Shadow & Flame - Part Two: The Collective - Season One, Episode 9

by Elias Raven

  “You don’t want to relax? “ I asked.

  “Royston you know me. Besides Rhi and Elias are sitting at the piano playing “The Lovers.” Rhi wants Elias to duet with her on the song when we play it at today’s gig. He’s never heard the song before.” She replied.

  “Well thank you my dear, this will go quickly then.” We busily set to work and before long the quiche was baking in the oven and the fruit tray was chilling in the refrigerator.

  I made Potatoes O’Brien as a side along with croissants to round out the meal. I grabbed a bottle of Tabasco sauce out of the door and set the dining room with Misty. I could hear Elias and Rhi trading vocal lines. They actually sounded quite good. I don’t think the song had ever been done as a duet. Hopefully the fans would appreciate the newer version.

  The oven timer went off and I retrieved the quiche from the oven. It was perfect. I set it on a rack and allowed it to cool before taking it out into the dining room.

  “Hey, breakfast!” Misty said to them.

  I just shook my head. I was going to have to go over the finer parts of dining with her at some point. One doesn’t sound like a New York Cab driver during certain functions. Misty could care less.

  We sat down to eat and the conversation turned light and comforting. About midway through the meal Elias’s phone chimed. He looked down and read the message.

  “I was wondering now that all of you have gotten your beauty sleep, if you wanted to stop by my place so we can caravan down to Napa. I was thinking we could check out the place and fuck around before the show?” He read to us.

  We all laughed. Elias typed in a quick response that he read aloud to everyone.

  “Told him we will be there in thirty Asshat!”

  Elais’s phone chimed again. He read the response aloud while everyone chuckled.

  “Fucktard!” was the one word response.

  Chapter 11

  ~East Coker~

  O dark dark dark. They all go into the dark,

  The vacant interstellar spaces, the vacant into the vacant,

  The captains, merchant bankers, eminent men of letters,

  The generous patrons of art, the statesmen and the rulers,

  Distinguished civil servants, chairmen of many committees,

  Industrial lords and petty contractors, all go into the dark,

  And dark the Sun and Moon, and the Almanach de Gotha

  And the Stock Exchange Gazette, the Directory of Directors,

  And cold the sense and lost the motive of action.

  And we all go with them, into the silent funeral,

  Nobody's funeral, for there is no one to bury.

  I said to my soul, be still, and let the dark come upon you

  Which shall be the darkness of God. As, in a theatre,

  The lights are extinguished, for the scene to be changed

  With a hollow rumble of wings, with a movement of darkness on darkness,

  And we know that the hills and the trees, the distant panorama

  And the bold imposing facade are all being rolled away-

  Excerpt from Four Quartets by T.S. Elliot

  Genevieve~ The drive to Napa was beautiful. It had been ages since we had been to the wineries. We had gone with Elias’ parents back when we were in college. It was a pleasant memory of a bygone era.

  This event was a little more upscale, luckily I had packed accordingly when we had left and had a beautiful white cocktail dress to wear for Elias. I know my man had packed a gun metal gray suit with black button up shirt and matching tie for the after party. The look was going to be hot.

  I think the boys had decided to go classic rock for the stage look. Blue jeans and boots, v neck tee’s and sun glasses. It was always fun listening to them go at it. It was like they had both found their youth again and there was a look in their eyes and a smile that I hadn’t seen in years. Elias glanced over at me and smiled as we drove, his hand naturally slipping to my leg and squeezing, stroking the soft skin. He knew it drove me crazy ever since we reunited the day I had landed in LAX. My body responded to his touch immediately. He just had to look at me with his smoldering eyes and I was soaked in seconds. He had such an effect on me.

  We were all carpooling out of Sausalito. Royston had texted the address to Forest’s place, so Abel was leading the charge up the 101 N. Gia sent us a group text message that traffic was awful and we would be detouring around. Patience was not one of Abel’s strong suits, but with his whole family in tow, I couldn’t blame him. An hour drive taking two, three or more hours can wear on you if the baby starts fussing. I couldn’t get over that Abel was a father. The role suited him well. He had truly become a protector and guardian and he took the role very seriously.

  Elias had messaged Khyentse before we had left, so our security detail would be stashed somewhere around keeping an eye on things. We hadn’t told Abel the extent of the shit that had gone down yet and he knew Elias had security lurking, but we kind of left it unsaid as to where they were. It was better that way. I’m sure the two of them were going to have a heart to heart at some point, but even after living through what had happened, I sometimes had trouble wrapping my brain around what Elias had become. It was like right out of a comic book.

  Khyentse had gone to a lot of trouble to make it look like Elias was still at the Mesa compound or traveling to Los Angeles. He had even hired a double to fill in so the cameras would see what looked like my honey going to work, getting out of limousines and doing the day to day shit. It was all carefully orchestrated, but after our vacation we were going to have to deal with Qaylin and his mother again. Better for them to think things were normal and we had just beefed up security, then to come here and make another attempt at taking me. I was grateful for the illusion of normalcy that we were having together.

  Elias popped a CD into the rental cars changer and before long the opening track from Shadow & Flame’s debut album came on. The album was really beautifully crafted. Rhianna was an exceptional songwriter, but her band is what really made the whole album shine. The opening track “Tear Down The Walls” was heartfelt but left you wanting more. You could tell it was written by someone that had a lot of bad relationships. I know the fans thought it might be a reference to Governments sealing borders with their neighbors, but Rhianna never struck me as someone that would be that political.

  I knew a bit about Misty and Rhianna’s past and how they had finally settled and really fell in love with each other. The second track “The Rising” was a chugging thundering exclamation point of music that powered the heart and soul. It was about not letting someone keep you down. It almost had a Springsteen kind of feel to it.

  Elias drummed the steering wheel while his fingers slid up my dress and found my inner thigh. I could tell he was going to keep me dialed up fully before the show. I let out a small moan and pushed forward with my hips. He reached up and cupped me through my thong as the keyboard and guitar started for the band’s song “The Lovers.” It really was beautiful as he teased my wetness, but wouldn’t slide my panties aside and give me relief. He loved being in control of my body and I loved giving it to him.

  The words were like springtime, like new love in bloom. I know it sounds poetic, but Rhianna really poured her heart into the track. I’m sure Misty had something to do with it. The track wove in and out from soft to soaring with the vocals and instruments building to a nice crescendo then falling back into the melody and verse. It was a brilliant bit of songwriting, the lyrical quality reminded me of ABBA back in their hay day.

  Elias’s fingers pressed down on my pussy teasing me even more. I moaned loudly then he cupped me again glancing down at me and smiled.

  “Don’t worry G, I will take good care of you later, I promise.” He said.

  “Baby!” I said. My pussy was aching for more of his attention. I slid down in the car seat. He smacked my thigh and told me to sit up.

  “We are in wine country already and I don’t want you to miss out. It’s ch
anged quite a bit since we were here.” He said smiling.

  I begrudgingly obeyed. I knew he would paddle my ass if I got to out of hand. Come to think of it, a good paddling would feel good right about now. I let my mind play with the thought as I pulled my dress down and peered out the windows. He was right, it was beautiful. Wineries lined both sides of the highway with the grape vines climbing the beautifully terraced hills. Some of the vineyards were in the flat of the valley others on the terraced hillsides. It was still winter, so the vines had not leafed out or blossomed yet. I always liked seeing the vines in bloom. Elias hit the turn signal and we exited the two-lane highway then turned onto a side road following Abel’s lead. Rhianna and Misty were in the SUV behind us and Royston was bringing up the rear in the tour bus with Jez and Ace.

  We drove up the road and saw a set of large steel gates. It almost looked Victorian or English.

  “What is this place? I don’t recall ever seeing this winery when we toured Napa last time?” I asked.

  “It’s called Damien’s Cellars. It’s a private winery.” He replied.

  “Oh? So they don’t sell to the masses?” I said demurely.

  “I don’t know that much about Forest. Remember we are coming as guests with Rhianna. I’m sure Royston knows the lowdown on this guy. I could have Khyentse run a full background check on him through the public channels, but Royston will know what’s not available if you’re curious, but I’m sure they will be serving wine for you to sample baby?” he replied with a smile on his face.

  I playfully pinched his side.

  “Smart ass! I was just curious!” I replied.

  The road changed from asphalt to gravel to pea gravel. We crested a rise and we both gasped at the beauty of the vineyard. Mustard was in bloom, the bushy plant filling the space between the rows of vines to keep the weeds out. At the head of each row, beautiful rose bushes displayed their blooms. It was absolutely stunning the colors that were on display. Between the yellow of the mustard and the red and white of the roses, it really was an eloquent display of landscaping. I was going to have to ask Forrest who did the work for him. Maybe they could come down to Mesa and do something similar at Elias estate.

  With the tires crunching over the crushed gravel, we continued around the perimeter of the palatial estate and stopped in a parking lot out back filled with luxury cars. Forest had sent Royston directions, I’m sure he had sent them to Abel. The lot was filled with Bentley’s, Porsche’s, an Aston Martin here, a Porsche Pan America there, A Ford GT 250 was boxed in by two Lamborghini’s and A Ferrari. Add in Mercedes Benz, Maserati’s, the ever present Jaguars and of course a Vintage Bugatti from the 40’s all in black with walnut trim. There was a lot of space between each car to prevent damage I’m sure. Every car sparkled like a diamond, the detailing was flawless. One of the attendants directed Royston and the tour bus off to a separate area. Golf carts with trailers were already waiting to move equipment. I let out a low whistle and grabbed Elias hand before we got out.

  “This guy doesn’t miss a beat honey.” I said.

  We joined up with Rhianna and Misty and walked over to Abel’s SUV. He hopped out looking at the place.

  “Dude, this guy's got serious coin. This place is like wow and he might have a play area downstairs? I can hardly wait to peel my eyes back and see what his idea of a good time is!” he said raising an eyebrow and looking at both of us smirking.

  Gia came around with Chance and the baby as Misty and Rhianna walked up.

  “So what do you think?” Rhianna asked.

  “I think this is going to be one of the nicest gigs you are ever going to play Rhi.” Elias said.

  Abel rubbed his fingers together.

  “Normally these gigs are serious coin. We’re talking more than you would make on the door at any given show!” he told Rhi.

  Rhi smiled at Abel as Misty slid her arm around her girl.

  “Let’s go find where we are supposed to be, but judging by those tents over there that would be a good place to start.

  An attendant led us over to the carts and we all hopped in. Royston was already handling the movement of our gear to the stage.

  “I’ll meet you there!” Royston yelled to us.

  Rhianna and Misty gave him the thumbs up and we were soon making our way to the tents. We arrived just in time to hear the band “Angel Fire” take the stage. The sound was spot on; as we exited the carts they tore into their set.

  We all gathered together before heading into the tents. Abel leaned over and whispered to us.

  “This dude has some clout Elias. Angel Fire is a large venue band now. They don’t do small gigs. They’ve been on top of the charts over the last few years and they’re one of the hottest rock bands working the circuit. I’m talking thirty, forty to fifty thousand seat venues and huge festivals.” He said to us.

  “I’m no slouch, I still sell out everywhere I play, but you have to be cha ching popular with everyone to pull out that kind of crowd,” he rumbled.

  We walked into the tent and to something unexpected. The stage wasn’t some little affair; we’re talking full size arena stage with everything. Ramps, amps, effects, lights. The tents formed a semicircle with the stage in front and chairs neatly lined radiating outwards. There was an open dance floor right in front. Kids held up cell phones recording as the band tore into their main hit “Hearts Insanity!”

  It had been all over the radio and MTV and VH1 I mean the band was worldwide famous, not local. Blaze and Spike were tearing up the guitars, their keyboardist was laying down a haunting melody and the drummer was a whirlwind of pounding motion. The crowd though small was making it up in enthusiasm. The teenagers were losing their minds taking pictures and recording and singing along. We watched from the back partaking on some of the food, a waiter came by offering chilled wine. Another came by with cold beers. We grabbed refreshments as Royston right on cue joined us. He pointed to a blocked off area of the stage with a tent entrance.

  “Whenever everyone is ready we can go through there. The sound crew is top notch; they got us setup in record time. When it’s time to hit the stage, we’ll be ready. I already moved your guitars to the racks. Ace and Jez are making final adjustments; we literally will just roll our gear out, plug in and go.” He said.

  We all nodded as a big lumbering tower of a man came walking over to us. The man towered over all the men; he could have been a Viking. He extended his hand and introduced himself.

  “Thank you for coming down, I’m Forest Summers. You must be Rhianna and Misty,” he exclaimed and shook their hands.

  I looked at Royston who smiled.

  “I gave Mr. Summers our guest list everyone.” He exclaimed.

  Forest walked over to Abel and Elias and grabbed their hands. The man was massive with huge hands that almost looked like bear paws.

  “It’s an honor to have you both here. Abel, I’ve been a fan of your music for years, both with Metal Insanity and with Lethal Abel.” He said shaking Abel’s hand. He introduced himself to Gia and Mia and Chance. He had an easy way about him. He was hard not to like. He turned to us.

  “Elias, I am very familiar with your work with Metal Insanity and I knew your father Jared as one of my competitors. I’m sorry for your family’s loss and at his passing. He was always a shrewd businessman. I truly hated having him across the table to negotiate against. Don’t get me wrong, it was a friendly rivalry, but you would swear you were haggling with the tax collectors in Jerusalem back in the day. He knew how to swing a deal and make a profit.” He said smiling.

  Elias and Forest shook hands and then turning to me he gently lifted my proffered hand up to his lips and kissed it gently before greeting me in French. The man was very smooth and he did his homework. I’ll give him that. Elias’s hand never left my back.

  “I’m very familiar with your body of work Madame.” He said kindly.

  “I’ve been in attendance at more than one of your fashion shows when you have walked down
the runway.” His eyes never left mine.

  “Why thank you. That is most kind and it’s always a pleasure to meet a fan.” I replied returning the gaze. He turned back to Abel and Elias.

  “I hope with both of you here that maybe you will grace us with a few tunes from when you two played together? I really want to thank you all for coming down to support the cause against human trafficking. In this day and age, it is something that should be long gone by now it is an issue that is near and dear to my heart!” he told us.

  We all agreed and finished our introductions and then Forest spotted some more of his friends coming into the tent. Mr. Summers graciously excused himself and continued playing host.

  Royston nodded, and a man standing next to Forest started in our direction. He had an important vibe to him, but unlike Forest I couldn’t put my finger on why. As the gentleman got close Royston gestured to Rhianna and Misty.

  “Derek is headed this way.”

  The girls straightened as Derek joined our circle.

  “Thank you for coming today, please make yourselves comfortable. As you can see Royston, Forest took all of your suggestions to heart and the sound and lighting system is top notch. I have to tell you there are a lot of excited fans here to see you. Sally has no idea what is coming. She’s beside herself right now.” he said.

  “We are happy to oblige Derek. Not to cut this short but we need to head backstage to get ready for our set. Thank you again for asking us to play. It is indeed a worthy event for charity and coming to play is the least we can do to help you raise funds.” Royston replied smoothly.

  Derek nodded and headed back to where Forest stood and we made our way to the side of the stage past dark suited security guards and walked along the side of the stage as Hearts Insanity was rolling into their finale.

  “We’re up after Beneath The Burn!” Royston yelled.

  We waited watching the number one band in the country if not the world tear through their encore with practiced ease. The kids were jumping up and down like they were on pogo sticks. The girls were screaming at the top of their lungs. Rhianna and Misty crossed their arms. Abel leaned over and spoke to everyone.