Backlash (Winter's Wrath #1)

by Bianca Sommerland

  Your tiny light comes from on high,

  We whisper wishes as you die.

  Alder’s bones vibrated as the music flowed through him, and he grinned as Danica skipped across the stage while he strummed a minor-key breakdown of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, followed by a recording of creepy sounding kids singing along. Danica smiled sweetly at the crowd, mouthing the words to the children’s song as they all screamed and chanted along.

  Fallen Star, was one of Winter’s Wraths’ most popular songs. And also one of the most hardcore.

  Brave growled into the mic. “Let’s open up this fucking pit!”

  The crowd parted, leaving a circle in the center, a few rows back from the stage. Young men, and a few women who looked like they could take any of the guys in a fight, spilled into the center. Those that weren’t smashing into one another ran around and around, as if the music had given them so much energy, they couldn’t stop moving, they had to find a way to burn it off.

  Around the circle pit, those who weren’t joining in gave the runners little shoves, partly to keep them going, partly to keep from getting rammed into.

  There were bands that went their entire careers trying to get the crowd worked up like this, but never really pulled it off. Fan interaction could make or break anyone who stepped up on this stage. Not only with what they did out on the floor, but if they responded to what the singer told them to do.

  And Brave had them all in the palm of his hand. At the chorus, he held up the mic and a thousand voices sang the words he’d written. When he set the mic in the stand and raised his hands to clap the beat, everyone began clapping along with him.

  This was the second song in their set of six, and as soon as it finished, Brave grabbed the mic and stepped to the edge of the stage.

  “Hey, Los Angeles, how the fuck are you tonight?”

  Screams were his only answer. The throng pressed against the barrier and security, the three new ones Cole had hired, and the five that worked for Horizon, moved forward to shove back the few crazies that tried to climb over.

  “You might have noticed, we brought something sweet for you all to enjoy.” Brave motioned to Danica, who was standing just out of sight side-stage, and she sauntered up to his side, waving at the crowd.

  Alder’s heart swelled as he took in her easy smile, the confidence in the way she moved. Brave might own the crowd, but if Danica kept putting on such an amazing performance, bringing everything the fans were feeling right up on stage with every thrash of her body and thrust of her fist in the air, they were going to fall in love with her.

  “She’s been teasing you so far, but now, it’s time for her to give you a little more.” Brave wrapped Danica’s hair around his hand. Whispered something to her away from the mic.

  She gave him a slight nod.

  Jaw clenched, Alder braced himself for what he knew was coming. Yeah, they had the routine, but Brave would use this as an opportunity to get the fans all riled up. As he kissed Danica, the volume in the theater rose to a deafening level.

  Even more when Brave jerked away from Danica and began whispering in the mic. “S.L.U.T. S.L.U.T.”

  Louder and louder. And the crowd joined in.

  Danica smirked at Brave, Tate thrummed out the beat, and she spun away to begin the dance that she’d been criticized for by Madame Croissant—fuck whatever her name was, she was an evil bitch—for days.

  And Danica fucking nailed it. He had to fight to focus on playing, because her allure had even more fans than usual trying to get past security. The crowd surfers got a bit further, and shouted out to her as the guards dragged them to the side of the barrier to push them back into the crowd.

  As the last chorus began, Danica approached Brave, but before he could dip her back over his arm, she wiggled free, blew him a kiss, and strutted up to Alder. He stared at her, hitting the wrong note as she held out her hand.

  Letting his guitar hang on its strap, he latched on to her wrist, pulling her into his arms and taking her lips in a rough, wild kiss, tasting his own blood as she tugged his bottom lip between her teeth.

  The crowd was chanting again. “Slut! Slut! Slut!”

  He smiled as Danica trembled in his arms, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. “You were fucking incredible.”

  “Brave is going to hate me.”

  Alder glanced over at his brother.

  Brave gave him a mock salute, then went back to chatting with the crowd. He had their attention back on him, so he was happy. What he would say or do after the show was a completely different story, but Alder wasn’t too worried.

  His brother’s ambition trumped even his ego. Clips of the performance would be online within minutes. By the time they left the venue, they would have plenty of feedback.

  If it was good, Brave would be very happy with Danica being spontaneous.

  It will be good.

  “He won’t hate you.” Alder kissed her cheek, which got a few of the fans closest to his side of the stage shouting out crude suggestions. He ignored them. “Let’s finish this. I want to get you back to the hotel for a bit before we’ve got to hit the road.”

  Danica grinned at him, squeezing his ass before slipping off backstage. She came out again briefly for the last song, one of their most militaristic, with the lyrics following the drum beat, while the guitar rhythm cut in at the pace of marching soldiers. Center Mass, was a song about breaking free despite all odds, and every member of the band had gotten fan mail about how the song had changed—or sometimes saved—someone’s life.

  All Danica really had to do was throw her fist in the air, while Brave belted out the refrain, then join them in screaming the chorus.

  “Reload! Fire! Reload! Fire!”

  When Winter’s Wrath left the stage, fans called for an encore. Standing on the sidelines, the lead singer of Horizon clapped Brave’s shoulder as they passed.

  “That’s a tough act to follow, man. Keep that up and we’ll be opening for you all next year!”

  “Just say the word and the spot is yours!” Brave called back to him. He led the way to the back exit, as usual, but instead of disappearing into the bus to snag the shower first, he waited by the door, grabbing Danica as soon as she stepped outside.

  Alder resisted the urge to pull her out of his brother’s arms as Brave swung her up above his head, letting her slide down his body before kissing her forehead.

  “Thank you, sweetheart. You just turned a damn good show into a fucking masterpiece. Having you up there raises the bar and we needed that.” Brave put his hands on her shoulders. “Tell me what you want and it’s yours.”

  At first, Danica looked too stunned to reply, but then she poked Brave in the center of his chest. “You have to be nice from now on. To everyone.”

  Brave smile looked a little strained. “Nice?”

  Danica cocked her head, as though considering. “Pleasant?”

  Brave sighed.

  Shaking her head, Danica laughed. “Not quite so much of a dick?”

  “That I can do.” He put his arm over her shoulders, directing her toward the bus. “Let’s have a beer. I think one of the roadies got Bud Light, just for you. You’ve burned enough calories for a real drink though.”

  “Is the great Brave Trousseau offering to fix me a drink?”

  “Name your poison, my sweet girl.”

  All right, Alder knew it was good for the band to have Brave and Danica getting along, but did he have to touch her so much? And why was she letting him?

  It doesn’t mean anything, Alder. She fucking kisses him onstage. He’s just being affectionate.

  Yeah, Brave didn’t do affectionate. Not even with people he was fucking.

  Though, sometimes he made the effort for people he wanted to fuck.

  A heavy hand settled on his arm. He glanced over his shoulder to see Malakai. “Relax, Alder. Brave hasn’t been in this good of a mood for months. Don’t ruin it.”

  “I won’t.”

  Ta
te trotted up to his other side, his bare chest glistening with sweat, walking so close Alder had to slow his pace. “Dude, you’re practically growling.”

  Connor joined them. A strange, and rare occurrence right there. He jogged up, looping his arms around Tate’s neck and cutting in front of Alder, forcing them all to stop in the middle of the lot as Danica and Brave disappeared onto the bus.

  What is this, a fucking intervention?

  “Let me be the only one who’ll be straight with you, buddy.” Connor swept his wet hair off his forehead with one hand, then pulled off his own shirt to wipe the droplets of sweat from running into his eyes. “Give them a few minutes to make nice. He’s not gonna fuck her.”

  “No, he’s not. But I don’t trust him not to try something.”

  “Do you trust her?”

  “Of course I trust her!” Alder decided he liked Connor a lot more when he was more focused on pumping iron and running laps than with what was going on with the band. “Why the fuck would you even—”

  “She’ll have his balls if he tries anything. She’s made that clear.” Connor folded his arms over his chest, like he had no intention of moving anytime soon. “Hang out here with us, have a smoke, and don’t give Brave a reason to fuck with you.”

  “Since when do you care what goes on between me and Brave?”

  Malakai let out a bitter laugh. “Since it became obvious the shit between you and him is going to tear this band apart.”

  Tate nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets and shuffling his sneakers. “We liked you calling Cole on the shit with security. Hell, it’s about time someone put him in his place. He’s fucking pushy and we’re tired of his crap and—”

  “Get to the point, Tate,” Malakai said, his lips slanting with amusement. “This is about Brave and Alder.”

  “Right.” Tate nodded. “You guys are brothers. You don’t have to like each other, but you have to try.”

  I have to try? Have any of you fucking met my brother? Alder shook his head, stepping away from the three of them, wanting to demand what they expected him to do. He’d given up on getting along with Brave. If it wasn’t for the band, they wouldn’t have any contact at all.

  But they did have the band.

  And with Danica joining them on the tour, with all the guys working so hard to make this their breakthrough year, maybe his relationship with Brave had to change. That he hadn’t even been told about someone breaking into Brave’s room attested to how bad things actually were.

  Jesse, of all people, hadn’t considered telling him.

  For all Alder knew, Brave would laugh at any attempt he made to regain what they’d had when they were young. He was good at making Alder feel stupid and worthless, but Alder wasn’t a child anymore, looking for his big brother’s approval.

  He’d do what was best for the band. Which might be exactly what helped them reach some common ground.

  Because like it or not, they’d built Winter’s Wrath together.

  The band that the fans loved.

  Creating music they would be remembered for.

  He turned back to his band mates, men he’d spent three years with, who were more like family than his own parents and brothers had ever been.

  Doing this for Brave would be tough, but for them?

  He shook his head, tugging Tate away from Connor to rub his knuckles into the kid’s skull. “Fine. I’ll try. But someone better get me a damn beer. My brother needs time alone on the bus with my girlfriend. I wouldn’t want to interrupt.”

  Danica sipped the cocktail Brave had made for her with a mix of juices and alcohol from the well stocked bar and fridge. She was a bit surprised a bus full of guys kept drinks like peach schnapps handy, but maybe they had a lot of groupies on the bus.

  Not since she’d been with them, for which she was grateful. She still didn’t know how she’d react to random chicks climbing all over Alder. And with how often he had to see her in the arms of his brother, she knew she couldn’t flip out to him catering to his fans.

  She glanced over as Brave perched on the seat beside her, taking a few gulps of beer while watching the door with his brow furrowed.

  “I think they’re giving us some time to ourselves.” Danica took another sip, letting out a happy sigh at the sweet burst of citrus, sharpened slightly by the vodka. She wouldn’t be having many of these. Brave had made it strong and it would hit her hard if she overindulged.

  Brave rested his arm on the back of the sofa, shaking his head. “And I thought my brother was a smart man.”

  “He is.”

  “Not if he’s giving me an opportunity to seduce you.” Brave gave her a hooded look as he licked a drop of beer from his bottom lip. “With a women like you, a man needs to set very clear boundaries. And he hasn’t.”

  “He doesn’t need to. I’m capable of setting my own.” Danica relaxed back into the sofa, trying to play off like Brave’s suggestive remarks didn’t bother her in the least. Her acting skills came in handy with him, but it was hard not to let her frustrations show.

  Would he really come on to her, just to hurt his brother?

  Leaning forward, Brave set his beer on the side table, then rested his elbows on his knees. “Do you think you’re the first girl to come on this bus, convinced she was completely devoted to one of the guys, who ended up making the rounds? The guys like you, and they’re treating you differently because you’re working with us, but I’m willing to bet one night, you’ll have a bit too much to drink and ditch uptight professionalism.”

  “You think I’m uptight?”

  “I think you’re pretending to be.” Brave stood and picked up his beer. “But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you’ll make Alder happy. You’re already good for the band, and that’s the only reason I haven’t fucked you yet.”

  The arrogance of the man was mind-blowing. How did he ever get laid…no, she knew the answer to that. Groupies played into a rock star’s ego, they didn’t expect him to be a decent human being. But she did wonder how he’d managed to hook up with a guy like Jesse.

  She shook her head, deciding she was finished with her drink. And the conversation. “You promised you wouldn’t be a dick anymore.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” Brave stepped up in front of her, taking her hand as she sat forward, and bending down to press a soft kiss on her knuckles. “Maybe I need more practice.”

  “Ya think?”

  He chuckled, releasing her hand and backing away. “Tonight went well. You’ll get all kinds of offers, which is exactly what you want. But let me ask you this. How long are you planning to stick around? Your contract ends in a month and then you’re free to leave.”

  “Is this your way of asking me to stick around?”

  “No, this is my way of asking you if getting serious with Alder is even fair to him. Your career will always come before him. Right now, being seen with him has its advantage, but what if next month, being on the arm of an athlete suits you better?” Brave folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the cupboards at the end of the kitchenette. “Your lifestyle is all about appearance. Ours is all about moving on to the next show. They won’t align for long.”

  All right, maybe she did understand what Jesse saw in Brave. He had to be looking very very hard to see beyond the cold, calculating asshole Brave tended to present as a default, but just beneath the surface, there seemed to be a man who cared very much. She’d seen that man a little with the band—mostly with Tate, who all the guys were protective of—but most of the time he focused on what was best for Winter’s Wrath.

  This time, he seemed to be looking out for Alder. And doing his best not to make it obvious. “So what are you suggesting?”

  “Absolutely nothing. I want us to be friends. Friends are honest with one another.”

  “True.” She polished off the last of her drink and stood. “So as your friend, let me be honest with you. I think you care about your brother more than you let off. I think, in some twisted way, you�
��re trying to protect him.”

  “Is that so?” Brave’s whole expression changed. There was a flash of anger in his eyes, but it was gone so fast, she might have imagined it. His brow rose slightly as his lips slanted with amusement. “Would you still believe that if I told you I knew he was in love with Jesse?”

  Danica’s lips parted. She inhaled slowly, shaking her head. “But that’s not why you—”

  “Shh.” Brave came toward her, putting one finger over her lips. “It’s our little secret. As friends.”

  She scowled at him, shoving his hand away from her face. “We’re not friends. And if you actually did that to your brother, you’re an even bigger asshole then I thought you were.”

  “So long as you’re aware of that, you’ll do just fine.”

  Feeling sick to her stomach, she turned her back on him, rushing off the bus, not even sure where she was going. She didn’t see Alder or the other guys until she heard him calling out, then running to catch up with her.

  “What did he do?” Alder’s eyes were hard, and she could tell he was ready to go after his brother. All she had to do was give the word. “Danica, I can tell you’re upset. If he touched you—”

  “He didn’t.” She shook her head, blinking fast and thinking even faster. If she told Alder about Jesse, he’d be furious. And all the progress the band had made would be ruined.

  You have to tell him something.

  A partial truth might be enough. “He brought up my contract ending in a month. He’s convinced me and you won’t last if I decide to take another offer.”

  Alder snorted. “Babe, he’s never had a real relationship. I’m not even sure how he’s kept things going with Jesse for as long as he has. Don’t let him get to you.”

  Nodding, she let Alder pull her into his arms. She pressed her forehead against his chest, her mind racing as she considered how she could fix this without Brave’s actions tearing the band apart.

  Or worse, letting him destroy Alder. And break Jesse’s heart.

  Chapter Thirteen

  During the night, Alder woke to the sound of soft footsteps padding away from the bunks, toward the front lounge. The bus had turned onto a rough road, and Danica must have been jolted awake. Two days out of Los Angeles, two nights on the bus, and he was pretty sure she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep.