Page 114 of Cherish

61

Two Vegas Are

Better than One

We spend the next couple of days in Vegaville eating a ton of Marian’s pastries and getting ready for the concert. It turns out the concert promoter was really easy to track down—and even easier to convince to do things our way. As Flint thought, Aspero is willing to do anything to have a Hudson Vega concert—including turning it into a Vega Brothers concert.

I believe his exact words were, “How can I go wrong? The only thing better than one Vega is two!”

Heather and Eden went flying every morning, looking for venues, and we end up making the event an open-air concert a few miles outside of the gates of Vegaville. Normally, I’d still be freaked out at the idea of putting the town that close to danger—especially since so many town residents plan to be at the concert—but the others assure me it’s going to be okay.

We have no intention of fighting the Shadow Queen, after all. In fact, the whole point is to surrender to her and get captured so we can make a deal.

On the plus side, the act of actually getting her attention seems to be right on track. Posters have gone up throughout the realm, I’m told, and Noromar is abuzz with talk of the concert of the century.

Hudson and Jaxon, however, are not nearly as excited as everyone else. In fact, every report from the concert promoter makes them turn a little more green.

“You said this was supposed to be aconcert,” Hudson hisses at me as the group of us walk/fly outside of town to help set up the stage the morning of the event. The promoting team doesn’t need our help—and is, in fact, a little horrified that the talent and their entourage want to be so involved—but if I have to sit in a hotel room with a growly Hudson for five more minutes, we’re going to end up in a giant fight, and neither of us wants that.

Which is why it seems better all in all to put him—and his equally-freaked-out little brother—to work for as many hours as we can. It figures Hudson would go from worried that no one would show up—the concert sold out within minutes of the tickets going on sale—to the stage now being too big.

“Itisa concert,” I tell him. “On a very large stage.”

“It looks more like a three-ring circus to me,” he answers. “Why all the colors? And weird decorations? Not to mention, I’m pretty sure half of Adarie would fit on the stage alone. I thought Jaxon and I would just be singing a few songs. Kind of impromptu.”

I kind of love that—for all his usual vanity—Hudson is the only one who hasn’t gotten used to calling the village by its new name. It’s like just the idea of having a town named after him is so over-the-top he can’t even wrap his mind around it.

And while I want to argue with him about the stage, the truth is, he’s not wrong. Of course, I can’t tell him that or he’ll just spend the rest of the day thinking about tonight’s performance.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was slightly nervous about the Vega boys hitting the stage together despite never making it through a single rehearsal without one of them calling the other a talentless hack—or something even more colorful. But I know these two well, and when they’re really in a jam, they always come through for each other. Either that, or tonight’s event will be equally entertaining for the crowd as the ultimate cage match: Superman versus Batman.

Regardless, what my mate needs right now is a solid distraction. “What?” I challenge. “You think you don’t have the charisma to fill that stage?”

He recognizes my words for what they are, but knowing that I’m deliberately messing with him doesn’t keep him from responding exactly how I expected him to. He lifts a brow and gives one of his singular British sniffs. “As if.”

“Exactly. So what are you worrying about anyway?”

He gives me a little side-eye, but the corners of his mouth are definitely tilting up in the beginnings of a grin. “Jaxon messing up, obviously, and everyone blaming me.”

“Obviously,” I agree in the most British voiceIcan manage.

“Yeah, I’m the one you should be worried about here,” Jaxon calls from several feet in front of us. “At least my ego will actually fit on that stage.”

“But will that hair?” Hudson deadpans at him. “Maybe you should try it and make sure.”

“It’s not a real test unless your ego’s up there with me,” he shoots back. “Good thing I can fly—otherwise I might get pushed off the stage.”

“Don’t you mean float off like a blimp?” Hudson asks.

Jaxon doesn’t answer—at least not with words. Instead, he shifts into his dragon form and takes to the sky.

“Looks like flying to me,” Heather snarks.

At which point Smokey pops her head out of the top of Hudson’s backpack and shakes her little fist at Heather—and Jaxon—all the while chittering away at the top of her lungs.

And Hudson takes his first breath in hours, because he’s finally out of his own head. Mission freaking accomplished. Especially as he starts carrying Smokey in his arms, letting her talk to him and pull on his hair and hug him as much as she wants.

She’s spending tonight during the concert back at the hotel. If the guard comes for us, that’s where she’ll stay until we can get back to her—Nyaz has promised to look after her for as long as it takes. But it makes every second we can spend with her right now more precious, especially for Hudson, who is already devastated at the idea of leaving her behind for even a little while.

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