"I didn't get an autograph," he said.
I didn't trust him, though. It seemed like he wanted something more. "What would you like autographed?" I asked, as the bouncers moved into position around me.
"My arm," he said.
I glanced at Kade, who nodded. "Okay."
I kept a sharp eye on the guy as Kade signed his arm. But at the very last moment, he threw his arms around Kade, and I immediately grabbed him and peeled him off. "Nope. Out you go," I said, shuffling him back to the crowd.
"It happens," said Kade, shrugging.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have let him near you at all," I said, genuinely apologetic. Kade was tired and I felt bad that I'd let the gross guy get to him, when what he really needed was rest.
"It's cool," said Kade. "You can't prevent this sort of thing. We didn't know he was going to spring this on me, and you reacted very quickly, which is exactly what you were supposed to do."
I still wasn't personally satisfied with my work, but I was glad that he seemed to think it was okay. I resolved to do better next time. My wolf howled inwardly in agreement.
"I'm pooped," said Joel. "So fuckin' ready to head back to the hotel."
"Me too," said Jareo. "And then tomorrow, we hit the road and head to Seattle. Honestly, why can't we fly?"
"Too much crap," said Joel. "We've got too much crap on us."
Kade just laughed, and this time, it was a soft, sleepy sound. I resisted the urge to wrap my arm around him and pull him close to me. He was just too adorable.
"At least we don't have to perform for like, another couple of days," said Joel. "Kade, you killed it tonight."
"Yeah, man," said Jareo.
"I couldn't have done it without all of you," said Kade. "We make a good team."
When I curled up in bed that night, exhausted and ready to fall asleep, I thought about what he had said. The band and their helpers made a good team, indeed. Everything had gone smoothly and perfectly. But what about me and Kade? Would we make a good team, too? We were fated mates, so we had to …
With thoughts of Kade flitting in my head, I passed out for the night.
3
Kade
"We got a much better response here in Seattle," said Michael thoughtfully, staring at his papers. For someone who was just as tattooed as me, he had a very business-savvy mind. I would never have guessed that he had been in a band unless he had told me. The graph paper shirts really threw me off.
"Seattle loves rock music, duh," said Joel, twirling his sunglasses around in his fingers. "Not surprising."
"Why, are you thinking of moving something in the tour?" asked Jareo, alarmed, his eyebrow raised.
"No, no," said Michael hastily. "I was thinking we could add something. Portland, maybe."
"How would we get a show in on such short notice?" I asked. "I mean, Portland would be sweet, but … "
"A secret show," said Tony.
Michael finally looked up and regarded him. "Yes, that's exactly right. A secret show. That's what other bands are doing these days. The fans will love it."
"What is a secret show?" asked Xander. He was always very curious about the workings of the band and loved to know details like this. I liked that about him. It made me feel like he actually cared about the band-and me-and wanted to be a part of the whole production.
"It's usually just a show at a smaller venue, like one that caters to indie bands," said Michael. "We would sell the tickets easily, and fans will like the more intimate feeling that the small venue gives them."
"Are there any drawbacks?" asked Xander.
"Well, we'll have to see who can take us," said Michael. "Portland loves music too, so there should be a lot of venues, but I don't know if they'll be available. I'll have to make some calls."
He immediately got up and went toward the back of the van, where our suitcases were packed. When I had first seen this van, I hadn't thought it would have so much space. But it was almost like I was discovering a new secret compartment or hidden feature every day. Michael had really come through, as he always did.
"It sounds like a secret show will have more security risks," said Xander gruffly. "We'll have to discuss those if Michael gets you all a spot."
"You're right," I said. "But you don't have to worry about it now." I smiled at him and he smiled back, but he seemed concerned. It was probably because of the fan at the Denver show who he hadn't been able to fend off fully.
It was great that he was taking his job so seriously, but he didn't realize that he didn't need to. Fans like that one were common; in fact, there had been a couple more in Seattle. It would be impossible for him to fully protect me; he just had to be there to dissuade them and fend them off when they got to be too much.
I hoped that he would lighten up as the tour went on. I didn't like to think that he'd get stressed out over his perceived failures.
For a moment, I wondered why I was thinking like that. Then I remembered that he was my fated mate. The compulsion was powerful, but even it could be drowned out somewhat by the excitement and stress of being on tour. It was only in quiet moments, like this one, that I remembered who exactly he was.
That was when my body responded, too. It was difficult to be in such close quarters with him, but I was still glad with my choice. He was serious eye candy, and I was constantly looking for opportunities to ask him about himself and his life. I hoped that we'd get some time alone together, too, so we could talk about being shifters, but that hadn't happened yet.
We stopped to get food. Michael was still making calls, even as we went down the West Coast and approached Portland. When we had gone a half hour past it, he burst out of the back compartment triumphantly.
"Turn the van around!" he cried. "We have a secret show in Portland."
"Sweet!" said Jareo. "Michael, you rock."
Michael grinned. "Now I have to make more calls," he said. "Candy needs to know about this so she can update your social media. You guys might want to start spreading the news, too. The venue is called Ice Company, and the show is at 10 pm."
"Ahh," said Jareo. "A late show."
"Yeah," said Michael, apologetic. "They have a battle of the bands earlier in the evening, and everyone else was booked."
"It's cool," I said. "We won't need to do as much preparation, and it'll be a more relaxed show."
Within an hour, we were set up at the hotel. There was a lot of time to kill before we had to show up at the venue, so Jareo and Joel decided to explore the city. Michael had more calls to make, and Tony curled up with a book. Xander and I were left alone. Finally, I thought.
"You wanna walk around the city a bit?" I asked hopefully. He always seemed pleased to be near me, but I couldn't be too sure. For all I knew, he came from one of the packs that had never heard of the legend of the fated mates.
"Yeah," he said. "That sounds great. You can't go anywhere without me, anyway."
"Oh, right," I said. "Come on, then."
The hotel was in the same neighborhood as the venue. There were plenty of restaurants and bars around, as well as boutiques. It seemed to be the "hipster" district of the city, though that wasn't a meaningful distinction to make in Portland, of all places. I didn't care where we went, though. As long as I got to talk to Xander.
"Finally," I said. "I've been dying to ask you what pack you're from."
He let out a hearty laugh. "I'm from Bottleneck," he said. "It's near a river."
"Ah. I thought that was a pretty weird name. I'm from Blue Forest, myself." I hadn't been back in ages, though. I was just too busy with the band, and Lake City was so far away from my hometown. It was one of those things that I regretted regularly, but did nothing to change.
"That's out west of Hershburg, right?" he asked.
"Yeah. It's a small pack, but it's a good one. They're so supportive of my work, even if it's not their kind of music." I smiled.
"That's awesome. I like my pack, too. But the small town was getting to be oppressive. How did you get out of yours?"
"Well, I always played music," I said. "There were coffee shops and music stores in the area that I performed at. But I knew I couldn't grow in my town. If I wanted more opportunities to perform and get noticed, I had to head to Lake City, since it was the nearest large city. I packed up my bags, found new guys to practice with, like Jareo, and eventually sent in demos to Altador. The rest is history."
Xander shook his head. "That is incredible. You're so lucky."
"I know!" I said emphatically. "I know I'm really lucky. It's nuts. I had no idea I'd get this far. Now I turn the radio on and I hear my voice."