Drummers sit in the back. Do their own thing. They’re not soaking up the attention front and center like the lead singer or the guitarist usually do. But I’ll tell you, Aliko is the one who owns the stage—the one I can’t look away from.
The song comes to an end, and instead of bleeding into another, it falls silent until the crowd erupts into a frenzied cheer.
Lucien, the lead singer, shouts into the microphone, “How’s everyone doing tonight?” His booming voice echoes around the arena, and the fans only scream louder.
He laughs and goes on to explain what the next song is about. I’ve heard this one a few times already since I’ve watched each and every show from a similar spot. How could I not? Front row to Aliko Anson? Hell fucking yes.
My gaze is still on Aliko, who just guzzled a full bottle of water, tossing the empty one behind him where there’s already a pile. He goes through a whole case in a single show, getting more dehydrated than the normal person because he’s a monster from the water. I don’t know how the guy does it. Though I’m just human, so I don’t know much, I guess. Monsters are around. I know enough. But I’m not a pro or anything. I don’t have any monster friends, not really. No one close enough to talk to about it and learn more than what the average person knows.
I watch him from my spot in the shadows as he rolls his shoulders and shifts on the seat large enough to hold his weight and frame. He moves the sticks to his human hands and stretches out his kraken limbs before taking the sticks back in them. He uses four at a time for most songs. One song requires six. It’s amazing he can play that all at the same time—not just the physical part of it, but the memory.
He shifts on the stool again, then pauses for a brief moment before glancing over his shoulder as if he can feel me watching him. Our eyes meet. His shine bright-blue like the ocean. They’re stunning. Hypnotic. Aliko doesn’t smile or smirk. Just gives me this intense look that has my stomach heating and feeling tight.
Hooking up with rock stars isn’t a kink of mine. I’m not a fucking groupie. When I’m on tour, I hardly hook up with anyone unless I meet a random person at a bar that holds my interest, but not many people do. Usually, they find out who I am and just want to get to me to get to them. It’s shitty and annoying and probably why I avoid so many people. I can’t imagine how the guys in the band feel. Will they ever know if someone loves them truly for them? Or will they always wonder if it’s because of the fame?
I’d never want Aliko to feel that way—to think the only reason I’m attracted to him is because he’s famous. I’d be attracted to him if he weren’t. All of his forms.
It’s not what he’s doing but who he is. It’s his talent that really gets me going. It intrigues me. Makes me want more. His personality is great, too. He’s funny, but in a way that he doesn’t realize. There’s a bit of shyness that is unexpected from someone like him—a big monster in a rock band. He’s vulnerable. Open. I could ask him anything and he’d answer. He has a hunger for learning, always asking questions and wanting more information. I’ve seen moments when he’s embarrassed over not knowing something simple, but he pushes through it,anyway. He’s strong. Driven. Aliko isn’t from this world, but he’s learned a lot in the short time he’s been here, and for that, he should be so proud. All of the guys should be proud of what they’ve accomplished.
Lucien, Dorian, and Kael don’t shift into humans. I don’t know if they have the ability and don’t want to, or if they can’t. That’s something I don’t know a thing about—magic. Aliko, though? He changes into both forms, and no matter what he looks like, he never changes. He’s the same person, and I’m attracted to him regardless of what form he’s in.
This form, his stage form, calls to me in a deep, primal sort of way. In a way that I can’t really put into words. It’s nothing like his human form that is holy hell fucking hot. I don’t know if he gets to pick what he looks like or not, but damn… if he did? He chose a good one.
Tall with a large frame. Muscled, but not overly so. Defined jaw, short, cropped hair. Thick thighs and a round ass. Bigger than me in all ways, but not extremely so. It could be everything else I mentioned that makes him so hot, because for me, it’s not just about his looks. It’s something deep inside me that just wants him.
I’ve heard rumors that the form he’s in now, the one that sits behind the kit, isn’t his true form. I don’t know if that’s accurate, and I don’t want to ask him because I don’t know if that’s a rude question to ask a monster, but it would make sense.
I’ve never seen a kraken before Aliko, but all the stories we have heard say they’re gigantic. Big enough to take down a ship. Aliko is big, but he wouldn’t be able to take down anything larger than a kayak in this form. I’m curious about the kraken drummer, and though I spend a lot of time with him, I don’t know him all that well.
He winks, and the lack of a smile has my stomach flipping. It feels like more than just an acknowledgment. It feels intimate.He turns back to his kit and starts the quick beat into the next song. Right on time.
The show was amazing. Better than the last one. Each one is going to get better. I can feel it. Tonight was our first show in Indianapolis, but I’m telling you, the next two are going to blow the roof off the place. With each show, the hype builds more and more. Now that they’re performing, the fans are talking, sharing pictures, and making the others excited about what’s to come. Reporters are writing articles that are being shared, and that’s how it goes… If they’re this big now, I can’t wait to see what happens at the end.
I break down Aliko’s kit, putting everything away where it belongs, taking care with each piece. The only thing Aliko is firm about is not leaving his instrument set up, even though we’re playing here again tomorrow. Anyone could fuck with it. And I get that. Better safe than sorry. Kael doesn’t leave his guitar sitting on the side of the stage, and Dorian doesn’t leave his bass lying around either. Why should the drum kit stay set up?
I’ve worked for some dickheads who bitched about what I did no matter how careful I was. Aliko isn’t like that. I’m pretty sure if I dropped a drum, he’d be the first one there to pick it up and probably apologize for having so many of them. That’s just the kind of guy he is.
When everything is packed up, I make my way to the back of the building. Since we still have shows tomorrow and Sunday, they’ve put us up in the attached hotel instead of making us sleep on the bus. Apparently, we’ll be using hotels between somelocations too, which honestly sounds a lot better than being crammed into bunks every night.
Everyone will likely be out and about later, enjoying the city on a Friday night—me being one of them. One of the perks of being on tour is checking out the places we’re staying. They’re all like mini-vacations.
The guys are finishing up their meet and greets, and I hang around to watch, like I usually do. Any chance to have my eyes on Aliko…
They take pictures, smile, and chat with every fan that comes up. A lot of them have eyes for Lucien, the lead singer. It’s common, of course. The frontman is always the favorite. It probably helps that he’s a demon, since they’re pretty popular with the humans, with that whole bad boy thing going for him. He’s a cool guy, just like the rest of them. Don’t think he’s much of a bad boy, but I don’t know him in that capacity, nor do I want to. He’s into women, so I’m not his type.
There are plenty of people who gravitate toward the others. Dorian, the bassist, gets a lot of attention because of his wings. The span on those things is impressive, and I’ve had to hold back from asking if he can actually fly. I’m sure he can—that’s what gargoyles do, right?
Kael is an orc, and everyone loves his tusks. Plus, he does this orc throat singing thing that the girls go crazy for.
And, of course, there’s Aliko. Anyone could guess what his most popular feature is.
Those arms and tentacles.
I get it. Trust me, I get the obsession with them because maybe I’m a little obsessed myself… and extremely curious about what they’d feel like around certain parts of my body. Yeah, my thoughts have gone there on more than one occasion.
I watch as fan after fan gushes over the guys’ monster parts and push back the jealousy that comes with seeing peopletouching Aliko. More than not, the first thing they ask him is if he will put a tentacle around their shoulder for the photos.
Like most famous people, these guys are slowly starting to be dehumanized… yes, that term still applies even though they aren’t human, because demonsterized isn’t a word, though it should be. Sounds weird, though.
