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The stage manager called places. Ash, as Albrecht, was the first person to enter. He needed to go. But he lingered another moment, taking my face in his hands. “I don’t know if this is the right time to say it, but I love you, Sloane Glass. I’ve loved you for a long time, and you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. You are incredible, and everyone in the audience is fucking lucky to watch you dance.”
“Ash.” He blurred behind the tears I fought and kissed me, harder this time. We held on as long as we could, consuming the other until the overture was almost over and he needed to go. I wiped the lipstick from his mouth, pain and longing filling me in equal measure. I needed him.
I needed all of them.
“Break a leg, sweetheart. Two hours until I can finally make you mine.”
He ran off just in time to make his entrance to a theater full of applause.
My hand on my chest, I caught my breath. Warmth swam through my veins, dragging through me with sick claws, trying to break through and unleash full heat.
Asher West loved me.
He loved me.
It was exactly what I needed to hold on to when my body rebelled. Because it was going to.
“Sloane.” Claire appeared with the canceller, spraying me down again and fixing my lipstick before I stepped behind the door to Giselle’s house, and opened the stage door to bright lights and thundering applause.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
________
JACE
Iwatched from backstage as Sloane came on stage to applause thatshatteredthe air. Her promotion to principal hadn’t gone unnoticed in the ballet world, no matter the shit show behind the scenes had been. People were excited to see her and her debut.
She was graceful and delicate, dancing with intent and wild abandon at the same time. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Gabriel offered me a seat in the box with him and Roman, but I wanted to be backstage in case she needed me. Or any of the other dancers.
Asher, too, was in rare form with his dancing. A sensual edge I didn’t usually see, and had no doubt it was because he was dancing with our Omega. They fit together, folding together and twirling apart, the chemistry between them entirely real.
Their dance with Dion, too, was great. This would undoubtedly be a success, and Ian would take the credit. But everyone in the company would know it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the tenacity and hard work of the dancers on stage.Allof them, corps included.
The act proceeded through the group dances, and finally there was a change. A moment where both Sloane and Asher were offstage. He ran off through the wing and straight at me, chest heaving, eyes wild. He looked like he was on the edge of rut.
“You’re doing great,” I said. “Really. This is awesome.”
Asher’s hands landed on my shoulders. “Sloane’s going into heat.”
“Excuse me?”
He shook his head. “After everything she’s gone through for this, she wouldn’t leave, and frankly, I don’t blame her. But she knows she can’t do anything about it after tonight. We need to get ready for this. The nest.”
“What can we do in this amount of time?” I wanted Sloane to have the perfect nest, but in two hours? Maybe three if you took into account after the show and getting home.
No wonder Asher was out of mind. He was all over her while her heat perfume slowly drove him crazy.
“Here,” a new voice said, handing me a piece of paper. Claire. One of the other Principals, and Sloane’s friend. “Call Addison. My partner. She’s a designer, and she can get it done. Plus, she’s just recovering from a cold and needs a project or she’s going go stir crazy. Couldn’t be here tonight. She’s had to do short notice installations before.”
“This short?”
She laughed. “This short. Do you know what she would want?”
I looked at Ash, and he closed his eyes, briefly covering his face with his hands. “Fuck. Yes. She used to doodle and scrapbook about a nest. I have no idea if it’s what she would still want, but it’s all I’ve got.”
“Tell me. We can redo it later if she wants.”
