Chapter Twenty-Five
BLISS
Apparently it really pays to be a headliner at a music festival—especially a fae one.
The Phantoms have been spared not a single luxury; their lodging for the week is a much nicer house that stands alone at the end of a row of townhomes. There’s a pool, a huge yard, and room after room.
And the Phantoms themselves have spared no expense with the party. Drinks are flowing. There are at least three different rooms playing music. It’s a little overstimulating, if I’m being honest.
I already know Amelia and Reese will want to spend a ton of time here dancing. And I know they’ll also be wanting to find some fun companions for tonight.
“Bliss! Amelia!” A familiar voice calls, and I immediately want to melt into a puddle on the floor and drain through it into the ground, where I will seep deeper and deeper and never be seen again.
Oh, is that dramatic?
Simon saunters over to us, clearly a drink or two already into the night, and slings an arm around me. “Bliss! You made it! I was worried the Phantoms didn’t invite you all.”
Amelia huffs and throws her hair over her shoulder. “Succubi are always invited to the party, little human,” she says, putting her finger under his chin and tipping his head up. She’s not taller than Simon, but somehow she looks it.
I duck my head out from under Simon’s arm, my cheeks bright pink. Amelia notices and gives me a questioning look, but I just shake my head and point at Simon’s drink. “Where’d you get that?” If he’s here, I definitely need a drink.
He gets very excited, as a drunk person naturally does at the prospect of others drinking. “Right this way, my sexy succubi friends!” He turns around, suddenly very serious. “Is that okay to call you?”
“No, I’m extremely offended that you would think we’re sexy,” Amelia drawls.
But drunk Simon apparently doesn’t understand sarcasm. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” he splutters.
“She’s messing with you,” the brown-haired vamp that was on the slide with us earlier says, clapping a hand on Simon’s back. He looks at Amelia. “Right?”
Amelia just grins, winking at the both of them. She heads off to seek out drinks.
“I’m Benny, by the way,” the vamp says, holding out his hand to me. I shake it.
“He’s another of our techs,” Simon says with a cheesy smile that I’ve come to realize is a tell. I take in Benny’s blue eyes and his height. He looks around six foot—definitely the right height to be Poison, but I won’t push.
“Nice to meet you,” I say. “I should go find my sister,” I add, seeing that she and Reese have already made it to a kitchen island stocked with booze.
I head over there and unfortunately for me, Simon is at my heel. “So, Bliss, long time no see,” he says.
I turn around and make a face at him, my pathetic attempt at flirting momentarily forgotten. “We saw each other earlier today.”
“Oh right, well, I just mean…” He stumbles over his words again. “I just mean that we didn’t get to hang out much.”
Amelia pours us drinks, even filling up Simon’s cup some more.
I feel into my power reserves. There’s not much there, but there’s a tiny bit.
I reach for it, my voice growing a bit huskier.
“You seemed so busy, especially at the scavenger hunt yesterday,” I say with the barest hint of a pout.
Amelia—being able to sense exactly what I’m doing—sniggers and makes some excuse to be somewhere else. Thankfully.
“Yeah, about that, I’m really sorry. If I could have spent some time with you yesterday, I would definitely have. Being band manager is a lot more work than a drum tech, and honestly I miss that.”
“Well, it seems to me like you’re doing a good job,” I say, taking a step closer and letting my hand rest on Simon’s upper arm.
He blushes and a super goofy grin spreads across his face. Obviously my powers work a little easier on fae and humans when they’re drunk, but it’s odd that they’re working today when they didn’t work yesterday.
Maybe he was just super stressed yesterday and my powers just couldn’t pull out his lust?
“Thanks, Bliss, that actually really means a lot. I don’t want to let him down.”
“Let who down?” I ask softly, smiling at him encouragingly and letting a bit more of my power seep from me.
“Wrath,” Simon lets out. “He’s my oldest friend and I— I just don’t want to ever let him down. He’s been through so much, ya know?”
“I don’t know,” I say, stepping into his space more. Stars, this is so unethical. But if I can pull this off, I’ll be free. “Simon, would you do me the biggest of favors?” Sugar coats my voice so thickly I almost laugh. I don’t sound like myself at all.
“Anything, Bliss.” His eyes are on my lips.
I’m a horrible fae.
“Would you introduce me to him?” I tug on my bottom lip with my upper teeth and let it go. My eyes wander between his eyes and his lips.
“Yes, absolutely,” Simon agrees. He leans in. “He’d be so lucky to meet you.” Simon is so close to kissing me and I’m about to let him because my powers are now almost completely zapped.
But before we can, Simon is thrown through the air, hitting the wall and crumpling to a heap. I scream, looking around for his attacker, and my eyes land on Jordan.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Simon not moving.
Oh stars, oh stars.
Is he dead?
Reese and Amelia go straight to him, and when I look back at Jordan, Taser, Tubbs, and Blake are in between me and him.
They don’t even have to do anything, though. The music stops completely. The lights all come on at once. “What the fuck is going on?” Pinkie yells, standing up on the DJ’s booth.
I push my way in between Taser and Blake. Taser puts his arm out in front of me to stop me from going any further. “Don’t even think about it,” he tells me, a little snarl lacing his words. “He’s not getting close to you.”
Grim makes his way over to Jordan, arms crossed. “Dead Hearts, get the fuck out.”
I hear Jinx whine like a little bitch at that.
But they’re outmatched. So they go, but not without Jordan leering at me. “Can’t fuck your little human if he’s dead,” Jordan says with a smirk.
“We need to report him,” Taser says.
Grim nods. “We’ll take care of it, don’t worry.”
Jordan and his band leave. I turn and run to Simon.
“Is he?” I pause, looking at Amelia, because I’m too scared to look at Simon’s crumpled form. I can’t bring myself to say dead.
“He’s alive,” Amelia says, just as Simon’s head snaps back up and he opens his eyes.
He looks around at everyone and locks eyes with Benny, who crouches down. “Mate? You okay? What hurts?”
“I’m fine.” Simon shifts so he can sit upright. A few seconds later he stands up and rolls his shoulders. “I think I just got the wind knocked out of me.”
There’s a dent in the wall behind him.
“Are you sure?” Benny asks, noticing the wall as well. “You hit hard.”
My eyes go to Simon’s lips as his grin widens. The ones I almost kissed.
This is all my fault.
“Fuck.” Simon looks at the wall. “Shitty craftsmanship?” he jokes, but when he looks at me I can tell he’s a bit terrified.
Of what I got him involved in.
“I’m so sorry, Simon,” I say, taking a step back from him. I need to stay far, far away from him.
“Why?” Simon follows me, reaching out to take my hand.
“That was my ex. He only did that because of me.”
Grim shakes his head. “I don’t think it was just you, Bliss. Dead Hearts and Voracious Maw do not get along.”
Simon nods.
“It’s true,” Benny affirms. “They have big beef with Wrath. There’s some bad blood from a festival a couple years ago.”
“Oh,” I say, my shoulders sagging with a bit of relief.
“I should get him home, though,” Benny says, taking Simon by the shoulders. “See you all later.”
“Bye, Bliss,” Simon calls over his shoulder as Benny leads him outside. “See you tomorrow!”
I can feel Grim coming to stand behind me. “He sure seems smitten with you.”
I don’t say anything because even though Simon’s okay now, that could have gone so horribly wrong. I could have gotten him killed.
“Bliss?” Grim asks, trailing a finger up my arm. “Any reason you’re trying to seduce the human when I’m here and more than willing?”
I shudder but not from revulsion. My inner succubus slut is stirring and wants to be unleashed. Goose bumps flair up along my skin and Grim takes notice.
“Want to get out of here?” he asks, his breath tickling at my ear.
I whip around and put some distance between us. “Sorry,” I say, forcing a smile. “I— I just can’t right now.”
Grim swallows and looks at the wall and then back to me. “Of course. No worries.”
I leave him standing there with no other explanation.
Amelia and Reese have found themselves back on the dance floor, the center of attention, of course.
Males of all types are gathered around them.
Amelia raises her solo cup in the air. As she brings it down to take a sip, I grab it and down the whole thing in one go.
“Fuck, Bliss,” Amelia says, but I don’t listen to her. I grab Reese’s cup and drink that too. Then I dance with them. At some point some male comes up behind me to dance and I let him, the feeling of his hands on my hips stirring my inner fae, but even as drunk as I am, I don’t let her out to play.
The party passes in a whirl of dancing and drinking and then at some point I’m in my bed and Amelia and Reese are each tugging off one of my boots, laughing their asses off.
I giggle along with them, but only for a moment before the drunken stupor whisks me off to sleep.