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Rolling my eyes, I studied the photo she sent. I looked pissed, which was not how I wanted Art to see me. “You’re the worst friend on the planet.”

She cackled, grabbing a drink from the kitchen, while I waited for Art’s reply. I saw the bubbles pop up, and I was debating explaining what was going on in the picture, when my phone started buzzing in my hand. I frowned. He almost never called me.

“Who is it? Is it Artie? Tell him to come hang out!” Duncan called.

I shook my head, putting the phone to my ear. “Z? What’s up?”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ARTHUR

Hendrix’s schedulesuddenly got busy, so I didn’t get to see him again until the next show. He promised we’d go out afterwards though, so I was looking forward to it. They even got an earlier slot, the band playing at nine instead of closer to midnight, so I could justify going out afterwards. I spent too long agonizing over what to wear, since I didn't know exactly what Hendrix planned after the show. I would be happy with anything, but if it did lead to sex, I didn’t want to look like a hot mess.

I showed up early, as usual. Maya was on her honeymoon, so there was a new bartender at the bar. She seemed friendly, and after grabbing me a drink, she stopped by to chat. I was a little awkward, but once she got me talking about the band, I couldn’t shut up. She looked bemused, leaning against the counter as she listened to me babble. She tipped her head towards the stage when the first band came out.

“That them?”

I shook my head. “No. Children of Myth is made up of all paranormals.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Really? That’s freaking cool. What kinds?”

I listed them while ticking off on each of my fingers. “The drummer, Ruby, is a vampire. Duncan, the keyboardist and back up vocalist, is a witch. Laz is the bass player, and he’s an incubus. Their lead guitar isn’t at every show, but his name is Zion and he’s a werewolf. And the lead vocalist is Hendrix. He’s a demon.”

She pressed her lips together, trying and failing to hide her grin. “You’ve got a thing for that one, don’t you?”

My face flushed, and I started tripping over my own tongue. “I– How–”

She shrugged, grabbing a towel and wiping down the counter after someone left a stool nearby. “Your tone changed when you were talking about him. The rest, you were excited, but tempered. Him you got all dreamy eyed about. No shame in it. I couldn’t tell you how many rock stars I crushed on in my life. Pretty sure my childhood bedroom was all band posters with lipstick stains on them.”

Her attempt to ease my mind helped a little, but being compared to a teenager with a crush was a little embarrassing. I didn’t argue with her, though, considering I was dating the lead singer anyway. She moved on for a bit, filling drink orders as the bar got more crowded. After she was through, she headed back to me and sighed.

“I should’ve gotten more background information before starting here. People keep asking me questions I don’t have the answer to. They didn’t even give me a schedule of what bands were playing tonight. I’m out of my depth.”

My brow furrowed. That didn’t sound like Maya. Peeking around her, I spied the little blue notebook Maya kept under the register and pointed at it. “Have you looked in there? Mayausually has the schedules for the bands in there, as well as a few notes.”

She backtracked a few steps, grabbing the notebook and flipping it open. After a few seconds, she groaned, dropping her chin forward. “It’s all here. They seriously could’ve mentioned that sooner. Thank you, this helps a lot. Your next drink is on me, okay? I’m Aliyah, by the way.”

“Arthur,” I replied, shaking the hand she thrust at me. “The regular bartender is a friend of mine. I knew she wouldn’t leave her replacement hanging.”

We chatted a bit while I waited for the band to show up. The first band wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t Children of Myth, so I didn't pay much attention to them. I mostly played with my phone, looking through the updates Duncan had done with their social media. Their pages looked better, more professional, but they still needed more content. I made a mental note to ask Hendrix if he wanted to post some clips I took from the wedding. He wasn’t happy about playing at a wedding, but I got some clips of their originals and he might like them online.

I was scrolling through some pictures and videos I took so I could show Hendrix after their gig when a rough voice snapped at Aliyah. “How do I get back stage?”

She frowned at the speaker, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you with a band?”

The guy, who looked like a rat in a suit, with greasy brown hair and a terrible mustache, sneered at her. “I will be. I’m a scout for Broadcast Records. I’m here to meet with Children of Myth. Zion knows I’m coming.”

That caught my attention, and I put my phone away to listen. Aliyah didn’t look impressed by the guy, her eyebrow raised defiantly. I was glued to the conversation, both excited for the band and a little concerned. This guy gave me bad vibes and, ifthe way he spoke to Aliyah was any indication, he wasn’t a nice person.

“If you’re not in a band, you don’t go backstage. Meet them when they’re through.”

He bared his teeth at her. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

She lifted a shoulder carelessly. “Does it look like I care?”

“You will care when you cost a band their future! My name is Wallis Weatherby. I am one of the best scouts in the country. Do you really want to ruin the band’s chance at meeting me just because you’re on a stupid power trip?”

He sounded important, and I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, so I interrupted them before Aliyah could piss him off any more. “The band almost always comes to the bar after the show. You can meet them then, if you want?”