Page 15 of What the Hex
“Thank you!” Damien called. He wore a big, ingratiating smile as he waved a hand in the air in an attempt to bring some kind of order to the chaos. “Thank you all so much for coming out tonight!”
Eventually, apart from a steady thrum of murmured conversation, the crowd settled.
“We’re excited to be here with you,” Damien continued. “I know you guys have a lot of questions, and we’ll do our best to answer them.”
“But first,” Storm interjected, stepping forward until he stood at the edge of the stage. “We have an announcement to make.” He ducked his head and chuckled in a self-deprecating kind of way. “Well, I guess I should say I have an announcement.”
“Are you leaving the show?” one brave fan called out.
Storm laughed again. “No, no, nothing like that.”
The collective relief that swept through the room was palpable. As long as he wasn’t abandoning them, they seemed primed and willing to hear anything else he had to say.
So far, so good.
“Are you and Damien together?” A young man with a bright pink mohawk and horn-rimmed glasses stood from his seat. “Is that the announcement?”
King held his breath.
“I’m afraid not.” The smile never slipped from Storm’s face, and if he was nervous, he didn’t show it. “You’re close, though.”
The whispers intensified as the fans all turned to each other, trying to guess what the cryptic statement meant. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long to find out. King, on the other hand, could have a used a few more minutes to prepare for what was to come.
“Storm and I have always been honest with you. We’re friends, best friends, but nothing more.” Taking a step back, Damien looked to the edge of the stage, right at King, and motioned for him to join them. “That fact has never been more important than it is now because…”
He trailed off, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats with bated breath. Even King found it hard to breathe as he made his way to the center of the dais—after a gentle push from Arlo—to take his place beside Storm.
“Because,” Storm said, picking up where his co-star had left off. Clearly, they had done this many times in the past. “I am officially off the market.” Sliding his hand down King’s arm, he linked their fingers together and pulled him closer. “Everyone, I would like to officially introduce my mate, Kingston Mathers.”
There was a heartbeat of silence, a quiet so profound King could feel it in the pit of his stomach. It couldn’t have lasted more than a second, two at the most, but to him, it felt like an eternity.
Then, just as panic started to set in, the room erupted into the loudest, most boisterous cheers he’d ever heard. Voices reverberated off the high ceiling, and the windows at the back of the room vibrated with the volume of their acceptance.
They also wasted no time hurling about a billion questions at the stage, most of them alarmingly directed at King.
“What kind of Otherling are you?” one girl with reddish orange hair asked from one of the middle rows.
So startled by this sudden development, King nearly dropped the microphone when Storm passed it to him. In none of their preparation had he considered that he might have to interact or answer questions of his own. He had assumed Storm would take care of that while he stood there and tried not to hyperventilate.
“Uh, I’m not an Otherling.” His voice cracked twice, but he pulled his shoulders back and cleared his throat. Even if his insides felt like they’d been put through a paint mixer, he was determined not to embarrass his mate. “I’m human.”
For some reason, this seemed to ignite another bout of excitement from the crowd. He didn’t really understand it, but he didn’t have time to think about it before more questions came flying at him.
“Do you work together?”
“Actually, I work here at the hotel.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-three.”
And on and on it went. Although he hadn’t anticipated that he’d need to participate, he had expected questions about his and Storm’s relationship. Yet, no one seemed to care about those types of mundane details. Instead, the fans wanted to know everything they could about him specifically.
At first, it didn’t make sense. Apart from his connection to Storm, he was about the least interesting person on the planet. As the interrogation continued, however, he slowly began to realize that was precisely why they cared so much.
He was a nobody. Just a human from a humble background with no money or influence to speak of. He was a regular guy who happened to be destined to fall in love with a superstar. It was the ultimate fairytale, and his story gave them hope that they might one day find their own.
“How did you know you were mates?” A male, a boy with a mop of blond hair who looked no older than sixteen, asked.