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Chapter 5
Nyx
Icouldn’t get Maren out of my head. Her honeydew scent lingered on me for days after our encounter on the ridge, her sweet voice echoing in my head like a song I couldn’t escape.
I wanted to do something for her, everything for her, and I started every morning at the florist, handpicking a bouquet that would later be delivered to her dressing room at Maximo’s.
Three days after our impromptu date, I went back to the cabaret and sat in my box, eager to see her again. I’d wanted to go before, but kingdom duties and Odette’s keen eye had kept me from venturing out again. Ridiculous as it was, I wanted to keep Maren hidden from the enchantress before she could find some way to ruin it for me. I couldn’t say how I knew she would, but my gut made me keep my little dancer a secret—at least for the moment.
But staying away from Maximo’s proved to be exquisite torture, and while I could have easily gotten Maren’s phone number from the roster at the club, she hadn’t given it to me, and I wasn’t going to take it without her explicit permission.
I attended in stealth mode, making myself invisible until I was seated in my box, away from prying eyes.
The show went on without a hitch. At intermission, I requested an audience with Maren, and Jergin looked aghast. He hadn’t seen me come in, but my guards outside must have alerted him to my arrival.
“Now, Alpha?” the manager gasped. “It’s only fifteen minutes! That’s hardly enough time to… I mean…”
“I won’t be five,” I promised. “I can go backstage, if that would be easier.”
Jergin gulped and shook his head. “No! No, Alpha, I’ll bring her here, to you. Are you sure you wouldn’t like someone else tonight?”
I bared my canine teeth at him, elongating to show exactly what I thought about his suggestion, and he drew back, taking my point.
“I’ll go get her,” he agreed quickly. “Sorry!”
He’s such a dumbass. We really should get another manager for this place. I’ll need to see how the dancers feel about him.
Less than three minutes later, Maren rushed in, her face flushed when she looked at me.
“Alph—Nyx!” she gasped, the door closing in her wake. “Is everything all right?”
My body instantly relaxed in her presence, her beauty lulling me into a sense of ease I hadn’t realized I’d been missing until that moment. I moved toward her, arms extended, but she seemed ill at ease as I embraced her. I tensed at her reluctance and released her.
“Is everything okay?” I asked gruffly, withdrawing.
“Yes! I’m glad to see you, but we’re back onstage in a minute…”
I understood her anxiety had little to do with me. I should have waited until after the show to speak with her.
“I just couldn’t wait to see you,” I told her.
She smiled, glancing over the balcony worriedly. Clearly, I didn’t have her undivided attention.
“I have a business proposition for you,” I blurted out. “But it can wait until after the show.”
She glanced at me. “Business proposition?” she echoed. “I already have a job.”
“It’s in the same vein,” I reassured her. “But I also need your help with a new project I’m starting. One you inspired, in fact.”
I smiled at her, hoping for the same response.
The lights in the theater flashed, indicating the show was about to restart, and Maren looked at me helplessly. “Can we pick this up later?” she begged. “I’m sorry, but?—”
“Go,” I sighed unhappily.
This was not the way I’d expected things to go.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed, spinning to rush back to the stage.
