Lullaby (The Fable Series, Book 2)

Chapter Nine

I shake my head, silently grateful that the others obviously haven't caught on about my midnight birdwatching adventures in Alastaire's bedroom.

Thank god. They would have gotten totally the wrong idea.

"Come on down when yer ready," Lyall says. "There's coffee on de stove." He disappears down the hallway.

I walk over to the large bay window at the far end of the kitchen and look out into the clearing. Kitty's out in her veggie patch again, her wide-brimmed hat bobbing up and down as she works. She's probably pulling up dandelions or picking strawberries or something like that.

When I first met her, there's no way I would have suspected she was the nurturing type. People are full of surprises. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

"CUPCAKE! STOP FAFFING AROUND AND COME DOWN HERE AT ONCE! LYALL SAYS HE SAW YOU! COME DOWN HERE BEFORE I GO UP THERE AND FETCH YOU!"

Alastaire's shouting rings through the cabin, made all the more impressive by the fact that he's in a soundproof room.

Just how loud do you have to be yelling for the sound to carry through re-enforced noise-cancelling walls? Jeesh.

Deciding to skip coffee, I make my way down the hallway to the study, through the purple door behind the faded forest tapestry, and down the narrow steps to the recording studio.

I stand in the doorway for a moment before stepping into the control room. The boys are in the next room, separated from me by a glass screen. I watch them for a moment, struck again by the unreality of the situation.

All in all, it's been just over a month since Fable came crashing into my life. I've spent hours every day for the past few weeks in this recording studio with them, working tirelessly on the new album. It should feel normal by now, and I shouldn't still be so star-struck.

But as I watch Alastaire idly strumming his electric guitar, and Felix standing darkly in front of his mic looking every bit the beautiful, wicked rocker I worshipped for years on YouTube and Tumblr, I feel a lump rising in my throat.

All my dreams. All my nightmares.

Felix spots me staring through the glass.

Come here, he mouths.

So I swallow down my nerves and walk into the recording room.

"We're at the third chorus in Lillith," he says, his hazel eyes flickering with something. Irritation? Contempt? "You can join from here."

He gestures to my acoustic guitar, in its normal spot between Ben's drums and Lyall's keyboard.

No mention of what happened last night in the bathroom. Although that's hardly surprising.

The events of yesterday evening flash into my mind as I pick up my guitar – Felix's fingers unwrapping the towel, his lips against my skin.

"Sleep well, Cupcake?" Alastaire asks with a wink as I walk past him. I nod slowly, relieved that he's not mad after all, even though I stormed out of his room after he told me to stay away from Felix.

"Ash love, we were discussin' how you could sing the second chorus on Harrow," Lyall says. "Want te try? I'm still dyin' te hear yer singing."

"You have heard my singing," I remind him. "Almost every day."

"Naw, that's backup," Lyall says. "Doesn't count. I can't hardly hear ye over Fee. Ye should sing something without his voice cloggin' up de airwaves. I really want to hear it."