside the doorway, I took in the bus interior. It was my first tour bus. I had to drink it all in.
A partition divided the driver from the rest. I stood in the front lounge where two small couches sat facing one another, a tiny walkway between them. Above each couch a television was mounted.
Just beyond the sofas the front
lounge ended with a tiny kitchen, complete with itty bitty sink on one side and a tiny two-seater table on the other. The fridge was bigger than I’d expected, but I still couldn’t imagine how we’d stock it with food for twelve. I anticipated a lot of takeout in our near future.
Just beyond the kitchen was the world’s tiniest bathroom. An equally tiny shower sat across from it. Paul had opened the door that closed off the galley-like hallway where two sets of six bunks were crammed. Jett shoved by me and all but body checked Paul aside, tossing his bag after him.
“Screw that. The ladies get first dibs on the middle bunks. You’re a tall bastard. Take the top.” She jerked a thumb toward the second set of bunks. “Over there.”
“It’s cool, Jett.” Tash joined us. Tall herself, she claimed a top bunk by throwing her makeup bag onto the mattress. “I’m fine with a top bunk.”
Ignoring the bickering over who would sleep where, I shoved down the cramped hall to scope out the back lounge. Smaller than the front but cozy, it promised a private hideaway for those seeking a few minutes alone. Or for those who wanted to snort blow and smoke weed without having to share.
It was early in the evening. We were piling onto the bus to head for the first city on our schedule. We’d be with the tour for a month. It ran for almost three altogether with differing bands switching off on various dates.
“I definitely do want a middle bunk,” I said, making my way back toward the front.
There was a sudden influx of people as everyone else boarded with whatever few things they wanted to bring on instead of stowing in the tow-behind trailer. I sat down on one of the couches in an attempt to stay out of the way. The tiny hallway between the bunks quickly became lodged with people claiming beds.
It took nearly an hour for everyone to get settled. Jett and I ended up with the two middle bunks in the first set. Arrow and Tash took the bunks above us, Rubi and Sam the bunks below. Rowen seemed to prefer being in the second set of bunks. A mere few feet away and yet far enough to promise a false sense of distance.