Page 5

Nolan

S tepping off the stage, I take the in-ear monitor out, and it takes a while to adjust to the quiet surrounding us. Rehearsal and sound check for our last show in LA before heading to Vegas has gone by quickly.

My phone rings in my jacket, draped on the couch. The guys sit down on the sofas and chairs in the wings, relaxing after hours of practice. Stella should be back with our food soon.

Grabbing my phone, I glance at the screen and see my dad’s smirking face. A video call. Just great. Swiping my finger across the screen, I accept the call. His eyes are alight with happiness, and it makes me smile. His good moods are infectious. That’s probably where I get my charm from.

“Hi, Dad. Can’t get enough of me?”

“Am I interrupting something?”

“No, we’re taking a break from sound check for lunch.”

“Perfect timing.” He chuckles with a suspicious grin. “Listen, I have a surprise for you.”

Great. I hate surprises, much to the dismay of my parents, who loved nothing more than surprising me at every turn during my childhood. “What do I have to look forward to this time?”

“Well….” He pauses and runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his face.

“I found you a new social media manager. Stella picked her up from the airport, and they should arrive any minute.” He looks at me as if assessing my mood.

“She’s different. Very different. Nolan, be kind to her. ”

My mind blanks for a second, and I stare at my father on the screen, trying to process that he’s flown a new social media manager here to join our tour. “Why wouldn’t I be nice to her? She’s here to do a job. What aren’t you telling me?” He meddles often.

“You’ll see when you meet her. She’ll be great. She’s already an influencer with a lot of experience building a platform.”

“Okay. That doesn’t sound bad. It’s great that we can replace Larissa so soon. Maybe she’ll stop flooding our comments with her spiteful hate.”

My dad’s facial expression changes to one of an Alpha predator, no longer the warm, inviting man. “Is she threatening you guys?”

“Yeah, a little. I thought firing her would get rid of her. Only now she has a new mission, to tell everyone who’ll listen about how I wronged her.” Brushing my hair out of my eyes, I sigh heavily.

Rex and Torin glance at me, and I see concern in their eyes.

“She’ll move on eventually. You can’t hold her interest forever.”

“God, I hope you’re right. She’s becoming a real pain. I just want to move on with my life.”

“You will. I know you will. Maybe the new social media manager will help.” A devilish smirk lights up his face, and I can’t repress my urge to smile.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Listen, I’ve gotta go. I just called to give you a heads up.”

“Thanks, Dad. It’s one less thing I need to worry about. I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. Say hello to everyone for me.”

“Will do. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

Looking at Rex, I lift my chin, soundlessly telling him to get his ass over here so I can feed. I can enjoy the food humans eat, but I also need regular feedings of human blood to survive. My drummer is my human contributor while I’m on tour, an agreement that benefits us both.

Drinking a human’s blood can be a sensual affair, but it’s not with Rex.

Sure, I could feed from a groupie, but that might cause problems. Feeding from a human gives them the orgasm of their lives, and once they experience it, the sensual haze is something most humans want more of.

I don’t want to give a groupie another reason to hang around.

Rex is down to earth and doesn’t use me like others might.

He and I have done this routine so often that he and his girlfriend Lucy use my need for blood to their advantage, their own never-ending aphrodisiac.

Because of this perk, his girlfriend is all for me feeding off her man.

She knows our relationship is purely platonic.

“Hey man, hungry?” Rex asks, standing over me. His shaggy brown hair hangs in his eyes, and he’s still sweaty from rehearsing.

“Yeah, Rex, let’s do this. I’m starving.” Scooting back on the couch, I make space for him to sit between my legs so I can get to his neck.

Feeding with him facing me would be too intimate.

The only contributor I’d ever face would be an Omega, and that will never happen.

An Alpha’s relationship with an Omega is sacrosanct.

Apart from my mother, I can’t stand being around Omegas.

The allure and power an Omega holds over an unmated Alpha makes me agitated and uneasy.

Rex sits down and tilts his neck, getting into position.

As soon as he presents his throat for me submissively, the need to dominate and feed is awakened, and my fangs descend and ache for blood.

Without hesitation, I bite down and hit the vein with precision.

His blood coats my lips and teeth, and I work my tongue against his skin to coax the warm liquid into my mouth, gulping down his offering, filling my belly with as much as possible.

The more heavily I feed now, the longer it will sustain me.

As a younger vampire, I need more blood than my elders or my lord.

Lord Stryker rules our house, and he’s so old that he hardly needs to feed anymore.

Draining other Alpha vampires of their blood makes the leaders of the vampire houses the strongest of our kind.

Lord Stryker is still not mated. I’m not sure why, but I know he’s looking forward to the day when he can feed from his Omega mate.

He needs to meet her first, court her, and, if he’s lucky, win the Omega’s heart, just like the rest of the Alphas in his house.

“Man, I’m homesick. I’m ready for a break.”

I pull away from Rex and watch his crimson blood drip down his throat to his shirt. I feel bad about his shirt, but it’s his fault for talking while I’m feeding. “Yeah, me too. We’ll be home soon. Only a few more shows.”

He nods, and I latch onto his throat again.

His body tenses, telling me that I’ve almost reached his limit.

Humans can give only so much before they cum all over themselves.

The release of oxytocin in their bloodstream makes human blood taste sweeter.

Contributors could die if a vampire drains them, but gorging and death are punishable offenses.

“Speaking of home, you should call your mom, man. She’s been commenting on all my posts, telling me to harass you into calling her.” He chuckles, and the movement makes my fangs slip deeper into his flesh.

He’s right. I need to stop avoiding my mom; it’s just that my parents are constantly on me to visit the sanctuary and meet an Omega. If I wanted an Omega mate, I would do that, but courting a promised Omega seems like too much effort. Everything to do with an Omega seems like too much effort.

Rex’s body seizes, breaking my reverie. “God, so good, fuck, man. That shit never gets old,” Rex says shakily through his release.

I take one last pull, his sweet blood filling my mouth, and then I swipe my tongue across the puncture holes, closing and healing his skin.

This feeding will keep me satiated and calm for the rest of the day.

When I tap Rex on the shoulder, he stands and leaves to clean up and change his pants.

He’ll probably fuck his girl into oblivion. A by-product of a vampire bite.

I look at Torin as he stares across the arena floor. “Stella just got here with our lunch and the tiniest girl I have ever seen.”

Leaning forward, I watch Stella and the new social media manager walk across the vast empty arena. I can’t see the girl’s features from this distance. She’s so petite that she makes Stella look like a giant. To say I’m not curious would be a lie; she has my attention.

I watch intently as Stella and the stranger come closer.

I can hear them talking to each other, but I can’t hear what they’re saying.

Both women wear smiles, and it seems they’re getting along, a good sign.

Over the years of being our manager, Stella has honed her bullshit filter to be the best in the business.

If anyone can sniff out someone’s ill intentions, it’s Stella.

They fall out of view as they walk up the steps, and I find my body tensing, bracing for the woman’s presence. I’ve never had a problem being around women, but Larissa did a number on me.

Stella and the woman finally come through the curtains, and I take a deep breath to force my muscles to release the built-up tension.

I’m experiencing a sensation similar to stage fright, which I haven’t felt in years.

What am I even stressing about? Just because she’ll be on tour with us doesn’t mean she’ll be like Larissa. We probably won’t even interact much.

“Hi, guys. Lunch has arrived, and there’s someone I want you to meet.” Stella waves a hand. “This is Ava. Ava, these are the guys.”

“Umm, hi. It’s so nice to meet you,” Ava says.

Her eyes flash, and shiny silver pools meet mine. Chills run up my spine when I realize she isn’t just our new social media manager. She’s an Omega. My dad sent an Omega to join us on tour. His meddling knows no bounds.

I tense, and it takes everything in me not to glare at her.

The Omega’s voice is sweet and alluring. Great, just what I need.

“Ian, our bassist. Eli, our guitarist, and Torin, our keyboardist,” Stella says, and the guys all greet Ava with their waves and grunts. “Rex, our drummer, isn’t here, but you’ll meet him soon. And you know Nolan.”

She knows who I am? Is she another groupie?