Page 44 of Bound By Song (Evie Quad Omegaverse #1)

EVIANA

T he storm rages outside, fierce and unrelenting, but inside, it feels almost...peaceful. In the house at least.

Inside me I’m an echo of the storm.

My chest is tight, thoughts swirling too fast to catch, too loud to silence.

Every sound – the creak of the walls, the wind battering the windows – feels like a mirror of something inside me breaking loose.

I’m splintered between the warmth of their touch and the cold fear I’ve spent years building walls around.

There’s calm here, yes. Safety, even. But it sits heavy on my skin, pressing close, whispering all the things I’m not ready to face.

Because even wrapped in quiet, surrounded by comfort, I can feel something shifting. Rising .

And part of me is terrified it’s already too late to stop it.

The guys are gathered in the lounge with me, Xar, Blaise, and Dane all sprawled across the room.

They’ve made sure I’m comfortable in the nest they created for me – a pile of blankets and pillows in the centre of the room, a cocoon of softness.

The fire crackles quietly, casting a warm glow on the walls.

I’m nestled in the middle of it all, wrapped up in the warmth of the blankets, but still acutely aware of them. The way their presence fills the space around me, their scents mingling in the air, grounding me in ways I don’t fully understand.

The conversation is light, the easy kind that flows when there’s no pressure to perform. They don’t push me to talk. They don’t try to pry, but I can feel them watching me – waiting for me to open up, to let them in.

Blaise is the first to break the silence. “I swear, if this storm blows any harder, we’re all going to end up in the next county.” He chuckles, but Xar shoots him a pointed look.

“Shut up, Blaise, you’re going to freak her out,” Xar mutters, though there’s no real bite to his words.

I can’t help but smile at their easy banter. I’m hardly scared of a little wind and rain. This is the Devonshire coastline after all. Storms are trickier to cope with, but I’m not alone now. Still, Xar’s concern is sweet.

There’s a sense of camaraderie here that I’m not used to – no pressure, no expectations.

My sisters and I never got to have that relaxed kind of relationship; we were always too tense around Grams. Every whispered conversation was had on tenterhooks.

It’s no wonder we’re scattered around the country now, our bond fractured.

Dane is sitting nearby, his presence quiet but unwavering.

His dark eyes are fixed on me, watching with a steady intensity, though he hasn’t said a word.

There’s a comfort in the silence between us, something reassuring in the way he doesn’t try to fill the space with words.

And I don’t feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

In fact, if anything, I feel protected by it.

I’m still not sure how to feel about this – about them, about what’s happening between us. The bond is there, undeniable, but it’s something I’m still fighting against, clinging to the last threads of independence. It’s getting harder, though.

I shift under the blankets, trying to get comfortable, but I can’t ignore the question that’s been gnawing at me since the store. The fan. The one who recognised them. I can feel her words echoing in my head – her excitement, her awe. I can’t stop wondering what it means.

I pull the blankets tighter around myself, taking a deep breath before speaking. “Hey...earlier, at the store, that girl seemed really excited to see you. She said you guys were famous, right?”

The guys glance at each other, and I see the subtle shift in their expressions. There’s a moment of silent communication between them before Blaise breaks it.

“Famous? That’s one way to put it,” he says with a grin, the teasing note in his voice unmistakeable. “We’re kind of a big deal, honeybee.”

I raise an eyebrow at him, half-amused, half-skeptical. “A big deal? Doing what, exactly?”

Xar’s voice is steady, but there’s a glint of something softer behind his usual coolness. “We’re a band. Been around for a few years now, working on a new album.”

A band? That’s why they look so...well, different .

There’s a presence to them, a confidence in the way they carry themselves.

Something that’s more than just your run-of-the-mill alpha energy.

It makes sense now, but it still feels surreal.

“I didn’t know,” I murmur, more to myself than to them. “What sort of music?”

Dane shifts, his dark gaze never leaving me. “We keep a low profile outside of performing. Didn’t think it’d be a big deal, us being here. But...yeah, that’s what we do. We’re working on new music. Rock music, to be exact.”

I nod, processing the information. “So, you’re musicians. Okay. But what are you doing here in Silver?”

Blaise jumps in again, his voice light. “Yeah, you could say that. Rock stars , to be exact. But don’t get any ideas, Evie. We’re not here to put on a show, just making sure you’re taken care of.”

I can’t help but chuckle at his cocky tone. “Well, I guess that explains the whole ‘too cool to be in a store’ vibe.”

Xar’s smirk deepens, but there’s warmth in his eyes. “Something like that.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t recognise you. I’m not very up to date with modern music.”

“That’s okay. At least we know you like us for our handyman skills instead of our fame,” Blaise quips, but there’s a flicker of something dark in his expression.

“Skills?” I laugh, raising a brow. “You broke my porch!”

“And I fixed the roof, so I guess we’re even?”

The conversation pauses for a moment as I look down at my hands, the weight of everything still pressing on me. I want to ask more, I want to understand, but there’s something holding me back. Something I’m not ready to face just yet.

Is there a reason why they didn’t answer my question about why they’re in Silver? Or did they just miss me asking?

They’re waiting for me to say something – anything – but I’m stuck, unable to find the right words.

“Come on, Eviana,” Blaise says suddenly, his tone light and teasing, but there’s a hint of something deeper in it. “How about a game? We’re all stuck here with the storm, so let’s play twenty questions.”

“Twenty questions?” I blink at him, confused.

“Yeah,” he grins, his eyes sparkling. “We go around, ask each other questions, and answer honestly. It’ll help you open up. Fastest way to get to know one another.”

“I don’t know,” I hesitate, my mind already racing with all the things I could say, all the things I could avoid saying.

Blaise leans forward, a playful glint in his eyes. “Come on, Evie. It’s just a game. Nothing to be scared of. We’ll start easy.”

I look at him, at the others, and feel the weight of their attention, but there’s no pressure in their gaze, no judgment. Just... care .

“Alright,” I say, trying to project more confidence into my tone than I feel. “I’ll play.”

They exchange glances, then settle back into their places, making room for me in the centre of the nest. I settle back into the blankets, feeling the warmth of their attention on me.

Blaise is the first to speak. “Alright, here’s an easy one: What’s your favourite colour?”

I blink at him, surprised by the simplicity of the question. It catches me off guard. “Lavender,” I say without thinking. Then I hesitate. “No, it’s not. I don’t even know why I said that. I panicked.”

Blaise raises his eyebrows, clearly amused. “Really?”

I nod. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lie. My favourite colour is actually pink. But my Grams always said…nevermind. It’s pink. Honestly.”

If they think my outburst is weird, they’re too polite to say anything, thankfully. Instead, Blaise just nods and smiles at me. “That’s good to know.”

I chuckle softly, the ice finally beginning to crack.

“Okay. What’s next?”

The questions continue, lighthearted at first, but I can feel the shift. They’re not just asking questions – they’re getting to know me. And, despite my initial hesitation, I’m starting to open up too.

The game continues, a slow, steady rhythm that allows me to speak without feeling like I’m giving too much away all at once. I find myself answering more honestly, more comfortably, than I expected.

Eventually, I find myself relaxing too, the tension in my shoulders easing with every question. They don’t push me, don’t make me feel like I have to share everything all at once. It’s just small, safe steps.

I answer their questions, and they answer mine. And in the quiet moments between the questions, I realise something.

I’m actually enjoying their company.

I’ve spent so long running, hiding, trying to convince myself I didn’t need anyone. But now, with the guys here, it’s harder to ignore the truth. I feel safer with them. More grounded. Less...lonely.

“Do you have any pets?” Xar asks thoughtfully.

“Only the chickens. We all really wanted a kitten growing up but we weren’t allowed pets. The chickens were practical because they gave us eggs but we weren’t allowed to treat them like pets. What about you guys…do you have any pets?”

Blaise shakes his head. “Nah. We don’t stay still long enough.”

“What he means is, we don’t have a permanent residence at the moment. We’ve been on tour for so long that it wouldn’t have been fair to have an animal during that time.”

“That makes sense. Must be tiring being constantly on the move though,” I muse. I’m a home girl. I think. I never really wanted to leave like my sisters. I mean, as a child I had dreams of growing up and seeing the world, but Grams scared that out of me.

“It’s exhausting. We’re all about ready to settle down and put down some roots now,” Xar replies.

“Okay, this isn’t a new question because it’s linked to the last one,” Blaise interrupts. “If you could have any pet you wanted, what would you get? Would you still want a kitten?”

I laugh and shake my head. “No. I’d get a couple of goats.”

“Goats?”