Page 53 of Fractured Heart

That last bit is accompanied by spirit fingers. I bite my lip out of sheer embarrassment.

“Ooooh…” they chorus together. Although together might not be the right word. They’re completely out of sync and their tones are entirely mismatched.

JJ suddenly runs to the front of the stage and stops directly in front of me. He leans forward and takes my hand. “A beautiful maiden, she was there!”

He runs his thumb along the pulse point on my wrist, and I blush. JJ smirks and steps back. Then, he twirls. And curtsies?

Wait…is he supposed to be the beautiful maiden?

His broad shoulders and chiseled jawline make me think a lot of things, but maiden isn’t one of them. He can hit the highest notes in the group, sure, but he’s got way too much stubble to ever pass for anything but a hot, sexy guy.

“And then there was a wolf!” Silas adds tragically.

“An evil wolf,” Charles growls in his deep bass. I perk up again. Maybe some parts of the song are salvageable?

“Ooooh, and a wicked witch,” Tate chimes in sweetly. “She had some apples.”

JJ spins around and cups his pecs, where female breasts would be. “Apples!” he echoes.

I burst out laughing.

Chapter 26

Four sets of eyes snap to me. I quickly turn my laughter into a cough. It earns me a scowl from Silas and a grin from JJ, but Charles doesn’t bat an eye. Tate doesn’t even seem to notice. He dances sensually across the floor, swinging his hips like a belly dancer. “Fairy tale,” he chants breathily. “Ooh, ah, fairy tale.”

JJ joins in, singing a nonsensical, “Yeah, cha cha cha.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Charles and Silas try to harmonize, creating a complete mess.

It’s too much. It’s all too much and too awful for my poor ears to bear.

“Stop!” I cry, jumping to my feet.

Everything around me goes silent and still. The guys freeze and stare at me. Their faces hold a mix of expressions, as mismatched as their voices had been when they tried to harmonize.

Charles’s face is blank and his beard, which he scratches with huge fingers, makes him impossible to read. He could be upset, or surprised, or relieved. Maybe he doesn’t care.

Silas is the exact opposite. He’s the easiest to read in the group by far. His lips are turned down around his piercing. Nothing unexpected there.

JJ tries to look concerned, but his eyes twinkle joyfully. He’s obviously still on a high from the performance and doesn’t realize just how bad they all were. Poor guy.

Tate doesn’t seem aware of it either. He smiles at me hopefully, like he expects praise or a standing ovation.

My heart sinks. I have to tell the guys how bad they are. If I don’t, they’ll bomb their audition. Not to mention embarrass themselves. I can’t let that happen, but how do I tell them?

“Took your breath away, didn’t we?” JJ winks at me.

“Um…” My cheeks burn.

“Ignore him,” Tate says. “What did you think so far?”

“Well…” I stall. How do I tell him the truth when he rescued me and took care of me and gave me a place to stay? He invited me to the rehearsal. How can I possibly tell him the performance sucked?

“We don’t have time for this bullshit,” Silas snaps. “The audition’s next week. We need to rehearse and not stand around and wait for some spoiled princess—”

“Silas,” Charles snaps. “I think you should go cool off.”

They glare at each other for a few seconds while my heart races over the word princess. Then Silas throws up his hands and storms out.