Page 14 of Hunger & Harmony

What kind of vampire refuses to drink blood?

A petty one. More specifically, a foolish king who regards his assistant so lowly, he’s fine with throwing his supernatural nutrition under the tour bus.

The more I dwell on it, the hotter my blood boils. How dare he be so . . .so . . .

Annoying.

It’s carried all the way to opening night. Instead of enjoying the glitz and glam of the venue, I’ve been stewing. Why do I care so much? I guess he’s hot, and maybe I’ve never felt a vampire’s attention before . . .

Still. Consider it the first and last time I’ll be giving a rockstar a chance. Immortal or not!

Backstage is a velvet tunnel of shadows and rosin-dust. I sulk, glad that Niko is in his stupid dressing room as crew members rush around and yell orders. At this point, I’m a drop of oil in this complex machine. My eyes stay glued to my phone, checking off lists and keeping tabs on everything happening.

In just an hour, the show starts. Crowds of fans were lined up this morning, dripping in chains and black garments. The excitement is building to euphoria as they file in. The floor vibrates with stampeding and the thunderous bass of pre-show music. If only I could savor the magic of it all.

Selene said it best: Arteria rarely tours. Whether it's curiosity to see vampires up close or loyal fans eager to take this chance, the Sunveil arena is flooded with high energy.

An arm snakes around my waist as I’m triple-checking a list, and a yelp shoots up my throat.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s just me,” Ezren says as I whip around in his grasp, fangs poking out of his cute smile.

“Oh . . .” I smile back awkwardly. “Sorry, I thought you were getting ready.”

“They don’t need to work too hard on me,” he says with a wink. “My face does all the heavy lifting.”

When he steps back to show off, I can’t help but agree. Going from an adorable puppy type to a smoky-eyed, hot drummer would definitely be difficult for anyone else. Being naughty is definitely a big part of his charm. Hence, the black, mesh shirt showcasing the nude pin-up girls and innuendos tattooed across his arms and torso.

“Well, I’ll get back to⁠—”

“I noticed something.”

Pausing, I tilt my head when a smirk pulls his lips up.

“Huh? What is it?”

He leans in, and my eyes catch the glint of his lip piercing. What does he know?

“You didn’t come to soundcheck.”

The beat pounding through the floor switches to something slower. I fidget with my sleeve.

“Uh . . .I had stuff to do,” I say, not even convincing myself.

“Oh, totally. I’m sure,” he says, and I almost think he’ll let it go. “Stuff that had anything to do with avoiding Niko?”

I cough to avoid sighing.

“Why would I do that? I’m just . . .”

“Busy, I know,” he teases, leaning down to catch my avoidant gaze. “Busy avoiding His Majesty.”

When I can’t contain my pout, he laughs jovially. I glance at my phone. He’s wasting precious working minutes.

“What do you want?” I ask, seriously wondering what about this is so funny to him.

“Hmm . . .”

He shrugs, and my mouth falls open.