Page 80 of Mated By Twilight

In other words, she was enjoying her life here among the Twilight Troupe just as much as Sollit and Tillos did. She was happy, in a good place, and surrounded by people that she liked, and it was showing in the way she was growing and changing.

And the sight made them both smile as they watched her from below.

Chapter 36

Leah

“Not if the entire business implodes first,” Leah said, her voice dry and uninterested, even as the audience burst into peals of laughter. The line wasn’t particularly funny on its own, it was the context of the scene that made it amusing.

Skara had just finished announcing her business plans and hope for the future. She was talking about how well things were going to be for them from now on, only to have Leah butt in with hard, unwelcome reality that contrasted hilariously with her optimism.

It was her first time performing the play in front of an audience and...

She loved it.

She’d been nervous at first. To the point she was sure she was going to puke. She had very nearly run away at the start. But then her mates were there, distracting her with all the presents the fans had brought, including a little bouquet of flowers for her. Then, Skara was there, asking her to run their lines one more time for their hardest scene to make sure that Skara still had them. By the time that common sense caught up to her and Leah reminded herself that the star actress of this troupe did notneed help remembering lines, Corvidair was there to distract her with something else.

They’d all run interference on her nerves right up until the moment she was floating up to her place on stage. Then, suddenly, the lights were up, and she was ‘walking’ beside Skara. They didn’t actually move, but the hologram lights that made the stage props moved around them, making it seem like they were strolling down a street.

Then, it was like she’d gone into autopilot. All the practice had made her actions muscle memory, and the lines, which seemed so impossible to remember when she’d been waiting to start, suddenly came to her so easily.

She wasn’t delusional enough to think she made no mistakes. Skara had to move her sometimes to make sure she went the right way, and once she stumbled over her line, but Skara was able to cover for her and the audience even laughed. She didn’t have time to be self-conscious because that was the moment that Sollit and Tillos had a funny series of slapstick falls and gags that immediately diverted attention from her.

But it was just a little mistake. The rest of the play went off wonderfully. Probably because she had very little to do with the climax. She was there, of course, but most of the story itself fell on Tillos, Sollit, and Skara’s shoulders.

By the time they were taking their final bows, she was riding high on the excitement of a successful show, and she couldn’t wait to do it again.

They finished their bows and returned to the understage. Sollit and Tillos were waiting for her there with wide grins and open arms. It wasn’t her first show, but this was so different from playing the sleeping queen. Having lines made it feel like it was.

She threw herself at them, laughing excitedly, one arm around each neck, as they held her close.

“You did so good,aevea!” Sollit declared, kissing her temple.

“You were enchanting,” Tillos agreed, squeezing her tight.

“The best part of the show.”

“It wouldn’t have been good without you.”

“Ugh, you two,” Skara groaned as she walked past, annoyed. “She did fine, but it really isn’t worth allthat.”

“Don’t listen to her,aevea,” Sollit said primly, stepping between Skara and her, like he might be shielding her from some threat. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“You were wonderful,” Tillos said even as she giggled at them. She knew that they were being extra, but she kind of loved it. Both the extra attention as well as the praise. Corvidair would have something to say, she was sure, about her mistakes, but her mates would never give her anything but kindness and encouragement. And she loved that. Even though she knew they were being playful, it still made her feel secure and safe. She didn’t know if, after her family, she’d be able to tolerate criticism from the ones supposed to love her again.

And maybe that wasn’t healthy either. But that’s where she was right now. She just wanted to luxuriate in unconditional support for once. And they certainly weren’t shy about giving it to her.

They continued doing so on the way back to their changing room. Extolling her success like she’d performed a starring role on Broadway. She was looking forward to meeting up with the fans after this show. So much so that, as her mates were helpingto fix her hair and makeup, she began humming happily to herself.

She didn’t notice until Tillos and Sollit grinned at each other over her head in the mirror. The moment she realized, she stopped, rolling her lips and biting them even as she smiled.

“You’re ready, my pretty mate,” Sollit said, setting aside one of her curled locks. Deliberately not mentioning her singing, like he knew it would make her self-conscious again.

Tillos took her hands, helping her to her feet and bringing her out of the room. Smiling at her like she hung the stars in the sky. Sollit trailed behind them, making appreciative noises that she didn’t understand until she turned and checked him out over her shoulder. Only to find him staring at her butt without shame. He caught her eye and grinned, making her laugh.

She was incredibly light on her feet as they returned back to the front. The crowd let out a cheer as they walked in. And unlike before, she soaked it up immediately. Beaming, standing at the rail, she waved out at the crowd.

Since Tillos, Sollit, and Skara were the stars of the show, they stood at the front. Leah hung back with the rest of the secondary characters, but that was okay. She wanted a chance to walk through on her own this time.

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