Glaring at him, I walk over to Khol and let him tug me into his arms. Public displays of affection are hard for me, but Fer isn’t here and I refuse to admit I’m struggling with this. Fiadh Morgenstern doesnotget jealous and certainly not of bubble-brained rockstar groupies. A soft hiss by my ear distracts and I turn my head to look up at the basilisk. “What?”
His voice is a whisper against my ear when he replies, “You’re hot as fuck when you’re planning to gut people.”
How the fuck did he…
“I can feel it,” he responds to my inner thought with a wicked grin. “Which means Prince Prissy Pants can,too. I bet he likes it. Keep picturing the slow deaths of those chicks, and he’ll break it off to hide us away in that weird fucking tour bus.”
That gets a chuckle out of me, even though I know it was likely his goal. He’s not wrong about the two-tier, dark and sparkly vehicle that looks like an emo wet dream. It’s in the band’s colors and expertly painted to draw every ounce of attention possible while announcing the royal rocker. If Fer were here, she’d laugh her ass off knowing I have to ride around in the thing like it’s not ridiculous.
Dezi’s voice brings me out of my thoughts. “It’s not a weakness to miss her, witchling.”
I roll my eyes at him. “I know you pre-date humanity or something, but cool it with the Yoda act. Being young doesn’t make me stupid, you know.”
He frowns, looking confused. “I was merely trying to be comforting.”
Khol snorts, shaking his head as he looks at the vampire in disbelief. “Sassy doesn’t need coddling, bloodsucker. She needs to feel powerful and in control. That’s when she’s able to let people in because she feels safe. How the fuck have you survived this long being that dumb about women?”
It takes everything in me not to burst into laughter. Khol wouldnothave been the one I’d peg as the smart one.
“Very well. Since you’re her mate, I’ll listen.” The vampire gives him a pointed look. “Which is one of themanyskills I’ve developed over the millennia-plus I’ve been alive, snakelet. You’d do well to remember that.”
“For fuck’s sake, put them away, guys,” I mutter. “It’s bad enough that Senor Sparklepants is voguing over there. I don’t need you two waving your many dicks around as well. It’ll give these groupies the wrong idea.”
“And that would be?” Dezi asks with a smug smile.
I look at him for a moment, taking in the dark, violent nature of his handsome features. He doesn’t look a fuckingdayover thirty-something, no matter how many bazillion years old he is. His sharply creased black shirt and pants make his pale skin stand out in the bright atmosphere of Daybreak, especially since he’s wearing silver jewelry accents I’ve not seen before. His dog tag chain is visible in the vee of his half-buttoned shirt, plus he has interesting cuffs and rings adorning his wrists and fingers. One sparkling ruby glimmers from his ear—all decorations he’s not worn at Cocktails.
“That the two of you are open for business—which you are not,” I finally manage. My brows furrow as I look away, catching my broad, sexy leopard keeping the Prince safe in his usual icy blue and charcoal oxford and dress pants. Revelin is dressed exactly as you’d expect the rocker to based on his promotional shit, so the three of them look about as different as men could look. And I know the leather wearing bad boy behind me has yet another style. “The members of this fucking boy band aren’t up for grabs—only Rev’s bandmates.”
Khol shakes his head and I feel his hair brush my cheek. “Not true, Sassy. He told me all of his band, even the backup gals are spoken for. It’s why he felt comfortable touring with them—no chance for a Stevie Nicks situation.”
Huh. I wasn’t giving the Prince enough credit, it seems.
“La Magra, save me.” Dezi looks exasperated for a moment, and when we don’t respond, he sighs. “That will make our deviations from the group much harder. The band won’t be out looking for… company… and the followers, staff, and the like will want them all, including your royal, to entertain them any time we have downtime.”
“Shit,” I groan as I roll my eyes back. “Slipping away is going to be a bitch if there arealwayseyes on us.”
“Worse,” Khol says as he subtly tilts his head to a woman standing on dias above the rest. She’s tall, willowy, and looks like she mightbe from the Midnight Court. Her eyes are zeroed in on Revelin like he’s prey, and the crowd is preventing her from hunting. “I’m pretty sure that’s Amethyst Crimson.”
Who the fuck is that?
Dezi scratches his jaw as he studies her. “I believe you’re right, Bedia. Amethyst is known for being a blend of Midnight and Reaping. She’s fierce, unyielding, and supposedly more power hungry than your High Mage, witchling.”
I frown, pulling out of Khol’s arms to stand on my own. Something about that description makes me unwilling to allow her to see me in a position that could be considered weak. This time, I ask out loud. “Who thefuckis she?”
They seem taken aback that I’m not aware, but my basilisk recovers first. “She’sDarkness Falls’ manager. People say she’s helped them stay at the top of the charts for a centurydespiteRev being royal, not because.”
“If she’s as good as you claim and as strong as he says, we should get along fine,” I reply with a shrug. “I’m not one for wallflowers and since I’m sort of footloose for the first time in my life here, I’d like to meet a chick who doesn’t lie down for bullshit.”
Neither of them speaks and I narrow my gaze as I look between them. Something is definitely wrong and even the snarky fucking mosquito doesn’t want to tell me. I cross my arms over my chest, tapping my foot as I wait. They stay silent and I finally get irritated and throw my hands in the air.
“Fucking spill it before I kick both yours asses.”
Dezi clears his throat, obviously the sacrificial lamb this round. “There are many rumors—unconfirmed, I might add—that she’s stayed with the band so long because she believes the King will pressure the Prince into marrying her. Prior to the past few months, she’s always with him. I believe the only reason you haven’t met her yet is because she’s been arranging the tour.”
Well, isn’t that just fucking peachy?
It takes almostan hour for my mate to work his way through the throng of people who showed up to greet him when we arrived. His last stop was the watchful Amethyst, who touched him far more than I would deem necessary while they spoke. The damn vampire kept snickering to himself as my ire rose, but to my surprise, Khol stayed focused on keeping me murderous but calm.
