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CHAPTER ONE

HENDRIX

“Hen, you ready?”

“In a minute.”

I knew they were getting antsy. They were before every gig. But I started every gig the same way. I took slow deep breaths, mindful of each muscle and coaxing it to relax. Some guys smoked, some drank, I meditated. It worked for me.

“Is he ready?”

“No. He’s doing that thing again.”

“Ugh. We’re gonna be late.”

I ignored my bandmates. If they wanted me to sing well, then they had to let me get ready. It wasn’t like we were world famous. We might be more popular in the Other Realm, but in the human realm, we were more of a novelty than a claim to fame. Over time, we hoped to change that. Every gig counted. Which meant I didn’t change my routine for anyone.

Sometimes it was frustrating that we were starting over from scratch. We still did gigs now and then in the Other Realm, but with most of our usual attendees crossing over during theintegration, it isn’t the same anymore. We figured we’d try again out here, but it was harder than I thought it was going to be. I almost wanted to quit once in a while. I just couldn’t stand the thought of doing anything else.

Pushing those depressing thoughts away, I focused again on my breathing. Once my body and mind were relaxed, I opened my eyes. Like I expected, my bandmates hovered around the door, all staring at me. I lifted an eyebrow accusingly.

“You know, it would go a lot faster if I wasn’t distracted.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “No, it wouldn’t. You drag it out on purpose.”

I sighed. They were so impatient. “I don’t know what to tell you. It takes–”

“... as long as it takes,” they all chorused together.

“We know,” Duncan finished, with an exasperated look.

I grinned. “If you know, then why do you insist on interrupting me?”

“Because you look like a tool.”

“Feeling the love tonight, guys.” My eyes narrowed. “Wait, where’s Zion?”

Laz shook his head. “Don’t think he’s making it tonight. I can’t get ahold of him.”

“Again?” I didn’t know why I was surprised. Zion thought he was a big shot and only showed up when he wanted to. He was lucky I could cover him on lead guitar because otherwise we’d be screwed. I had to get creative with the claws, but I learned to deal with that a long time ago. The band had talked more than once about booting him, but I hesitated to pull the trigger without a replacement.

“Did you actually expect him to show?” Ruby drawled. “Can we just go now? The crowd could dwindle if we don’t hurry.”

Our presence had no effect on the crowd. Not yet anyway. Our band, Children of Myth, was still getting its bearingsin the human realm. We took every gig we could get and didn’t complain about anything. Time slot, dressing room state, nothing. Not until we made it big.

Tonight’s gig wasn’t the worst. The dressing room was clean and the time slot was decent. Eleven was a little late for a decent crowd, and most people came to see the show before us, but when I finally stepped on stage, there was a good amount of people still hanging around. Enough to get my blood pumping. I loved this part. The adrenaline, the thrill. It was like your first flight all over again. A dash of nerves, an insane amount of excitement, and the thrill of finally getting off the ground. It was worth every bad gig and disappointing payday. It was all worth it.

The warmth of the stage lights settled on my skin, hiding the crowd that wasn’t right by the stage. It did nothing to block out the feeling of eyes on me, the swell of interest as people gathered closer to watch.

“Let’s do this.”

Heart still pumping wildly, I lifted my hand to the crowd. “Thank you! Good night!”

Their cheers warmed my soul, and we were all smiles as we headed off stage. Duncan was practically bouncing, a huge beaming grin on his face.

“That was a good night. Right? Good crowd.”

I nodded, ruffling his hair. He was the youngest, and I loved his exuberance. “Yeah. They were into it. We did good. Well done, guys.”