The Shifters: Trysta and Fiero

19

Fiero sat with Brax two weeks after he left Trysta. The group was to go on a late-night show as their musical guest. He watched as Royal made advances to an assistant. Maddox and Damon were working on a song. He rubbed his head. His wolf was eager to get back to Trysta. When his bandmates returned from their short stints at home, they spoke highly of her. Talking to her on the phone sporadically had him even more frustrated. She told him her stitches came out and her hand was good as new. The day he got back from his trip home, he had a car sent to the house. Hal grumbled about it but didn't argue further about Trysta having a working car. Come to think of it, Hal hadn't talked to him about Trysta since their argument about her. Fiero figured Hal was keeping his distance not to poke the wolf.

"Fiero, you are growling," Brax remarked, leaning back on the couch in the green room.

"Sorry."

"You miss Trysta." Brax made it a statement, not a question. All the guys knew what she meant to him after two days together.

"Yes. Two more weeks and we get a break. I know Damon and Maddox want that time to work on their songs."

"You too. Don't think I didn't notice you writing some lyrics." Brax motioned to his phone. Fiero shrugged. Words were swirling in his head and he didn't know what else to do with them. To get them out, he put them on his phone. On the break, he would show them to Maddox and Damon to see if they were worth using.

"It might be nothing. Trysta has inspired me."

"I bet. She is a delight. Her cooking skills are impressive too. When I got to my room, I didn't recognize the place. She organized everything. I felt bad messing it up, so I left it the way I found it."

"She is amazing." Fiero smiled, thinking back on her soft curves and sweet lips. His wolf growled in his head, wanting them to take the next plane back to Storm City. He gripped his head and winced. Not now, bud. She is home and safe. We spoke to her yesterday, and she promised to watch it tonight. Our mate will see us on television. That placated the beast for the moment. The thought of Trysta watching them gave his beast something to hold on to.

"Gentlemen, you go on in five minutes. We will do the last checks in a minute," the assistant producer called to the room. Fiero pocketed his phone and paced the room.

"Fiero, chill," Royal said after the female producer left. Fiero glared at him. Royal had been giving him crap since he came back, mentioning how lovely Trysta's food tasted. Every one of them also mentioned how Poppet seemed attached to Trysta.

"I am trying," he growled back, his wolf flashing through.

"Fiero," Hal warned, stepping into the room. "If Kenny Larson asks about partners, you are to say nothing. Trysta might not be your mate." Fiero growled and lunged at their manager. Brax grabbed him, putting his arms under Fiero's armpits to keep him from attacking their manager.

"Hal, too far," Maddox said, looking up from where he and Damon were working.

"I am trying to protect Trysta." Hal straightened his jacket and walked away. Fiero jerked out of Brax's grip and pulled his phone out. He dialed Trysta and stepped into the corner. He needed to hear his mate.

"Hello?" She sounded confused.

"I needed to hear your voice," he said, breathing in through his nose and out of his mouth.

"Hal upset you?" She guessed with a chuckle.

"Am I that transparent?"

"No. You sound frustrated."

"I am. We go on in a minute. Two more weeks without you is killing me."

"I miss you too, but this is your job. If we mate, this will be a part of our reality." Fuck! She was right.

"I know." He growled in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Go get on the television. I will watch with Poppet in my cottage."

"Why aren't you in my bed?"

"I am not sleeping in the main house."

"Why?" Fiero turned to see his group all staring at him. They were listening, not like he could have kept the conversation private with their shifter hearing.

"Time to go on, gentlemen," the producer announced, and Fiero sighed.

"Go. I'll see you on the TV."

"I'll call you when I get back to the hotel."

"I look forward to it. Go be amazing." Fiero hung up and put his phone away. Time to pretend he was interested in Kenny Larson. He walked down the hall to the stage where an audience cheered as he and the guys walked on stage.

"Welcome The Shifters!" Kenny Larson stood clapping. He wore a navy blue suit, a white shirt, and a red tie. They quaffed his hair in the current popular style. The audience continued to clap as they took their seats on the couch. Damon and Maddox took seats behind the couch on two stools. Fiero sat nearest to Kenny.

"Thank you for having us." Fiero gave his traditional celebrity smile. He hated talk shows. The hosts were almost always fake and asked stupid questions.

"Welcome, welcome. You have been on your tour around the country, is that right?"

"Yes, we've done fifteen cities and have twenty more to go. We end our tour in Storm City for a three-night stay at the Thunderdome," Brax answered. The group let Fiero and Brax field most of the questions.

"Wow, you must be exhausted. How do you handle the stress?" Kenny leaned forward as if he were interested in their answer.

"Lots of resting on the bus or plane. We have daily private time where we all take an hour to decompress. Royal works out, Brax and I play video games, and Damon and Maddox work on our music. Each of us has different ways of handling stress." Fiero gave Kenny a bright smile and straightened his jacket.

"I heard your interview with Joy Magazine. Did you find that special someone?" Kenny winked, and the crowd went wild. Fiero knew this would come up. He opened himself up to these questions when he mentioned Trysta in his Joy interview.

"I have. We are keeping things private."

"Mates?" Kenny asked, waggling his eyebrows. Fiero gave his typical celebrity grin.

"You'll have to wait and see like everyone else."

"Anyone else dating?" Kenny opened the question up to the group. Everyone else shook their heads.

"So Fiero is the first to fall?" The crowd awed and Kenny continued to ask questions to the group about the tour and if any had individual projects coming out after. Fiero answered the best he could, trying to keep his leg from bouncing with impatience. He wanted to get off the stage and call Trysta and hear her voice again. Whenever he got the chance, he stared into the camera, hoping she would think he was looking back at her.

"Thank you for all your time. How would you all like to hear them sing?" Kenny asked the crowd, and they went wild. "You heard your fans. How about a song?" Fiero grinned, and the group walked over to their setup. He put on his guitar and gave it a strum. The beautiful sound that came from it calmed him. This song would be for Trysta.

"Thank you, everyone, for your support. This song goes out to all our fans." They jumped into their current single and rocked the crowd.