Page 8 of Rebellious Harmony
“Ian, our bassist.Eli, our guitarist, and Torin, our keyboardist,” Stella says, and the guys all greet Ava with their waves and grunts.“Rex, our drummer, isn’t here, but you’ll meet him soon.And you know Nolan.”
She knows who I am?Is she another groupie?
When I look her over, the tension in my body evaporates, and I breathe a little easier.She’s a petite girl who looks like she stepped out of a 1950s sitcom.Just my type.Her lime green cardigan is paired with a fluffy cream skirt, and her sparkling silver eyes are framed with tortoiseshell glasses.Her natural red hair is pulled into a ponytail that bounces behind her in one elegant curl, tied with a pink polka dot scarf.Cream and white low heels complete the look.To say that this girl has a distinct style would be an understatement.Her fair skin looks rosy and healthy, and her lips are a shade darker, like they’re berry stained.Her smile is radiant and warm.She’s gorgeous in an unassuming—and dare I say pleasant—way.
It changes nothing, though; she’s still an Omega.Her eyes shine and shimmer silver when she stands in my proximity, telling me what I already know.My father set me up.She may look like an ordinary girl, a human, but she’s far more than that, and now she’s on my tour.
Ava approaches me and holds out her small hand, fingers tipped with a flawless French manicure.“Hi.Ava Keats.It’s so nice to meet you.”
Not wanting to be rude, I take her tiny hand and notice my large one engulfs hers.I swear I feel tingles, and the hairs on my arm rise as we shake.What magic is this girl casting over me?
I school my features and tap into my rock star vibe, turning on the charm.“Nice to meet you, Ava.My father spoke highly of you.”Smiling at her, I notice her eyes shift, and I glimpse their true color for a split second, a beautiful sunburst hazel with gradients of forest green and gold.
“Oh, your dad is great!”she says, and I feel her trembling a little.
“Yeah, he is.”Unless he’s hand delivering a tiny little Omega to me and playing matchmaker from hell.
“Is all of Death by Dawn vampires, or is it just you?Not to say that it would be bad, it’s just that your dad is the first real vampire I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.Oh!I’m kinda rambling, aren’t I?Stop it, Ava!”
I clear my throat and release her hand.This girl is strange and fascinating.“Well, I hope this doesn’t disappoint you, but I’m the only vampire in the band.Do you always chastise yourself?”
She giggles, and it sounds almost like small tinkling bells, “Oh God, no, only when I’m nervous.”
“Do I make you nervous?”I hope I make her nervous; then, we’ll be on even footing.Being this close to her makes me feel uncertain, like I don’t know what to expect, my Alpha tendencies clawing at me and begging me to do something stupid…like claim her.
She swallows and takes me in from head to toe, then keeps babbling.“Well, I mean, yeah, you make me nervous.You’re huge.What did they feed you as a kid?Growth hormone?Or blood?Oh, we just brought you food, didn’t we?I didn’t mean to keep you from your lunch!”
I turn and grab my lunch from Stella, who winks at me, eyes filled with mirth.When I straighten to my full height, I can’t help but notice how small Ava is, even for an Omega.
Her babbling is funny.I’m used to women being nervous around me, but the way Ava’s words fly out of her mouth makes me smile.I find that I’m curious, wondering what she’ll say next.My eyes want to track her every move, and I realize I’m enjoying having her undivided attention.
I need to find a reason to hate her and fast, but I have nothing so far.
I answer one of her questions.“Just blood.You know, because I’m a vampire.”I grin, flashing her my fangs.
“Of course.”She rolls her eyes, and the Alpha in me stands at attention, wanting to reprimand her for not looking at me briefly.This girl is shockingly holding my attention and focus, which scares me.It must be our Alpha-Omega biology.It can’t be anything else.
I sit on the couch and open my lunch.I can’t help but wonder if she’s eaten yet, and that’s when I know that my biology is riding me hard.The Alpha in me needs to ensure that the pretty little Omega has what she needs.
“Have you eaten, Ava?”I look at her and watch as she processes my question.
“Oh, me?Yeah, I ate on the plane.Well, I guess it wasn’t just a simple plane.Flying in a private jet was insane.Talk about luxury.”
She sits down next to me, and I breathe a sigh of relief.I didn’t want her sitting beside Ian or Torin, which is weird.I usually couldn’t care less where anyone sits.
Chuckling at her continued babbling, I say, “Yeah, private jets are nice.You’ll get used to it.Lord Stryker and those in his house are very wealthy.”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.My parents had me late in life and didn’t travel, and we didn’t come from money.Not the kind where we rode in private jets, anyway.”
Her not coming from money isn’t surprising.I can spot that kind of posh superiority from a mile away.“When you go to House Stryker and promise yourself to the house, you’ll be surrounded by luxury.The palace is really fancy,” I say.
“It really is a palace,” Rex says, coming back to the stage in a new shirt and pants.“Lord Stryker had it moved from Prague and rebuilt in San Diego.How nuts is that?”
Stella quickly makes the introductions, and Rex grabs his food and takes a seat nearby.
Ava looks down.“I figure being an immortal vampire does wonders for the bank balance.”
“One of many perks,” I say, and take a bite of my lunch.
