Immortals And Melodies (Blood And Guitars #2)

by Heather Jensen

  “Thank you,” he said. Antonio only nodded, picking up his glass again to drink.

  “I have to ask,” I said to Beck “Do you really not remember anything about the night you were changed?”

  “Nothing,” he said, pulling his eyes away from Trey to look at me. “It’s blank.”

  “If you don’t mind, maybe I can help pull something from your memory. Something that’s been buried deep.”

  He considered me for a moment and then shrugged. “Yeah. Okay.”

  Antonio looked at me, and I realized he’d known I would want to try to get inside Beck’s blocked memories. He was just as curious about how the new fledgling had been created as I was. He nodded his approval.

  “Just try to relax,” I said to Beck “Clear your mind.”

  That’s kind of hard to do when my idol is sitting across from me sipping a Root beer like he’s not surrounded by a bunch of vampires, me included, Beck thought. But then, he took a breath and let his mind go blank. Not bad for a newbie.

  I set my glass down and focused my power, feeling it buzz around me like static electricity. When I reached out to his mind, I found no resistance. I began combing through his memories, starting with the most recent and working backwards. He’d been spending a lot of time with the Emissary, Stanislav Vidic, in particular. They’d been quizzing him on his creation, about who he’d been associating with before he was changed. The Synod clearly wanted answers about the rogue fledglings more than anyone. But they hadn’t been able to gleam any answers. I watched through Beck’s eyes as he was brought to the hospital, as Mark had fought to save his life. Before that it was just blackness, like a giant empty void where the memories should be. I pushed at the blackness, feeling around it with my power and searching for a crack that I could break through to whatever was hiding inside. But the void was flawless. I moved beyond the blackness, to before it existed, and found Beck living the life of any normal twenty-year-old college student. He had friends, a girlfriend, and family living out of state. He also had ambitions of being a musician one day, though he’d never believed he was actually good enough. I saw him playing bass guitar in his dorm with friends. It was no wonder he recognized Trey immediately. He was a huge fan of Catalyst and their music.

  Poor guy. He’d lost everything. Unlike Trey who would get to continue his life and career path, if I had anything to do with it, Beck was starting over. I wouldn’t let that happen to Trey. No matter what.

  I released his mind, letting my powers recede. I looked at him apologetically, seeing Antonio’s disappointment, although he hid it well. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Whoever changed you is determined to keep it hidden. The memories aren’t just blocked, they’re gone.”

  Beck shrugged like this was old news. He already gave up hope on finding out who had taken his old life from him. Antonio, on the other hand, looked tired. He certainly had his hands full lately, what with Trey and I causing a scandal and now having to adopt a new fledgling into the brood. I felt bad for him, or rather, I felt bad for the chaos I’d caused lately. I guessed I was about to get a taste of his world. Creating another vampire is a huge responsibility, but I wasn’t just changing anybody. Trey was the love of my life, a companion to my tortured soul. Too much was at risk for me to make mistakes, yet I felt so ill-equipped. If anything went wrong ... No. I couldn’t think like that.

  Chapter 5

  Aurora

  “I NEED TO FEED tonight,” I said to Trey from the passenger seat of his Mazda. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and then looked at the road again.

  “Okay. How do we pull that off exactly? This shoot and press could take a while.”

  It was dusk and we were on our way to a photo shoot for the cover of the new single. Catalyst had a bunch of interviews to do, too, so Neon had consolidated it all into one big day. Some of the media would be interviewing the guys behind the scenes and getting a sneak-peak at the shoot.

  I sighed heavily, not sure how to explain what I had in mind. “I might have to feed at the photo shoot,” I blurted out. “There’s no way I can be around all those people all night and not do something about it.”

  Trey narrowed his eyes at me, but a smile was creeping up on him. “Okay,” he said after a moment. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”

  That should have made me feel better, but I still had no idea what I was going to do. I’d been trying to find a time to feed for the last two nights, but it just wasn’t easy when I needed to keep Trey near me at all times. I couldn’t just zip off and feed like I used to, and I definitely didn’t want Trey to have to witness the action. I put my head in my hands, trying to ignore the dry burning in my throat as he pulled into the parking lot at the gigantic mansion where the photo shoot was being done.

  “What am I going to do?” I asked, not really expecting an answer. He cut the engine and gave me an adoring look. I still have no idea how he managed to do that in the middle of a conversation about me drinking from someone.

  “You’ll figure it out,” he said. “You always do.” I stared at him, not as confident in my ability to problem-solve as he was. “Just do me a favor, and leave the photographer alone. This is going to take forever as it is.”

  I smacked him on the arm and he laughed. I opened the gull-wing style door, watching it rise before I climbed out of the car. We walked hand in hand into the house where Trey was met by someone from hair and makeup who immediately ushered us to a room on the first level of the house and ordered him to sit in a chair. O’Shea was in the next chair, having already begun his transformation into a zombie. I found a place to sit and enjoyed their banter back and forth.

  “Halloween is coming early this year,” Trey said, as the makeup artist set to work on him.

  “I never looked this cool on Halloween,” O’Shea said, checking out his reflection in the large mirror in front of him.

  Chase came in a few minutes later and Jonas was the last to saunter in. Now that all four of them were in their chairs, having makeup and hair people fussing around them and trying to perfect their zombie looks, I couldn’t resist pulling my sketch book from my bag. They weren’t your typical zombies, exactly. Because this photo shoot was for the cover of the new single, the photographer still wanted the guys to look hot. I hadn’t totally understood how that would work out at first.

  “Hey, I have a surprise for everybody,” Trey announced, getting the attention of his band mates. “It’s been a crazy few months and I just thought it might be good for us to have some fun as a band and do something crazy now that the album is done.”

  “Can we go bowling?” Jonas asked.

  Trey furrowed his brow at Jonas and said, “Whoa there, Jo. Let’s save the really exciting stuff for birthday parties, okay?” Jonas shrugged, and I smiled at him. “Actually,” Trey continued. “I had something a little more nature-filled in mind.”

  “I’m game for a little sun and fresh air,” O’Shea said. “What are we doing?”

  “We’re going shark diving,” Trey said. There was silence in the room for all of about five seconds before everyone chimed in all at once.

  “When do we leave?” O’Shea asked, his face lighting up with anticipation.

  “Are we going to the aquarium?” Chase asked.

  “You can get bowling balls with sharks on them,” Jonas said, not at all convinced that Trey’s announcement was good news.

  “No, we’re not going to the aquarium,” Trey said. “I booked us a trip off Palm Beach in six days.”

  “Do we have to use a cage?” O’Shea asked.

  “No, we’re free diving,” Trey said.

  “Do we have to wait six days? Can’t we go now?” Chase asked.

  “We’re sort of in the middle of something here, Chase,” Trey said, gesturing to his zombie face.

  “Touché.” Chase frowned but shrugged it off and said, “We have to take someone to video us.”

  “I’m working on that,” Trey said.

  “Remember
all those times we went diving for shark teeth off Venice Beach in high school?” O’Shea said.

  “I still have a massive collection of teeth,” Trey said just as the makeup artist said his makeup was finished. Trey jumped out of his chair and slowly made his way toward me, growling and dragging his left leg. I laughed and pretended to be scared, hiding behind my sketchbook. Then the guys were sent to the next room over to get changed. When Trey returned he was wearing an expensive designer suit

  “Seriously, what do you think?” he asked, straightening. I stood up and gave him the once over. The contacts they’d given him blocked out the blue of his eyes, whiting out the iris so you only saw a black rim and his black pupils. The makeup artist had made his skin a creamy white and used red on his eyelids and underneath to give them that hollowed out look. His lips were tinted grey and there were several thin scratches on his face and neck.

  “You look awesome,” I said. Zombies are not sexy, but now that I was watching the transformation, I saw that they were pulling it off nicely. “It’s like zombie-chic or something. You’ll probably start a fad. All the zombies will be doing it.”

  Trey grinned, his grey lips stretching into a twisted smile. The makeup artists had done a great job making them all look unique while giving them the same zombie-chic appeal. I snapped a picture of the four of them standing together on my cell phone just before the photographer came in to talk to them.

  Twenty minutes later, the guys were seated around a poker table, following the photographer’s direction as he snapped shots of them playing cards. I stood by, watching in mild fascination as my little zombies had their picture taken. A couple of entertainment reporters wandered in during the first part of the shoot and spoke with Neon about filming some behind the scenes footage. I ignored them for the most part, caught up in the view before me.

  When the photographer called for a break so he could set up the next scene, Neon called Trey and the guys over to speak with the reporters. They answered questions for the camera about the new album, their up and coming tour, and their zombie garb. People were running around like mad trying to set up for the next part of the shoot. It was like Trey stood in the middle of a tornado, completely unaffected by the craziness that surrounded him as he talked passionately about Catalyst’s music.

  I’m not sure why he caught my eye, but a guy about my age wandered away from the rest of the small crowd of helpers and headed down a hallway. The moon was out and my throat burned just watching him. This was my chance. I set my bag down on the nearest chair and followed him. I caught up quickly, letting my heels make noise on the dark wooden floor as I got closer to him. He glanced over his shoulder to look at me and I smiled, feigning relief.

  “Glad I caught up with you,” I said to him. “The director asked me to help you get coffee for the crew.”

  “Coffee?” he asked, but I heard more discontent in his voice than surprise. “He thinks I’m his slave.” I’d gleamed that from his thoughts already. I gave him an apologetic smile and his face softened. “Come on. The kitchen might have some.”

  I followed him to the kitchen, grateful that it was deserted. But I couldn’t take any chances, so I quickly opened the door to the large pantry and pulled him inside with me, closing it again.

  “What-”

  I didn’t give him a chance to ask questions. The second my fangs punctured the tender skin of his throat he quieted. I sent soothing images into his mind, relaxing him while his blood ran hot and sweet down my throat. It was strange feeding, knowing Trey and the other guys were in the same house. I was going to have to get used to it. This was part of my new life. I didn’t take much, just enough to satiate my thirst and bring clarity to my thoughts. Then I ran my tongue over the two tiny puncture wounds on the guy’s neck, healing them. I licked my lips clean of any trace of blood and watched him. He stood, glossy-eyed, for a moment and then his eyes cleared and he shook his head, looking at me in mild confusion.

  “Thanks for the tour, but I think we took a wrong turn,” I said nonchalantly. “This is a pantry or something.” He watched me curiously but didn’t say anything. “We’d better get back to the photo shoot. The director won’t be too happy if he realizes you’re gone.”

  That was all it took. With a startled look he hurried out of the pantry and took off running in the direction we’d come from. I sighed in content, happy to have my feeding out of the way. I took my time getting back to the other side of the mansion, enjoying the rush of power that I felt after ingesting the blood. Trey gave me a questioning look when I walked past him. He obviously noticed I’d been gone, but he didn’t ask why. He’d probably already figured it out. The director called for him and the other guys, and I followed as they made their way into the living room. They were instructed to gather near the fire place where the director took some shots of them hanging out.

  Then they moved to a large sofa. Trey sat down, making lounging look way too good, especially for a zombie. O’Shea sat, as well, and Jonas perched on the top of the sofa, his feet on the cushions. Chase stood off to the side. They looked intense. I might have believed that the zombie makeup helped, but it was easy to see that this was serious business for them, despite the crazy getup. I couldn’t see the pictures the director and his assistants were looking at in their viewer, but I knew they would be amazing. Another break, more press time, and then another scene shot out by the pool with the guys hanging out by the water. In essence, they were the perfect zombie rock stars, un-living it up in a mansion suited for Beverly Hills.

  Chapter 6

  Aurora

  EARLY THE NEXT EVENING, Trey, O’Shea and I took a trip to Pier 60. The director who would be shooting the video for “You Only Live Twice” a few days from now was sending someone over to meet with Trey and go over some details at the location of the shoot here at Pier 60. A seagull squawked overhead, gliding along the salty breeze and away from the end of the pier where we all stood. Vendors were set up all along the pier and tourists and locals wandered up and down, checking out the crafts and enjoying the street performers and live music from a band that had set up.

  “It seems like it’s been forever since we shot a video,” Trey said, taking his sunglasses off and adjusting his ball cap. He was lounging against the rail and looking back along the entire pier and the hustle and bustle of the crowd.

  “That’s because it has been,” O’Shea said.

  “I’m excited to watch,” I said, adjusting my scarf. “Even if you are going to be eaten by zombies.”

  “Be honest, that’s why you’re excited,” O’Shea added. “It’s the only way you could ever get rid of this guy.” He gestured to Trey with a nod of his head.

  “I think that’s her,” Trey said, and I turned to look in the direction he was staring. A brunette woman who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me was waiving as she approached us. She offered her hand to Trey when she reached us.

  “I’m Ashlee.”

  “Trey. Nice to meet you, Ashlee.” Trey shook her hand and then gestured to me. “This is my girlfriend, Aurora.” I shook her hand. “And this is O’Shea.”

  Ashlee shook O’Shea’s hand and then glanced around the pier. “Should we get started?” she asked, looking at Trey expectantly.

  “Absolutely,” Trey said. He turned to kiss me on the cheek and then put his sunglasses back on. “Be right back.” And with that, he and Ashlee started walking back down the pier. “I was thinking we should set up our instruments right here,” he began, pointing for her.

  “You’re not going with them?” I asked O’Shea, who stood watching with me, his black hair shifting in the breeze.

  “Nah,” he said with a grin, turning back around to stare at the ocean where the sun was sinking into the waves. I turned with him, enjoying the view of the waves and the horizon. “Trey has a mind for this sort of thing. He’s the creative one. Sometimes, I swear he’s writing up a treatment for a video while he’s writing the song. He’s crazy like tha
t.” I smiled, catching the pride in O’Shea’s tone as he spoke about his best friend. “It’s not just music videos,” he continued. “He designs the stages we use on tour and everything. I imagine he’ll be figuring that out next. He’ll probably want to enlist your drawing skills for it.”

  “O’Shea,” I said. “I want to thank you.”

  He turned to look at me, his dark brown eyes curious. “For what?”

  “For being so understanding about all the time Trey and I are spending together,” I said. “You’re his best friend. I know it can’t be easy having some girl come in and occupy his time.”

  O’Shea smiled, brushing his fist against my shoulder playfully. “I should be the one thanking you,” he said. O’Shea was a nice guy, but this wasn’t the response I’d expected from him. I narrowed my eyes in question. “The truth is,” he continued. “Trey has been more himself since you came along than he has in a long time. I don’t know what it is you’re doing-” He looked me up and down once. “I mean, I can guess, but-” It was my turn to smack him on the arm. He snickered, gazing out over the water again. “Well, whatever it is you’re doing, keep it up. You’re good for him.”

  When Trey and Ashlee had finished discussing the details for filming the music video, the moon was coming out. We all got in Trey’s Mazda and headed for O’Shea’s place. We hadn’t been on the road for more than five minutes when I felt the presence of other vampires nearby. A quick glance in the car’s side mirror revealed a big black SUV driving not far behind us. I didn’t want to alarm Trey if I was just being paranoid. There are lots of black SUV’s in the world, after all, and I couldn’t be certain the vampires I could sense were inside it. After the vehicle followed us through two turns, I started to worry. A quick glimpse into O’Shea’s mind told me he was preoccupied in the backseat with texting. He was texting Kacie of all people. How had I not realized they were staying in touch? I took a deep breath to clear my mind and touched Trey’s arm gently. He glanced at me as we pulled to a stop at a red light. I gestured behind us with a slight jerk of my head, and Trey furrowed his brow, checking the rearview mirror. He swore under his breath, and I heard his heartbeat quicken slightly.