Page 97 of Soul Food

“You still doing this?” Liam stepped beside me.

I turned my attention away from the stage to smile at him. “Do you really think he comes to hear me sing?” I often thought he told me that lie to make me feel better about Amit being gone.

He smirked. “He’d be a fool not to.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Are you sure though? I can’t ever approve of you doing this.”

“I’m not ever going to stop my music. I’ll just have to find a new crowd, even if there’s only one in it.”

Liam closed his eyes and chuckled. When he reopened them, he asked, “You’ve been thinking about this for a while?”

“Since the second my soul belonged to me again,” I told him truthfully.

“Sixty seconds!” one of the backstage workers poked his head out and yelled.

“Say Liam, have you been to the Underworld?” I asked quickly. I was almost out of time.

“One time, but I’m a turned vampire. This world is what I know. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more. It’s a completely different world that much I know.” He flicked his nose ring.

I nodded slowly. “I’m afraid he’s not here. I mean, if he was watching me like he always did before, he’d know what I wanted yet…”

Liam smirked. “My response is this: Steve, Pete, and I will see you years from now. This isn’t goodbye. This life is temporary for us. You know we can’t stay in the limelight when we don’t age. One day we’ll leave, and when we do, how about we look for you?”

I didn’t get to answer.

“It’s showtime,” someone yelled.

They rushed us on the stage where we poured our heart out with our opening song, “Soul Food.” I stepped backstage while they sang a few alone, and then when I came out, they stayed for a few of mine. We discovered while on tour that the fans adored when the boys sung some of my songs with me.

But the night finally came to an end, and this was where my nerves got the best of me.

What if he’s not here?

The crowd was loud, but they’re slightly muffled by the earplugs in my ear. Clarity rang through me by the end of my last song. This life… I lived and loved it, but it no longer made me happy. There was nothing more depressing than waiting on a demon to come and steal you away, take back the words he said about being good and just come for me, but it never actually happening. He was doing right by me, but I realized it wasn’t whatIwanted.

He cared enough to let me go, and I loved him enough to seek him out. It was crazy to want the one thing that I feared for so long back in my life. I was tired of analyzing it though. Tired of judging myself for what I wanted. Sometimes you just did what you wanted without a clear clue as to why you couldn’t let it go.

The night was over, but I stayed on stage panting and looking out into the lights, barely able to see the crowd that came to see me. I brought the mic up to my lips. “If you’re here watching me, I want you to come to me. I need to see you.” I lowered the mic and wiped my forehead before bringing it up to my mouth. “More like, I miss you, and you don’t get to decide everything.”

The crowd was going berserk as I walked off the stage. Who knew what would happen tonight? I knew what I wanted and was disappointed when nothing happened right away. I walked around backstage, staring at dark corners.

“Who are you looking for?” Jayne spotted me, circling around.

“For someone that isn’t going to show.”

She frowned. “Is this about Amit?” When I didn’t speak, her forehead wrinkled. “It’s been six months, I don’t think…” She left her words unsaid. She thought he was dead just like the rest of the world. She grabbed my hand and placed something in it. “Here’s your phone. I just got to grab our things in the dressing room and we can go.”

I nodded, and she left. The second she left, I felt a tug on my hand. My instinct made me jerk away because nothing was there. I thought I imagined it until it happened again. I could feel the weight of something touching my hand, then it was gone, and there was something pressing at my hip trying to lead me.

Nerves in my throat, I gave in and let who I thought it might be lead me. He took me through the back door where there was a stairway leading to the roof. The weight on my hand was gone. I took a deep breath and opened the door on my own.

It was dark up here. All of the lights were around the building, having no need for them on the roof. The night air bit into my skin. We weren’t in L.A. anymore. That much was obvious. It never got this cold there. I grabbed my arms and walked on out.

“It’s okay, you can come out.” I said calmly as I turned back to the opened door. “I know that was you leading me, Lars.”

His ugly green face popped out of the corner of the door, but he made no move to get any closer. “Sire said for me not to scare you.”

“Where is the soul reaper?” I asked him.

“I’m right here.” His voice swept warmth over my skin on that cold night.

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