* * *
“I hope you like it,”Ava said, pushing open the door to the old carriage house on her family’s property. “It’s small. We had to work with the space we had.” She was nervous about this, worrying her lip between her teeth and picking at her cuticles. I wasn’t sure what was going on. We’d been told her mother was renovating this as an extra office. Clearly, we’d been misled.
Ava made Brandon, Pollux, and me crowd around the entrance before she flipped on the lights. A tiny space was bathed in light. In front of us was a workstation with an audio control surface. Behind that was a wall with a glass window looking into a room with microphones and instruments. You could still smell the scent of wood chips and fresh paint.
It was a recording space. I was… shocked. Not that she’d done this but by how it made me feel. Music was part of who I was but it had been maybe six months since I’d played. The last time had been before all my instruments were destroyed by the campground fire.
I wasn’t sure what had held me back since then. I hadn’t been affected by West Virginia as much as Ava and Brandon, yet every time someone brought up me playing or singing I shied away from it. Perhaps I had been affected more than I was willing to admit.
Ava stood there nervously, fidgeting, her eyes darting to me and Brandon. Pollux didn’t look surprised at all. He must have been in on it with her.
“I thought you both might enjoy playing again… “ she trailed off. Brandon was just standing there blinking at the room without reaction and Ava looked even more nervous because of it.
“You did this for us?” I asked. She nodded. Suddenly I couldn’t wait to play again, to write songs for her like I used to—even if she hadn’t realized they were all about her. The swell of inspiration rose up inside me. Ava squealed as I picked her up in my arms and I hugged her tightly.
“It’s amazing,” I said. My eyes snagged on something in the recording area. “What’s that?” I asked, setting her down and going through the doorway to the recording room. I swallowed as I walked up to the dark violin case. I kneeled down and snapped it open. The metal buckles clacked.
It wasmyviolin. I mean, it couldn’t be the real one, but it looked exactly the same. When I reached out and touched it, I felt a connection spark.
“Your father made it for you,” Ava said from beside me.
I ran my fingers down the neck and traced the curves of the violin’s body. Nokken were talented with all music and their magic infused with it all, but the violin was special for us. It was an instrument that we could harness like no other, infusing our magic into the very wood and strings.
Pollux dragged Brandon into the recording room. He kept standing there, looking around with wide eyes like a frightened rabbit. His mouth was cracked ajar, a sense of shock over him.
“I should have asked,” Ava said, taking his reaction as a bad thing. I wasn’t sure that was the case though.
Pollux snatched up an instrument left out on a stand and dropped into a chair. My head tilted in confusion to see him tuning a banjo. He plucked the strings and twisted the pegs until he got the notes on key with a deftness that surprised me.
“No,” I said in disbelief, laughing a little as I stood back up. His red eyes smiled at me as his fingers found their place. He began to pluck and strum with his blunt claws.
“Fuck, he can play,” Brandon said, finally coming out of his shock as bluegrass filled the room. Hecouldplay. His fingers moved madly as he played the fastest fucking song I’d ever heard on the banjo, something bursting with life. The notes went up and down then traipsed around. His boot lifted up and down, lightly tapping the floor in what had to be aprestissimotempo.
Brandon laughed, his face spreading in delight. He looked around the room again, thrusting his fingers in his long green mohawk as he took everything in. Pollux shot us all a wide smile as he finished out his song.
“Please don’t tell me Makwa plays something too,” I said. Ava’s eyes turned black suddenly. Makwa smirked while raising one eyebrow.
“Sorry boys, not my forte. However, if you’d like some catgut strings…”
“No,” I said quickly, unsure if he was joking. He snorted and then Ava’s eyes cleared. Brandon stomped over to her and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her clear off the ground before smacking a huge kiss on her cheek.
“No one’s ever done anything like this for me before. I can’t even…” he broke off in a laugh and kissed her again. This time it didn’t involve her cheek. Their lips crashed together, tongues battling as he slid her down the length of his body. When her feet hit the ground she grabbed his face and he grabbed her ass, his fingers denting her jeans as they moaned.
They were always like this. Anything could set them off like a flipped switch. I wasn’t sure if it was just them or something supernatural, but if they got a taste for each other it became hard to tear them apart. It was better to just sit back and see where it led.
I realized Pollux was looking at me, smiling.
“I’m not saying you guys have to make a band or anything,” Ava said once Brandon released her from the kiss.
“I want to,” he said, massaging his neck and looking over at me. His eyes darted to the drumset and he laughed in disbelief. “Fuck, I can’t believe you did this.” Then he was on her again and there was no doubt who’d be christening this room. I rolled my eyes.
* * *
Ava was right,the studio was small but we made it work. It didn’t have all the gadgets we’d grown used to but it was perfect for us.
For a while.
After soft releasing a new album we wanted to upgrade. Our new music took off, of course. As long as I was in the band, success was guaranteed. After all, my music was magic. Plus, it was inspired by the perfect muse, my mate.
