by Trina M. Lee
“We are not going home this round, ladies. I can feel it in my bones.” Jett’s exuberance was infectious. “Let’s see Molly’s Chamber compete with that.”
Even though there was one other band left in the running, most of us felt this had become a Molly’s Chamber versus Crimson Sin event. Even the radio station hosting the contest had played up the rivalry.
To Jett’s bitter dismay, Molly’s Chamber had been selected to play last, giving them the chance to end the night on a high note. That’s when my nerves began to creep back in. Rowen would be in the crowd while the next band played. How the hell would I avoid him in front of Dash?
I tried to avoid going out into the club by fleeing upstairs to the backstage rooms under the guise of fixing my disheveled hair and smudged makeup. Jett followed along, griping at me while the other girls went to find us a table. They were getting used to the secretive nature Jett and I shared, though I was pretty sure they were ok with being left out of potentially life threatening issues.
“Spike, your hair looks fine, and you know it. Stop trying to avoid this. I’ve got your back. That demon can’t do shit to you in here with so many witnesses.”
“He knows, Jett.” I whirled to face her, halfway up the stairs. “He knows that Arrow lied, and he’s going to expose us. If the dark believes that Arrow and I are plotting something, there’s no telling what lengths they will go to. I have to keep Rowen safe.”
Jett bit her pink bottom lip, appearing thoughtful but uncertain. She shoved a sweaty lock of purple hair out of her eyes and sighed. “Yes, but you have to stay safe in order to do that. And that might mean doing something you really don’t want to do.”
“I’m not sleeping with Arrow to make our lie the truth. Please don’t tell me that’s what you’re suggesting.”
We reached the top of the stairs to find the backstage area empty. “No way,” Jett spat, disgusted. “He is not worthy of the fabulous that is you. You might have to fake it though. Play a little more kissy face with him or something. And tell Rowen so it doesn’t give him a heart attack when it happens.”
“Gross,” I muttered at the memory of Arrow’s kiss. Standing in front of the mirror, I ran my fingers through my hair and fixed a small eyeliner smudge. “I really don’t want to go back down there. How much of a wimp am I?”
“You’re a warrior, Spike. A fighter. So… fight.” Jett shrugged, as if it was that simple. It kind of was. Fight or don’t. My options were limited.
“The warrior’s greatest strength is knowing when not to fight.” Arrow announced his presence by slinking in silently. “Trust me. You don’t want to take on Dash.”
“What are you doing up here?” I snapped. “Did you leave him alone with Rowen?”
Arrow stepped up beside me to peer into the mirror. He studied his reflection before turning to me with a frown. “They’re not alone. Sam and Greyson are down there.”
“Yeah and we know how skilled they are with demons. Are you out of your mind?” Hands on my hips, I stared at him aghast.
“I sure hope so. Otherwise this shit isn’t doing its job.” He tugged a small bag of white powder from his back pocket, offering it to each of us in turn.
Jett sat heavily on the couch in the middle of the room, glaring at him with that predatory gaze of hers. I waved a hand dismissively when he shoved the bag at me.
“You’re useless, you know that? He’s your brother, Arrow. And you’re sniffing shit up your nose while a demon who wants him is alone with him.” When he avoided meeting my eyes, I realized, “Oh, fuck. You were supposed to give Dash a chance to be alone with him, weren’t you?”
I didn’t wait for his reply. I turned to rush back downstairs, but Arrow grabbed me roughly by the arm and jerked me off balance. Jett leaped up with a growl to come to my aid, and he flung his free hand up at her, momentarily freezing her in her tracks.
“Settle down, ladies. Rowen isn’t in any danger.” His grip tightened when I fought to pull away. There was a glimmer of envy in Arrow’s hazel gaze. “I almost wish I’d had someone willing to fight so hard for me.”
“You should be fighting for him,” I hissed. “He’s your brother. Your blood. And you’re just going to let them have him.”
My palms tingled seconds before Arrow’s hand burst into flames. He released me with a shout, and the flame went out.
“Bitch,” he swore, shaking his hand though no mark remained. “The only proof I have that Rowen is my brother is your word. That’s just not enough for me.”
“So it doesn’t even matter that he’s your friend?” Jett kept her distance, wary of the angelic gifts we both possessed. “You’re a horrible person.”
Ignoring us both, Arrow shook some of the powder from his little bag onto the counter in front of the mirror. Then he took a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and rolled it up.
“Do you really think you need more of that shit?” Judgment was heavy in my tone. I didn’t care that it wasn’t my place to judge. Arrow was a despicable creature.
“Hey, you’re not really my fuck buddy, so mind your own damn business.” With a wink, he bent to snort the small pile of coke up his nose.
I wasn’t a violent person. Not really. Violence made me uncomfortable. But when Arrow straightened up and cast a wry glance my way, the punch just kind of happened.
My fist connected with his face. The pain was sudden and severe, and I could only hope that it had hurt him just as much. My entire hand throbbed, and I was glad I’d already played. I shook it and swore while Jett whooped her encouragement.
Arrow’s hand went to his face and came away wet with the blood that dripped from his nose. “You know, Spike, I’m starting to really lose my patience with you. Give me a fucking tissue.”
With his head tilted back, he held a hand out in expectation. I fetched one from the box on the counter and flung it at him, smirking as he groped blindly to catch it before it fluttered to the floor.
“You are a piece of shit,” I said, my voice low and angry. “I don’t care what Dash thinks. It’s your lie. In fact, I’m going to go and talk to him myself right now.”
“Like hell you are.” Arrow grabbed for me again, but I used a self-defense move that Cinder had taught me to side step him, grab his arm, and twist it behind his back. He grunted and then laughed. “Go for it. And I show your photo to Rowen.”
“What photo?”
All three of us froze before we slowly turned to find Rowen standing in the doorway. Confusion marred his brow. Dash was with him, hovering much too close. I released Arrow and stepped back, my face hot.
“This one,” Arrow said without missing a beat. He pulled his phone out and began to search through the photos. “The photo that proves Spike and I have been sleeping together.”
“It doesn’t prove any such thing,” I protested as fear crawled up the back of my throat. “It’s a lie!”
Because Rowen was in the dark on so much going on around him, he would believe what he saw. Arrow was his best friend. How could I compete with that?
I pleaded with Arrow silently, begging him to have some humanity. He’d shown some the night he lied to Dash to help me. But it had come at a price, and this was it.
“Arrow isn’t who you think he is.” Jett spoke up, coming to my defense as Arrow crossed the room to Rowen. “He’s like Spike, a nephilim. He’s been lying to you.”
Dash narrowed his gaze at Jett, unimpressed with the outspoken werewolf. Arrow shoved the phone at Rowen who briefly glanced at the photo before looking hard at Arrow and then at me.
“What the hell is going on here, Arrow?” he demanded, his amber eyes conveying his confusion.
“Boys, don’t you have a show to play soon?” Dash cut in with a charming manner meant to put Rowen at ease. “This discussion may be best left for later.” His gaze slid over Arrow and lingered, promising awful things.
“Don’t think that I don’t know what you are.” Rowen turned on Dash with a cool stare. “If yo
u’re here because of me, you’re wasting your time.”
Dash smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. He swept a hand toward me and then Arrow. “Actually I’m here to investigate these two for conspiracy. I do believe I have caught them in a lie.”
“The only one lying is Arrow.” I was more than ready to throw the dark nephilim under the bus. He may have done me a small favor, but it paled in comparison to all of the shitty stuff he’d pulled. I didn’t care what happened to him.
With a sly look, Dash glided over to study me. Our eyes locked, and I trembled beneath the weight of the darkness that poured over me. “I don’t recall you arguing his claim the last time we met. If you’re changing your story now, that makes you a liar.”
“I lied to get out of that house. There is no conspiracy here, and if I were to plot against the dark, it wouldn’t be with Arrow.” Turning to Rowen with growing desperation, I said, “The photo was taken the night of the house party. After I passed out. Arrow manipulated the entire thing. We didn’t sleep together. I swear.”
“Oh but we did. There’s no sense denying it now. Let’s just get it all out in the open.” Arrow’s insistence rang with such genuineness. No wonder the dark were so good at fabricating the truth. As long as they believed it, the lie was easier to sell.
Arrow dabbed the last of the blood from his nose and tossed the tissue in the garbage can near the door. He had thrown down, and now he waited for me to retaliate.
“You want to get it all out in the open? Then why don’t we start with you and the secrets you’ve been keeping?” I tried to turn it back on him, hoping that Rowen would see through the lies.
Tension thrummed heavy in the room. Jett shifted uneasily from foot to foot. Rowen stared hard at Arrow, and the two of them shared something unspoken and unknown to the rest of us.
“We have a show to play,” Rowen said before turning on a heel and storming from the room and down the stairs.
I watched him go, feeling a weight sink like a stone in my gut. Arrow turned to me with a scowl and snarled, “I hope you’re happy, Spike. You just fucked everything up.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Me?” Appalled, I wrestled the urge to throw another punch at him. My hand still throbbed. “You’re the one who’s been lying to him all along. This is all on you, Arrow.”
I didn’t realize how close my anger had brought me until Dash pushed his way in between us. His hand on my shoulder brought the sinking sensation of being pulled under water, unable to resurface. My instinctive reaction was to fight against the awful feeling. The force burst from me, needing no guidance. A bright white flame surrounded me in a protective glow. Dash recoiled, hissing like a pissed off cat.
“I’ll be watching you, Ember.” He emphasized my real name, ensuring I knew that he’d been gathering info on me. “An undecided can’t help another undecided. You’re just as fucked as he is.”
I didn’t give him a chance to continue his threat. Grabbing ahold of Jett’s arm, I dragged her along beside me as I rushed after Rowen. He wasn’t safe. Arrow had led Dash right to him, and though nothing had happened, yet, I knew that it would. It always did where demons were concerned.
The second band was starting their set when we got downstairs. The vibrant blue of Rowen’s hair caught my eye, and I waded through the crowd headed for the stage.
“You go ahead,” Jett said, pulling away. “I’ll keep an eye out for Arrow.”
The bass thundered in my ears as Sacred Stone gave it their all. It drove me on as I dodged bodies. I caught up to Rowen before he reached the table where Sam and Greyson sat chatting and laughing with a few groupies.
I grabbed his arm, demanding his attention. “Rowen, please. Hear me out.”
His fiery eyes blazed. Shoulders rigid and jaw tense, he looked fierce and tormented. “I don’t think this is really the right place for this, Spike. Can we talk about this later?”
“No, I need to say this now. I didn’t tell you about the picture because I didn’t want to start shit between you and Arrow. And I didn’t tell you so many other things because it’s not my place, it’s his. Please believe that I would never do anything to screw you over.” I had to shout to be heard over the music, but right then I barely noticed the band. All I could see was that skeptical look on Rowen’s face, and it was more than I could stand.
His expression softened. “I believe that, but I don’t know who I can trust right now. It’s starting to feel like my entire life has been a lie.”
I wanted to tell him that I understood, but I didn’t understand. My mother had never hidden the truth from me. Maybe Rowen’s mother wouldn’t have let him be raised in ignorance if she’d known it would lead to this, but it was too late for maybe.
“I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have been like this. You deserve to know the truth about everything. But only Arrow can give that to you.” I would be crushed if he believed Arrow’s lie, but Rowen’s safety meant more than my personal comfort.
Rowen pulled me in for a hug, and a deep sigh escaped me. “I know you didn’t sleep with him. I just wish I knew why he’d want me to think so. I need to talk with him after the show.”
Cinder had told me once that everyone has an angel. Unseen and unacknowledged, they work hard behind the scenes to protect and guide their charges. So where was Rowen’s angel now?
“You might not be able to trust him to tell the truth. But I hope for your sake that he chooses to do the right thing.”
A melancholy wistfulness crossed his face, creating a yearning in me that was so new and raw. Falling in love came at a price for our kind. Cinder’s warnings echoed in my memory. It made so much more sense now.
“That’s the problem with Arrow,” he said. “He rarely does the right thing.”
“I noticed.” I held tight to Rowen, not wanting the hug to end. My cheek was squished against his shoulder, and I paid little attention when a giggling gaggle of girls jostled us on their way to the front of the stage.
Eventually we retreated to the table where Sam and Greyson sat, doing their best to impress their lady friends. Rowen made a solid attempt to act as if nothing had occurred upstairs, and his buddies seemed to be none the wiser.
I couldn’t stop myself from looking for Arrow and Dash. But neither one of them made an appearance. Arrow was probably primping for his show, trying to hide any telltale signs of the punch that his pretty face had taken. Or maybe he was in deep thought somewhere, working up the courage to face his brother. One could hope.
“And that’s when Arrow took a piss off the side of the stage.” Sam cackled, telling yet another ridiculous Molly’s Chamber story that had the ladies wrinkling their noses and laughing. “So we have a lifetime ban at that joint.”
“Yeah, but that was nothing compared to that time Slick here took a dive off the stage.” Greyson joined in with a deep laugh, pointing to Rowen. “Landed right on his face. Blood everywhere.”
“That’s why drugs are bad,” Sam said, nodding in mock seriousness before dissolving into a throaty chuckle.
Rowen shook his head and mustered a snicker. “You guys are blowing my good guy image. Spike’s going to think I’m a fucking maniac.”
Listening to the boys tell stories brought to mind the many memories I’d made with the girls, many of which were a blur now. The rock scene had a way of doing that to you. It got inside you and forced out the inner parts that you would rather keep hidden. And the only way to deal with the exposure of your artistic side was to drink or drug yourself stupid. Eventually, that all has to end, preferably by choice rather than by death.
Sam’s dark eyes glittered, and his lips pulled back in a wide grin. “I bet Spike has some stories that would make ours sound PG. Don’t ya? You girls have gotta be wild.”
With a coy smile, I said, “You have no idea. But you’ll have to wait for the book. I’m sure there will be one some day. Knowing Jett, she’ll be able to write her own in no time.”
Scanning the busy night
club for Jett, I spotted her purple hair in the crowd where she was dancing up a storm. Normally I’d be right by her side, drinking and partying. I didn’t feel normal anymore. Things were changing fast.
Sacred Stone finished their set, ending on cheers and screams that made me worry a little. Tonight the final two bands would be announced. They would face off next weekend. If we didn’t make it, Jett would totally unravel. I could see it already.
“I guess this is where I leave you. For now.” Rowen kissed me and stood. “Wish us luck.”
“Are you kidding?” I laughed. “I hope Arrow forgets every lyric and bombs the entire performance. But good luck.”
“Crimson Sin and Molly’s Chamber,” Sam proclaimed as he shoved his chair back. “You just wait and see. We’re going head to head next week. Mark my words.”
The guys left to go prepare to be the final act of the night. I sat alone at the table with a knot in my stomach. It should have been a fun night. It was a great opportunity for every band competing. Yet all I could think about was Dash and his unhealthy interest in Rowen. Arrow had led the demon right to his brother. Someone would pay the price.
“Can I buy you a drink?” Koda slid into the seat Rowen had just vacated. Without waiting for a reply, he held up a hand and immediately a waitress appeared.
“Raspberry vodka and sprite,” I said grudgingly. Koda was not someone I especially wanted to see just then, but perhaps he could be helpful. “What are you doing here, Koda?”
He somehow managed to look both amused and offended. “Is it wrong to want to support you on such a big night? I saw you play earlier. You were fascinating.”
Fascinating? I wasn’t sure I liked that word choice. For demons fascination often meant obsession. Knowing Koda had watched unseen bothered me more than it usually would. Dash had stolen my focus. I’d been so aware of his attention that I’d been unaware of Koda lurking among the crowd. Damn demons. So easily illusive and deceptive. Even though I could see them when others could not, I was still human enough to be fooled.