Immortals And Melodies (Blood And Guitars #2)

by Heather Jensen

  Chapter 3

  Trey

  I WANTED TO BANG my head against the wall. Okay, so I’d only just recovered from my last run in with a wall, but seriously, the way my day was going made facing down a vampire seem tolerable. I was forced to come up with a lame cover story for the guys about the gash on my head. Aurora had managed to heal it a little, and I was able to pass it off as a clumsy mishap. The guys bought it without too many questions. The band spent the first half of the day rehearsing at Karatz’ place, and then we’d been interviewing managers at my place all afternoon. To say that Wes is irreplaceable is the understatement of the century, but with a new record coming out and a tour looming in the near future we needed someone to have our backs. The guys and I had met with four potential managers in the last three hours.

  The first had been a middle-aged woman who kept calling me ‘Sonny’ and actually pinched my cheek once. I’m still not sure if she even realized we weren’t a barbershop quartet looking for representation. Needless to say, she wasn’t going to work out. The next two guys were all right, but none of us were convinced they could actually handle the whirlwind that was about to hit with our album launch. They just didn’t have enough experience to cut it. The fourth was a girl in her twenties who flirted with me the entire time. She went on and on about how she’d always loved music, especially our music, and how she thought she understood us better than anyone else in the whole world. The only thing that kept me sane was the knowledge that Aurora was in the living room listening in on my mental griping, probably from the floor where she was, no doubt, rolling around in silent fits of laughter. Just when the guys and I had decided it was a hopeless cause, the last guy showed up and pleasantly surprised us.

  He came by his tan naturally, but I couldn’t place his ethnicity. He was wearing a black pair of Dickies, a white button-up shirt with short sleeves, and a red and black checkered tie. His black hair was cropped short, doing nothing to help the fact that he was only about five foot six. He might have been a couple of years older than me, but no more than that.

  “Hey, I’m Neon,” he said with a grin as he shook our hands, calling us each by name. We all sat around the dining room table and he casually slid his resume into the center of it. O’Shea picked it up and started browsing.

  “Seems you’ve worked with a few bands and producers we know,” said O’Shea with an impressed nod.

  “I’m a lucky guy,” Neon said simply.

  “Okay, I’ll take the bait. Why should we hire you?” I said.

  “I’ve been working in the industry since I was fifteen. I got my start in radio and then transitioned into management when I discovered a new band five years ago. I’ve been managing ever since.”

  “These are some impressive references,” O’Shea added. “Are you prepared to take on a band like us full-time?”

  “I’m looking for a band I can fight for,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “Music is something I’m passionate about and you guys make the kind of music I can get behind. I’m a pretty laid back guy, but I take my work seriously. I love a good challenge, and I want to work with artists who break boundaries and aren’t afraid to be different. From everything I know about Catalyst, I think we’d be a good fit.”

  “How familiar are you with our music?” Chase asked.

  “I’ve been keeping an eye on you since I saw you at Warped Tour with your first record.” Neon chuckled and said, “Back then you were fresh faced kids who had something to prove. Something tells me that part hasn’t changed.”

  “Our new record is finished,” I added. “We’ve already got a string of cities lined up for the next tour. We need someone who can jump in the middle here and get things done.”

  Neon’s face grew serious for the first time since he’d walked into the room. He sat up in his chair and leaned forward, arms on the table. “I know Wes left some big shoes to fill,” he began, earning surprised looks from all of us. “I met Wes on more than one occasion and I have a lot of respect for him, but I’m not here to try and be him. You guys have been through the ringer lately, and it says a lot that you’re still moving forward. I can tell you that I’m as loyal as a person can get, and I believe in what you guys are doing with your music.” He sounded sincere, and that was refreshing considering the other applicants we’d interviewed. “Feel free to call those references,” Neon added. “My information is there as well. Call me after you have time to talk it over as a group and let me know what you decide.” He stood up then and held out his hand to me. I shook it, surprised that he’d ended the interview himself. After saying goodbye, Neon let himself out the front door. We stood around in shocked silence for half a second before my head cleared.

  “Who are we kidding, guys?” I said. “We need that man on our team.” I exchanged brief glances with my brothers and, in silent agreement, we all rushed the door. I heard Aurora’s musical laughter as she watched us scrambling. “Neon!” I called once we had all crammed through the doorway. Neon was about to climb into his car, but he paused and spun around at hearing his name. “When can you start?” I asked.

  Neon smiled, shaking his head. He closed the car door and walked toward us again. “Is five minutes ago too soon?”

  It was like having a fifty pound weight lifted off my chest. Nobody could ever replace Wes, but I did believe this guy could fit in and get the job done.

  “Neon isn’t your real name, is it?” Chase asked as we welcomed him back inside.

  “Actually, it is,” he said with a chuckle. “My mom loved the eighties, and I’ll just leave it at that. Now, are you going to play this new record for me or what?”

  Before Neon and the guys left my place two hours later, he had listened to the entire new album, we’d pitched him our video treatment for “You Only Live Twice”, and he was set on finding a director in the next twenty-four hours. The guy was motivated. I had to give him that. The label was releasing the single to radio stations in a week. We had a lot to do before then, including a photo shoot and a slew of interviews.

  Aurora had ordered in dinner for all of us and we’d called it quits just before nine. I was mentally exhausted when I joined Aurora and a sleeping Cowboy on the couch after everyone left. I lay back, resting my head in Aurora’s lap with a sigh.

  “Big day,” she said sympathetically, playing with my hair and eyeing the cut above my eye.

  “You got that right.”

  “Neon seems cool, though,” she added. “I think he’ll be good for the job.”

  “Me too,” I admitted. “But then again, we could have gone with –what was her name?”

  “Dani?” Aurora asked, giggling.

  “Dani,” I said, rolling my eyes at the memory of the obsessed girl from earlier today. “At least she didn’t pinch my cheeks,” I said in her defense.

  “I’m pretty sure the cheeks she wants to pinch are a little lower down,” Aurora teased.

  The scary part was that she was probably right. It would be weeks before the guys would let me hear the end of it.

  “We came up with a treatment for the “You Only Live Twice” video,” I said, effectively changing the subject.

  “Oh yeah?” Aurora asked. She knew I’d been wracking my brain for a few days trying to come up with the perfect idea. “Are you still thinking of doing it at Pier 60?”

  I nodded and looked up at her from where I was lying on her lap. “We’re going to film at night so it’s dark, and we’ll have a bunch of extras portraying the entertainers and the vendors on the pier; except, they’ll be zombies.”

  “Zombies?” Aurora asked, but she didn’t sound put off by the idea. “Maybe you should talk to someone about your strange fascination with death and all things paranormal.”

  “How about I just join the club and learn the handshake?”

  “It does go well with the lyrics to the song,” she said more seriously. “I’m excited to watch you do it.”

  “Do you think I’ll make a good zombie?” I teased, cr
ossing my eyes and sticking my tongue out to one side with a long, drawn-out moan.

  “You’ll make a better vampire,” she said, giggling at my terrible zombie impression.

  “It’s just as well,” I said, smiling at her. She bent down and pressed her lips to mine and I moaned again, but it had nothing to do with zombies this time. With Aurora’s passionate kiss, all of the suffocating stress of the day became insubstantial and disappeared into nothingness. I was so absorbed in her that I was only half-aware of Cowboy growling in his sleep on the other end of the couch. I could definitely handle the anxiety of surviving the next twelve days, if every day could end like this. After that, I’d be like Aurora. I’d be immortal. And considering my future plans to become a vampire, zombies suddenly didn’t seem so far-fetched.

  Chapter 4

  Aurora

  THE MOON’S POWER BUZZED in my head, bringing with it a sense of clarity I sorely missed during the day. I took a moment to gaze out my bedroom window, enjoying the moon’s glow as it bathed the city, overpowering all the twinkling lights below. Trey approached me from behind, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on the top of my head. We stood there in silence for a moment, enjoying the view of the night together as we waited for my maker and the newest member of our brood to arrive. We’d been relaxing at Trey’s house when I received the call from Antonio. The Synod had assigned one of the rogue fledgling vampires to our brood. And not just any rogue fledgling vampire, but the same kid Mark had saved at the hospital a while back. Mark was out of town, (he’d been in Miami a lot lately, spending time with Hana) and Antonio wanted to introduce me to the new guy. I couldn’t deny that I was curious about this rogue fledgling. Had he accepted his fate? Was he bitter?

  I don’t know why I’d expected Trey to be hesitant about spending time with more vampires, but he took the news really well. He even suggested we grab a few more of my things while we were at my place, including some of my blood stash.

  “Now, if only we had a secret room to stash all the blood in,” he teased, knowing how excited I was about his hidden wine room. I’d been gathering some more of my clothes and belongings into a suitcase while he was casually packing blood and blood-laced wine into a cooler in the kitchen. “Is it weird for you?” he asked, planting a kiss on the top of my head. “The idea of having a new guy in the brood, I mean?”

  “Why would it be?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. You’re the youngest, and it just seems like it might be an adjustment to have a stranger come along and join the family. It would be like getting a new band member. Just seems weird, that’s all.”

  “Says the human who is about to be seriously outnumbered by vampires,” I said with a grin, watching his reflection in the window. “Besides, it won’t be long before you’ll be the new guy in the brood. You and I will have bigger adjustments to make than having a new guy around at rituals.”

  He shrugged and turned me to face him, planting a soft kiss on my lips. I welcomed his emotions as they swirled around inside me, his kiss telling me everything I needed to know about where we stood. When the kiss ended, I reached up to brush my finger below the cut on his forehead. It was healing, but the process was so much slower for humans.

  “I’m fine,” he said, reading the concern in my face. “Actually, I have something I want to run by you.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’re going to think I’ve lost my mind.”

  “I thought we’d already established that you’ve definitely lost your mind. Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?”

  I couldn’t tell whether the look on his face was one of guilt or hesitation but he held his hands out and said, “Just hear me out.”

  “I’m listening,” I said slowly.

  “I was thinking I’d kind of like to do something crazy before, you know, I’m changed.”

  I took a second to process what he was saying before I responded. “You mean like one last mortal thrill?”

  “Exactly,” he said, grinning at the prospect that I might be on board with his idea.

  “Okay, so you have a bucket list or something. Is that it?”

  “Something like that,” he said.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I was kind of thinking I could go diving with sharks,” he said. Then he raised an eyebrow expectantly at me.

  “Like in a cage?”

  “Ugh… not really. There are places that will let you free dive with just your scuba gear. I think I can talk the guys into doing it with me.”

  I sat down on the bed, trying to imagine Trey swimming around with twenty-foot sharks wearing nothing but a wet suit. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked.

  “I’m scuba certified,” he said as he sat next to me on the bed. “I’m good in the water. This is something I’ve always wanted to do. I don’t know … in a weird way, the timing kind of makes sense.”

  I looked up at him and it was clear how bad he wanted this. “Shark diving,” I said, trying to get used to the idea. “This is really what you want to do?”

  He nodded. “O’Shea and I have always talked about doing it, but we’ve never gotten around to it. I'm not entirely sure why, but it probably has something to do with the fact that it doesn't often come up in conversation when you're trying to decide how to waste a Saturday afternoon.” He reached over and took my hand in his, playing with my fingers. “It’s perfectly safe. I promise.”

  I let out a humorless laugh and shook my head. “I’m the last person who should lecture you about what’s safe.”

  “You’re okay with it, then?”

  How could I resist those bright blue eyes of his pleading with me? “If swimming with sharks is something you want to do, who am I to try and stop you?” He grinned, taking my face in his hands and kissing me hard.

  “This is going to be insane,” he said triumphantly.

  “Once again, we’ve established that,” I said with a smile.

  “I’m going to call and book the trip right now. Hopefully it’s not too late. I think this is the end of the season.”

  “Don’t you need to ask the other guys before you book the trip?”

  “This way they won’t be able to back out on me,” he said as he pulled his phone out and started dialing. I finished loading clothes into my luggage while Trey made arrangement to swim with sharks. “We’re all set,” he said as he hung the phone up. “They can take us the day before the full moon. Just in the nick of time.”

  “I’ll come along for the boat ride,” I said to him. “But I am not getting in the water with sharks.”

  He laughed and pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around me. “Is my vampire wife afraid of a little old shark?”

  “Yes. I pride myself at staying at the top of the food chain. With sharks, I don’t know where I stand.” I smiled, at the same time feeling my maker approach the house. “They’re here,” I said. I closed my suitcase and zipped it shut before leading Trey back to the living room by the hand. I moved toward the door, but he stopped me.

  “Let me,” he said. I smiled and let him go to the door alone. He pulled it open and Antonio and the new fledgling were only a few feet from the doorway. “Welcome,” he said, gesturing with a sweep of his arm for them to come in.

  “It’s good to see you again, Trey,” Antonio said as he crossed the threshold. He offered his hand, and Trey shook it. Antonio stepped forward to greet me, kissing my cheek. Then he turned his attention to the new fledgling who had stepped inside behind him.

  “This is Beck Owens.”

  Beck was average height but a little on the skinny side. He wore a pair of jeans and a tee, and tufts of light, brown hair showed below his ball cap.

  “I’m Aurora. It’s good to meet you,” I said, stepping forward to offer Beck my hand. He hesitated but forced himself to shake my hand.

  Trey offered his hand next. “Same here,” he said. “I’m-”

  “Human,” Beck cut in, eyebrows rai
sed. He looked to Antonio for an explanation.

  “Trey will be taking your place as the newest member of the brood on the next full moon.”

  “But, you’re not just any human,” Beck stated, turning to Trey again. “You’re Trey Decker from Catalyst.”

  Trey nodded. “Last time I checked.”

  Beck shook his head in disbelief. “Why?” he asked. “Why become a vampire? You’ve got everything.”

  Trey gave him a knowing smile and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. Beck gazed at me from beneath the rim of his hat, like he was seeing me for the first time. Then he nodded like he understood.

  “Have a seat,” I said to everyone. “I’ll grab drinks.” I left Trey to small talk with Antonio and Beck, and I went into the kitchen, pouring three glasses of blood-laced wine and grabbing a can of Root beer from the fridge. I carried the drinks out on a tray and set them on the coffee table. Antonio thanked me and took a glass, handing one to Beck, as well. Trey popped open the top on the Root beer and smiled at me as I sat next to him on the sofa, taking the last glass.

  “To Beck,” I toasted, raising my glass. “The newest member of our brood. Welcome home.” Antonio gave me a grateful smile, raising his glass to take a sip. Trey put his hand in mine, entwining our fingers as we drank.

  “I was relieved to hear that you survived the latest encounter with one of our kind,” Antonio said to Trey, making conversation.

  Trey smiled, nodding. “Me, too.”

  Antonio leaned forward, gesturing to the cut on Trey’s forehead. “Please, allow me.”

  Trey raised an eyebrow, but he leaned forward, letting Antonio reach out a hand to the wound. Antonio’s eyes closed briefly, and I felt the hum of power flowing through him. For a brief instant, it jumped from him to Trey, and the cut on Trey’s head closed, all traces of it disappearing instantly. Antonio lowered his hand and opened his eyes with a satisfied nod, the flow of power retreating. Trey couldn’t hide the surprise on his face as he reached a hand up to his forehead only to find that he’d been healed.