Chapter 2 #2
“Damn, girl, I’ve never seen you acting so judgmental towards anyone,” Tala said in a chastising tone that had me even more embarrassed. “Like I said earlier, he is introverted.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked, confused.
“If he was a diva, and wanted that grand entrance you’re claiming, he would have landed at the front door and strutted his way in through adoring fans before heading towards the stage,” Tala explained in a calm voice.
“Instead, he always flies in right before the show, gets in through the back door, sings, and then leaves. These are not the actions of a diva or an attention whore.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic. That was indeed the behavior of someone who didn’t particularly want to interact with people and especially large crowds.
How did that make any sense? Before I could dwell any further on the topic, the lights dimmed, the opacity of the windows shifted to create a more intimate setting, the ambient music faded, and the spotlights flooded the stage.
Excited shouts and clapping filled the room as the musicians stepped onto the stage.
They were all handsome humans in the same age bracket as the rest of us, mid to late twenties.
None of them looked familiar to me. The four men settled at their respective instruments, then Kayog made his entrance.
The shouts went up another notch as he walked gracefully to the microphone in front.
To my dismay, a thrill ran down my spine, and my stomach fluttered with far more excitement than I wanted to admit.
I felt even more pathetic as I tried to convince myself that my reaction to him was only due to my empathic abilities picking up other people’s excitement.
As soon as he put his hand on the microphone sitting on the stand, an electrified hush descended over the attendees.
Although other species understandably struggled to see when species with beaks smiled, the one that settled on Mr. Perfect’s mouth was undeniably perfect and seductive as fuck.
However much of it the crowd perceived really didn’t matter, they all melted regardless.
To my shock, his silver eyes zeroed in on me.
Whatever hate or dislike lurked within me towards him instantly vanished.
How in the world could he have so much power over me?
Worse still, the smile he gave me held none of the arrogance I previously perceived in the lecture hall.
It was tender, gentle, but also almost sad. That latter part didn’t make sense.
And then he pinned his eyes at me.
It was a common practice among bird folks. Our irises enlarged while our pupils rapidly shrank. On instinct, I reciprocated this greeting, which expressed that we were pleased and even honored to make that person’s acquaintance. His smile broadened, and only then did he shift his gaze away from me.
I realized I’d been holding my breath and felt both bereft and a little dizzy. Had he been as affected by this brief exchange as I had been? How was he able to so fully block his emotions from me?
When he picked up the mic from its stand, another excited cheer rose from the crowd. Thankfully, despite their excitement, the people present weren’t the rabid type that would recklessly push to get closer to the stage and crush the poor souls in front.
“Good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming in such large numbers on the first day of class. We’re thrilled to see so many familiar faces, and especially the new ones,” Kayog said in a sexy voice that had goosebumps erupting all over me.
However, it was the meaningful glance he cast my way upon saying the last part of his sentence that had a swarm of butterflies taking flight in my stomach. My cheeks heated when a few heads turned my way as multiple people realized he had meant these words specifically for me.
Or at least so it seemed...
Even my wretched friend elbowed me discreetly, her excitement reaching peak levels through the empathic tether I had with her. Thankfully, Kai resumed speaking, drawing everyone’s attention back to him.
“For those new to us, let me introduce you to my wonderful companions. Benedict Gibson on the drums, Devin Thomas on the guitar, Adam Cole on the keyboard, and Carter Fox on the bass. And I am your humble servant, Kayog Voln. Together, we are Echoes of Madness. And tonight, we will start with a brand-new piece inspired by an enchanting vision called Peaceful Dove.”
He placed the microphone back on its stand and wrapped both hands around it.
A deafening silence descended over the room.
The lights dimmed further, and the spotlights focused on him.
Another powerful shiver coursed through me as he closed his eyes.
He began whistling a haunting melody in a cooing voice reminiscent of a mourning dove, but the sound was a little deeper, throatier.
Only the keyboard and bass accompanied him with sustained chords that made the overall melody rounder without competing with him.
And then he began to sing.
You came like a whirlwind into my life
One look at you tore my walls down by half
The divine song of your soul mesmerizes me
Your mere presence makes me ache for what could be
You are my light, my quiet, my peaceful dove
Oh how I wish I was someone you could love
As soon as he finished singing that last line in a soft ballad, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the drums and guitar came in with a savage metal riff.
Kayog ripped the mic off its stand, an angry expression descending over his gorgeous face.
He flapped his wings hovering a meter over the stage, looking almost like a vengeful angel about to unleash his wrath against sinners.
But I’m crazy
Glimpse into my mind, and enter the mouth of madness
I’m crazy
A raving lunatic filled with nightmares and darkness
The guitar shifted to a slow riff, the drums went down to a low, steady roll, and both the keyboard and bass took on an ominous edge.
However, while the keyboard played a high-pitched, haunting melody in a loop like one would hear in a horror movie, the bass went so low, you could feel it vibrate through the floor beneath your feet and all the way up in your chest. Kayog’s voice became menacing as he stared directly at me.
Fly away my peaceful dove
Fly away while you still can
‘Cause no power from below or above
Will free you once you enter the beast’s den
Because I’m crazy
The guitar quieted down, and the drummer only used his bass drum and discrete cymbals to mark the beat. The keyboard and the bass shifted back to playing ominous sustained chords while Kayog resumed whistling.
“He wrote this song about you,” Tala whispered, her eyes glued to the stage.
“What? No he didn’t!” I whispered back, ignoring the little voice at the back of my head calling me a liar.
“Yes, he did,” Mares said, giving me a sideways glance as his arms tightened around Tala’s waist, who was leaning her back against his chest. “It would be too much of a coincidence for him to release a new song today about a peaceful dove.”
“A white dove is the human symbol of peace,” Tala reminded me.
“But I’m not a dove,” I argued feebly, embarrassed by that pathetic response.
Mares gave me an unimpressed look. “No, but you are a white bird. He’s warning you.”
“About what, though? We’ve never even talked,” I challenged.
“But he noticed you,” Tala countered. “I bet he wants you but thinks that somehow he is bad for you.”
“Why? Because he’s crazy?” I asked in a slightly derisive tone, echoing the lyrics. “Whatever happened to him being Mr. Perfect?” I added teasingly to lighten the mood.
Instead of snorting or giving me the look, Mares frowned and took on a serious expression.
“I think he might be neurodivergent,” he replied pensively.
It was my turn to frown. “Being neurodivergent doesn’t make someone crazy,” I argued sternly. “Plenty of people like that have very normal lives and relationships.”
“I know,” Mares said in a reasonable tone.
“But he may not think so. After all, he systematically avoids people and has been single for as long as any of us have known him. Someone this handsome, charismatic, smart, and popular wouldn’t be single unless it was by choice.
But I somehow doubt he does so happily.”
Too soon—or was it not soon enough?—the song ended to crashing applause. He smiled, bowed to the crowd, then briefly made eye contact with me again. That seemed to confirm that it had indeed been about me.
That utterly confused me. Did he genuinely like me but did not want to have a relationship? Was it his way of saying he wouldn’t mind playing naughty with me but not to expect any form of commitment? Or were we all seeing something that wasn’t there?
The concert went on for another forty minutes.
The way his body moved as he traipsed around the stage, alternating between ballads and more up-tempo pieces royally messed with my head.
Based on Tala’s prior statements, Kayog was a top tier athlete.
And his body certainly seemed to confirm it.
He had a way of swaying his hips that had his muscular abs just screaming at us to reach out and touch him.
The play of light and shadows on his chest emphasized each of the scrumptious curves and bulges.
At one point, he put the mic back on its stand and stared me straight in the eyes.
His right hand tightly gripping the upper part of the stand felt almost as if it was gripping my throat in a possessive and controlling fashion.
The fingers of his right hand glided down the length of the stand, and I could almost feel them running down my spine in a gentle caress.
A fire lit in the pit of my stomach, and I started throbbing in places I shouldn’t.
Once again, when he looked away as he went into the chorus, belting out the words with an intensity that had the crowd going wild, I felt almost abandoned.
However, through the electric emotions sparkling all around me, a more potent one drew my attention.
It took a second for my gaze to zero in on Colin.
He was intently studying Kayog, his face unreadable.
As soon as the show ended, Colin headed backstage almost at the same time as the musicians did. One of the bouncers tried to stop him, but he whipped out his Enforcer badge. Although surprised, the bouncer bowed his head and let him through.
What in the world could he possibly want with Kayog?
Is he trying to recruit him? But for what?