Blood and Guitars

by Heather Jensen

  “We called him Pepe Le Pew for months.” Jonas chuckled.

  “The fans got a kick out of it,” O’Shea added proudly. “They even started to bring stuffed animal skunks to throw on stage.”

  I covered my mouth, unsuccessfully trying not to laugh. I failed miserably and Trey sighed at me, but he was grinning.

  “Not you, too.” He shook his head at me in mock disappointment.

  “At least tell me you got even,” I said once I had composed myself enough to speak.

  “I don’t get even.” Trey glared at O’Shea. “I get ahead.”

  “Okay, okay. Enough with the stink eye.” O’Shea cracked up again.

  “He got even all right,” Jonas said to me.

  “Of course I did.” Trey leaned back in his seat casually.

  O’Shea guffawed. “I don’t care. It was worth it.”

  “What did you do?” I asked, giving in to my curious nature.

  “I colored him blue,” Trey said, a smile spreading wide across his lips.

  I raised my eyebrows and leaned forward. “You what?”

  “It’s not that hard, actually,” Trey continued. “I just filled some gel capsules with blue punch mix and stuck them into the shower head in his hotel room.”

  “The only people more upset about it than O’Shea were the hotel maids that had to clean up the mess in the bathroom,” Jonas said with a chuckle.

  I looked at Trey incredulously.

  “Sad, but true,” O’Shea confirmed, seeing the expression on my face. “They billed me extra for that. At least it faded.”

  “Yeah, after like a week.” Jonas laughed.

  “I’m still not sure why we didn’t ship you off to Vegas to join the Blue Man Group,” Trey told his best friend.

  “Shut up, Skunk,” O’Shea said.

  Trey snickered. “Whatever you say, Papa Smurf.”

  Chapter 31

  When our late lunch was over, Trey announced that it was time to head up to our suites and start getting ready for the big night ahead. We walked hand in hand, laughing at the playful banter between O’Shea and Jonas as they walked along behind us, arguing about which of them would make a better reality TV star.

  Once off the elevator, Trey led me down the hallway to the door of our room. He reached into his wallet and produced the key while Jonas and O’Shea went ahead to the next door down. Trey opened the door and held it for me, gesturing with a sweep of his hand for me to enter.

  I knew the moment I stepped into the elaborate room that I was going to regret not staying for the evening. Of course, Trey had no idea that I was planning on ditching him tonight after the awards in order to attend the Lunar Ritual with the Synod, but I was already beginning to feel guilty.

  “I hope the room is okay.” Trey followed behind as my keen eyes scanned every expensive detail of the décor.

  There were two queen sized beds. One of them was directly across from the room’s entrance near the large windows, and the other was tucked away in another section of the room entirely. A small kitchenette occupied the space nearest to the entrance, and the bathroom with its marble floors, oversized jetted tub, and standing shower was nearest to the second bed. A large sofa and other plush seating was arranged neatly in the space between the two bedroom areas.

  “Okay?” I said, incredulous. “I’ve never stayed in a room this nice. Ever.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” He smiled and paused at my side. I felt his hand move to the small of my back, and he gently pulled me to him. I turned and found myself staring into his blue eyes, my hand resting on his chest. He gazed at me, unblinking.

  Where did a mortal get that kind of confidence? I supposed having millions of adoring fans might not hurt. My human self might have blushed under the scrutiny and averted my eyes, but as a vampire I was bold. But it was more than that. I was just as content staring into Trey’s eyes as he was staring into mine. It was a strange sensation. His hands gently cupped my face and he bent toward me, bringing his lips down on mine.

  In complete contrast to his demeanor, Trey was nervous. It was obvious that the rush of nervous energy pulsating through me as we kissed was not my own, and Trey’s heart beat progressively faster as the kiss went on. I could list several reasons why he might be so amped up, some of them having to do with the fact that he was going to be on TV tonight in front of millions of people. Then again, maybe that didn’t have as much to do with it as I thought. Trey was used to that sort of thing after all.

  The second most powerful emotion Trey was unknowingly sending through me was one of content. Selfishly, I hoped that I was the reason for the joy he was experiencing, but then I remembered that I was going to lie to him tonight. Not that lying to Trey was anything new. The biggest lie of all was one of omission. Technically I’d been lying to Trey since the first night I’d met him. But for some reason, perhaps because I’d been planning it for days, the lie I had in store for him tonight weighed heavily on me.

  I closed my mind to those negative thoughts and let myself be carried away in the river of Trey’s emotions. They washed over me, comforting, thrilling. But the sensation was short lived, and soon I was fighting my vampire instincts, willing my fangs not to unsheathe.

  When I pulled back I smiled up at him. “What was that for?” I asked.

  His hands found my hips and he let out a happy sigh. “I was trapped behind a steering wheel most of the day and couldn’t kiss you, and we’re about to spend the entire evening surrounded by stuffy celebrities and TV cameras. I just thought we should take advantage of what little time we have alone on this trip.”

  We had even less time alone than he was aware of. Trey ran his fingers gently through my hair and I realized I was giddy. It was like being a teenager, only way better. Even life as a teenage vampire wouldn’t have been this good. Trey bent to kiss me again but the footsteps out in the hallway I was trying to ignore paused outside our room. I heard Chase’s voice on the other side before he raised his hand to pound on the door.

  Trey’s mood did a strange flop and settled on annoyance. This time he pulled away, giving me an apologetic look.

  “Get your own room,” he hollered to Chase, who was now calling out Trey’s name and insisting that he open the door.

  “I don’t think he’s alone,” I told him. I could hear a woman whispering and giggling, too low for Trey’s ears to pick up. “Maybe you should see what he needs.”

  Trey looked resigned. He kissed my forehead and then released me to go to the door.

  “Man, you seriously have the worst timing in the world,” he scolded halfheartedly as he pulled the door open to reveal Chase and a petite brunette girl wearing three inch heels and a pricey cocktail dress.

  Chase only looked sorry when his gaze moved past Trey and saw me. “Hey Aurora,” he said. “Sorry.”

  “Liar,” I teased.

  He chuckled and shrugged. “Okay, so I’m not that sorry.” He looked at Trey now. “O’Shea sent me here to collect you. Apparently Wes has some urgent matters of business that can’t wait until we get back to town. He’s going to set up a conference call in the other room so we can work some stuff out with the label. I thought maybe the ladies could use this room to freshen up and get ready for tonight. We can get dressed while we talk business.”

  “Too much information,” I offered.

  Trey looked over his shoulder at me and groaned. “You’d be surprised how often that happens.”

  I grinned. “Not that surprised.”

  “Is this okay with you?” he asked, his tone more serious.

  “Sure.” I waved in what I hoped was a friendly way at the girl standing next to Chase. “You men go take care of business. I’ll be ready when you get back.”

  “Great.” Chase walked his date into the room, introducing her as Krystal. Trey took his suit from the closet where it hung and gave me one last kiss before he disappeared out the door with Chase.

  I glanced at Krystal and wondered how old she mig
ht be.

  “So, you’re Aurora,” she said. “Chase told me you were coming with Trey tonight. I think its great he brought a date, too.”

  “Yeah,” I said, suddenly not feeling so guilty about skipping out after the awards. I wasn’t sure how much of this small talk I could take with a complete human stranger. Don’t get me wrong, she was nice enough. I just wasn’t good at that sort of thing, especially with other women. Never had been. The fact that Kacie and I got along so well was an exception to the rule.

  “Make yourself at home,” I offered. “I’m just going to take a shower.”

  “Sure thing,” She plopped down on the bottom of the bed and reached for the remote control.

  I grabbed my bag and escaped to the bathroom, making a painstaking effort not to move suspiciously fast. I didn’t need to give Krystal any reason to dislike me or start asking questions. The shower was hot and relaxing but after twenty minutes I decided I probably couldn’t keep killing time in the luxurious steam. I towel dried and heard my cell phone beep from its resting place next to the sink. It was a text from Mark.

  You make it 2 town ok?

  Yes, I typed back. You?

  Soon. C U 2night.

  I’d told Mark that I had to be to town early today to meet with a potential client. That wasn’t exactly the truth, but he hadn’t pushed the issue. I’d promised to meet him in the lobby of the Four Seasons hotel tonight so we could go up to the ritual together. I sighed and looked in the mirror. I could probably kill another twenty minutes blow-drying and styling my hair. When my hair was finished, I slipped into my dress and wasted some more time applying makeup. I realized with a bit of a start that Trey had probably never seen me wearing much more than lip-gloss. Vampirism was the ultimate beauty make-over, and I didn’t have a need for make-up in my day to day, but I figured I’d play it up a bit for a night like this. Finally, when I had no more excuses to stay sequestered in the bathroom, I opened the door and stepped out into the room again.

  Krystal hadn’t moved from the spot on the bed she’d been occupying when I’d left.

  “Good, you’re done. I need the mirror to freshen up for Chase.” She didn’t bother turning the TV off before she got to her feet and grabbed her handbag, heading for the bathroom.

  I checked the clock. Trey had been gone for almost an hour. I knew he wasn’t the type of guy that would take long to get ready, but I wasn’t sure how long his business call would last. I sat down on the sofa and was immediately drawn to the show on the television. It was MTV, and a couple of female VJ’s were talking nonstop about the red carpet where the celebrities would be arriving soon. It appeared the press were already positioning themselves with cameras behind the red ropes, along with some die hard fans of some celebrity or another who I glimpsed behind the reporters.

  My stomach did a little flip at the surrealism of it all. In just a couple of hours I would be walking that red carpet with Trey. I clenched my jaw and hoped for the hundredth time this week that I wasn’t making a big mistake. Then I reminded myself that although I had been associating with humans a lot lately, I was not one. I could juggle two big events in one night without a hitch. My first priority was to have fun with Trey, and then I would disappoint him by telling him a lie about why I suddenly had to leave and get back to Clearwater tonight.

  Would he buy it? I had to hope so.

  Chapter 32

  When the conference call with Wes ended I left O’Shea and Jonas in their hotel room and headed back to mine. Chase had already gone back for Krystal and I was anxious to see Aurora. I walked a couple of strides to the next room over and took a deep breath. I managed to wipe the stupid grin from my face before I knocked, deciding it was best not to barge in, but the moment the door opened and Aurora came into view I was smiling like an idiot again.

  “Wow.” I breathed, not sure where to begin. “To say that you look amazing would be a huge understatement.” The dress she wore was green satin, and made her eyes seem all the more piercing, but the color wasn’t just any shade of green. It was poison green and she looked crazy hot in it. The length of it was short on her left side, falling only to her knee, but then it tapered down toward the floor on the other side. Without really thinking, I reached out to touch a strand of her long dark hair that was cascading over her shoulders in waves.

  “You clean up pretty good yourself,” she mused, looking me up and down brazenly.

  “I don’t know about that. I’m suddenly feeling underdressed. At least I know nobody will be looking at me with you by my side.”

  “I like this look on you,” she said. “A vintage t-shirt under a suit coat … its very rock star.” She closed the door behind her, taking my arm. “I’m just along for the ride.”

  We made our way through the hotel lobby and out the giant revolving doors before Aurora caught sight of the waiting limousine. I didn’t miss the surprise on her face as O’Shea and Jonas waved at her from the sunroof. They were waving and winking at girls who recognized them as they passed on the sidewalk.

  “What were you expecting?” I opened the door and gestured for her to climb inside.

  “I … I’m not sure. I guess I haven’t really thought this all through.”

  “Come on in, Aurora,” Chase called to her from somewhere inside.

  She laughed a little and bent down, sliding across the seat to make room for me next to her. I took my place at her side and pulled the door closed. The driver took that as his cue and pulled away from the curb.

  “You look great,” O’Shea was saying to Aurora.

  “Thank you,” she said modestly. “So do you.”

  I turned on my phone’s camera and Aurora and I smiled at it for a picture. It was the first picture I had of her, and I wondered why I hadn’t done it sooner. At least I would have a picture of her looking amazing in the green dress.

  Chapter 33

  My arm was linked in Trey’s as we navigated what was technically the backstage area of the American Airlines Arena where the MTV Video Music Awards were being held. I’d managed to survive the red carpet, smiling while I pretended the flashes from cameras weren’t blinding my sensitive eyes. I’d posed with Trey and watched him get photos with his band mates, Krystal and I standing by supportively. All four of the guys had made an effort to sign autographs for some fans that had managed to get close enough to the red ropes to be heard. When asked who his date was, Trey had introduced me to the press as his girlfriend and called me by name. The formal announcement caught me off guard for just a second or two, although I didn’t know why. Things had progressed to that point between us. Before I could spend too much time pondering the title ‘girlfriend’ Trey had spoke again, declaring that I was also responsible for the artwork on Catalyst’s new album.

  Walking the red carpet had taken longer than one might expect. I realized as we went along that the red carpet itself did make up half of the actual event whenever celebrities were involved. I looked at Trey now, holding my hand on his arm and smiling. He leaned toward me and gave me a quick kiss, sending a jolt of his excitement through me. Even now as other celebrities approached and greeted us, some of whom obviously knew Trey well; it was hard to think of him that way. In all the time we’d spent together, I had never seen him play the part of a celebrity, unless you counted the first night I’d met him, and then I hadn’t known he was anything more than a talented local guy who was a hit at the lounge. I began to realize that I’d only witnessed the calm before the storm. More than once Trey had alluded to the fact that the band always came back to Clearwater to record to escape reality, but I was only now beginning to understand just how much of an escape it must be for them. Everyone here knew them, or at least pretended to.

  Trey was the perfect gentleman, playing his part well. He introduced me by name to everyone that he stopped to talk with, including me in the conversations. That was more than I could say for Chase and his date. She appeared quite star-struck and wasn’t good for a single word the entire time w
e were backstage. Since Trey and the guys were presenters, they were told that a giant gift basket would be delivered to their homes the next day. Trey had to explain to me that anyone participating in the actual show was given a ridiculously expensive assortment of gifts including such items as watches, champagne, and the latest electronic gadgets. He and the other guys seemed to get a kick out of the fact that the baskets had been too big to give them personally and were being delivered later.

  By the time we were being formally escorted to our seats, I was more than ready to sit down and be out of the spotlight for a while. My keen eyes scanned the crowd as more and more people took their seats. It was more than a little surreal to be surrounded by all of those celebrities. Human or not, their status gave them power, and with the size of some of the egos walking around, the night was sure to prove interesting. A couple of young guys in the row ahead of us were acting like they’d already had too much champagne. Apparently they didn’t care enough to remember the night. Trey caught me watching them and gave me an amused smile.

  “Rappers,” he said with a shrug, as if that explained everything. It really did.

  Wes and Lisa arrived only a moment later. They greeted us all before taking seats near the end of the row by Chase. Trey had told me that Ken had planned on coming until Serena had gotten sick and he’d chosen to stay behind to take care of her and the baby.

  People filtered in quickly now as the show would be starting soon. Within five minutes, I had picked out more than a handful of A-listers within ten feet of my chair including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and some young heartthrobs who were starring in the latest vampire movie to hit theaters.

  “Pretty crazy, isn’t it?” Trey said, grinning at me again.

  “I think the Backstreet Boys just sat down behind us,” I said quietly. “Crazy doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

  He laughed, leaning back in his seat. “And the night is still young.”