Fangs And Fame (23 page)

Aurora

I WAS STILL IN shock, having just hung up the phone as Trey walked into the suite and found Kacie hugging me and jumping up and down. Kacie was practically squealing with excitement, but managed to contain herself long enough for me to talk to Trey first.

“
What’s going on with you guys?” he said, his blue eyes glinting with curiosity. “Did someone just win the lottery?”

I nodded and smiled at him.
“Sort of,” I said slowly, turning to face him. “I ... I actually just got off the phone with a woman from New York.”

“
New York?”

“
She works for some big wig art collector in the city, and she was calling to see if I might be willing to commission some pieces for him. She wants me to fly out and meet with her as soon as possible.”

Trey blinked at me, but took my shoulders in his hands and emphatically said,
“You told her yes, right?” I nodded, feeling a grin stretch across my face.

“
Of course she did,” Kacie blurted out.

Trey
’s face beamed as he wrapped his arms around me. He lifted me up, spinning me and making me laugh out loud. When he finally set me down I gazed up into his bright blue eyes, feeling lighter every second. “This is huge,” he said, making it clear that he understand the gravity of this moment.

I
’d been waiting for something like this, for an opportunity to take my career to the next level. It was hard to believe it might actually be happening. “I think it could be,” I admitted, smiling and biting my lip.

“
Well, what are we waiting for?” Kacie asked. “You have a plane ticket to buy.”

We crossed into the other end of the suite where we sat down in front of the laptop and I booked a flight out the next morning.
“You know I wish I could go with you,” Trey said, a hint of regret behind his eyes.

“
It’s just a meeting,” I assured him. “It’ll be boring. Your show will be much more entertaining than a night at what’s sure to be a stuffy restaurant, anyway.”

“
Stuffy means fancy,” Kacie said, raising an eyebrow at me like I wasn’t fully appreciating the situation.

Trey rested a hand on my knee.
“I’m proud of you,” he said.

“
I haven’t done anything yet,” I said, but the lighthearted reprimand in his next glance was enough to make me change my tune. I grinned and bumped his shoulder with my own. “I mean, thanks.”

He grinned in satisfaction and kissed my forehead as his phone buzzed and lit up with Jonas
’s face on the Caller ID. “Be right back,” he promised as he walked back across the suite to talk.

“O’Shea’s going to be here any minute to take me to the airport,” Kacie said as she triple-checked her bag.

“
Tytus is going with you, too” I told her. “You never know what kind of paparazzi you’ll meet there. It’s just easier with some security.”

She nodded resolutely.
“Right.”

“
As much as O’Shea likes to pretend it’s only Trey that draws that kind of attention, that hair of his works like a neon sign,” I added.

Kacie laughed and turned to face me.
“Thanks again for bringing me back with you,” she said. “This has easily been some of the most amazing days of my life. Being able to spend some time with O’Shea on the road sure makes it easier to understand what this life is like for him, for all of them.”

“
I know what you mean,” I told her.

“
I’m going to miss you guys,” Kacie said, and I saw that she was fighting back tears.

I opened my arms and she hugged me tight.
“We’ll miss you, too, but you’ll be back out soon,” I promised.  She released me, nodding, and took a deep breath in an attempt to pull herself together. Trey chose that exact moment to approach us and Kacie responded by throwing her arms around his neck, too.

Trey grinned and hugged her back, lifting her several inches off the ground before he set her back down on her feet again.
“Have a good flight,” he told her. “I’m counting on you to make sure The Waking Moon stays in one piece. I wrote more than half of the record inside those walls. Someone has to make sure it’s still standing so I can do that again.”

She laughed and gave him a funny salute.
“Got it,” she promised, biting her lip.

A knock sounded on the door and Trey opened it, letting O
’Shea inside. Kacie wasted no time filling O’Shea in on my momentous phone call. He congratulated me with his signature O’Shea hug and said, “Just don’t forget about us little guys when you make it big and rich.”

“
Said the rock star,” I quipped, laughing.

“
Ready to go?” he asked Kacie, though he seemed hesitant to bring it up.

She took a deep breath and exhaled.
“I think so.” O’Shea grabbed her bag for her, and Trey and I waved goodbye as the two of them disappeared into the hallway.

“
Text me when your plane lands,” I called out.

“
Will do!” Kacie’s voice returned before the door closed. A smile pulled at the corner of Trey’s mouth as he watched me.

“
What?” I asked.

“
Look at you,” he said, full-on grinning now, “Being all motherly.”

I laughed, rolling my eyes.
“Apparently someone has to. Do you see what you’re doing to me?”

“
Oh, it’s my fault, is it?”

“
Yes. Completely.”

“
I guess I’m okay with that,” he said slowly, taking my hands in his. “As long as I get credit for the rest of the night, too.”

I arched an eyebrow and waited for him to explain, but he just smiled.
“Do we have plans?”

“
Sort of.”

I shrugged.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” I said, grinning.

“
First, you have to promise you’re not going to break into the vault,” he said as he tapped his left temple with a finger. “No spoiling the surprise.” I frowned and sighed. “Promise,” he insisted again.

“
I promise,” I said, finger-drawing an X over my heart.

Trey and the other guys had filmed the desert scenes for the
“Mirage” video today. It had been a long, hot day, to put it mildly. The drive to the Valley of Fire, which is very appropriately named, was about an hour from Vegas. The director had shot footage of Trey, Jonas, Chase and O’Shea driving along on a dirt road in a cool old car I knew nothing about, but that made Chase drool. The idea was that the car broke down out in the middle of nowhere, and after messing around under the hood unsuccessfully, the guys have to make a call for help. They start walking, for lack of anything else to do, and the desert inevitably heat starts to get them. The hallucinations that ensue are of the alternate lives the guys had filmed a few days back.

I
’d filmed a small scene where I pulled up to rescue them in the end, but I end up just being another hallucination of Trey’s. When he hears a man’s voice when I call out for them to get in the car, Trey blinks and his vision finally comes into focus, revealing that it’s actually Neon behind the wheel of the rescue vehicle. The whole treatment of the video was just a cool idea, and we were all anxious to see it put together. It already seemed like a lot longer than two days ago that I’d had Trey all to myself in the Shark Reef. Just the prospect of having a night alone with him was enough of a reason for me to keep my promise to let him surprise me.

“
Come on,” Trey said, pulling me toward the door. “I didn’t know we’d have an actual reason to celebrate, but the timing is kind of perfect now.”

A moment later we were about to step out of the elevator on the ground level when I sensed a vampire in the lobby.

“Do you-”

“
I feel him, too,” I answered before Trey could finish.

We stepped out together and began moving toward the rotating doors when we saw him relaxing in an
oversized chair, watching our every move. I made a beeline for him and he quickly got to his feet as I approached.

“
Who are you and what do you want?” I demanded, grabbing the collar of his suit jacket forcefully. Trey looked taken aback by my approach, but he stood at my side and waited for the vampire’s response. The vampire gave me a cocky grin, to which I responded by grabbing his expensive tie and yanking until his face was only inches from my own. “Who are you?”

Aurora

“I AM NO ONE of consequence,” the vampire said, forcing the words out with great effort since I was basically choking him.

We
’re not alone in here
, Trey reminded me silently.

I realized he was right and released the vampire against my better judgment.
“I don’t know what you want, or what your boss wants, but I want no part in it.” I said as the vampire straightened and adjusted his shirt collar and tie.

“
That goes for both of us,” Trey added, leaning close and speaking in hushed tones. His voice was low and gravelly.

“
The next time I see your face, you’re going to regret it,” I promised. I turned on my heel, and Trey and I exited the hotel, climbing into the waiting car.

“
I’m sick of being followed,” I said in frustration as we pulled away from the curb. “Maybe we should call O’Shea and Kacie. See if they’re okay,” I suggested, but Trey shook his head.

“
I’m sure they’re fine,” he assured me. “Tytus is with them. Full vampire or not, Tytus could have shredded this guy into pieces. He would have warned us if that vamp had been in the lobby when they left. He must have come in right after.”

“
Good point,” I admitted. “What do we do about it?”

Trey sighed.
“Tonight? Nothing.” I narrowed my eyes at him, but realized he was right. “We’ll talk to Tytus in the morning, but I don’t want you to let this ruin our night.”

“
I don’t want that either,” I told him.

“
Okay, so we put this out of our minds for the rest of the evening, then?” Trey asked.

I nodded.
“It’s a deal.”

“
It’s a date,” Trey said, smiling at me and brushing a strand of hair out of my face.

It wasn
’t easy, but I was determined to enjoy whatever Trey had planned for the two of us, so I did my best to stop thinking about the mystery vampire from the hotel. Besides, we were celebrating. I just hoped that celebrating so soon wouldn’t jinx it. I had waited too long for an opportunity like this. New York just seemed full of potential, and I was torn between my desire to get there now and find out what could happen next and my deep desire to enjoy the evening with Trey. That thought alone put things into perspective for me. Trey would not be going with me tomorrow, and as that realization sank in I knew just then how much I needed him tonight. In an effort to take both our minds off of it all, I tried several times to get a hint out of Trey about our plans as we drove through the city, but Trey was just too good at the whole surprise thing.

“
Just be glad I didn’t blindfold you,” Trey responded to one of my many attempts at prying. “It’s not too late for that, I suppose.”

“
No thanks,” I said. “I’ll keep my eyesight.”

We were in the taxi for more than twenty minutes before we reached our destination and Trey paid the driver, holding the door open for me as I stepped out onto the sidewalk and stared at the building in front of us. It looked like an apartment building of some kind.

“What is this place?” I asked as the taxi pulled away.

“
I’ll show you,” Trey said as he led me inside. We took an elevator to the top floor and when the doors opened I found myself staring into a loft apartment that looked strangely similar, despite my never have been there before.

The apartment didn
’t look lived in, and it took me a moment to realize what Trey had done as I stepped inside and looked around. Trey walked ahead of me, pulling me by the hand.

“
I know the kitchen is in the lower level,” he said. “But if you can ignore that part, I think you’ll find I did a pretty good job.”

I didn
’t understand exactly what he was getting at until we climbed the single stairway inside and I found that he’d recreated my loft at The Waking Moon, right down to the details. My easel stood in the corner, and all of my art supplies were set up on a table against the wall. His guitar was propped up against the wall opposite us in the same spot he always set it down back home. I was completely speechless.

“
I know things have been crazy lately,” he said. “You went to so much trouble the other night to surround me with water and all the things that I love about home. I wanted to do the same thing for you. What do you think?”

“
I ... it’s perfect,” I stuttered. “I can’t believe you did this. I love it.”

Trey pulled me close and kissed the top of my head.
“I love you.” Then he raised my chin with his fingers and brought his lips down on mine. The kiss was sweet, but short. Trey pulled back but didn’t let go of me. “We can stay all night if you want,” he said, gesturing with one arm to the space around us. “I rented this place for the whole month. The landlord was a stickler.” He laughed and then said, “Oh, I almost forgot. Hold on.” He went back down the stairs and I stared in amazement at the blank canvas that sat before me. I heard a refrigerator door open and close and Trey was back in an instant with two cans of Root Beer. He popped the tops on them both and handed one to me.

“
To creating beautiful art,” he toasted.

“
Cheers,” I said, clinking my can with his and making foam pour out the hole. I laughed and sipped at it quickly.

“
There goes the cleaning deposit,” Trey teased.

I smacked him playfully on the chest and gazed around in silent wonder.
“You have no idea how much I need this,” I told him.

“
I think I do,” he countered as he put a hand on the small of my back and eased me over to the canvas he’d set up. He took my drink and set it on the table, placing a long brush in my hand. I felt his lips on the back of my neck, sending sweet shivers down my spine. Then he kicked his shoes off, sat down on the floor and picked up his acoustic guitar, checking the tuning of the strings.

Just like old times.

I smiled, wondering what on earth I was going to paint. All the stress and craziness that had been building for weeks laid itself down in paint, one decisive, therapeutic layer at a time. Trey’s strumming and soft singing acted as the perfect soundtrack to my tale as I told a story on the canvas, one I could never have worked out in my mind, or heart, without the aid of a brush. I laid it all out in color, letting the tension that had come with it escape through my brush, as well. I felt myself physically relaxing as I painted into the night, and couldn’t help but wonder what chaos tomorrow might bring to replace everything I was letting go of. It would never end, not as long as Trey and I were on the earth. But as long as nights like this existed –nights where Trey and I could escape into our own little fantasy world – I could face whatever surprises tomorrow might have in store.