Immortals And Melodies (Blood And Guitars #2)

by Heather Jensen

  “I wish I could believe everything you say,” Damir said. “But I’ve seen this human pet of yours. I’ve seen the way you look at him. I’m not convinced you won’t do something foolish under the pretense of keeping him around a little longer.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked.

  “I’m assigning an Emissary detail to you until this clears up.”

  “A what?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Damir you can’t be serious. I thought you weren’t into baby-sitting, and now you want-”

  “What I want is to keep the Synod Elders happy,” he stated simply. “That is my decision.”

  The thought of having a member of the Emissary follow me everywhere I went was maddening. Surely there were worse things in the world, but just then, I couldn’t think of any. “For how long?” I asked, knowing there was no use in arguing.

  “Until I feel you’re no longer a threat to other vampires,” he said snidely.

  I wanted to point out that he was just trying to make my life a living nightmare because I put a big fat shiner on his ego after I’d turned him down for the umpteenth time and chosen Trey. I wanted to say a lot of things that would have only made it worse, but instead, I bit my tongue. I really had been doing a lot of that lately. Besides, he wouldn’t be able to justify leaving an Emissary detail on me after Trey was changed at the next full moon. That was only four nights from now. I’d just have to deal with it until then.

  “If that’s all you need from me, I’ll be going now,” I said, forcing my voice to stay level.

  Damir gave me a sickeningly sweet smile that made me want to tear his lips off. “That is all.”

  I made my way back up the stairs as Damir was assigning one of the Emissary the first watch. I was fuming by the time I made it back to my car. As I drove to Antonio’s, I was very aware of the car that was trailing a half a block behind me.

  Chapter 17

  Trey

  THE PAIN IN MY shoulder ebbed slightly as Antonio laid his hand there and focused his energy on the area.

  Breathe, Trey.

  It was Antonio speaking in my mind. I didn’t realize that I’d been holding my breath, but I exhaled slowly and focused on the intense, but not unpleasant, warmth that seemed to weave in and out of the muscles in my shoulder. It took a little longer than the time he’d healed the cut on my forehead, but not much.

  “There,” Antonio said, pulling his hand back. “I’m afraid healing never was my forte, but that should help somewhat.”

  “Thank you,” I said, looking him in the eye. I tested the weight of my arm, lifting at the shoulder and was glad to find that my range of motion was significantly improved, even if the pain refused to yield much. I could handle pain.

  “Pretty cool, huh?” Beck asked from a chair near the fire place. The three of us were seated in Antonio’s living room awaiting Aurora’s return.

  “Very cool,” I agreed, making a fist and releasing it. “It’ll be nice when I don’t have to rely on my girlfriend to fight my fights for me.” Antonio just smiled, but Beck was smirking. “What?” I asked him.

  “Nothing,” Beck said, grinning. “It’s just that I don’t see Aurora backing down from a good fight either way. She doesn’t strike me as the type.”

  “You’re right about that,” I conceded as I slid the sling from my arm. Antonio’s phone rang, and he politely excused himself from the room to answer it. I pulled my own phone from my pocket and checked the time. Aurora had been gone for almost forty minutes now. I sighed and Beck looked at me sympathetically.

  “I’m sure everything is fine,” he said.

  I nodded. “Yeah. I’m just not used to feeling so helpless. Like tonight, nothing against Antonio or anything, I just feel like he’s having to-”

  “Baby-sit you?” Beck offered, forcing a smile. I met his gaze and realized that he probably understood how I felt better than anyone.

  “Something like that,” I managed. Despite my feeling completely useless, the night hadn’t been a total waste. I’d taken the opportunity to get to know Antonio better and let him get to know me. I even mustered up the courage to ask him something I’d wanted to ask for a while.

  “So, any specific reason you’re so anxious to get that sling off?” Beck asked me, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “You mean aside from the fact that it puts a cramp in my lifestyle?” I teased. I looked down at the sling, now sitting in a little heap next to me. “We’re shooting a video in three days,” I said. “I don’t have time to be hurt.”

  “That’s a good reason,” Beck said, grinning at news of the video. “Think you’re up to it?”

  “Doesn’t really matter.”

  “It must be hard sometimes, juggling the band with all this vampire stuff.”

  “Some days more than others. After this weekend, I expect it might get even crazier.”

  “You mean after Aurora changes you?”

  I nodded. “We’re going to tour with the new record, and I just worry about how I’m going to keep everything from the guys. I don’t know. Maybe being like Aurora – like you – will help in that aspect. If I put on a good enough show, maybe no one will notice.”

  “There are some definite advantages that come with the lifestyle,” Beck agreed. “But I’ve seen you on stage before, and you don’t need them.”

  I was about to tell Beck that having him around was good for my ego when the front door opened and Aurora walked in. I sighed a breath of relief and got to my feet, noticing that she didn’t look too happy as she crossed the room.

  “Hey,” I said.

  She took one look at me and her expression turned to one of concern. “Your arm,” she said. “Where’s your sling?”

  I pointed to the sling on the couch next to me and she raised an eyebrow in question. “Antonio healed me up a little,” I explained. “I’m not one hundred percent, but it’s an improvement for sure.”

  “Good,” she said. “The bruises on your face are gone, too.”

  I reached up instinctively to touch the skin under my eye. “They are?”

  “Where is he anyway?”

  “I’m here,” Antonio said as he walked back into the room. He gestured to the sofa and said, “Why don’t you tell us what happened at the meeting.” I sat back down, but Aurora ignored his invitation to sit and launched into an explanation of her conversation with Damir, pacing around the room as she spoke. “An Emissary detail is not so bad,” Antonio said when she’d finished, though I caught him glancing out the window in search of said detail.

  Aurora sighed in frustration. “Damir is just doing this to get even with me for, well, everything. He’s just jealous. It’s a total abuse of power.”

  “That may be true,” Antonio said. “Unfortunately there isn’t much any of us can do about it. He is the head of Emissary, childish or not.”

  Aurora shook her head and went to the window, moving the blinds enough for her to glance out. “Look at them just sitting out there like they aren’t invading someone’s privacy. It’s ridiculous. It’s driving me crazy already, knowing that I’m being followed.”

  I got to my feet and went to her, taking her hand in both of mine, successfully ignoring the pain that shot through my shoulder as I did so. “It’ll be okay,” I said as I stared into her worried green eyes. “A few more days, and this will all be over.” She didn’t say anything but responded by leaning into me, wrapping her arms around my middle. “Besides you get used to it. They can’t be worse than the paparazzi.” She couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her lips at my comment, and I kissed the top of her head, smiling. “We’ll get through this,” I added. “Just like we get through everything.” I tried not to think about how much this was going to complicate things tomorrow. It was one complication I definitely hadn’t seen coming.

  Aurora and I drove to my place and pulled her car into the garage. Neither of us got out of the car until the garage door had completely closed behind us. If the Emissary were going
to follow us around, we were going to give them as little to watch as possible. We went inside, and Aurora turned on some lights and ordered me upstairs to change into my swimming trunks.

  “Are we going for a swim?”

  “You’re going to soak your shoulder in the hot tub,” she said. “I have to call Mark but don’t worry. I’ll be right behind you. I promised him I’d tell him how the meeting went, but after dealing with Damir, I could use a soak in the hot tub, myself.”

  I changed and called O’Shea as I made my way out to the hot tub. He must have been bored out of his mind, because he insisted on coming over to check on me and drop Cowboy off. Maybe Cowboy had gotten a hold of his latest issue of Rolling Stones. The thought made me smile. I left my phone in the kitchen, flipped the switch that activated the jets, and sat down at the edge of the hot tub. I lowered myself into the water slowly, letting my body adjust to the heat as I went. I’d only been sitting there for a few minutes when Aurora walked in carrying two towels and wearing a black swim suit. I couldn’t help but smile at her. She looked amazing as she sank into the water next to me, closing her eyes as the water from the jets ran up and down the length of her back.

  “I’m glad I let you talk me into this,” I said.

  She smiled without opening her eyes. “Remind me again why we don’t do this every night.”

  “For the life of me, I can’t imagine.” We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, then she opened her eyes and slid closer to me. She turned her head and kissed my left shoulder before looking at me appraisingly.

  “How does it feel?” she asked.

  “I’m finally convinced it’s not going to fall off anytime soon,” I replied, smiling. “How’s that for an answer?”

  “At least, you’re honest.” She bit her lip in thought, and I watched her, patiently waiting until she was ready to share what was on her mind. “If only I had known ...”

  “Known what?”

  “I chose to read minds the last full moon,” she explained. “I thought it was best since I was dancing along the fine line that separates our worlds. I thought it would help me keep you safe. If I had known what I know now, and with Mark out of town, I might have chosen the healing ability.”

  I turned to face her and cupped her chin with my hand, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Don’t do this to yourself,” I said softly. “You couldn’t have known what would happen. And I’m sure your ability to read minds has done more to keep me safe than you realize. You can’t be everything all the time, and I’d never ask that of you.” She gazed at me through those 7-Up-bottle-green eyes, and I still saw questions there. “Look at me.” I pulled her hand tight to my chest so she could do more than just hear my heart beating. “Do you feel that? Every single beat is because of you. I have you to thank, and I will do whatever it takes to keep reminding you of that.” I lowered my head until our lips met. The kiss was salty-sweet, and Aurora responded to me immediately. I was thinking that it couldn’t get more healing than this when the doorbell sounded, and I moaned in complaint.

  Aurora smiled against my lips and said, “O’Shea is here.”

  “Are you sure?” I teased. “Maybe we’re just hearing things.”

  “He’s worried about you,” she added.

  I sighed. She was right, of course. Aurora climbed out of the water and grabbed each of us a towel. She wrapped hers around herself and went to answer the door as I dried off. I went back inside the house and heard the familiar sound of Cowboy's nails scraping on the stone floor as he ran around the corner to find me.

  "Hey, boy," I said, bending down to pet him. I couldn't help the smile that stretched across my face. I had missed the little guy. "Have you been a good dog for O'Shea?" I said as he licked my hand a hundred miles an hour.

  "He was fine," O'Shea said as he rounded the corner. "I think he missed you, though. He was a little nervous at my place."

  "Thanks for taking him," I said.

  "No problem. It was fun borrowing him for the night. But man, I think there's paparazzi parked on the street outside." He pointed over his shoulder toward the front of the house. "The dude in the car didn't seem interested enough in me to take a picture, but I guarantee he's got a big camera with him. Actually, I don't know whether or not to be offended by that or relieved that he's just after you."

  "You're relieved," I stated. "Trust me."

  O'Shea looked at me with an appraising eye, like he'd just seen something he should have noticed sooner. "Where's your sling?"

  "Oh ... that ..." I hadn't really thought about what I was going to tell him and the rest of the guys about my miraculous overnight half-recovery. "I don't really need it."

  O'Shea raised an eyebrow, disbelieving. "Trey, you can't be serious."

  "I am serious," I said, going to fridge to get us each a bottle of water. I forced myself not to wince as I twisted the cap off of one and took a swig. "Just like I was serious about everything I said at the hospital. We're filming the video this week.” I lowered my voice and added, “We're following through with tomorrow's plan, too."

  O'Shea noticed me glancing around for Aurora and added, "She said she was going upstairs to get changed." I set my water down on the granite counter top and looked at him. "Look, I get that you don't really need your arm for tomorrow's festivities, but you have to keep in mind the kind of damage you could do long term if you don't let yourself heal up."

  "You're right," I said, hoping to appease him. "The last thing I would want is to ruin my shoulder. We have a record to take on the road, and I'm not going to do anything that would compromise my ability to do my job." I sighed, wishing I could find the words he needed to hear from me. "I'm being smart about this. I promise. You just have to trust me on that." Just then we heard Aurora coming down the stairs. All I could do was plead with him silently to go with me on this. O'Shea looked hesitant, but he finally nodded just before Aurora came into the kitchen.

  "Is everything okay?" she asked as she went to the freezer.

  "Fine," I told her, smiling.

  She grabbed an ice pack and wrapped it in a thin kitchen towel before laying it on my shoulder. I held it in place with the other hand, and O’Shea gave me a smug smile.

  "Glad to see someone's keeping tabs on you," he said.

  "Someone has to," Aurora teased as she bent down and picked up Cowboy. "So boys, how do you feel about a movie night?" She asked. "I'll pop the popcorn." She grinned and I knew exactly what she was doing, and I loved her more for it. O'Shea was worried, but he'd feel better if he stayed long enough to realize that I was just fine. It wouldn't hurt that he'd get to watch Aurora dote over me for a few hours, too.

  "What do you say?" I asked him.

  O'Shea shrugged and said, "I could do a movie." I changed my clothes, and by the time I made it to my home theater, Aurora already had bowls of popcorn popped and cans of Root Beer for each of us. She put O'Shea in charge of picking the movie, and he was rummaging through my Blue Ray collection. "I'll never understand you guys and your strange fascination with Root Beer," he was saying to Aurora.

  "You don't have to understand it," she replied, popping the top on her can. "But if you diss it, you can't have any."

  "I see how it is," O'Shea teased. "I'm just not cool enough to be in on the joke." He put a movie in the player, and Aurora hit him with a piece of popcorn as he turned to sit down. "See, now you're just being wasteful," he said as he bent down and picked up the popcorn off the carpet where it had landed.

  "Ew," Aurora said as he popped it into his mouth.

  "What?" O’Shea looked all too innocent. "Ten second rule."

  "You can't call it being wasteful if you're going to eat it anyway," she added, laughing.

  I took my spot in the seat next to her and she popped open a can for me and set it in my cup holder.

  "Thanks," I said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

  "Um, hello? This is not a private showing," O'Shea pointed out as the previews began playing. I to
ssed my own piece of popcorn at him, chuckling as he searched the furniture for it.

  Chapter 18

  Aurora

  THE BLINDFOLD WAS FREAKING me out. I was so used to having supernatural eyesight that let me see in the blackest of nights that the absolute darkness was unnerving, to say the least.

  “We’re almost there,” Trey said, guiding me by the hand. “Just a little further.”

  At least he didn’t ask me to wear the blindfold until we lost the Emissary who had been tailing us. They’d find us again. We were sure of it, but it was nice knowing we’d gotten rid of them, even if it was only temporarily. The knowledge that it would upset Damir when he found out was just icing on the proverbial cake.

  I chewed my lip, trying not to complain. Instead, I focused on the scent of sea salt and the sound of waves rolling in the near distance. We were obviously at a beach, but what beach, I couldn’t say. Why we were here was an even bigger mystery. Trey had insisted on blindfolding me so it would be a surprise. It was like the whole thing had come out of nowhere. We’d spent the morning at The Waking Moon with Kacie getting the rest of my paintings online, and now I was wearing a blindfold and headed toward the ocean. I was getting used to the fact that things can shift that quickly with Trey. Our feet left pavement, and I felt sand giving way beneath my sandals as we continued forward.

  “Okay, you can stop here,” Trey said, his footsteps halting. Then he turned me around so the surf was at my back and untied the blindfold. It took a second for my vision to adjust to the brightness of the early afternoon sun. I could tell from the view in front of me that we were at Clearwater Beach near Pier 60. Rather than answering the questions that had been swirling in my mind, it just created new ones. Maybe we were here for the music video, but the shoot wasn’t supposed to be for two more days. Maybe we were having a picnic? He’d sure gone to a lot of trouble to keep me blind for a picnic. “You Only Live Twice” had been released to radio stations and on iTunes today, so that was something to celebrate. Maybe it was a picnic after all. Trey stood in front of me, gazing at me with intense, clear, blue eyes. His heart was beating faster than it should have been. I was more confused than ever when he took my hands in his, clearing his throat.