Over a decade of gigging together, always on the move. Hundreds of nights just like this, with the air tasting of electricity and thousands of fans’ emotions flowing through me.
It’s still a heady rush.
“They’re ready for us,” Iri says. “Let’s fucking smash it.”
It’s short and sweet as pep talks go, but it’s all we need to hear.
And we do exactly that. We fucking smash it.
Sin’s creations are at work before the first note hits. The air fills with a confetti cloud which slowly cascades down from the sky, causing the crowd to go insane. When the confetti pieces reach them, they dissolve, dosing everyone they touch with a moment of sheer bliss.
I see the crowd closest to the stage closing their eyes and tilting their heads up with huge beaming smiles on their faces.
There’s one particular face I zone in on. A little half she-demon, wearing a bright pink wig and one of our tour t-shirts.
Elara.
She’s grinning widely with her eyes closed and then they open and I shoot her a little salute which she returns.
Front row tickets to tonight are the least we can do, since none of us will ever forget what she did for Sin in Meridian City.
The bliss on our audience’s faces fades as Iri and Cal start up a steady rhythm, pulling the crowd out of their heads and back into the room.
“Thanks for joining us tonight. We are Orpheus Underground,” I rasp into the mic. “We love you all. We appreciate you taking the time to be with us tonight. Now, let’s fucking go.”
The next couple of hours are a blur of sound and feeling. I alternate between slipping my cuff on and off, depending on whether I need to focus on the song or want to feel the rush of the crowd.
Sin’s creations are incredible. After our third song, there’s this kaleidoscope of color that seems to come from the front of the stage. It travels around the room, hitting each section of the crowd with a blast of sheer fucking joy that has people laughing in delight.
I glance at Dorian and he shoots me a massive grin as we watch the effects of Sin’s power hitting the thousands of people in the crowd.
My chest burns with pride over how incredible she is. How lucky we were to find her.
All those years of living by myself as a hermit and I never even dared to hope I’d find anything like this. A new family. A place where I feel like I fit so completely.
It used to be that gigs were where I felt like I belonged, but the crash once I left the stage was like dropping into an abyss I could barely crawl out of.
Then I met Sin and this sensation of joy and contentment carries into my life every day. It’s an absolute gift I don’t think she realizes she’s given.
I search her out in the crowd and can just make her out in the lighting booth, a massive smile on her face.
The slight tension in my shoulders drops.
She’s safe.
Happy.
Ours.
Safe to say the terror of that day in Meridian Square has taken a while for us to get over. But we’re moving forward. Together.
And holy hell, I’m in the middle of a song, but I’m getting emotional about how lucky we’ve gotten.
For Dorian, she sees him exactly as he is, instead of as the front he presents to the world.
With Cal, she accepts his protective instincts and every other part of him—no matter how frighteningly intimidating he mightlook on the outside. She’s never shied away from him because of who or what he is, and she’s driven to protect him when he needs it.
And for Iri, she’s there as someone equally competent and ready to take things on. She gives him a space where he doesn’t have to be the one taking care of everyone all the time.
