Wicked Harmony

Chapter 30 | Sin

Chapter 30

Sin

I t’s finally here.

Gig time.

The air is electric as the audience filters in. Right now, I’m not even influencing them. This is all their own anticipation and excitement.

Just for tonight, all that matters is the music and the way it makes them feel.

I stand in the lighting booth, my eyes focused on the stage as seventy drone-like machines take to the air.

The stage darkens, and there’s a chorus of screams from the crowd. Then a slow, heady drumbeat fills the air. I strain my eyes, trying to make Cal out on the stage, but it’s so dark he’s totally invisible.

Then a spotlight darts across the stage, flashing over Cal’s face, and the crowd let out a roar. The light sweeps in a jagged trail to the other side of the stage, teasing the audience. It then retraces the same route, this time landing on Iri’s face, resulting in another set of deafening cheers and whistles.

It’s a slow buildup, and the audience seems to fucking love it.

I do too. I’m sweating already and my heart is pounding as I clutch the control panel in front of me.

The light follows another darted pattern across the stage, revealing Dorian. And then the full stage lights flip on as Micah appears in front of the microphone .

I don’t know about the audience, but I have to hold myself back from screaming in excitement.

My first creations are at work before the first note hits. The air fills with what look like thousands of lotus flowers, which slowly cascade down from the sky, causing the crowd to go insane. When the flowers reach them, they dissolve, dosing them with ten seconds of sheer bliss.

I count to ten, and the first song kicks off with no introduction from the band. It’s fast and heavy and I can feel the sound of it right down to my bones.

The band is all now visible and they look insanely good.

Cal sits shirtless astride his drums, his legs and arms moving at an astounding rate that still has me gaping at his rhythm and ability to multitask. Dorian leaps around the stage like a mad thing, playing his guitar as though it’s an extension of himself. Iri’s got a satisfied smirk on his face as he alternates his gaze from the guys on stage with him, to the audience, and then finally up to the lighting box where he seems to stare directly into my eyes even with a stage between us.

And Micah, well, Micah sings like he’s digging directly into my soul, coaxing me toward being the person I always hoped to be.

I keep one eye on the timing, but so far they’re playing exactly to time. Another minute and they’ll roll straight into their next song, cueing my second hologram and dose of emotion.

“Welcome everybody, we appreciate you joining us here tonight. We are Orpheus Underground, and we’re here to give you the very best night of your fucking lives.”

Like clockwork, the air fills with glittering confetti that will hit the audience with five seconds of pure excitement.

Then, they switch to an older song, one of their first, and the crowd loses their minds again. Goosebumps break out across my skin as tens of thousands of people join in, singing with their entire bodies as they belt out the words .

Another song and my next creation goes off without a hitch. Steve catches my eye from where he’s sitting beside me in the lighting booth. He gives me a nudge and a thumbs up and I go back to keeping half an eye on the time, and the other half on the band.

The minutes tick by and they move swiftly through song after song, the crowd screaming and singing along, eating it up with a big spoon.

Then Micah grins, looking wild and free as he pushes his hair back from his sweaty forehead. I don’t think I’ve ever been so attracted to anyone as I am to him at this moment.

“This next one’s gonna go a little different. Dorian, take the wheel.”

He steps back from the mic, and the crowd goes nuts. It’s deafening, even with the earplugs I have firmly shoved into my ears.

Dorian steps forward with a deliciously cocky smirk on his face, turning his face up to the lighting booth, toward me and giving a quick salute.

“This one’s for the queen of our hearts.”

It’s cheesy as hell, and he knows it, judging by the grin on his face. I’m grinning right back at him, though, even though there’s no way he can see me. Then he roars into the mic, sounding more beast than man. The crowd screams back and the hair at the back of my neck stands up.

Holy. Shit.

Then he starts to sing.

“Never seen so many grown men cry as when he does this number,” Steve says right into my ear.

I eye the screens lining the lighting booth, showing the crowd’s faces, and see that he’s right. So many people, who might from the outside be judged as hard as nails because of how they look, are now openly crying as Dorian sings. It’s like, on some level, everyone in the room understands his pain on some level. We’ve all experienced it at one point or another.

I’m glad my creations aren’t out in play for this track, or we’d all be losing it.

It’s the next song where my gadgets are most necessary. They help segue from the pain and loneliness and longing Dorian’s singing about, into catharsis.

Golden shards of light form a wave that shimmers from one side of the arena to the other, connecting the entire room as one.

My next hit of emotion sinks in and it’s like the entire room takes a deep breath.

Dorian sings his last note and steps back from the mic and Micah pulls him into a crushing hug.

“All right, you beautiful people. You’ve had your chests torn right open. How about we try to stitch you back together again?” Micah’s words are low and lilting and incredibly sexy, like he’s speaking directly into our ears.

This is where I hold my breath. It’s the riskiest part of the entire set. All the feelings I'm pumping out won’t be enough to change the mood of the crowd unless that’s something they’re open to. There are too many of them, otherwise.

“Come on. It’s time to let loose,” Micah murmurs into the mic.

They break into a song that’s surprisingly catchy and upbeat for a metal band fronted by so-called monsters.

The song is wild and Micah dances around the stage like a mad thing, with Dorian bouncing around alongside him. I can’t stop the laugh that spurts out of me at the sight of them charging around like a couple of puppies.

Almost as though he hears me, Iri lifts his head and grins at me and my chest goes tight as it swells with a bunch of emotions I can’t even begin to name .

And then before I know it, it’s time for their last song. The air fills with a kaleidoscope of colors along with a dose of pure hope and anticipation.

“That was a damn good show,” Steve says to me, clapping me on the shoulder. “Nice work. I think we pulled it off.”

I think so too.

My ears are ringing, despite the ear protection. I’m sweaty and kind of exhausted, but also elated as I make my way down to the wings of the stage on shaky legs. I get down there just in time for the guys to jog off the stage to grab a drink of water and then reappear for their encore.

When they step off again, they’re all dripping wet, their shirts sticking to their skin. Cal’s gray skin glistens and my eyes skim greedily over all four of them.

I’m swept up in a sweaty hug and am spun around.

“Fuck, my blood is pumping. I need you so badly, love.”