Page 25 of Caged By Dance and Desire

“Andrei.”

“You need to rest, prima,” he said, voice deep and quiet in the night. “You’ll dance your toes to the bone if I let you. I am learning who you are.”

I settled my head on his shoulder but sated, didn’t protest.

“And I think,” he added as I heard a door click open, “that you are a touch other than merely human.”

I sank into sleep.

Chapter

Eight

HASANNAH

“Please don't allow me to take you away from your assuredly weighty matters,” Vargas said, not bothering to raise her voice.

Everyone shut up, giving her our full attention. I completed my stretch and rose, suppressing an instinctive bounce of excitement.

“The pre showcase party is tonight,” she continued, “and as satisfying as it would be to draw this out, I suppose you all need time to prepare. Some of you need more time than others.” She paused. “Along with the High Lord's incredible generosity of installing a state-of-the-art commissary—” her tone made clear what she thought of this largesse “—the ten dancers chosen to represent the company tonight will also receive a bonus stipend.”

I blinked, my mouth going a little dry because Ineededthat extra money. It would mean a small measure of independence.Andrei. . .he was sweet, caring, and generous, but also overbearing and overwhelming.

He thought I hadn't noticed he'd gently bullied me into staying with him at his townhouse the last three days rather than returning to my apartment. I'd noticed, I was just too tired to refuse him and besides, what would I be refusing for? My apartment was a few steps above a dump, not entirely safe, and if I didn’t move out, Andrei would move in.

I wouldn’t put it past him to burn the building down or plot some other dastardly deed in order to force me out, which meant impacting the other tenants. So I’d gone along.

The townhouse was nearly within walking distance of the Arts building. Stocked with a dream of food, high quality toiletries—and yes that made a difference when you were dancing with a partner—an esoteric selection of both Fae and human music and entertainment. Other than my unease over slowly losing my independence to him, I literally had nothing to complain about.

We’d argued about him buying me an entire new wardrobe. I refused to let him shoulder the expense, no matter how filthy rich he was, and I couldn’t afford to buy clothing he considered suitable because I was, basically, broke.

I’d won that argument with my patience and logic—and by walking away. He hadn’t pressed me either. So this surprise stipend would make a dent in providing myself with the attire he wanted.

He'd also allowed me to move into a separate bedroom, though that had annoyed him.

We'ddiscussedit until I'd shut him down with a single sentence.

“So you're housing me in exchange for sexual favors?” It went against my nature to be this crude, but my back was against the wall.

His eyes had flamed for a second, his cheeks going pink with temper in a way that should have been childish but was distressingly sexy and utterly masculine.

“Don't be insulting,” he snapped.

“Then why try to bully me into sleeping in your bed when I'm clearly not comfortable with it yet?”

Andrei stared at me from an internal distance, then exhaled. “Fine. Fine, Anah. I don't like it. I want to hold you. Even if that's all you’ll allow me to do, I want it.”

“I need space. Have I fought you on anything? I let you steamroll me into basically moving in with you. We met five days ago. It’s insane.”

He crossed his arms. “I didn't steamroll you.” His gaze slid away from mine. “You simply understood the superior sense of staying here when it’s so close to the Arts.”

Conveniently, suspiciously close.

But I didn't, just didn't, want to believe he bought a townhouse within twenty-four hours of meeting me so he could move me out of Coal District and into a home under his control, crawling with security.

Where I couldn't step outside without their attention.

Couldn't stepinsidewithout guards, because Constin or Mathen or one of the others was constantly present.

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