I really don’t want to like that girl.

Balthazar hailed a cab, holding the door for Annette and Connor before climbing into the front passenger seat. He gave the cabbie the name of the hospital, still unsure why he hadn’t argued when Annette asked to come along.

Part of him worried she was using checking on Tate as an excuse to stick close to Connor. And the guitarist wouldn’t question her concern. He already had that stupid dazed look young men got in their eyes when they saw everything they’d ever wanted in a person—even if it wasn’t really there.

But Balthazar had a hard time seeing Annette as conniving. She was too honest. Too real. He could see her being a good friend for Connor over time. Someone who wouldn’t let his silence slide. Who wouldn’t judge him when he said the wrong thing.

He needed friends like that.

Only…the way Connor held her, the way he kissed her, proved he wanted more than friendship. Annette seemed to hold the same stance on relationships as Connor claimed to. She kept things light. Didn’t appear to want anything serious or lasting. With her, Connor would repeat the same trend he had for so long.

Maybe that’s what he really wanted, but Balthazar wasn’t convinced.

He’d be patient though. Give Connor a small taste of what he had to offer as he’d been doing so far. He wouldn’t risk his career, or Connor’s, for a brief fling. But he wouldn’t lie to himself about how much he’d be willing to risk for more.

Once they pulled in front of the hospital, Connor got out before Balthazar could, which earned him a frown. Fine, there might not be any present danger that they knew of, but the band had security for a reason. Better to be extra careful than chance another member being accosted. Or worse.

Connor held his hand out for Annette, shooting Balthazar a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I forgot. But seriously, do we have anything to worry about here?”

The flash of a camera and excited murmurs had both Annette and Connor turning to stare at a swarm of reporters, closing in on them. Several young people with band T-shirts and goth style tried to push through the growing crowd.

Balthazar scowled, working his way around the cab to Connor’s side. He put his arm out to shield Annette as several young women grabbed at her, shouting questions and insults.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Are you with Connor? You lucky bitch!”

“Totally shipping Connor and Tate! You need to get lost!”

“You’re an ugly cu—”

“Enough!” Balthazar glared at one girl with black and purple-streaked hair who looked ready to spit on Annette as she hurled the vile curse. However, he felt about the backup singer of XVI Hours, she didn’t deserve this. “Please clear the way.”

Hospital security came out to assist him in getting Connor and Annette inside, looking weary, as though not dealing with this for the first time. He nodded thanks to one of the uniformed men, keeping a firm grip on his charges as he steered them through the waiting room to the elevator.

Both Connor and Annette stood against the wall, wide eyes and pale as the elevator door closed. Annette was shaking. Connor’s lips moved, as though he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure what.

He seemed the most steady, so Balthazar turned his focus to Annette.

“Look at me.” He moved closer to her, tipping her chin up with a finger. Her eyes met his and he smiled. “Good girl. Now take a deep breath. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

She pressed her eyes shut and pulled in a shuddery breath. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I’ve never seen them… It’s never been like this.”

The elevator reached their floor. Connor put his arm around Annette’s shoulders, glaring straight ahead as they made their way down the hall, passing rushing nurses and somber visitors.

“They were like this a few times after Alder got stabbed.” Connor’s jaw hardened. “Like fucking sharks when there’s blood in the water.”

Annette nodded. Then shook her head. “I don’t mean the press. They were all over when our song hit the charts for that movie. And they love North.”

Connor’s brow furrowed. He slowed, glancing over at her. “All those cameras in your face don’t bug you?”

Balthazar tried to catch Connor’s gaze with a subtle shake of his head. The man didn’t always read social cues well. He was a pro at sticking his foot in his mouth. Right now, he needed to take a moment and assess the situation.

But he was focused on Annette.

“I don’t love it, but I can deal.” Annette shrugged, turning her gaze. “Doesn’t matter. Why don’t you go hang with Tate alone for a bit, then I’ll join you? He’s gonna love that snow globe.”

Blinking down at the bag in his hand as though he’d completely forgotten about it, Connor grinned. “I hope so. Danica sent him one from Paris and he was into it. Might as well start a collection.”

After brushing a kiss on her cheek, Connor burst into the room, letting the door shut behind him.

Annette leaned against the wall, raking her fingers into her hair. “I thought fans hated me when they thought me and North were a thing. But that was all shit online. This is…” She let her hands fall to her sides. “How the hell did they find out so fast? We’re not even…I mean, we met yesterday.”

How easy would it be to use this as a reason to warn Annette away from Connor? Balthazar sighed, folding his arms over his chest and relaxing against the wall beside her. He refused to stoop so low.

“All it took was for one of Tate’s fans to find out he was here. His and Connor’s fans are quite…determined to see them together. They’re usually pretty harmless.” His lips thinned. “I had expected some to try to get in here to see Tate. He has a room full of flowers and cards and gifts that I helped my brother screen this morning. I didn’t anticipate their reaction to seeing you with Connor.”

She inhaled roughly. “Yeah. Pretty intense.”

“As is the lifestyle.” He resisted the urge to pull her into a hug. She looked like she needed one, but they didn’t know one another well enough for him to be so familiar. He’d already broken enough of his own rules with Connor. Instead, he gave her a bracing smile. “You did handle that well though. Moving with me rather than trying to respond.” He let out a soft chuckle. “The first time the guys dealt with a surge of media and fans after their latest hit, Tate tried to stop and talk to everyone. Alder stuck by his side and both ended up with scratches all over. Skull and I had to practically drag them out from under their admirers.”

Annette shivered. “If people who love them hurt them, I’d hate to think what they’d do to me.”

“If you’re anywhere close to Winter’s Wrath, absolutely nothing. I’ll make sure of that.” He smiled as some of the tension left her. She trusted him to keep her safe, which meant more than it should. “As for going out, talk to Shiori. Danica gave her some tips on how to avoid being recognized.”

“I will.” She gave him a warm smile. “Thank you.”

A commotion down the hall brought Balthazar up straight, stepping in front of Annette on instinct. He relaxed when he spotted his brother with Brave, Alder, and Malakai.

The three band members were wearing black hoodies with the hoods pulled up. Skull strolled toward Balthazar, his lips slanted in amusement.

Brave shoved his hood back, his eyes flashing with rage. “It’s a fucking hospital! You’d think they could show a little decency.” His gaze fixed on Annette. “What are you doing here?”

“Cool it.” Balthazar stepped up to Brave, his tone hard. “Where’s Shiori?”

“With Dariel and the new security guy, picking up some clothes for Tate. Reese wanted us to come back here and answer a few questions to get the press to back off. Didn’t work.” He tried to move around Balthazar, as though focusing his anger on Annette would solve everything. “You gonna say anything or—”

“Careful, Brave.” Putting his hand on Brave’s shoulder, Balthazar glanced over as Annette slipped up to his side. “You don’t have to explain yourself to him.”

“Maybe I do.” Her voice was level, and she didn’t seem the least bothered by Brave’s attitude. Then again, she dealt with North. The tolerant look she gave Brave was absolutely perfect. “I’m guessing Reese hasn’t told you yet, but we’ll likely to be working together a lot for the remainder of the tour. We’ll have to find a way to be civil. I enjoy hanging out with Connor and Tate’s a sweetie, so it shouldn’t be hard. So long as your boys keep you in line.”

“Excuse me?” Brave drew his shoulders back, ignoring Malakai who whispered sharply to him, and Alder who tugged at his wrist. “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to? I could destroy your little band. You might want to keep that in mind.”

Annette rolled her eyes, nodding to Connor when he opened the door to Tate’s room, gesturing to her, then frowning at Brave. Before he could say a word, Annette shot Alder and Malakai a sympathetic look.

“I don’t envy you at all.” She let out a sigh that was almost a laugh. “Compared to this dude, North’s an angel.”

Connor snickered as Brave’s face reddened and Balthazar smirked as Alder and Malakai led their lead singer down the hall, both reading him the riot act. Skull inclined his head to Annette, eyes shining with approval, before following. Whatever the two guitarists had to say would be nothing compared to Skull coolly making Brave reflect on his actions, which he’d likely do the second he could pull the vocalist aside.

Balthazar almost pitied Brave. Just almost. Brave’s ego was part of his self-defense, and he really was worried about Tate, but the band didn’t let his behavior slide as much as they would have in the past.

He’d just embarrassed them in front of one of their peers. He wouldn’t be living that down anytime soon, and Annette’s response had pretty much guaranteed the rest of Winter’s Wrath would be on their best behavior the next time they met with her band.

Nicely done.

Still, he was curious what she’d meant by ‘working together’. Clearly more than what had originally been planned for the tour. He motioned to the nurse who’d been regularly attending Tate as she approached the room.

He spoke softly to her in German, hoping he didn’t sound too ridiculous. He’d gotten some practice in the last 24 hours, but he was still rusty. “I know the doctor asked us to limit how many visitors Tate can have at a time, but would I be able to step in for a few moments? I’ll be leaving with the visitors he has now once they’re done.”

“Absolutely. And thank you for asking.” She shook her head and laughed. “I feel horrible having to shoo the boys out so often. You can tell they’re all very close, but he needs his rest. He was alone for a few hours, so I don’t see the harm in you going in now.” She leaned in, lowering her voice. “He’s been a pleasure to have here, but I’m happy he’ll be discharged tomorrow morning. It will be nice to leave the hospital and not be hounded by reporters. An intern posted pictures on Twitter and things have been crazy ever since.”

“That’s usually how this goes. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Not to worry. We don’t mind the excitement.” She winked at him, her cheeks flush. “In small doses.”

His lips curved as he nodded his understanding, ignoring her subtle flirting, and walked into Tate’s room. Connor and Annette were sitting at either side of Tate, showing him pictures on their phones.

Tate had his head propped up on a huge plush elephant, a massive teddy bear elevating his casted arm, while hugging what looked like a crochet cat against his chest with the other. He thought back on the crochet gift Alder had gotten while in the hospital and wondered if he should look into who was sending them. Those things were kinda creepy.

The first had been voodoo dolls, which Alder kept in his bunk, even while traveling. This cat was long and had two Xs for eyes. When Tate sat forward, Balthazar could see buttons on the back of the grey cat’s paws.

Looking up, Tate noticed him staring at the plush. He grinned, setting it on his lap and bringing the paws up to cover the Xs on its face. “Too fucking cool, right? Reminds me of Caroline. Disturbing as fuck, but I love it!”

Annette shoved her phone in the pocket of her jacket. “So did I! I can’t believe it’s a kid’s movie though!”

Connor shook his head and shuddered. “Nope. Too fucked up for me. Some spider thing stealing kids’ eyes and replacing them with buttons? That shit gave me nightmares.”

Tate snorted. “Wimp. I’d have traded my eyes in a second. I mean, not if I was Caroline, she had it pretty good, the brat. But if I’d been offered an alternative reality and all I had to give up was my…” His voice broke and he brought his hand up to his bandaged eye. “Shit. At least they could see out of the buttons.”

Balthazar frowned, moving to the side of the bed behind Annette and pulling up a chair. He sat so Tate could see him without straining his neck. “I understood you’d regain your vision in both eyes?”

“Yeah, my left should be fine. My right…” Tate shrugged, staring down at the cat, fiddling with its paws. “They’re not sure. And it’s gonna be glued shut and covered for weeks.”

“Do you have to use the bandage or could you get a cool eyepatch?” Annette snatched her phone back out of her pocket, typing in a quick search. “You’ve got tons of options. This one would look all kinds of badass.”

Checking out the picture before she handed her phone to Tate, Balthazar tried to vizualize the drummer with a black lace skull and blue suede eye patch. A little flashy for his taste, but Tate was getting bolder as he explored his own style. Wearing a patch like that might make it easier for him to deal with fans. A temporary part of his new ‘look’.

Not liking Annette had become nearly impossible. Why did she have to keep being such a good influence on his boys?

He shook his head as Connor pulled out his credit card, finding the same site Annette had on his own phone and ordering every patch Tate showed interest in. The guitarist had been more relaxed since Annette had shown up, and now she’d given him something he truly needed. A way to feel useful.

Finally, they were done looking at eye patches—with Connor ordering about a dozen from a shop in Europe that would deliver overnight to the hospital for an insane price—and moved on to the topic that most interested Balthazar.

“We both heard you giving it to Brave. Fuck, that sounded dirty, didn’t it?” Tate snickered when Connor slapped his thigh. “I told Connor you’d be fine, but what did you mean?”

“About North being an angel?” Annette’s smile faded when Tate scowled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you blamed him for what happened too.”

“I don’t. I just thought he…” Tate made a dismissive motion with his hand. “Doesn’t matter. I mean Winter’s Wrath and your band. You said we’d be working together?”

Annette nodded slowly, staring at her hands as she fiddled with the edge of Tate’s sheet. “Maybe we should talk about this once you’re out of the hospital?”

“How about no.” Tate’s eyes narrowed. “One of my eyes is fucked up, and my arm is busted. I’m not suddenly stupid. Did Reese get in touch with you?”

Throat working, Annette inclined her head.

“Does she want you to help us find a replacement for me?”

“No.” Annette took a deep breath. “We have one.”

Tate bit his bottom lip, resting back against the pillow. “Oh. Well, that makes sense. So…Quinton? He seems cool.”

“He is. I think you’ll like him once you spend a bit more time with him.” Annette bunched the sheet in her hands. “And you’ll have to. He can play a lot of your music, but not like you can. He’ll need you to help him out. Tell him where he’s going wrong.” She seemed to brighten as Tate’s expression turned thoughtful. “Having him fill in is perfect. You’re not being replaced for good, we’re not letting him go and your band will wait as long as it takes for you to get better. In the meantime, you’ll be giving us a leg up over the competition.”

“I’m not hating this idea.” Tate’s lips slanted. He turned to Connor. “What do you think?”

Connor blinked, as though shocked to be asked for his opinion. His brow furrowed. “Could work. I like the guy. But that’s you and him working together. Him filling in for a bit. Not the bands.”

A good point. Balthazar arched a brow as Annette made a face. She hadn’t expected the question.

“Uh…well, there is more.” She sighed, rolling her shoulders and easing away from the bed. “Reese wants us to do a collab. Something to take the focus off the drama. Which will be…a bit more complicated.”

Both Connor and Tate’s eyes widened.

Balthazar couldn’t stay silent any longer. He chuckled, which startled Annette and had both men staring at him.

“Brave and North, forced to work together.” He folded his arms over his chest, not sure why the idea was so satisfying. Or maybe he was. “Karma may be slow, but she always gets her man.”

Annette’s lips curved. She was all kinds of sexy with that evil glint in her eyes. “Now that you put it that way, I’m looking forward to this.”

He smiled back at her.

Fuck, I really am starting to like her.