Page 50 of Malice in e minor

They said he was a talented cello player and a fairly decent composer. He could have written around Isobel’s shortcomings and actually given her a career, but he wasn’t as flashy as Immortal Nightmare or as pretty as Leif.

I hadn’t done anything to him. Someone had to point him out to me, so I didn’t know why he was helping her. I just had to trust Azriel and Topher because they were working Isobel for information.

We were finally at opening night. I wasn’t even playing and my adrenaline was still pumping. I ordered flowers and stuffed animals for all my friends who were performing. I was sitting off to the side when someone said boo and scared me. When I turned around, it was Azriel with a full face of Mother Ginger makeup.

“Don’t worry, she can’t see me from here.”

“Hi, Azriel. I think I’m supposed to tell you merde instead of break a leg.”

He beamed at me.

“Yes, that is how you tell a dancer good luck,” Misha said, peering from around the corner.

“Misha takes that very seriously.”

“As he should. You don’t want to curse anyone. It’s why you don’t say the Scottish play in a theatre.”

“Right on. Head’s up. Isobel still doesn’t know what Dante has planned, just that it’s happening tonight. Which is rude as fuck because cast party.”

Rue and Cullen had invited me to the cast party, and I really wanted to go.

“The cast party is at the end of the run,” I pointed out.

“I keep telling him this.”

“Yeah, but if they don’t succeed tonight, they’ll move it to the cast party where everyone is going to be drinking. Meadow was drugged, remember?”

Oh, yeah. I was trying to forget that.

“Thank you for the plant. And the panda.”

I’d gotten Misha a catnip plant instead of flowers and a cute stuffed panda. Azriel got hibiscus and a platypus. He said he liked making paint from nature and I heard you could make pretty paints out of hibiscus. I couldn’t resist the platypus after he told me about Belinda’s portrait. I’d been spending more time around Orion and I knew he enjoyed plants like me, so I got him an orchid and a honey badger.

“We got inside jokes now,” Azriel said, giving me a big wink.

“We think you should stay with us until the end of the semester,” Misha said.

“Ease into it, man.”

“Can she even get into my room? It’s one of the guest suites. If she sees me going in there, she’s going to know Azriel is playing her.”

“Well, I found out a little something about Dante. One of his parents is this big criminal lawyer, but they married one of their clients who they got off. And apparently, they were guilty. They got off on a technicality. The little muppet could know how to pick a lock.”

Wonderful.

“This is fucked up,” I moaned.

“Five minutes until curtain!”

“That’s us. I mean it. If you aren’t at our dorm room tonight, I’ll come get you and carry you like a caveman. I may smack your arse a few times for a special effects. It’ll be super embarrassing and maybe a little erotic. Bring your polish and I’ll do your toes,” Azriel said, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead and disappearing.

How was this my life now? I had a politician’s daughter and her rabid dog after me and Immortal Nightmare threatening to kidnap and spank me. Which was kind of hot. I wasn’t planning on spending the night in their dorm.

The lock on mine was pretty complicated, and I didn’t think Dante could pick it. He also wasn’t going to kick it in. He stepped in so Isobel wouldn’t do anything permanent or illegal. Of course, he could be in the type of psycho love that he was willing to do something permanent and illegal to me to get her attention.

Maybe I should take them up on staying in their dorm.

I peered out at the audience. This theatre was enormous, and it looked like the show sold out. I wondered how many people in the audience were family and friends and how many people were here because Topher asked them to check someone out to offer them a job. The house lights were on, so I could actually see faces. I didn’t invite Mom and JaToya’s family because I wasn’t playing this time.