Bad Blood (Rock Goddess Reverse Harem Book 5)

by Romy Lockhart

“Chase Williams, Arianna Frost, and Xander Kraus.”

  The names roll off his tongue and I feel my face start to flush. They’re all musicians, and all of them are likely to be on the tour with me. We’ll have warm-up acts, after all. “Arianna, really?”

  He shrugs. “She’s Dark Forces, but she could be turned mortal. Might not be totally happy to share you though. She doesn’t seem like the sharing type.”

  “Dark Forces?” Damn it. The bad guys are just following me around these days.

  Focus, Eden. What about the other two?

  “Chase is married,” I tell him, remembering the moment I pictured him. “He’s off limits.”

  “He’s married to a woman who lied to entangle him. He doesn’t love her. He’s trapped.”

  Like that makes a difference. I shake my head. “The world might think I’m some kind of slut now. That doesn’t mean I have to start acting like a hussy. He’s married. It’s a hard no.”

  He shrugs. “Well then. Xander or Arianna it is. Let me know when you’ve made your choice.”

  He disappears before I can say anything else, which is just typical of him.

  I’m left thinking about the potentials he just gave me. I barely know Xander. He’s quiet, from what I remember. Doesn’t party. Just works and goes home. Good body, and he’s a talented drummer, but other than that, he’s a mystery.

  Arianna. It’s been a long time since I thought about that girl. She couldn’t have been a goddess when we first met. I’d barely been on the scene five minutes and she’d offered to show me the ropes. A couple of years older and wiser, she steered me clear of the sleazy producers. One drunken kiss on New Years and she avoided me ever since. Then I met Hunter and the rest is history.

  Damn. Did I really think it would be easy to just find out my potentials and pick one to replace Logan? I guess I did. I must have been crazy.

  I don’t want to risk crossing paths with another goddess so I guess I’m stuck with Xander. A guy I barely know. Ugh, that just feels wrong. And I don’t even know how this is supposed to work. Do I just get him to agree to be mine and that’s it done? Or is there more?

  I sigh as I finish taking off my make-up. There’s always more.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Eli

  I check how things are with the guy outside the hotel room door and come back inside. Nick is crouched in front of the mini-bar, pulling out miniature bottles of vodka and little tubs of Pringles. He glances up before he shuts the door and gathers his haul to his chest.

  “I just realised we kind of skipped dinner.” He sits on the couch and drops everything onto the coffee table in front of him, picking up the chips and popping them open. “I was considering calling room service but it’s kind of late and I don’t want to wake Eden.”

  “We had dinner. It was just quick.” I remember the sandwiches we’d decided to get because Eden was stuck on salad to avoid bloating before her interview. Hot food would have tempted her too much.

  “That was a late lunch, really,” he says, crunching away.

  I watch him demolish the chips before cracking open a soda and taking a long gulp.

  “Ahhh.” He sighs and smiles. “That feels better.”

  “You think Eden’s serious about this other potentials thing?” I have to ask, even if it does feel kind of wrong to be talking about it without her.

  Nick leans back and shrugs against the couch. “I think she wants to fix things. I don’t know much about the other potentials. We don’t know who they are. I don’t think Eden does either.”

  He’s avoiding saying it, but he has the same doubt I have. “She loves Logan.”

  Nick groans. “I know.”

  He puts the can down and cracks open one of the miniatures. Tips half of it into the can and swirls it around before drinking. He gulps it just as fast as when it was just soda.

  “I don’t like him either.” But she does, and that’s what matters.

  “He’s an asshole. Like, really, well and fucking truly, an asshole. He tried to kill Asher. I mean, how much worse could he be?” Nick blows out a breath.

  “Yeah,” I say, because it’s all that’s there. Logan’s as bad as Nick says, and three of us don’t want anything to do with him. That’s not going to just change.

  “Let’s hope her guide can help her sort it out fast.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Asher

  Sasha walks into the library with a picnic basket and a warm smile on her face. I know something’s up, and I’m not so sure I want to know what it is. Her heels click across the floor as she heads straight for the front desk. I try to formulate excuses as she approaches. There has to be something fitting for this moment. Something that won’t sound like it just blew out my ass.

  “Sasha, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “I’m taking you to the park for lunch.” She puts the basket down and I can smell the cakes inside.

  If I had a sweet tooth I’m sure I’d be more tempted to put up with her company for the treats.

  “I’m busy today. We just got new...”

  “I baked all morning and you’ve got new nothing. I already called and asked Ronnie what your day looked like. She told me it’s a slow day for you guys, so quit the bull-crap, little brother. And get moving. You might have all day, but I have other things to get moving on.” She smiles sweetly and puts on a pair of sunglasses before turning and walking back towards the door, leaving the basket on the desk.

  Sighing, I pick it up and press the buzzer to call Ronnie back to the desk. She scurries around the corner, her hair dishevelled and half the buttons on her cardigan undone. Her boyfriend is in tow and he’s wearing a smear of her ruby-red lipstick on his mouth. I’d tell them off, but seriously, I’m still just relieved she isn’t secretly harbouring a crush on me. The weird behaviour had turned out to be all Catherine’s doing as part of the build up to bringing about Eden’s destruction.

  “Look after the library. I’m out to lunch.”

  “Remember to come back this time,” Ronnie says, reminding me I didn’t come back the last time I went out ‘to lunch’. To be fair, I’d been murdered, though I couldn’t exactly tell her that. Had to tell her I got caught up in the emergency situation in Haleton, which Eli backed up when he visited. I then had to go buy a new phone after telling her mine got lost and that was why I couldn’t call her.

  “Don’t worry. Sasha’s not kidnapping me.”

  I head out and find Sasha stalking down the sidewalk toward the park. Feels weird heading here without Eden. Feels even weirder going in with my sister. I wonder how she’d take it if she knew I’d fucked Eden against the tree with our names carved in it. I’m not in the mood to toy with her so I don’t bother mentioning it.

  “So, what’s this about?” Not that I think she’ll just come right out and tell me, but I have to at least try to cut this short. For the sake of my own sanity if nothing else.

  “It’s an apology. I made a dog’s breakfast of the last attempt so I thought I’d try again.” She shrugs as she picks a bench and sits down.

  Okay, this isn’t like her but I’m not going to complain.

  “I just worry about you, Asher. You’re my brother and I want you to be happy. I didn’t mean to be... small minded.”

  I put down the basket between us and sit down as she opens it and passes me a bottle of water.

  “Wasn’t sure if you could drink wine while you’re at work,” she says with a shrug.

  “I could probably get away with it, but this is fine.” Also, I’m not an alcoholic so I don’t need to drink with every meal. But I keep that to myself as she opens a small bottle of her own sparkling Rose.

  “I saw Eden’s interview last night,” she begins, allowing the penny to finally drop.

  “Uh huh.” I’d told myself not to watch, but I hadn’t been able to help it.

  She’d been nervous, though not enough to betray the air of confidence she carried in public. It was just a h
int of something in her eyes that wasn’t usual. She hadn’t noticed her mistake when she said she had four lovers instead of three, but I saw that little flicker in her gaze when the interviewer repeated it back to her. It was nerves. That was all.

  “She was so brave to tell the world like that. I don’t know if I could do that in her position.” Sasha sips at her wine. She puts it down and pulls open a plastic container.

  “Is that Brie?” I smell it straight away and she passes me a sandwich.

  “With cranberry chutney.”

  Well, well. She really is trying to apologise.

  “Thanks.”

  “I remember Mom always wondered why her Brie disappeared so quickly and she never worked out you were stealing slivers of it every day.”

  I have to laugh. Our mother was as partial to wine as Sasha is. It didn’t take much convincing to tell her she must have finished it when she was tipsy and forgot.

  “Well, she should have shared.”

  “She didn’t think we’d like it since we were kids. It was much too posh for our immature taste-buds.”

  “Sounds like Mom.”

  “You miss her?”

  “Sometimes,” I tell her. “I wonder what things would have been like if they hadn’t taken that road trip.”

  “Me too.” She smiles sadly as she picks out a sandwich and takes a bite.

  Our parents have been gone for six years. Planned out a six month road trip adventure and never came back. If their car hadn’t been found abandoned by the side of a ravine, I might still believe they were out there somewhere, moving around from town to town and having fun.

  Radio silence followed the discovery of their car. There’d been search parties, and I’d even hired a detective when there’d been no word within a few weeks. He’d drained my savings fast and came up empty. The case went cold. They were missing, presumed dead.

  “Sometimes, I think maybe they got sick or something and they’re alive, they just don’t remember who they are.” Sasha’s voice is soft, the way it gets before she starts to cry.

  I reach out and put an arm around her. “I hope that’s true.”

  It would be nicer than cold hard reality. They ran into trouble, wrong place, wrong time. Probably wound up buried at the bottom of that ravine. I’d gone out there half a dozen times to check the place out myself. It was remote. The ravine was huge. I’d wandered around there for hours, looking for daisies on the ground. All I managed to dig up was the bones of a dead bird.

  I know in my heart if they were alive they’d have found a way to let us know by now. They weren’t always the perfect parents, but they loved us and they never would have just disappeared on us without good reason.

  Some crimes never get solved. Some people go missing and never come back.

  All the same, some small sliver of hope begins to burn through me as I sit there with Sasha, wondering who might be the best person to use Eden’s Goddess light on, to try one last time to find out what really happened to them.

  “You okay, Asher? You look kind of far-away.”

  “I’m fine. Just thinking about Mom and Dad,” I tell her, already starting to plan out the visit in my head. It’ll take even more time away from Eden, but if there’s a chance I could find out what happened to them I need to take it.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Eden

  I get ready for my second interview of the week with shaking fingers and apparently zero common sense. I don’t even realise my top is see through until I go into the bathroom to fix my hair.

  “Ah, shit,” I curse, when I see my nipples protruding clearly against the thin red fabric. “I need a bra.”

  “I think you look good without it,” Nick tells me, undressing me with his gaze from the doorway.

  “Well, you would, but I can’t have pictures taken for a magazine looking like this.”

  “No, but you could come back to bed,” he says, smiling.

  “I have ten minutes until the interviewer is due, so scram, Levine. Unless you think you can push me to climax and then fix my hair and make-up before Zura gets here.”

  He moves closer and kisses my neck. Damn. I shouldn’t have issued a challenge.

  “Let her get ready,” Eli cuts in, glancing me over. His gaze drifts to my chest. “We’ll have plenty of time for fun later.”

  “I’m glad someone has some sense,” I say, taking in the fake pout on Nick’s lips as he backs away. “Later, Nick.”

  “Where do you want us when she gets here?” Eli asks, as he pulls Nick out of the room, as if he’s my personal bouncer.

  “Um, what?”

  “If we’re in the room with you, I’m pretty sure we all know what kind of questions she’s going to ask,” he tells me pointedly.

  Oh. Shit. Why didn’t I think of that? I can’t have her digging around for answers on who my four guys are, considering I really only have three. Hell and damn. I’ve really dug a huge hole for myself with that slip of the tongue. “Stay in the bedroom. The interview will be over in an hour at most.”

  I fix my hair and make-up once Eli and Nick are in the other room. My brain is already torturing me over the questions the reporter for the biggest music magazine in town is going to ask me. I opened a can of worms last night. Why do I get the feeling things are only going to snowball out of control from here on out?

  I almost forget to put on a bra. It takes so long to do my make-up while my thoughts are preoccupied that I have to make do with slightly messy hair. Luckily I can work the just fell out of bed look. It fits with the rock-chick vibe. I hear it when my security guys let Zura and her photographer into the room. Ugh. Why do I feel like I’m walking to my execution right now?

  Death by public stoning.

  Yeah, that sounds about right. I take a breath and walk in to the bedroom to find my guys lounging on the bed. Nick grins as I pass, smoothing out the covers.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll keep the bed warm for you,” he murmurs.

  The implication makes me flush. It’s just a tease but Nick knows how to put naughty thoughts into my head. I didn’t think I’d be turned on by the thought of them alone together but apparently I’d be okay with that. Maybe. If I could watch...

  Eli rolls his eyes. I shake off the lusty feelings and find a strapless bra that’s easy to slip under my top and shuffle into place. I need to get my head out of the gutter.

  “Just, try not to make too much noise,” I tease back, leaving the room quickly and slipping into a smile for my interview.

  Zura is standing in the middle of the suite, directing her photographer to move around lamps. She’s a slender black woman with an understated wardrobe and bold lips. Today they’re a vibrant shade of purple and her smile is subdued when she meets my gaze and holds out her hand.

  “Eden, it’s a pleasure to meet with you again.” Her words lack their usual warmth.

  I start to panic inside. I’ve met her half a dozen times and this is the only one that feels different. Do the public hate me now? Is this what I’ve let myself in for? My stomach turns and I fight to keep the smile on my face.

  “Always an honor, Zura.” I take her hand when she offers it, my Goddess light sweeps over her, and suddenly I know why she seems so distant.

  She had an argument with the photographer before they came here today. They kissed last night and she tried to brush it off as nothing, but it’s something. She’s in love with him. Deeply, heart-crushingly desperately in love. And she doesn’t want him to know.

  I relax as we sit, trying not to make it obvious when I take a look at the object of her affection. Feeling everything from her point of view makes it hard to figure out how he feels about anything. He wanted to talk about the kiss. That’s all I know. He seems a little moody, not that I’m surprised.

  “I don’t think I’ve met you before,” I tell him.

  He grunts as he backs away. His thoughts are elsewhere. He’s not really present.

  “So, you’re touring in a month?
” Zura asks after clearing her throat.

  This isn’t an interview question. She’s getting out a tape recorder and she’ll have me sign a disclaimer before we actually get started. She just doesn’t want me focussing on the photographer. She’s a very private person. I already know that. So I hope what I’m going to have to do doesn’t go down the wrong way.

  “Yeah, it was a surprise to me too. But I’m ready.” Kind of. Maybe.

  “Okay, so, you know the drill,” she tells me, as she hands me the contract and a pen. “Nothing has changed since the last time you signed one of these. I’ll start recording once the ink is dry.”

  My fingers tremble slightly. I hope to hell my tongue doesn’t decide to slip again. Things feel precarious enough right now. I need to be in control. I can’t reveal anything that might make things worse. I sign and hand it over.

  She puts it away and smiles, another subdued twitch of her bright purple lips.

  “All right. So, what’s the new album about?”

  “It’s kind of about finding myself and starting over. Being true to who I am. It’s a re-birth, I guess.”

  “After the break-up?” She looks as if she’s sorry for asking, just not quite enough to shy away from the subject.

  I hold in a sigh. It’s going to come up, over and over again. There’s nothing I can do about that. I just need to grin and bear it.

  “Things weren’t right between us for a long time. We’re just very different people.” He’s the kind of person who does whatever and whoever he likes when his girlfriend isn’t around, and I’m the kind of person who needs several men to commit to me all at once, forsaking all others..

  Zura nods. “What can you tell me about the first single?”

  “Uh, it’s dropping in a week.” And I have a damned music video to start filming tomorrow to allow for that to happen. “It’s called Heartbreaker.”

  “Heartbreaker? Is it about...”

  “It’s not about Hunter,” I interject. “It’s about having to hit rock bottom to find out what matters most.” Sort of. It’s more about how I felt finding out my mother wasn’t crazy, and that she could be happy and alive still, if she’d only accepted herself the way I did. Thinking about it makes my throat close up. I get up and get a bottle of water from the mini-bar, offering to Zura who shakes her head.