Page 117 of Cherish

“Well, that’s an impressive turnaround. And while I appreciate it, I have to ask—what’s changed since this morning?”

He shrugs. “I got used to the size of the place. And I got to meet the musicians who will be playing with us during rehearsals, and I couldn’t wait all week to surprise you.” His eyes twinkle as he says, “Turns out they tapped Lumi and Caoimhe to back us up, along with a few of their friends.”

“Lumi and Caoimhe are here?” I ask as excitement roars through me at the thought of seeing them again—at least until I remember that they won’t be nearly as excited to see me.

Hudson nods. “They are. And they’ll be onstage with Jaxon and me. They know Vemy, and when they realized he was stage-managing this show, they asked to be able to sit in. So they’ll be up there with me.”

“That’s fantastic!” I give him a huge hug. “I already knew you guys were going to kick ass tonight. Now I know it’ll be even better than that.”

“I’ll settle for Jaxon and me not embarrassing ourselves, but sure. Let’s go with kickarse.” His grin fades. “If something happens—if the Shadow Queen’s army takes us off the stage—”

“I’ll be there,” I tell him. “I won’t let them separate us.”

“I appreciate the protection,” he says a little dryly. “But that wasn’t what I was going to say.” He takes my hand, holds it to his chest. “Whatever happens to me, I want you to remember what we’re doing here. What we need to do to save Mekhi.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” I tell him immediately. “We’re going to talk to her and—”

“I’m sure you’re right.” He wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer, but I’m too stiff now to let him. “But let’s say that Nyaz is right, that she’s out for revenge and she thinks the best way to get that is to come after me—”

“I won’t let that happen. We won’t let it happen—”

“That’s what I’m trying to say. I don’t want you to get yourself killed trying to protect me, Grace. I want—”

I stop him the only way I know how—by slamming my mouth down on his. And kissing him and kissing him and kissing him until he stops trying to talk and ends up kissing me back.

He doesn’t pull away, and neither do I, until someone clears their throat from the front of the tent. “We’re ready for you, Hudson,” Vemy says with a smile.

He nods, then leans forward and rests his forehead against mine. “Grace—”

“Go,” I tell him. “I’ll be right there watching you the whole time. And I’ll be right here waiting for you when you’re done.”

For long seconds, he doesn’t move. He just stares at me with eyes the rich, dark blue of forever. But eventually, he nods and steps away from me. “Wish me luck.”

“I think you mean break a leg.”

He gives me a lopsided grin. “As long as it’s not my heart, I’m good with it.”

“Seriously?” I make a gagging noise. “Corny much?”

“Only about you,” he answers.

“Glad to hear it. Now, get your arse out on that stage and don’t break any body parts. We’ve got shit to do.”

63

Viva Las

Vegas

I make it to the side of the stage before Hudson and Jaxon do. Macy and the others are already there, so I join them. We thought about going down in the front of the crowd to watch, but there are a lot of really enthusiastic girls down there, and the idea of being crushed by them in their mad desire to get to the Vega Brothers isn’t appealing to any of us. Then again, neither is the idea of the Shadow Queen’s guards coming for us and trampling a bunch of innocent teenagers.

Basically, watching from the wings seems like the safest bet.

As the lights go down in the audience, Macy’s colorful sparkles stand out even more, and the crowdoohs andaahs—at least until the stage lights go up and someone welcomes everyone to the show.

The music starts, and Hudson strolls onto the stage, taking a second to greet Caoimhe and Lumi, who are already playing their instruments. It’s a song I don’t recognize—maybe one of their own—but the crowd is bopping along to it as Hudson jogs along the edge of the stage, waving to the fans.

Then he circles back to the microphone in the center of the stage and says, “Hellooooooo, Adarie! How are you tonight?”

---