Bad Melody (Seven Deadly Sins #3)

Chapter Three: Rough Waking

Cody blinked. The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the unfamiliar window, hitting his face and rousing him out of his dreamless sleep. It took him a few seconds to get his bearings and remember where he was. The soft female snore made him turn his head. He simply stared at the naked back and long blonde hair of the girl next to him.

What was her name again? Jennifer? Cassidy?

He couldn't remember and frankly didn't care. She'd been a means to an end - a way to shut up the weird murmurings in his head. It didn't always work but it had last night and that's all that mattered.

Rubbing his face, Cody felt the cold metal of his rings scrape against the roughness around his cheeks. He probably looked about as good as he felt, and right now he was feeling like warmed over roadkill.

Figuring he was probably late for something, he rolled out of bed and immediately regretted the decision. Groaning and staying hunched over, he searched for his clothes while trying to keep from puking. The bright sun wasn't helping his massive hangover, but the ache in his skull tended to banish some of the weirder thoughts he'd been having lately so he wasn't complaining.

Finding his clothes among the mess on the floor, he quickly pulled his t-shirt on over his head. Straightening up, he pulled his jeans on while keeping one eye on the sleeping form of his one-night stand. He had no interest in getting into some long, drawn out conversation about last night, getting breakfast or anything else she might try to bring up. He was all about living his rock star dream and that meant not sticking around for anything after the deed.

Even if she had been good enough to keep the voices in his head from invading his sleep.

His dreams, always on the weird side, had taken a dark turn over the last few weeks. He couldn't remember much after he woke up, but knew they were pretty twisted. More than once he'd woken up in a cold sweat with his heart beating a staccato rhythm that was downright gnarly. What was worse was the uneasy feeling that whatever had been pursuing him in his dreams bled over into his waking world, like a shadow that darted out of sight whenever he turned his head.

It was a creepy feeling and he didn't like being alone at night.

But today was a new day.

Finding his shoes, Cody grabbed them and made for the door. He touched the knob and looked back one more time. The room looked like a tornado had hit it - clothes were strewn all over the place and gathered in haphazard piles. Textbooks, papers, a gray laptop and at least half a dozen empty Diet Coke cans took up the top of a small desk on one side of the room. Against the far wall, Greek letters painted in soft pink stood out against the white paint.

College student.

Cody's eyes fell on his date from last night but this time he could see her face. Her mascara and eyeshadow were both smeared and oily looking, but she had the kind of golden hue that belied a weekly tanning appointment. Slim with heavy breasts, she looked nothing like the darker emo girls he usually dated. She was the kind of woman his old girlfriends would sneer at and make fun of, while he secretly thought they were out of his league.

Things were certainly changing for him.

Last night had only been the start. After the show, they'd partied with a real music executive at a major record label until they'd been thrown out of the club - the fact that he took a swing at Carl may have precipitated the bouncers' actions but he didn't care. Carl was a scumbag who'd tried to welch on their deal for half the door earnings - at least until he'd grabbed him by his fat, sweaty neck and gotten their money.

Out in the street, Terry or Jerry, whatever the label guy's name was, had invited them all back to his hotel room. Cody and his friends had jumped into the dude's SUV, while half the club followed in their own cars.