Chapter Fourteen
BLISS
Amelia stops short of the pristine, white front door, the key hovering an inch from the deadbolt lock. She turns around, looking down at the rest of us scattered along the steps on the porch of the townhome that’ll be ours for the next week.
“We need to take a minute,” she instructs, shutting her eyes.
“A minute for…?” Tubbs asks.
She opens one eye to look at him and then opens both eyes when she realizes the rest of us are just staring at her.
“To take it all in. This is huge, you guys!” She motions to the house behind her and then out to the street.
Across the way we can see a few other bands also getting settled.
I pull my hood up over my hair to hide my ribbon, just in case Jordan’s band is also staying in one of these houses.
“We’ve made it. We’re gonna play this festival, and—” She pauses for dramatic effect, grinning down at the rest of us. “We’re walking out of here with a fucking record deal. Mark my words,” she says the last part to the stars.
“Fuck yes!” Dericia yells, pumping her fist in the air.
Blake lets out a whoop and sweeps Amelia off her feet, spinning her around in a circle on the top step. She flips the key to Taser, who with a flourish slips it into the lock and opens the door.
Blake carries Amelia across the threshold like she’s some gothic bride, clad in all black, and the rest of us follow. The boys take off running through the townhome, hollering out to one another, while us girls take our time looking through each room.
The townhome is spacious, with a living room opening out to the dining room and the kitchen beyond that.
Upstairs is a set of three bedrooms, and then on the top floor two more bedrooms (one a primary suite that Amelia claims immediately), and also a little nook to look out from the front of the house.
It’s all beautifully decorated, with light pastel colors.
It’s a bit of a contrast with everyone else’s black outfits, but I personally love it.
Dericia takes the room next to Amelia’s, leaving the boys to take the bedrooms on the second floor. I drop my things in the primary with Amelia, knowing even if I took a different room she’d probably end up sleeping in there with me at some point anyways.
“If you hook up with Blake while we’re here, you do it in his bed,” I warn her.
“Okay, as long as you hook up with Taser in his bed,” she shoots back.
I raise my brows at her. “That’s not gonna happen.”
“You’re still mad at him?”
“Of course I am. I haven’t completely forgiven you either,” I say, giving her a pointed look.
“Fine, you’re in need of some new dick anyways.” She throws one of the pillows at me, grinning.
I catch it before it can hit the wall behind me. “Your aim really sucks.”
She shrugs. “I was never much for sports.”
Again my brows raise.
Her grin grows even wider. “Sports, I said. I do love a good athletic man.”
“Gross.” I groan and head back downstairs, Amelia following one step behind me.
“What? You don’t like a man with good muscles?”
“I know I sure do,” Dericia says. She’s standing at the bottom of the stairs with the rest of the guys, everyone ready to go out in search of food.
Amelia puts her finger to her lips in thought. “I guess now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bliss be into any super muscular guys. You like the skinny ones.”
“I don’t really have a preference.”
“You definitely do,” Taser says, and I can feel my jaw clench. “What about Wrath? He’s a tall, super lanky guy. Pretty sure that’s your type.”
“Can everyone stop talking about my taste in men, so we can all go taste some food?” I sigh.
“I’m hungry.” I hold up a hand to Amelia to stop her from saying anything about me needing to “eat” in any other context than real food.
“Hungry for dinner, so let’s go!” I usher everyone out of the house, suddenly feeling a bit like a parent trying to herd teenagers.
“You know, Taser, you’re a bit lanky too,” Dericia says. She looks over to Tubbs. “So is Tubbs. Which is a little misleading.”
Taser slings an arm around Tubbs. “You know that’s not why we call him that,” he says with a laugh.
“I know, but still—it seems like false advertising,” Dericia responds.
Tubbs is his mother’s maiden name. Nymphs used to stick mainly to themselves in matriarchal groups centuries ago, and a holdover from that time is the tradition of female nymphs keeping their last names.
If their partner is male, the male fae generally changes his last name and any kids they have also take the female nymph’s last name.
We’ve all met Tubbs’ father, though. He is about as misogynistic as they come, and he insisted Tubbs’ mom take his name instead.
So in middle school, at first to piss off his dad, and later to honor his mother, he started having people call him Tubbs.
It helped that he’d once played drums on huge empty tubs of ice cream leftover from the school cafeteria as part of an impromptu concert.
Amelia and Reese had joined in before the teachers put a stop to it.
“So what about you, Reese?” Taser asks. “Do any of us lanky lads suit your preferences?”
She swats him. “Sorry, but unlike my sisters, I definitely will not be sampling from the Goddess’ Trance pool.”
“Is it sampling if I’ve only ever slept with one?” Amelia asks genuinely.
Tubbs turns his wicked grin to Amelia. “It’s not, and I’m definitely in favor of you sampling.”
She gives him a sultry smile. “Of course you are.”
“As band manager,” I say, stopping in front of the group and looking back at them, “I would definitely recommend any ‘sampling’—as you’re so charmingly putting it—should stop.”
Amelia arches a single brow at me. “You’re seriously no fun sometimes, Bliss.”
“Need I remind you of any of the countless bands that have broken up because everyone was sleeping around?”
Blake and Amelia both let out a sigh. “No,” she responds, coming and walking next to me instead of Blake. “I guess I should really take my sampling elsewhere during the festival anyways. It’d be a shame not to see what’s out there being offered.”
“Can we stop with the sampling analogy?” I groan.
“It’s fun,” Dericia says. “I like it.” She comes alongside Amelia and I. “And I too am excited to see what’s being offered this week.” She nudges me with her shoulder and smiles. I roll my eyes but can’t help matching her smile.