Chapter 17

17

Sadie stood to the side of the stage next to King, barely able to hold still. The collective energy in the tent was making her feel like electricity was sparking throughout her body. The anticipation to finally perform was just as overwhelming, and it took everything in her not to bolt for the nearest exit.

King took her hand and slipped his fingers between hers, instantly calming her. He leaned into her and whispered, "You're going to be great."

"If I am, it's only because you're here." Sadie pressed her free hand to her stomach, trying to calm the butterflies.

"You'll be great because of you ," he corrected. "And we'll kill it because we're an awesome team. Understand?"

Sadie nodded and repeated his words in her head over and over, willing herself to believe.

Austin was on the stage, thanking everyone for coming and saying something about a magical connection between the two singers as he announced their single. And the next thing Sadie knew, she heard him announce their names.

The crowd went wild, cheering and chanting their names.

King squeezed her hand and said, "Showtime."

"Let's do it," Sadie heard herself say as she followed King out onto the stage. Immediately, she was bombarded with a flood of emotions. With so many bodies in the tent, there was no way to pinpoint where they came from or even their primary feelings. It was all just a jumbled mess and added a weight to her shoulders that she didn't need.

Not now. Not when she was going to pour her heart out into a song.

Concern brushed her skin in the form of tiny pinpricks. And then she heard King's voice in her mind as clear as day, I hope she's ready for this. After tonight, she's going to be famous.

Sadie blinked, looking around, trying to understand what just happened. She didn't hear thoughts. She was an empath, not a telepath. Had she imagined that? But there was no time to worry about it. The band had already started playing the intro of the song.

Briggs appeared out of nowhere and handed her guitar to her. The moment the instrument was in her hands, her nerves settled and her mind quieted. Sadie let out a huge sigh of relief.

King gave her a look, asking if she was ready. She nodded once and started to strum her guitar. He grinned and together they threw themselves into their song.

Summer nights, they were yours

Moonlit streams, I saw magic, you saw me

You shared your secrets, I swear, they're still safe after the storms

Sadie stared into King's eyes as she gave everything she had to the song that meant so much to her. It was their song. Their story. And every time she sang it now, she was filled with love and hope and promise. And so was he. She could feel him in her bones.

The audience faded away. All she saw was the man standing beside her, singing with his angelic voice. He'd drawn her in, and love was bursting from him, engulfing her, making her feel powerful and loved and invincible.

Singing with him was just incredible.

Sadie was so lost in the song, so lost in King that she barely noticed when magic started to crawl over her. It was faint at first, just a tingle here and there, but then Sadie started to pulse with it as if she were maybe feeding off the audience instead of the other way around.

And when the song ended, Sadie and King stared at each other for far too long, right up until the magic that had been surrounding her suddenly vanished.

Sadie felt cold and exposed, and all she wanted to do was run out of there. But they had another song to sing. King's song. She turned to look at the musicians behind her, wondering why they hadn't started to play, and she was startled when the woman who played keyboard suddenly stood and said, "You're an asshole." She flipped her bandmate off and stormed off the stage.

"What the hell?" Sadie turned back to King, finding a pained expression on his face. "What's happening?"

"Come on." He grabbed her hand and hauled her off the stage.

"But we're supposed to do another song," she said, flustered and confused as the crowd noise raised from a dull roar to almost unbearable levels.

"Look, Sadie," he said as he waved to the crowd. "Something's wrong. Can't you feel it?"

They were standing behind the temporary bar, looking out at the crowd. She noted that a lot of them seemed to be arguing, but Sadie couldn't feel their emotions. She jerked, startled by the realization. Anger was an intense feeling, and when she was around someone, anyone really, who was upset, she could feel it all the way down to her bones.

But now? It felt as if her emotional detector was broken. There was just a void. All she felt was an eerie silence. It unnerved her.

What was happening?

"I've got to get out of here," King said, cringing and backing away. He tugged at her hand, but Sadie was rooted to the ground, still trying to make sense of her new reality. He shook his head as his hand slipped out of hers. "It's too much. I can't take it."

"King?" she called as he disappeared out of the tent.

"Why are you being so selfish?" a familiar voice cried right in front of Sadie. She spun and found Candy screaming at Hanna. They were both dressed up as bakers and had cupcake fascinators on their heads. "You knew I had plans, and you went ahead and put me down to close anyway. It's always all about you!"

Hanna exploded on her cousin, yelling something about the scheduling and how if Candy wanted more responsibility she needed to step up.

"Hey!" Sadie said, stepping up to them. "Ladies, please. Let's take a step back and?—"

"Stay out of it!" they both shouted at the same time.

Sadie put her hands up and backed away, moving down the bar to find Melissa in a Spice Girls costume, standing with Briggs, who hadn't bothered to dress up.

"Why didn't you take me home the other night, Briggs?" Melissa ran her finger down his chest. "I know you wanted me."

Lust burned in Brigg's gaze before he dipped his head and kissed her so fiercely that Sadie thought they might just go up in flames.

"Melissa!" a man called, his tone sharp. "What are you doing?"

Sadie gasped when she saw Jasper in a caveman costume making a beeline for Briggs and Melissa.

"Jasper? What are you doing here? And why are you wearing that? You look ridiculous." Melissa eyed him, looking confused. "I thought after that disastrous concert I'd never see you again."

"I texted you and told you I forgive you," he said, sounding like a petulant child. "I told you I'd be here, and now I find you with this guy? Haven't you hurt me enough?"

Melissa blinked at him. "Hurt you? I barely know you. And you're the creep who tried to manhandle me. This is going nowhere."

"Stop!" Jasper shook his head violently and then looked at the man behind him. He was tall, dressed up in a suit and cape as a rich vampire, and he was staring at Jasper, his beautiful eyes filled with frustration. Jasper let out an irritated groan and then said, "How am I going to keep convincing everyone I'm not in love with Brandon if I can't keep a girlfriend?"

"What?" Melissa asked as she looked between the two men.

Jasper clasped his hand over his mouth and then pushed passed everyone, heading for the door. The man Sadie assumed was Brandon ran after him. "Jas, wait!"

All around her, people were arguing. Everyone except Shannon and Brian Knox. Shannon was Silas Ansell's sister. She managed his career and was a good friend of the Townsends. Shannon was dressed as a sexy nurse and was pressed up against her husband, Brian, her leg wrapped around his waist as she ran her thumb over his lips. His hands were gripping her ass, and Sadie expected them to rip each other's clothes off at any moment.

Instead, Shannon glanced around and then looked right at her husband and said, "I'm so horny you better take me home right now, or I'm going to have my way with you in the bathroom."

Brian grabbed her hand and started to pull her toward the side door that led to the bathrooms.

Sadie jumped in front of them and pointed to the exit. "Not here, guys. Trust me, you don't want to do that in a public restroom. Head on home."

Shannon groaned and then giggled as she said, "There's always the back seat."

Brian spun abruptly, and the two pushed their way outside.

Sadie just hoped they didn't make a spectacle of themselves before they found somewhere private.

When the chaos extended to Abby and Clay as they argued about who should announce that the bar was closing, Sadie took it upon herself to end the madness. She got back up on stage, grabbed the microphone, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight, but it's time to pack it in. The festival is closing. Please grab your things and—" Before Sadie could even finish, the patrons all made a beeline for the exit. The pushing and name calling started almost immediately. Sadie frowned and added, "Please leave in an orderly fashion and be kind to everyone else trying to make it home tonight."

Her words seemed to help as the crowd suddenly began to mellow and started exiting without trying to run each other over.

King was suddenly at her side as she stepped off the stage and exited the side door of the tent. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know," she said, still confused. "It's like everyone is possessed."

He nodded, staring at her with worry in his eyes, but she couldn't feel anything radiating off him like she normally would.

"Are you doing okay?" Sadie asked him, looking for any signs of possession or agitation or anything that resembled the crowd's over-the-top reactions.

"Yeah. I was just overwhelmed by the intensity of people's thoughts. I've always gotten snippets, but nothing like that."

Sadie had known that King had telepathic abilities. Just as he'd always known she was an empath. Neither had been bothered by the other's abilities since they both understood what a burden it was to be subjected to other people's thoughts and emotions. She grabbed his hand and squeezed.

He squeezed back and said, "We'd better find Austin."

They started to head toward the back entrance, but when they reached the tent's exit, King paused, squinting in the darkness. "That's not—no way. It can't be."

"What?" Sadie followed his gaze and caught a glimpse of the woman who'd cornered her outside the bathrooms earlier before they'd taken the stage.

"That was my mother." King took off at a run, leaving Sadie alone and shellshocked.