Page 40 of Into the Dawn
But she had learned to tune out and ignore the haters.
Kylie believed having a supportive parent in the industry was more of a blessing than a curse. Buddy Ross had worked his ass off to get where he was and had faced countless challenges and obstacles in his career. If he wanted to ensure that Benny didn't have to go through the same struggles, that was his right.
However, even with a great producer or connections, a singer still had to put in the work to have a successful career. Talent, dedication, and perseverance were essential. Benny just had to prove he deserved his place in the spotlight. Not because of his father's influence, but because of his own hard work and passion for music.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t give Benny a helping hand.
“Don’t worry, the car is still yours. In exchange, I wrote a duet called“Burning the Midnight Sky” that needs a male vocal. Why don’t you give it a try?”
Benny’s eyes widened comically. “Me? But…but…”
Buddy rubbed his chin, then nodded. “Yeah, that could work. Let’s give it a try.”
“I guess his desire to sing was not a secret after all,”Ronan commented.
“I guess not,”Kylie agreed.
“Let’s head up to the studio so you can show off for your alien boyfriends,” Buddy said with a wink.
“Sounds good.” Kylie glanced over at her friend. “But first, I have to speak to Layla about something.”
“I’ll head upstairs and get the studio ready,” Buddy said. He slung his arm around Benny’s shoulders. “You should start warming up. If you’re going to be singing with Kylie, you’ve got to be ready to bring the fire.”
“I thought Ronan and Dom were going to train with their swords today,” Jessi complained.
“I’m going to get the potato salad started,” Abby announced. “Or did we want pasta salad? Never mind. I’ll make both. Your alien boyfriends eat enough for an entire football team anyway.”
Kylie laughed. “Can we please stop calling them myalienboyfriends?”
“What else do we call them?” Frank asked.
“We are her mates,” Dominic declared.
“Yes, you are, sweetie.” Lifting up on her toes, Kylie kissed his cheek. “I’m going to go talk to Layla now. Why don’t you guys do your training now? I’ll come get you before we start recording upstairs.”
“Aye, we can do that.” Dominic glanced over at Jessi. “You want to watch us train?”
“Yes!”
Leaving them to it, Kylie hooked her arm with Layla’s and dragged her outside. Once they were out on the porch, Layla took a seat on the swing and patted the cushion next to her. Luckily, Kylie had managed to figure out how to clean the cushions of all traces of last night’s activities using her magic.
Using magic hadn’t been as difficult as she thought it would be. Ronan speculated that the goddess and god’s blood may have given her a little extra punch of power during the conversion. Although she could use magic, she was still worried she would inadvertently hurt someone if she wasn’t careful. Because ofthat, she wasn’t comfortable using it freely, especially around her friends.
Taking a seat next to her friend, Kylie tried to figure out where to begin. “So, I have something to tell you. It’s going to sound crazy, but—”
“Girl, your whole freaking life is crazy now. I’m grateful as fuck you are alive and well, but knowing you’ve been changed into a magical alien dragon shifter is strange as hell.”
“Okay, fair point. Last night, I was taken to a place called the Isle of Dreams by the Goddess of the Moons. Well, my spirit was transported there, not my body. Never mind that. It’s not important at the moment. Maybe I should start from the beginning—”
“Out with it, Kylie. What’s going on? Why are you so nervous?”
Kylie huffed out a breath. “The goddess told me that you are also fated to have Arcadian mates. So, congratulations. Now, you have to decide if you want to come to Arcadia with me.”
Layla just stared at her for several long heartbeats. “You’re joking, right?”
“Nope. This is legit.”
“You’re saying the goddess wants me to go to Arcadia with you because I’m destined to be the fated mate for some alien dragon shifters?”
