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I hadn’t wanted to hurt the kid. Mom had demanded it, threatening to do worse to the people I cared about most if I refused.
And when I’d realized just how innocent he was, I’d defied her anyway. I’d played the only card I had, been prepared to blow up my family’s empire right then to avoid doing any more harm.
I was still prepared. I didn’t stand with her or for the horrible acts she carried out. I might be the only person who could really stand against her—and I’d already taken huge steps toward interrupting her vilest plans.
My resolve broke through the vise of tension that’d been suffocating me. I raised my chin and looked up at Jasper, so striking in his sea-green and gold costume that coordinated perfectly with mine. As he looked back at me, his eyes gleamed, shining with affection and confidence.
He was nothing but eager to show the world what we were capable of.
I spared a quick glance toward the stands. It wasn’t just my skating partner who believed in me and supported my dreams despite the hell that was my heritage. There was no missing Niko’s buoyant enthusiasm where he stood by the boards. The quirk of Quentin’s lips where he stood next to my coach brought back an echo of yesterday’s pep talk when he’d reminded me of how much we could survive.
And right by the aisle, watching over me protectively as always, Rafael’s stern gaze spoke of his own determined conviction.
My answering conviction steadied me. I could be more than a criminal heir apparent; I had to be, for both myself and the men I’d fallen for.
Iwasmore than that already. Yes, I had blood on my hands, but I couldn’t let that be all this audience saw. I could create sweetness and joy. I could make people feel things while watching my art, ease their pain, if only for a few moments. Even that—justthat—was more light than my mom had ever tried to bring into the world in her entire life.
Maybe, just maybe, if Mom happened to watch this performance to see exactly what I was getting up to beyond her grasp, I could prove even to her just how much skating mattered to me. Why this was where I was meant to be.
I smiled at Jasper, and he smiled back, with all the faith he had in me. A rush of exhilaration propelled words I hadn’t meant to say right now from my throat. “I love you.”
His eyelids stuttered in surprise, but it took only an instant for his smile to widen, warming me from the inside out. “I love you too.”
And then the opening notes of our song pealed out into the air.
My heart pounded in time with the melody. My body had never felt so light. It was as if I’d shed a hundred pounds of anguished weight that left me free to be no one but the woman I was underneath.
We swept through each move, leaping and twirling and soaring, every motion in sync with each other and the music flowing through me. I was the song and it was me, playing out through movements as small as the flick of my hand and as big as our most epic lift with its following throw. I landed the boosted triple Axel as if I’d been born on the ice and glided straight into the next sequence.
Iwasthe routine—the ice and the art—and my body was just the instrument. Here there was no bloodshed, no fear or pain. There was only beauty and creation.
And love.
Jasper met my eyes as we landed our last jump. His fervor glinted within his gray-green irises. Our big finish was looming on the horizon—we either nailed it, or this was all for nothing.
I pushed off with my skates, gaining speed and momentum as I sailed across the ice like the angel Niko always referred to me as. Jasper’s hands found their places against my limbs to boost me upward. We spun like one being, balanced precariously but melded together.
This was who I really was, and I was proving it toeveryperson watching me, whether here in the arena with me or from a TV screen.
A collective gasp from the audience mingled with the music. Jasper lowered me to the ice, and we hit the last few beats before striking our ending pose.
The moment my body was still, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. I’d wrung every drop of emotion out of me into our routine—but wow, did it feel fantastic to have put it all out there.
Applause thundered through the arena. Jasper dropped our hands and grabbed me in a quick but emphatic kiss, and I’d swear the cheers got even louder. Grinning like a maniac, I skated with him to the stands.
When we reached the bench, Quentin was grinning too. “Hell, yeah! You two wiped the floor with the rest of these dopes. That was fucking amazing.”
Niko laughed, his own face bright with joy. “He’s not lying. Best performance yet, hands down. I didn’t know you could top Finals, but I’d say you just did.”
“Really?” My mind was reeling with giddiness and fatigue.
Before either of them could answer, the announcer’s voice echoed through the arena. My spine stiffened as I waited for the judges’ verdict.
“For Jasper St. Pierre and Luna Garcia, a score of one hundred and forty-five point five seven.”
As a fresh wave of applause flooded the arena, my jaw dropped. That was a whole nine points higher than our previous high score. And—
Next to me, Jasper crowed with unexpected abandon. “Holy shit. Lou, that shoots us right to the top spot.”
