Page 46 of The Devil and His Goddess

“I love this sequence,” Harper praised, rewinding the video to rewatch the répétiteur doing the solo. “It’ll be tough but so beautiful.”

She was currently watching the choreography for one of the Psyche solos, but I couldn’t even focus on the sequence she’d just praised because I was so honed in onher.

The way her eyes glittered with admiration and glee.

The way she completely froze with her bite of food hovering in front of her mouth, because she was locked onto the video.

The way her body or arms would move just a fraction as she mindlessly copied what she saw on screen.

I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t think past my own mesmerization of her.

“I love how much you love dance,” I admitted, only realizing that I’d spoken when she looked over her shoulder at me.

The soft smile she gave me held no hint of teasing but rather real mirth. “Of course I love it. It’s my wholeworld. It always has been.” She looked at the TV again but leaned back against the couch right by my leg. “Ever since I took that first dance class, I knew this was it for me. Dance. Ballet. It was what I was born to do.”

“What’s your favorite part about it?” I asked.

“That’s like asking a parent to choose their favorite kid,” she laughed before pursing her lips in thought. “I love it all. I know that seems like a copout, but it’s true. I love learning new choreography. I love struggling with a technique or routine and working hard to master it. I love the ache in my muscles after a hard day of work. I love the costumes, the performances, the comradery among the company.Everything.”

The answer wasn’t a copout. To me, it was perfect. I’d expected nothing less from this gifted human. She couldn’t have been more spot on about all of it, though she was wrong on one front.

She wasn’t made to dance.

Dance existed forher.

Was it crazy to think such a thing?No.

Because I had never been more sure of anything. As I watched Harper more and more, I knew everything in my life had been leading to this exact moment, to this exact ballerina. She was a gift to the world with her passion and ability. She was a gift to Silverlight. She was a gift to …

I cleared my throat. “I think that’s a great answer.”

“What about you?”

I quirked my brow while she turned to rest her elbow on the couch by my thigh, propping her head on her fist.

“What’s your favorite thing about ballet?” she clarified.

“You.”

The answer slipped out before I could even consider what I was saying. There was no need to think or ponder a response, because it washer. Even if she hadn’t been the answer before I knew her, she was the answer now.

The answer for me forever more.

Her pink lips parted slightly as she held my gaze. The choreography video was forgotten. The music and instructions ceased to exist as the world funneled into nothing but this moment, this human, this treasure. And as I held her beautiful stare, my very existence changed. It was like I was seeing a kaleidoscope of colors anew, feeling the wind kiss my cheeks for the first time, or smelling the richness of fresh air all over again. She altered my world, making everything better.

“Me?” she asked quietly.

“You,” I repeated. “Watching you dance … It’s indescribable. There’s so much beauty, grace, strength, and magic in your body. From the poise of your fingers to the pointing of your feet. I’ve seen a lot of dancers in my life.”More than you could imagine.“Yet none come close to you. None compare to the feeling I get when I see you dance.”

She’d inched closer as I spoke. Her hand now rested right against my thigh, and that faint touch sent a bolt of sweet electricity firing through me. “And what is it you feel?”

I tilted my head and pretended to ponder her question as I softly toyed with a strand of her hair. She leaned closer, her eyes fluttering ever so slightly as my thumb grazed her cheek.

“I feel made whole,” I finally answered honestly.

I didn’t know how smart it was to be honest about how much power she really had over me, but the truth came pouring out before I could stop it.

“When you dance, I see the world and everything that makes it beautiful all over again. I’m reborn as something else, something as pure and wonderful as your very dancing. Like suddenly, I’m not the villain but the man who could earn your favor. I’m no longer the monster behind the mask but the man worthy of this angelic ballerina.”

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