Chapter Twenty-Seven
BLISS
I wake up in a bed that smells both familiar and foreign.
But then I realize the walls of this room are a mellow olive green, and not the dusty pink that I’ve grown accustomed to in the past two nights.
I jolt awake, sitting upright in a bed that is not my own.
I immediately check myself, thinking the worst, but my pajamas are still on and don’t seem to be mussed more so than what would happen with a fitful night of sleep.
I feel between my legs, noting the dryness and no odd sensation.
I pick a fluffy blanket off the bed and wrap it around my shoulders, freezing when I notice someone is sitting in a chair in the corner of the room.
Not someone.
Pisces.
The hood of a plain black zippered hoodie is pulled up around his face, and besides that only his fingers are visible. His lips are closed, but just barely, almost as if he’s on the verge of saying something.
No, not saying something.
He’s asleep.
Before I can think better of it, I whip a pillow at his stupid face.
The pillow hits him square in the jaw. He startles out of the chair with a grunt, clutching the pillow to his chest like it’ll protect him from an onslaught of more plush projectiles.
“What the fuck, dude?” I yell at him. “Did you fucking kidnap me?”
He cocks his head to the side and shakes it fervently, pushing his hood off. “Bliss,” he starts to say, but I’m not listening.
I scramble across the bed, almost knocking over a guitar propped up on the wall next to the door as I wrench it open. Pisces doesn’t move, just watches me. I look down at my not super modest pajamas and stop myself from fleeing down the stairs.
He may or may not have kidnapped me, but something stops me from running. Is Wrath staying here as well? This could be the closest I’ve gotten to him since the garden. And there are only two days left until the festival ends.
Two days to get close to him.
I reach for my power, only to find it completely gone. Fuck. Did I totally use it up trying to flirt with Simon?
I turn back to Pisces, placing my hand on my hip. “How did I get here?”
His lips purse as he seems to search for what to say. “You were sleepwalking.”
“I don’t sleepwalk. I have never sleepwalked.”
He shrugs.
“When a woman wakes up in a stranger’s bed, the least he can do is explain why!” I yell at him. I pick up the other pillow on the bed and sling it at his face.
I’m out the door before I can see if it hit him, but another grunt confirms my aim.
I march down the stairs into the foyer and open living space, realizing again that I’m in my pajamas still. Five heads turn to look at me, a very hungover Simon being one of them.
“Bliss?” he asks in a confused groan. He jumps up, startled. “Did you?” His eyes go to Pisces, who’s come down the stairs behind me. “Did you and Pisces…?” He doesn’t finish his sentence, just looks between the two of us in a confused way but—is that hope on his face?
“We better have fucking not,” I snap, throwing an icy look over my shoulder at Pisces. I cross my arms to ward off the chill of the AC in the room. “Can someone get me something to put on over this, please?” I add.
A light-skinned, redheaded human woman dressed in tight jeans and a black crop top comes in from the kitchen. “What the fuck is going on?” Her accent is British but a bit different than the others. Essex, I think they call it.
I point at Pisces. “He kidnapped me somehow last night and I would just like some clothes so I can get the fuck out of here.”
Once I get my power back I am going to… Well, I don’t know. But I’ll do something, like seduce Pisces until I have him wrapped around my finger. Then I’ll encourage him to do something super embarrassing.
I let out an enraged huff.
The redhead’s eyes widen and she shoots Pisces a withering look. “Kidnapping?”
Pisces shakes his head. “I did not kidnap her. I found her sleepwalking outside and brought her here.”
She looks between me and him, her gaze softening as she takes me in.
“I’ve never sleepwalked in my entire life,” I tell her. “I went to sleep in my own bed and woke up in his.” I throw daggers at Pisces as he shakes his head, but the glare that the redhead turns on him makes mine pale in comparison.
“What did you do?” she accuses, starting to pummel her fists into his chest. He doesn’t try to stop her or ward off her attacks.
But Shaun and Evan have appeared at her sides, each taking an arm and carrying her away from Pisces, who just looks exhausted.
He slumps into the wall, letting it hold his weight.
“Lily!” she yells. Two other women—fae by their scents—have already poked their heads into the living room to see what the commotion is.
Their amused expressions are quickly schooled into seriousness at the redhead’s tone.
“Get her a change of clothes.” The redhead points her chin at me, since Shaun and Evan are still holding her back.
Lily, a lithe tall blonde, rushes up the stairs.
The other fae glares at the men in the room.
“Get your hands off Gwen, or I will bite your dicks off,” she informs them in a soft but lethal voice.
Her canines are sharper than most fae’s, but not as sharp as a vampire’s.
Probably a wolf shifter. She’s not much taller than me, wearing black leather pants, black boots, and a gold sparkly top that brings out the warmth of her brown skin.
Her hazel eyes fix a withering look on Shaun, who seems to be unsure of whether to release Gwen.
The shifter growls. “Go easy on them, Niamh,” Gwen says. Niamh’s pupils contract a bit. She turns and heads back into the other room.
Shaun releases Gwen, who smacks him in the face. “Touch me again without permission and we’re going to have a problem.”
“Didn’t you just say to take it easy on us?” Shaun mutters with a hand pressed to his face. “Fuck, that hurt.”
“Sorry. Should I have used a rolled up newspaper instead?” Gwen smirks. He glowers at her and goes and takes a seat at the table. Her comment helps me place his species as well. Another wolf shifter.
I meet Simon’s gaze as he takes in everything that’s happening.
Lily comes racing back down the stairs with some clothes, which I hurriedly put on over my own.
I make sure to thank her and turn to thank Gwen, but she’s busy staring angrily at Pisces.
His head turns my way and he frowns, his bottom lip curling inwards as if he’s biting back his words. Something about the expression is familiar, but I can’t put my finger on why.
I take one last look at Simon, remembering what Jordan did to him yesterday and how close it seemed he came to death. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
I leave, running down a few houses to the one I’m staying in.
I burst open through the front door and fold over, panting. Stars, I’m so fucking out of shape.
Amelia runs down the stairs, having heard the front door open. “BLISS, WHAT THE FUCK? Where have you been?!”
The rest of the morning passes in a flurry of nerves and excitement as we all prepare for Goddess’ Trance’s first set of the festival.
As I stare out onto the stage where everything from the drums to the lighting has been set up, I smile to myself.
Not only is this a huge day for my sister and the rest of the band, but for me.
I wasn’t quite sure I’d be up to snuff to carry out such a large show—the biggest in Goddess’ Trance history, but I was.
“You’re killing it,” Simon says at my right, coming to stand and admire the stage with me.
“Let’s wait to see how the show goes before we celebrate,” I respond, a smile coming to my lips easily. Despite my very odd and awkward night and morning, I feel surprisingly full of joy today. I actually feel like I’m on top of the world and nothing—not even a kidnapping—can bring me down.
“Nah, I’m taking notes, seriously,” Simon says warmly. “It looks like I’ll be band managing a little bit longer. It’s not really what I’m best at, but you seem almost at peace in your role.”
He’s not wrong. I do feel peace.
I love doing this job. I’ve missed it.
“About last night,” Simon starts but falls short.
I stay silent, prodding him to continue.
“Pisces didn’t kidnap you,” he says. “He swears he found you sleepwalking out on the street.”
I’m about to repeat that I’ve never been a sleepwalker, but I just sigh instead. “You believe him?”
“I do.” Simon gives me a soft smile. “All I know is what he told me, but I know him, Bliss. He would never hurt anyone if he could help it. Please believe me. He says you were cold and shivering and he obviously wanted to get you back to your sister, but he didn’t know where you guys were staying.
So he brought you back to his bed to sleep and get warm. ”
“Why did I wake up with him in the room just sitting there like a creep?”
Simon lets out an awkward laugh. “He couldn’t wake you up and was worried so he stayed up all night watching over you. He must have fallen asleep.”
I nod, but I still don’t understand how I was sleepwalking. “Did he have anything to do with me sleepwalking?” Or is this somehow the wraith’s doing?
“How could he have? Is that something fae can do?” Simon asks, seemingly a little frightened at the thought.
“I have no idea. It’s impossible for all fae powers to be catalogued due to how differently they can manifest in each individual.” I know because I checked when I was twenty. I was hoping there was some secret succubus power that would allow me to feed differently.
“Pisces is a really good guy. I think you’d actually really like him if you got to know him. Oh, also, Wrath wants to meet you.” Simon’s smile grows wider, almost mischievously.
He does?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes!
When?
I hide my excitement. “Really? Why?” I try to put some doubt into my voice, like I don’t believe him.
Simon nods enthusiastically. “We told him about last night, and I think he wants to help Pisces smooth things over.”
“I do owe him his hoodie back,” I say slowly, as if I’m coming around to the idea of meeting him. I scrunch my face in thought for a couple seconds and nod. “Yeah, okay.”
“Great, you’ll really like him. He’s one of my best friends.” It almost sounds like Simon wants me to date the guy. Wrath should thank him for trying to be a good wingman.
But I doubt he and I would have a future together. There’s no way he’s my mate. He saw my eyes that one night, even though I couldn’t see his. He would have said something. Not even a guy who barely talks would stay silent if he met his mate.
Simon and I continue chatting until it’s time for Goddess’ Trance to go out on stage.
I give each of the band members a huge hug, gripping Taser even more tightly than the rest. “Give ’em hell, Tay,” I say.
He kisses me on the cheek quickly and heads out with guitar in hand to a pretty enthusiastic welcome, which is very, very exciting.
Most of the crowd here probably aren’t familiar with us, since we’re a late addition to the line-up, but I see enough people wearing some of our merch that I know there’ll be a good amount of people singing along with Amelia.
As Amelia opens up with a few notes of “Venomous,” I smile wide.
This—this is what I love.
I think back to Liz and I sitting on the steps of the fae council building.
You don’t wait around, Bliss. You live. You follow your joy.
Was this what she was talking about?