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She sings from the very depths of her heart. This isn’t club music; this is deeply emotional. It’s raw, it’s real, and I can’t stop myself from standing and drifting closer. When it finishes again, Jack grins at me knowingly.
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?”
“She’s . . .” I don’t even have words. I glance back to see her mouthing something to herself, frowning as she works through it.
“I know. It’s why she’s so in demand. It’s why she’s the best. It’s not just because of her talent, but her ability to make you feel it with her. She creates more than music. It’s an experience, a story, and she is the author. It’s why I work with her. I’ve never met anyone else in all of my years in this industry who has the same capability, nor are they so humble and kind.”
“How is she not everywhere?” I ask, confused.
“To an extent, she is, but people used to assume that her talent, her songs, were partly associated with her ex, that he or someone else wrote them, and he never corrected it, no matter what they said about her. She was too kind to say anything, even though she gives everything to her music. Not to mention a lot of people look down on rock and say it’s just angry music, but when you listen to the lyrics? It’s all her. It’s the truth, her soul, her story, her passion. It’s the world, and now that she’s back and the deadweight is gone from her life, hopefully the world will see that. She is the woman they looked down on, the woman they were jealous of, and she is nothing but pure talent and heart. She deserves it. She’s worked damn hard to get here and had to put up with a lot of shit from both the press and her own people.”
“What do you mean?” Raffiel asks.
Jack frowns, looks at her, and then sighs. “The road to musical fame is not easy, nor is any road to fame, I presume, but even more so for women. There are men in this industry who take advantage of women, especially those trying to break out. Every singer I’ve ever worked with has their own story, and I have no doubt Reign does, but she will never tell. She will never give them the fame and press they so desperately want from her.”
I read between the lines and almost growl at the implication. Someone took advantage of her. I know it happens, and I’ve seen a lot of shit in my life so I know the evil people in this world are capable of, but Reign was young when she broke into the spotlight. Why did I think that would protect her when it probably put her in more danger?
I want to go in there and demand names so I can hunt the fuckers down and show them they aren’t untouchable, but it’s her past, it’s her truth, and I won’t steal that from her. If she wants to tell us, then we are here and we’ll listen. It’s clear she hasn’t even confided in Jack, and unlike those in her past who only took and demanded, we won’t do that. We are here to help and make her life easier, and after meeting Reign, I want to.
Yes, she’s beautiful, and I want her badly, but it’s more than that. I saw an aching loneliness in her eyes last night, the same kind I carried until I met my brothers. I saw the same wandering soul, and it made me want to wrap her up and keep her safe.
No, this is more than desire.
This is something completely different that I can’t even admit to myself or it will mean that I’ll have to leave my job—my honor is all I have, after all—and I am reluctant to leave Reign when it’s clear she needs us. She needs people to protect her, to stop the world from hurting her again.
She might not say it out loud, but it’s in her song, in her heart.
She has been hurt badly over and over again, and it’s obvious how close she is to giving up on the world.
I won’t let her. Nobody with her soul deserves to give up.
The music turns on again and her voice fills the air once more, so I pay attention to the lyrics this time.
People hurt those they love the most
Broken promises, scattered across wealth
Heartache, broken heels, and mascara drips
Lines in the bathroom, trying to forget you
I ache with her. I seal them to my soul, and when she comes out of the booth, she blinks when she finds me standing so close to the door. I want to tell her everything, so I step closer.
“I see you,” is all I tell her.
And I do.
I see Reign.
I see her struggling.
She isn’t alone.
TWELVE
The rest of the day is a blur of new music and locking down melodies and compositions. At some point, Raff brings us all food, and Jack instantly gets along with them, talking to them like they are old friends. I’m quiet, my eyes on Dal as I think about what he said.
I see you.
