Page 103 of Vengeful Melodies

“I can’t lose any of you,” she says softly, looking at each of us through tear-streaked lashes. “Not over him. Not because of what he did. Don’t give him that power.”

Her hands shake, but her voice doesn’t.

She’s choosing us, even when she’s falling apart.

Kai kneels beside her, resting his forehead against her knee. “We won’t let him touch you again,” he murmurs. “Not in any way. We swear it.”

Bash wraps her in his arms, cradling her like glass. “We’ll go out there. But this time? You’re coming with us.”

She blinks up at him, startled. “What—?”

Alix’s voice is quiet but sure. “We’re not hiding you anymore, Darlin. You’re ours. You always have been. The world’s gonna know it.”

My chest aches. Not from fear. Not anymore.

From the weight of what she’s carried.

And the sacred fury burning in my blood for her.

I look to the others.

They nod.

Then I reach down, offer her my hand, and say the words we’ve all been aching to sing.

“Come on, Muse. Let’s burn the stage down.”

The crowd is thunder.

I can feel the noise in my ribs. Taste it on my tongue. But it’s nothing—nothing—compared to the storm behind me.

Dreya stands just off to the side, a hood pulled up over her curls, eyes fixed on the floor. Jack sits beside her like a shadow, protective. Still.

Alix hits the first beat. Bash comes in with a low rhythm. Kai stalks forward, bass heavy, brooding.

I step up to the mic.

And for the first time in our lives, we tell the truth.

“We weren’t gonna play this song tonight,” I say, voice rough. “It’s new. It's called ‘To bleed for her’. Unreleased. But it belongs to someone. And if you’ve been following us, you’ve seen her. Maybe you didn’t know. Maybe you guessed. But tonight? There’s no more pretending.”

My eyes find her in the shadows.

“My muse. Our girl. The reason we’re still standing and breathing —Dreya Lorena.”

The spotlight hits her.

The crowd gasps.

And she looks up—wrecked, but shining.

Not a secret anymore.

The lights fall low.

There’s a hush crawling through the crowd—like they already know this isn’t going to be just another song. Not tonight. Not after what she told us backstage.

I glance at the others.