Page 111 of Cherish

“There was a pigeon on your head because you’re an arsehole who can’t keep his fooking mouth shut,” Hudson shoots back, his accent getting thicker and thicker with each word. “It’s not precisely the same thing.”

“Oh, boo-hoo!” Heather interjects without bite but with a whole truckload of sarcasm. “The entire fucking Shadow Realm wants to see you in concert, Hudson. They love youso muchthey’ve builtstatuesto you and renamed anentire townafter you. Howwillyou go on?”

“What if they don’t?” Hudson mumbles so quietly that I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who heard him. And the last of the pieces clicks into place.

“Is that what you’re worried about?” I ask. “That no one will come to see you sing?”

“I’m not a singer, Grace. Why on earth would anyone actually pay money to hear me sing?”

“Oh, babe.” I clasp his hand between both of mine. “They’re going to come.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I do.” I put a finger on the side of his chin and turn his head so that he can see what Macy pointed out to me earlier. Namely, that the entire sidewalk in front of Nyaz’s inn is crowded with little teenage girls pressing up against the glass, all dressed in different variations of I <3 Hudson Vega shirts and jackets and scrunchies and earrings.

“They’re going to come,” I tell him again. “I think the only problem will be mitigating disappointment when the tickets sell out.”

Jaxon snorts. “Little do they know they’re signing on to listen to ninety minutes of vintage British Invasion.”

Annoyance at all his little digs reaches a flashpoint inside me, and I round on him with a look that shuts everyone at the table up—even him. “You know what? I think I’ve finally figured out what you can do. You’ve got so much to say about Hudson and this concert, then fine. It just went from a solo act to a duo. Brother bands are huge.”

“What?” Jaxon’s voice is so high at this point that I’m pretty sure only paranormals and dogs can hear him. “No way. I’m not doing that.”

“Oh, you are doing it,” I tell him, pointing a finger at his face. “The Vega Brothers has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“This is bullshit! I can’t even sing—”

“Yes, you can,” Flint corrects. “You have an amazing voice.”

Jaxon shoots him a look that would have decimated a lesser man.

“Come on, Jaxon,” I egg him on. “Isn’t it your turn to take one for the team,bro?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve already done that, considering I’m the last member of the Order still standing,” he snaps in such a snide tone that Flint reels back in his chair like someone hit him.

“Yes, you have lost a lot,” I say, standing so I can walk over to his side of the table while I say my piece. “But look around, will you? So has everyone else sitting at this table, except maybe Heather. But she’s new here, so give her a little time.

“Flint lost his leg. Hudson lost the girl he loved for years to his brother, not to mention nearly losing his sanity in the frozen Gargoyle Court. Eden lost her family. Macy lost her boyfriend and found out she’s been lied to practically her entire life. We’ve all lost something or someone, but we’re still here. Still fighting to make sure you arenotthe last member of the Order still standing. So get off the pity train, stop riding your brother’s ass so hard, and get on board. Otherwise, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Total silence greets my words as every person at the table stares at me like they can’t believe what I just said. To be honest, I can’t believe it myself.

I’m not usually the one to go off on someone like that—especially not Jaxon, whom I adore beyond measure—but this time, he had it coming. We’ve all suffered. We’ve all been hurt. Just because he and Flint are going through whatever the hell they’re going through right now doesn’t give him the right to take it out on the rest of us.

Still, we can’t all sit here staring at each other forever, so I clear my throat and try to figure out what to say to get things moving again.

But before I can come up with anything, Jaxon clears his throat and says, “Fine, but I get to be the cool Vega brother. He can be the nerdy one.”

“Well, obviously you’re the ‘eye candy.’” I quote the concert promoter, reaching down to squeeze Jaxon’s hand in thanks for turning things around.

When Hudson mutters under his breath, “His hair better not upstage me,” everyone cracks up. And that quickly, it feels like we’re back on track. I mean, sure, it may be riddled with potholes and bumpy as hell, but we’re on it.

For now, that will have to be good enough.

We need this moment of levity and confidence, for all of us. This feeling that we can do anything as long as we do it together.

Because the one thing nobody seems willing to even consider yet is the fact that we’re about to lure a hungry tiger out of its cage with a juicy piece of meat…and we really think it’ll want to chat with us before it pounces and rips out our jugulars?

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