If I’m what you love, you’re already dead
Wanting the taste of you, craving the feel of you
I’ll drain you to the very last drop
If I’m toxic, you’re poison
You say you want more
If I’m a monster, you’re the darkness
If I’m addicted, you’re the drugFuck it, stay awhile
We’re already in too deepOpen your mind
Say your darkest desires
You’ll never want to leave (God’s not here)Incredible, unforgettable
You have no idea what’s in store
Strip me, fill me, just don’t turn away
I’ll never not want more
I’m a slave to the mania; you’re the truth I can’t deny
There’s no reason left to run
There’s no reason left to fear
There’s no reason left to hide
God’s not hereThe roar that erupted from the twenty thousand that only minutes ago had booed her shook me to my very core.
Standing on my right, red bloomed on Rich’s cheeks as his lips formed an O. I looked to my left, already knowing what I’d find. Houston’s jaw was locked tight, his gaze burning as his nostrils flared. There was fury, wonder, and the need to devour as well as to destroy. It was the same internal war waging inside of me.
She told me to eat my heart out, and that’s exactly what I’d done. Braxton looked like an angel, but she played like a demon—one not even Satan would dare cross. There was no way now that we wouldn’t make her ours. She was Bound.
Braxton performed two more numbers before she pranced her happy ass off stage, but still, the crowd wasn’t sated. I didn’t like that she’d forgotten all about us as she laughed and celebrated with her former bandmates, but then Houston stepped into her path, blocking her from leaving. The light left her eyes, and it felt like someone had yanked a magic carpet from underneath me, and now I was plummeting back to earth.
Her bandmates didn’t move a muscle, and neither did she as Houston invaded her space before holding up a small white card. I already knew what he’d scribbled on it.
Wordlessly, he slipped it inside the décolletage of her corset, right between the fleshy mounds of her breasts spilling from the top. I didn’t miss the unnecessary brush of his finger against her skin, either.
Bastard.
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
Unmoved by her anger at his violation, he spoke his parting words to her before turning away. “Don’t make me wait.”
Jericho trailed after him, but I was a little slower to follow. I didn’t want to leave. The dark look Braxton wore shifted to me when she noticed I was still standing there. I watched one of her perfectly arched brows rise in question. I wanted to stay, but she wanted me gone.
Needing to save face, I shoved aside my fascination. The shit was embarrassing, not to mention nauseating. “See you later, Amy Lee.”
I heard choked laughter from the three who’d backed her before it ended abruptly. I guess she had them by the balls, but we wouldn’t make it so easy for her. Looking over my shoulder one last time, I smirked when I caught her watching me go.
The seventy-two hours that followed were the longest fucking three days ever.“How could you not tell us you knew them!” Griffin shouted as she tossed her camping bag on the floor next to our front door.
“Or that she’s one of them,” Maeko reminded our already peeved roommate.
I’d been getting the third degree since my performance last night, which surpassed even my expectations. I never dreamed I’d feel so alive and refused to give Bound’s presence credit.
Griff, Maeko, and I had to leave the festival a day early when the heat that came down on me turned into a wildfire. My affiliation with Bound and what it entailed was now a hot topic. Clearly, I hadn’t thought it through before I announced to the world that I knew them just to get under Bound’s skin.
I wasn’t sure how much I was at liberty to say, so I kept my mouth shut. It didn’t stop anyone from speculating, though. Candid photos of me at the festival started appearing online, and it wasn’t long before the blogs caught wind. Even those fan pages dedicated to every move Bound made, including whenever one of them scratched their ass, were now reposting old selfies of me stolen from my page.
After only a brief period of deliberation, the consensus was unanimous.
I, Braxton Fawn, was just another groupie.
“How did this happen?” Griff woefully demanded.
“It’s just a job,” I mumbled as I moved to sit on our ratty couch. “It’s not a death sentence.” Maeko perched next to me on the arm of the couch, a silent show of support as Griffin angrily paced the floor in front of us.
“But your life will never be the same again. Can’t you see that? I thought you didn’t want to be famous.”