Page 73 of Juliet & Her Romeos

“Okay, JuJu?” Swan plays with a strand of my hair. “If you’re going to throw up, could you at least turn your head Rem’s way and not do it down my front? I look too handsome tonight.”

I huff a laugh.

He does.

Also, Remington’s kneeling at our side, adjusting his shoe and looking as much of a dark haired doll as Ariana, who’s snootily standing next to him.

I’d cover Remington satisfyingly.

Revenge served cold at last.

“We’ve got this.” Swan rests his chin on my head. “Our last rehearsal with Bec yesterday was fucking fire. That Omega could inspire anyone to give the performance of their lives.”

“It’s like he’s playing your soul,” I murmur. “When I hear his music, I want to laugh, cry, fucking dance and never stop.”

“He should be famous,” Swan snarls.

If he wasn’t an Omegagoes unsaid.

“He’s working,” I point out. “He’s earning his own money.”

“He’s bonded to a billionaire.”

“He’s in love with one,” I reply because Benedict doesn’t appear merely infatuated with Ambrose, he worships him.The best man in the entire world…?What type of Alpha is Ambrose to have earned that level of respect from Benedict? “But being independent is the most important thing. Otherwise, you lose a sense of who you are. It’s what they do to us in this company.”

Swan frowns. “Following your passion is what’s important. I’ve never lost myself, no matter what the instructors have done to me. I won’t become less of a troublemaker, if I match to an Alpha. I’ll still beme. But is it wrong to finally need that? To be wanted and not rejected? We won’t lose our independence just because we’re finally loved. This is our plan, remember? Our choice.”

I look up at Swan, stroking his sharp cheekbone. He looks gorgeous in his costume. The white tights define every muscle of his lean legs, and his tunic is slashed low to reveal his collarbone below winding thorns.

“It is our choice. It’s not wrong to want to be bonded. We’re winning this. Winning it all.”

I don’t dare say more because Remington and Ariana are standing too close to us, pretending not to be eavesdropping.

I want to tell Swan that he’s already loved by me.

Benedict has made it clear that he’s selected us both as soul mates.

My fear is just how much rests on this single performance: becoming principals, saving Swan from bonding with Dimitri, rescuing ourselves from this academy, and being free to discover what’s happened to Mom.

Of course, tonight we’re dancing to win the heart of Ambrose because then, we’ll also become part of the Romeos.

We’ll become bonded to Vito and Benedict as well.

When Mary waves at me from behind Ariana, it’s a relief to see her cheery grin.

I wave back.

Mary is paired with her best friend, Thiago, who’s chatting casually with her.

He’s a good guy who sometimes joins in with Swan’s mayhem.

Mary and Thiago both know that they have no chance of winning tonight. But they’re going to have fun.

The other pairs of dancers are milling around, waiting for the signal that’ll start the performance. They look almost as nervous as I am.

This is their big opportunity as well.

“Five minutes,” Katerina calls, looking harried. She’s rushing between the pairs of dancers, who are lining up now in order of their performances. “I expect you to be perfect. Don’t disappointment me. Remember, I’ll put you in neck braces, if you don’t look up during your turns.Poise and balance.Ambrose Romeo, our new CEO and artistic director, is in that audience ready to judge who the new principals will be this season. It’s up to you whether you impress him or fail. This is your chance. Seize it, ladies and gentlemen.”

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