by Mia Taylor
But even as she thought it, Chloe was ashamed of herself. She was a grown woman. She didn’t need a babysitter.
“You look like you’re about to run out of here screaming,” Rhys laughed, appearing at her side, and Chloe exhaled in relief.
“What took you so long?” she almost screamed at him. His smile faltered slightly as he held up his hands.
“I just had to validate our backstage passes,” he said, sounding hurt by her tone. Chloe was far too stressed to feel contrite.
A part of her wanted to just hail an Uber and call it a night but after experiencing the concert, the idea of meeting Cypher Maison face-to-face was something she didn’t want to dismiss so easily.
Just take some deep breaths and calm your nerves. You’re overreacting.
“Chloe, are you okay?” Holly’s boyfriend asked sincerely. “You are really upset. Maybe we should just go home.”
He peered at her with pity-filled concern and Chloe was instantly defensive.
He’s looking at me like I’m some kind of freak. I don’t need him looking at me like that.
“I’m fine!” she snapped. “Where is Holly?”
“She’s waiting for us backstage. Come on.”
He eyed her uncertainly and Chloe loathed herself in that moment.
What is wrong with you? Keep it together. Is this how you want to meet Cypher Maison?
Suddenly Chloe wasn’t even sure she wanted to meet him at all.
I’m getting sensory overload. That’s all it is.
It was a condition she’d suffered since she was a baby. There was just too much happening around her and she was losing control of the situation.
Some people might call me a control freak, she thought, shaking her head at the foolishness of it all.
“I’m sorry,” she heard herself say to Rhys but he didn’t seem to heed her as he led the way toward where Holly was waiting. Chloe knew she was going to have to apologize to him later.
She measured her breaths as they entered the staging area and Chloe willed herself to behave like a normal person.
The bouncer eyed her speculatively.
“What?” she demanded, already on edge. She didn’t need another person eyeing her like she’d just escaped from the asylum.
“You got ID?” he asked and Chloe gaped at him.
“I’m not drinking,” she protested, laughing shortly. “I didn’t even know there was alcohol.”
“It doesn’t matter. You need to be eighteen to come backstage.”
Chloe’s mouth dropped even further. Now there was an age restriction for meeting the famous. Who knew?
“No ID, no access,” the guard insisted and Rhys nudged her in the ribs. Chloe could sense his annoyance with her.
“She has ID,” Rhys said. “Chloe, give him your ID. There’s a line forming.”
Quickly, she fumbled for it and handed him her licence. The bouncer studied it closely and then handed it back to her.
“Have fun,” he intoned without any emotion.
“I’ll try,” she retorted sarcastically but she knew he couldn’t hear her reply.
“There’s Holly,” Rhys said, pointing toward his girlfriend who waved them over.
“Oh, good. You were taking so long, I thought you were having problems getting in.”
Chloe eyed Rhys, half expecting him to rat her out but he only smiled.
“Nope,” he assured her. “No problems at all.”
Chloe cast him a grateful look and he offered her a small smile.
Okay, he’s not mad at me. That’s something.
That made her feel a little less crazy.
“Come on, let’s get a drink. The band isn’t out yet,” Holly said, leading Chloe toward a refreshment table as they wove through the small crowd who waited eagerly to see the players.
“I probably shouldn’t have a drink,” Chloe said. “I’m nervous enough—”
Holly thrust a beer into her hand.
“Live a little. For once in your life. At least tomorrow morning when you wake up pale as a ghost, you can blame it on the booze.”
Chloe reasoned that she could use some liquid courage if she was going to meet Cypher.
Taking a sip, her eyes darted around the area, hoping for a glimpse of her idol.
She couldn’t explain the effect that his voice had upon her but from the first time she’d ever heard Cypher Maison sing, she’d been convinced that he was somehow singing to her directly.
Of course she knew that millions of people probably felt that way and it was ridiculous to harbor such a schoolgirl crush on someone like Cypher Maison but no amount of logic could diminish the excitement she’d experienced in the concert.
It was the first time she’d ever seen him live and it was so much better than she had ever expected. If she’d thought he was singing to her before, she felt like she was a part of him watching his face twist with emotion as he whipped out his tunes.
It didn’t hurt that he was incredibly handsome and that she could stare at him for hours without ever getting bored.
No one knew that she sometimes pulled up pictures of him on the internet and stared into his eyes, trying to gauge exactly what shade of gray they were.
In certain lights, she caught hints of steel blue while other times they seemed like glistening hunks of coal.
A shiver of warmth slid down Chloe’s spine as she realized that she was about to see the truth about his eyes.
“There’s Fox Turner!” Holly cried, pointing as the bassist entered their line of sight.
A murmur of excitement swelled as people surged forward to attract his attention.
Chloe watched as he was swallowed up as quickly as he’d appeared and disappointment replaced her anticipation.
There was no way she would get within ten feet of Cypher, not when there were so many vultures hanging around.
You are one of the vultures, she reminded herself as another round of gasps filled her ears and the other members of the band began to circulate.
Chloe saw him then and her heart stopped as he seemed to look directly at her.
For a brief second, everyone seemed to freeze in place as time stopped and her blue irises met his wide eyes.
They are like nimbus clouds. Light gray with a hint of darkness around the edges. But I bet they change color with his mood.
A small, tentative smile touched the corners of his mouth as if he recognized her, but before Chloe could return his beam, he was gone, dissolved into a sea of scantily-dressed women, cawing his name.
“Whoa! Did he just smile at you, Chloe?” Holly chirped and Chloe’s face turned beet red.
“No,” she denied, not wanting to give herself false hope. “It wasn’t me he was smiling at.”
“Come on,” Holly urged, grabbing the smaller girl’s arm and pulling her forward. “Let’s go talk to him before he bows out. He’s notorious for sneaking out of these things in minutes.”
But Chloe held back, her feet rooted firmly in place as she saw her competition enveloping Cypher.
“You go ahead,” she mumbled, turning away. “I need some air.”
“What?” Holly exclaimed. “No way! Come on!”
But Chloe wrenched her arm back and shook her head vehemently.
“No!” she insisted. “I—I need some air.”
She bolted toward the exit sign, the feeling of suffocation overwhelming again as she pushed into the cool night air.
You are being absolutely ridiculous! she scolded herself with disgust. You’re jealous of women you don’t know because they’re surrounding your favorite musician. What are you, twelve?
“Stuffy in there, isn’t it?”
Chloe jumped as a figure emerged from the shadows, smoking a cigarette, and she chuckled shakily.
“Yeah, a little,” she agreed, looking behind her. They were the only two outside and her guard was suddenly up as he neared her.
He wore a simple black t-shirt and pair of blue jeans, just
like the other members of security, and he was certainly built like one of the guards but there was something about him which triggered Chloe’s Spidey senses.
She didn’t remember seeing him inside but that didn’t mean anything. She had been lost in her own head and the venue was huge.
Still, she didn’t see the white lettering which spelled “Security” on the back of his shirt which all the other bouncers seemed to have.
He’s trying to look like he belongs here but he doesn’t.
“I should probably get back inside, though,” she said, turning toward the fire door, a small shiver coursing through her body.
She was feeling extremely foolish as she realized the kind of predicament she’d put herself in. What had she been thinking wandering away by herself in a place like that? She watched Dateline. She knew the dangers.
The foolish feeling melted into concern when she saw that the door was locked.
“What’s your rush? You just got out here,” he said, ambling toward her, and Chloe was finding it difficult to breathe as he grew closer.
She banged on the door forcefully, hoping that someone was nearby and would come to investigate.
“My friends are inside,” she replied quickly. He was directly beside her now, his amber-brown eyes glittering with malice.
“They don’t seem to miss you now, do they?” he asked with a leer in his voice.
Oh my God… this is such a sick, disgusting cliché. A girl alone in an alleyway with a strange man…
“You look scared, honey. I’m not gonna hurt you,” he purred, his breath inches from her face and Chloe instantly tried to recall all the self-defense classes she’d taken in high school.
Of course, nothing instantly came to mind as she stood, paralyzed in fear, staring at him with wide, terrified eyes.
“You just gotta give me what I want.”
“No,” she whimpered, closing her eyes as if trying to ward off his impending attack. “Don’t do this.”
He reached forward and snatched the purse from her shoulder and instinctively, she pulled back.
The huge man gaped at her, his eyes glowing in the near darkness of the isolated laneway.
“Give it to me!” he growled, reaching for it again, and before Chloe could stop herself, she yanked back again. Her mind had not reconciled that it was a simple robbery that the man was trying to commit and nothing more. Her brain hadn’t connected to her body, telling her to just give up the purse and it would be over.
She was still convinced something worse was about to happen.
“Give it to me, you bitch!” he roared and suddenly it clicked with her but before she could throw the bag at him, his face contorted before her eyes. His nose elongated and widened, forming into his mouth and a bear’s snout appeared as he bared a terrifying set of gleaming, white razors from within his mouth.
A growl emanated from somewhere deep inside his barrel chest and he towered over her, fur sprouting from his massive arms.
Chloe gasped and choked, trying to scream but too horrified to make a sound as he lowered his face to hers.
“Give. Me. The. Purse.”
She didn’t even know from where the words erupted, for his mouth did not move from the menacing snarl.
Chloe closed her eyes again.
This is all a dream. A nightmare. When I open my eyes, it will all be over. I will be at home binge-watching Netflix and a bad movie will be on.
The beast unleashed an unearthly howl and Chloe’s eyes flew back open. The bear was flying through the air and for a second, she thought he had wings.
It was not until his body impacted a brick wall with a sickening thud did she realize that he had been cast aside like a rag doll.
Disbelievingly, she turned her head and gasped.
There was another bear in the alley, a gray one, bigger than her would-be assailant.
The new creature turned his majestic head toward her and Chloe released a strangled sob, crawling backward like a crab against the filthy ground. The skirt of her white dress rose and she tried to pull it down while escaping simultaneously.
She had not even realized she’d fallen in the middle of the action but she was in too much shock to notice if she was hurt. She could feel nothing but the blood surging through her veins at a violent pace.
As if someone was physically pulling on her head, she raised her head to stare at the gray animal looming nearby and waited for her fate.
Their eyes met and he bowed his neck.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, suddenly finding her voice. “It—it’s you!”
As if her words were magic, the furry form of the bear faded away and all that remained was a man with dark hair and stunning, stormy eyes, watching her pensively.
“I’m Cypher,” he said simply without coming closer and she nodded, her head dizzy with fear and awe.
“I know.”
He smiled at her tensely.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head and whipped her head back toward the fallen bear on the far side of the alleyway. Her expression of worry must have been clear.
“He’s not going to hurt anyone,” Cypher promised. “I doubt he’ll be stealing purses for a while.”
“Who—what—” She stopped to choose her words carefully. “What is going on? What did I just witness?”
He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
“What?” he asked innocently. “You’ve never seen a bear shifter before?”
Chloe fainted.
Chapter Four
Secret Disclosures
Cypher peered into the hallway, before pulling open the door with one hand and striding toward the dressing rooms, the redhead firmly in his arms. Impossibly, he was unobserved but he didn’t second-guess his good luck; it happened so infrequently.
He knew she would come around in a minute but he couldn’t risk anyone finding her before she did. He would have a lot of explaining to do if that happened and he wasn’t prepared to answer questions until he knew what she was going to say, if anything at all.
She’s the one. She’s the one I felt in here tonight.
The rest of the band was still mingling with the afterparty so the dressing room was empty and he lay the slim girl onto the sofa.
No sooner had he put her down than she start moaning softly.
Her cornflower blue eyes fluttered open and she sat up immediately when she saw the change of venue.
“Where am I?” she gasped, looking around with fear in her eyes.
“It’s okay,” Cypher assured her. “You’re still at the concert hall. You’re just in my dressing room. Just lay back until you catch your breath.”
She eyed him warily, shaking her ginger strands in confusion.
“I—I don’t understand what’s going on,” she murmured. “Are you going to hold me hostage? Because I swear I’m not going to say anything to anyone.”
Cypher cocked his head to the side and studied her face pensively with some amusement.
“You said you know who I am.”
“I do!” she replied quickly. “That doesn’t mean I’d—”
“I’m just surprised you think I’d have the time to deal with a hostage. My touring schedule keeps me pretty busy.”
Her eyes widened and Cypher could see she was not really in the joking mood.
“Are you going to kill me?” she whispered and Cypher had to laugh aloud.
“Wow,” he chuckled. “No. I’m not really one for performing murders either. You can go right now if you want. I just thought you might want to rest first.”
He sat back to show her that he was no threat to her. She rose uncertainly, her eyes fixed on his and he could see she wasn’t sure what to do.
“I won’t tell anyone,” she promised again. “I swear. I—I wouldn’t even know what to say anyway.”
“No one would believe you if you did,” he assured her.
She turned to stare at him fully, her chin quivering slightl
y, but there was less concern in her eyes than there had been seconds before.
“Do other people know about you too?” she asked curiously. “About your… ability?”
Cypher snorted and shrugged indifferently.
“There have been people who have seen it in the past, yes,” he replied. “But it’s been a long time since anyone tried to rat me out.”
He winked to take the sting from his words but she didn’t look comforted.
Is she always this high-strung or is it just the circumstances?
Cypher knew he was going to find out. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the one he was performing for that night. He had known it from the minute their eyes had met backstage, before he’d been consumed by the groupies.
It had taken him a few minutes to untangle himself from the group but as soon as he could, he instantly went searching for the girl who had suddenly disappeared.
Somehow, instinctively, he knew she was still nearby but he couldn’t seem to see her, no matter where he sought her and he had almost given up his search in exchange for the comfort of his home.
If she hadn’t pounded on the fire door, Cypher probably wouldn’t have seen her again but fate had a strange way of working itself out.
Cypher knew the bear he had defeated in the alleyway. It wasn’t his first encounter with the bully but he hoped it would be his last. It was the first time he’d fought the shifter on his own terms and he reasoned that the thief would think twice about showing his face around again.
But his immediate concern wasn’t the unconscious bear in the laneway. His attention was fully on the delicate, nervous redhead who seemed ready to flee but reluctant to leave.
“Do you have a name?” he asked gently, silently willing her to sit back down. “You know mine.”
Her rose petal lips parted as she stared at him with scared eyes.
“Chloe.”
Cypher offered her a warm smile.
“Are you here with friends?”
She nodded as if she didn’t trust her own voice.
“I’m having a party back at my house on Baker Beach. Would you and your friends like to come? It’s a little bit of a celebration.”
“What?”