Page 3 of The Devil and His Goddess

“Bummer,” Xander pouted before quickly perking up. “We can go out later to make up for it.”

I grabbed our coffees, which were cold now. That only made my irritation over the situation worse. Still, I stood behind the couch and reached over his shoulder to hand him his drink.

I’d gone out of my way to catch that human when I could’ve let her fall on her fucking ass since I knew what she was plotting. And what did helping get me? A very lack-luster reward. That wasn’t a gain in my opinion. It was apain. When my plans at feigning politeness to garner some sort of advantageous result went awry, it often kept me in an irate mood, which was unfortunate since today was an exciting one.

I sighed and looked up at the distant ceiling as I tipped my coffee back.

“Wow,” Xander whistled. “I don’t know shit about ballet like you do, but she’s pretty.”

Recognizing the song coming from the TV as the White Swan’s entrance inSwan Lake, I lowered my cup to look at the screen. When my eyes landed on her, lightning struck me square in the chest. My lips parted on a hard inhale. I lost the grip on my cup, dropping the cold beverage to the marble floor. Xander jumped and looked back at me to see what was wrong, but I barely noticed. I was locked onto the vision before me, transfixed by the stunning ballerina who commanded the stage as her own.

Her hair, pulled into a ballerina bun, was the color of a moonless night sky. Her eyes were the shade of a clear lake on a winter day. Her skin was that of porcelain.

The lights over the stage lit up her petite form as she fluttered about the screen, every bit as beautiful and graceful as a swan. The longer she danced, the more I found myself forgetting what I was doing, where I was, or evenwhoI was. I was wholly hers, enraptured by her magic.

Without tearing my gaze off her, I snapped my fingers at Xander. “Hand me the cast card that goes with this disc.”

He grumbled about my wasted coffee but did as I asked and handed me the paper. I barely managed to wrench my eyes away from the screen to find the name I needed. The White and Black Swan in this show was …

“Harper Ashwood,” I muttered under my breath.

I tattooed the name to memory before focusing on the ballerina on screen once more. Her blue eyes seemed to look through it and right at me. The blood rushing through my veins heated before gathering in my cock. My body ached in a way it never had before, and I knew there was only one way to fix it.

Harper Ashwood, I thought with an excited hunger.Youwillbe mine.

Chapter 2

Harper

I FOUGHT TO CATCH MY breath as I slipped into the heavily packed ballroom. The assembled temporary stage and podium stood empty, and the crowd was busy mingling or dancing. With a silent curse, I closed my eyes and hung my head. I’d missed the introduction and address from the new artistic director. Thankfully, this Halloween party wasn’t a formal event, so my tardiness should go unnoticed.

My hope was confirmed when Katerina spotted me and bounced over with a blinding smile, Elijah right on her heel.

“You look lovely!” Katerina gushed, her Russian accent as thick as the day she’d moved here three years ago.

I beamed at her and looked down at my white Grecian gown. A golden belt cinched the small waist, which matched the gold laurel wreath crown adorning my head. I’d styled my long black hair in an updo, and my make-up was both natural yet elaborate with the gold shimmer and wine-colored lip.

“Thank you,” I said as I appraised both hers and Elijah’s costumes. “You both look amazing, too!”

Katerina wore a pink and green fairy ensemble, complete with fake wings. She had woven greenery into her red braid, looking every bit a fairy princess. Elijah had on a skin-tight black suit with faux fur around his ankles and wrists. He wore a red choker with a golden bell, and dark cat ears sat in his short black hair. He’d even painted whiskers on his brown cheeks.

“Can you believe howhotthe new artistic director is?” Elijah swooned, leaning toward me conspiratorially.

Not wanting to bring attention to the fact that I’d just arrived since this was still a work function, I shared in his smile. “Seriously! So gorgeous.”

“I can’t believe he’s going to juggle his music careerandrunning the ballet company,” Katerina noted, and I could practically see the stars in her eyes.

“Celebrities like him must be built different,” Elijah said with a dreamy sigh.

These two might as well have been speaking another language. I didn’t have a clue what music career the new director had, nor did I know about his celebrity status. Hell, I didn’t even know the guy’s name yet. I’d have to subtly pry that information out of someone tonight.

Was it unprofessional of me to miss my new director’s welcome party and introduction? Yes.

Was itmyfault my flight back here got delayed, putting me behind schedule? No.

Sure, I could’ve come back from visiting my family a day early to ensure I had ample time to get ready today, but that would’ve been one less day with my parents and brothers before my schedule got too busy for regular visits.

Besides, if the director wanted me to treat his take-over more seriously, he should’ve had aformalceremony, not a Halloween party.

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