Page 47 of Vengeful Melodies (Heaven’s Guilt Revenge Tour Duet #1)

Chapter Forty Two

Dreya

I’m still gasping, barely able to process the final lyric, the echo of Takoa’s voice still trembling in the air like a ghost clinging to my skin.

My heart is wide open, chest cracked in two, every beat held out in offering for the world to see.

It hangs in the air like a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

And then the crowd erupts. A tsunami of noise—screaming, sobbing, applause, flashbulbs like lightning.

But I’m still stuck in the silence that came before it.

Takoa’s voice broke for me.

Alix’s hands bled for me.

Kaiser and Bash poured out their hearts until I felt like I might drown in them.

The band just gave the world a confession meant only for me.

it, every lyric, every look, my soul cracked wide open under the lights.

There’s no hiding now.

My cheeks are soaked. I don’t remember when I started crying.

I’m not alone—Bash is behind me, his arm around my waist. Alix’s hand is still wrapped tight around mine.

Kai’s smile is wobbly. Takoa hasn’t taken his eyes off me since the final chord.

I turn to face the crowd. To say something. Anything.

But then I see him.

David.

My breath stops.

Everything inside me just... shuts off.

Standing in the shadows beneath the stage lights. Expression blank. Cold. His one eye left locked on mine like he’s already counted the seconds I have left.

My breath stills. My feet don’t move.

But then— Bradley steps up beside him.

Disheveled. Sunken eyes. Face pale and tight with obsession. Like he hasn’t slept in weeks. Like he’s spent every hour thinking of me, replaying some sick delusion where I still belong to him. Where I owe him.

The air goes ice cold.

And then— BANG.

Everything shatters. A single gunshot cracks through the air.

It takes me a second to realize it’s me.

That burning, tearing sensation ripping through my side—hot and liquid and searing. The force of it spins me, a strangled cry ripping out of my throat as I drop to my knees center stage.

Someone screams.

Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s Bash.

Blood soaks through my clothes like a blooming, red flower.

Hands reach for me. Arms catch me. It’s Kai —voice trembling, face contorted in fear.

“ Siren, no—NO—stay with me! ”

“ Get her down—Alix, help me—fuck— ” Bash’s voice is cracked and furious, wild like I’ve never heard him before.

Takoa is above me, his hands pressing into the wound, his entire body shaking.

“ Stay awake, Muse—don’t you fucking dare close your eyes—don’t you fucking leave me— ”

Everything is spinning.

People are screaming, running, security flooding the stage.

I hear Wren yelling my name over and over.

“ Jupey! Jupey! Look at me— ”

But I’m already fading. My blood is everywhere.

The lights are too bright. Then too dim.

I’m being carried, jostled, my head lolling. I feel the cold slap of air against my face as they push me into the ambulance. I want to speak, but my lips won’t move right. The siren starts up, slicing through the night like a scream.

Wren and Grey try to climb in.

They’re denied.

“We have to go—there’s no time!” the paramedic shouts, slamming the doors.

I see Wren fighting— screaming —as Grey holds him back, both of them red-eyed and frantic.

Alix pounds the side of the vehicle as it pulls away, his voice follows me: “ We’ll be right behind you, baby—we promise— ”

The last thing I see is them in the rearview mirror—faces pale, soaked in stage sweat and blood—watching me vanish into the night.

The world tilts.

The ambulance turns too fast, tires screeching.

Then—

CRASH.

Metal screams. Glass shatters. The side of the vehicle slams sideways, and I’m thrown into the wall. Something cracks. I think it’s me.

The pain is blinding. I’m still bleeding.

I hear groans. One of the paramedics is unconscious.

And then I hear footsteps.

A door wrenched open.

“She’s still alive.”

The voice is too familiar. Slick with anticipation.

Bradley.

David.

Two shadows, warped by the flickering emergency lights, drag what’s left of my body out of the wreckage. Blood drips from my fingertips.

I try to scream. Nothing comes out but a gurgled whimper.

Bradley leans in close. His breath is sour and too warm. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m going to fix this. We’ll be together again.” he touches my face.

David’s hand clamps over my mouth.

The sirens are long gone now.

No one knows where I am.

And the last thought I manage to hold onto before the darkness drags me under is—

I hope they come.

Please, God, let them find me.

Before it’s too late.