I was completely giddy with excitement. It felt like I was floating in the clouds. I could not believe that Darius had gotten me tickets to see The Coven. It had been my dream since I was sixteen but I could never afford their tickets. I was practically squealing as we drove to the next town.
When we arrived, I was shocked to see that we weren't going in through the usual entrance. Darius placed his hand on the small of my back as he led us toward the side of the building where the VIP entrance was. My mouth widened in shock as he showed them the tickets and they let us all in. I wanted to speak but my tongue was heavy and my throat was dry.
"If I knew this was going to shut you up then I would have done it sooner," Darius mused and I rammed my elbow into his side making him laugh. "Come, let's go listen to your horrible music."
Despite Darius trying to pretend like he hated every second of it, I knew he had fun. He would occasionally bob his head and tap his feet to the beat. Even the guards that were assigned a few feet behind us were having fun. Only Darius seemed insistent on denying himself the pleasure of a concert experience.
Our seats were so amazing because we had a direct view of everything that was happening on stage. I could have passed out from excitement if not for the adrenaline rushing in my system. It lasted two hours and by the time it was over, I was buzzing with electricity. I had expected that we would just leave but to my shock, Darius grabbed my arm and led me further backstage.
I was confused as to what was happening especially when we got to a trailer. There was a guard situated outside and all Darius did was mention his name. We were given tags and allowed in. Standing right there in front of us were the members of The Coven. If my voice wasn't completely hoarse from screaming during the concert then I would have screamed.
"Darius," the lead singer Cheyenne said as she made her way over to us. "It is so good to see you. I would give you a hug but I'm really sweaty right now."
She turned to me with a smile and my knees buckled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Darius roll his eyes. If it were another day, I would have punched him but I was too star-struck to move.
"You must be Leindra, Darius told us all about you." She wrapped her arms around my shoulders in a hug and I swore to myself that I was never going to wash these clothes again. "I'm glad you could make it and you made Darius come. We have been friends for over ten years and he has never been to one of my concerts."
I just nodded blindly making her laugh.
"Is she always this quiet?" she asked and Darius scoffed.
"She wouldn't shut up if you asked her to. You might have to come to see her more often if it means she will be quiet."
"Fuck you." I turned on him immediately and he shot her a look as if to say I just proved his point.
She just seemed amused as she watched us. "Would you like to meet the rest of the band?"
She introduced me to everyone and they were so fun. I left with some merch and a few autographs. I felt like I was on cloud nine and I had Darius to thank for it. He was smiling softly and watching me the entire time. By the time we were done, there was so much gratitude in my heart directed towards him.
Cheyenne decided to walk us out and when we got to the car, she stopped me. She gave Darius a look and although he hesitated, he walked over to the driver's side to give us some privacy.
"He really likes you," she began. "I would assume that you're mates, right?"
"We are,â I answered hesitantly wondering where she was going with it.
"I know you're human- you smell like them. You may not understand the impact that being mates might have on a wolf, I can see your hesitance around him but he likes you."
She glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was listening in.
"I'm sure you know that Darius can be very blunt and sometimes bordering on rude. He has been a great friend and he has been very supportive of my music career but after my first show, he told me he was never attending another one yet here he is because of you."
"I don't think it is because of me."
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" she asked and I fell silent. "Listen, I'm just asking you to open your mind. You don't have to do anything about it but that man is smitten with you. Do you know how much he offered to pay to get those tickets? I was completely sold out and he offered me more money than any sane person should offer for tickets."
"How much did you offer?"
"I think you should ask him that," she smiled at me and pulled me into one final hug. "You should leave now, he looks like he is about to throw you over his shoulder and get you out of here. It was wonderful to meet you Leindra, I hope we can do this again sometime."
She disappeared into the building and I walked back to the car completely dazed. It felt like I was in a fever dream and I didn't want to wake up. I could feel Darius' eyes on me the entire time he drove. He actually looked concerned because I had not spoken a single word. We were almost at the house when he finally spoke.
"Your silence is concerning. Should I be worried?" I shook my head. "I know I'm always telling you to shut up but for once, I actually want to hear your voice, Leindra."
"Thank you," he looked taken aback by my choice of words. "That was the most amazing experience of my life. Thank you so much. I can't believe I got to meet Cheyenne and the others. You didn't have to do all that."
"I did," he reached over the console to rest his hand on my thigh. "I am going to show
you that I don't want you for the curse. If you let me, that is."
I would have responded if not that Darius muttered a curse under his breath. He reached over to make sure my seatbelt was holding me properly before slamming on the gas so hard that I lurched forward. I looked around trying to see any sign that we were being followed but the roads were completely empty. There were no strange cars or wolves anywhere.
I opened my mouth to ask questions but Darius kept me quiet by raising a hand. His eyes were fixated on the road and I knew he was trying to concentrate and my questions would distract him. Despite the churning in my stomach, I stayed silent. My heart was pounding wildly and I began to mutter a prayer under my breath. I didn't know what was happening but judging by Darius' reaction, it was bad.
We got to the house in record time and everyone was standing outside. My eyes first found Amy and Ian. She was in her nightgown and Ian was holding her in his arms. I was shocked that she was letting him hold her without complaint but as we got closer, I realized that her eyes were closed and there was a bandage on her upper arm. I rushed out of the car as soon as Darius turned off the ignition and rushed over to them.
"Is she okay?" I asked and Ian nodded. She opened her eyes and smiled softly at me but didn't say any words. "What happened?"
"There was a shoot-out a few minutes ago," Ian explained. "It was Faye's men but we weren't able to take any in for questioning. Most of them died during the shootout and the few who didn't killed themselves after. I mind-linked Darius as soon as I could. I'm sorry if I ruined your date."
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"I don't care about the date," I waved him off. "Is everyone okay? I hope no one was
badly hurt."
"We will all be fine, Jared took the worst of it because he was outside when it happened. He is inside with the-"
I didn't want for him to finish before I practically sprinted inside. I didn't speak to Jared much but he seemed like a good enough person. He watched over me without complaint and he had a dry sense of humor that I liked. I found him in the living room lying down while a doctor patched him up. He opened his eyes when he heard me approach and I saw the corner of his lips quirk up in a smile.
"I didn't know you would be worried about me," he mused. "Here I thought you would
be rejoicing that I'm going to be out of your hair."
"You could have waited until Faye was gone before trying to die. I wouldn't have bothered much then," I tried to make my voice as bland as possible but it cracked slightly. "How do you feel?"
"I'm good, Leindra. I'm a wolf. I will be on my feet by tomorrow and perfectly healed within two days. It was just a flesh wound."
"The bullet went right through you," the doctor corrected. "There is nothing flesh wound about that."
The doctor bowed to me which shocked me and walked out of the room leaving us in silence. I made my way over to him and crouched down by his bedside. I helped him fluff up his pillow and adjust it so he was lying down more comfortably.
I started to leave but Jared grabbed my hand keeping me in place. "There's no need to
feel guilty. She wasn't here for you."
"What do you mean? I'm the one she wants to kill."
"That might be true but it wasn't today. She knew you weren't here."