Authors: Holly Hood
I raised the scrap of paper and did like it said imagining the blackest X over Audrey’s name and smug face.
“I bind you Audrey from doing
harm, h
against other people, and harm against yourself.” I said low, over and over again until it was robotic and natural coming from my lips.
I worked the rope around the paper until it was no longer visible and perfectly bound. I gave it a few seconds and finally stood
.
“It is done,” I said out loud,
stashing the paper in my desk drawer for safe keeping.
I sat down on my bed. Unsure if I was
supposed
to feel
any different. The room was silent. I sighed, I guess it was one of those things you just had to wait and see. The phone rang scaring the crap out of me.
I reached over answering the handset in my bedroom.
“So you finally showed your face?” Karsen asked.
I leaned back against my headboard. “Yeah
,
back in one piece.”
There was a light tapping on my door. I unlocked it half expecting Karsen, but it
was
Nona. “There is chili on the stove on low. I have
Pilates
. I will be back in a
couple of
hours.”
I
nodded that I understood.
“So
,
what happened?” Karsen asked. I wasn’t in the mood to get into it.
“
It’s
nothing I
want to talk about right now. What are you doing tonight?”
Karsen scoffed from her end. “Henry Park is having their first gig of the summer
tonight
. And being the good girlfriend that I am
,
I am attending.”
“Could you pick me u
p? We could walk there together,
” I said already sifting through my drawers for something to wear. I needed to be deep in the action. I needed to speak to Slade and figure out where we stood as well.
“
Are you saying you want to come, a
fter everything that happened the last couple days with Audrey and Slade?” Karsen let out a miserable sigh indicating she thought I was the biggest idiot she knew.
“I have no idea what happened.
Even so,
I would hope Slade would be honest with me. I can’t wait in the wings for the rest of my life. If Slade doesn’t want anything to do with
me,
then he can just say so.” I chewed at my nail.
Karsen was silent.
“I get it, Karsen.” I plucked a black camisole from the rack. “He has done nothing that deserves my interest in him anymore. But I
know,
deep
down,
Slade is still the sweet guy I once was into.”
“Fine.
You have an hour to get ready. And if you guys decide to have a s
cream match
,
remember screaming is his
thing
and you will probably lose.” She hung up
the phone
before I could counter with an equally sarcastic comeback.
I turned to face my mirror. I told myself I wasn’t this weak girl
I
convinced myself I was. I was Hope
Zigler
. I
could be just as strong and conniving as Audrey. I had
too
much to lose to not be.
“Holy crap, where is Hope
Zigler
?” Karsen choked
,
checking me out
on the porch as I
walked out
. I locked the door behind me laughing at her over dramatics. She touched the
blue
silk top I was wearing. “You look stunning. If you’re trying to piss the rest of the female population off you will definitely succeed.”
I rolled
my eyes. Karsen
was being a little over the top. I didn’t
go all out.
I just wanted to look nice—really nice. I had this overflowing amount of confidence searing through
me,
and it was tugging at my sense of fashion suddenly.
I smoothed my high wasted grey skirt, tickling the fringe around my hips with my fingertips. I smoothed my hair and headed down the steps all set for Henry Park. Keeping my hair over my shoulders, I had even spent an extra ten minutes flat ironing it in front of my mirror until it was silky smooth. After that I dug out my old concealer covering the love bite Hutch had given me. I smiled at the thought of it, my insides a bit tingly the moment his face flashed in my mind.
“So, do you feel like filling me in on what happened last night now?” Karsen asked trying to keep up with my confident stride past a group of guys playing beach football. I grinned, the blank awe on each of their faces told me all I needed to know—I looked hot.
“There isn’t a lot to tell,” I shrugged it off. “I spent the night with Hutch because I was
too
drunk to show my face back at my house.”
Karsen squeezed my arm excited. “So?”
“So what?”
She shook her head frustrated
.
I wasn’t giving up all the gooey details. “You know I would never run back and tell anyone anything you told me right?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Of course I know it. You’re my best friend.”
Karsen shot me that look. The one that told me I needed to spill.
I sighed. “Hutch is hot.”
Karsen nodded in agreement. “
Hutch is smoking hot, i
n that tall-dramatic-enticing-I-want-to-throw-you-down-and-have-my-way-with-you kind of way.”
I laughed at Karsen. “He’s also sweet and not afraid to say how he
feels, a
nd
he
’s
caring
.”
We stopped walking coming to stop behind two rather large men dressed in black. Henry Park was alive and as packed as the last time I had been there.
“And then there’s Slade.” I crossed my arms, the same familiar pangs of lust coursing my veins at the thought of him. “There’s definitely no denying he’s hot.”
“He’s hot in that I–have-a-fucked–up-life-die-trying-to-save-me kind of way,” Karsen said with a nod, ignoring the man in front of us who shot her an offended look.
“Who can blame him, he does have a messed up life.” We made it through the gates of Henry Park and quickly headed for the stage. The music was already
flowing;
the crowd was
already
thick and rambunctious.
Elbows
and backs
bumped
and
swirled
in mosh
pits all around us. I held tight to Karsen afraid to be knocked into one.
And there he
was, black
baseball cap on backwards, aviators shielding his intense blue eyes from the crowd, his voice tearing through my
conscience. Every
scream and growl threatened to knock me off course.
I pushed my hair behind my ear
,
a small smile playing on my lips as Slade cupped the
mic
with both hands shouting at the audience. His black cutoff shirt showcased all his tattoos and all the muscles his arms housed. My stomach ached with lust. I shook the bad thoughts out of my head.
He produced his perfect pearly whites as he let out a guttural scream. It was hard not to like someone with such raw talent and emotion on stage. If only he could have that much in his love
life,
I thought bitterly.
I dodged the burly man about to smash into me, yanking Karsen out of the way. Her eyes were glued to Kidd as he played
backup
.
“They are so hot,” she gushed, clutching her chest as she watched her man move to the beat of the music. He pulled the black Fedora hat from his head sending it loose into the audience. A screaming girl caught it.
“That was my favorite hat,” Karsen whined, watching the girl dance around with Kidd’s hat on her head.
“I’m sure he has more.”
Slade stood on the speaker, extending the microphone to the crowd. He raised his hands in the air, igniting the crowd into a roar of celebration. I smiled. He leaned
forward;
chaos ensued as a throng of
girls battled
to touch him. They tugged on his hand, but he stayed planted, singing along to the lyrics as he gave the crowd what they wanted—him.
The band finished up, taking their break and letting the stagehands clean up the mess before the next gig. Karsen and I headed back to the
Rv.
I had to admit I was a little nervous. As we finally slipped through the
crowd,
I was disturbed to see Audrey hanging on Slade
’s arm
and
praising
him on his great performance.
Karsen stop
ped walking and tugged me close, n
ose to nose with me. “We can leave. I will leave right now…Kidd will understand.”
I shook my head refusing to give in to Audrey anymore. “No, I’m going to say hi. Tell him what a great job he did.”
Everyone’s attention immedia
tely fell on me as I approached, i
ncluding Slade and Audrey.
“Great job, love the new song,” I told him, giving a little wave. He pushed Audrey away from him, his eyes a bit alarmed to see
me
standing before him. He bit down on his bottom lip checking me
out. It
was obvious.
Audrey crossed her arms glaring at me.
Kidd wrapped his arm around Karsen kissing her head. “Glad you came, sex
kitten, and
you too, Hope.”
I smiled at Kidd. “Thanks, Kidd. You guys still are great.”
Slade was now standing before me. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
I looked up at him and gave a shrug. “It was sort of a
spur-of-the-moment
thing. You did
great,
by the way
.”
He slipped his hat from his head smoothing back his dark hair and planted
it
on my head. I smiled, as he tugged me close and kissed me, his hand cradling the back of my head.
“That wasn’t what I was expecting, but thank you.” I smirked
,
immediately enchanted by him.
Slade stared me down. I couldn’t tell what he was really thinking without a view of his eyes. I pulled off his aviators and slipped them on, giving him a teasing smile.
He stroked my
mouth
with his
fingers, "still
mad at me?”
I bit down
on
my lip trying to decide if I was.
“
It’s
hard to stay mad at you when you’re so hot.”
He smiled, playing with his lip ring knowing what it did to just about every girl on the planet.
“Nothing happened. I promise you there is nothing going on between her and I. She isn’t making things easy that’s for sure.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “
Things have been crazy
dealing with the coven and Audrey. I wanted to explain things to you earlier, but I also knew how pissed you were.”
I touched his face alarmed. “What do you mean?”
Slade shook his head trying to act like the hero and keep the truth—whatever that was from me. “She’s not so easy to get rid of. And it’s hard to try when she is the daughter of the man that I owe my life too.”
I looked
away;
there she stood eyes glued to Slade as he tried explaining the issues at hand. I brought my attention back to him. “It’s Ezra all over again. Only difference
,
Ezra was dead and Audrey is alive and kicking.”
Slade agreed. “I forgot to mention how hot you look right now.” He changed the subject, stealing another kiss.
I pulled away. “Wh
at does that mean for us
, w
ith Audrey always around
it's
quite difficult to be around
,
Slade.” I hated when reality hit me.
Our meeting was interrupted by Audrey before Slade could give me an answer.
“Look who decided to show up. Hope.” Audrey glared at me. “I thought you were
too
busy being mad at Slade to hang around.”
I glared right back. “It wa
s you who I was trying to avoid, not Slade.”
She stepped in front of Slade. I backed up before things got to personal. It was clear she didn’t want me anywhere near him. He was like her possession—her
prisoner
even.