Page 96 of The Devil and His Goddess

The two threw worried glances Mandi’s way, but they set aside that fear to don their professional hats. Holding Carmen the way he’d just held Mandi, the two reentered stage and quickly found where the music was to continue the pas de deux.

My attention left them and snapped to Mandi, who blubbered at my feet as she tossed side-to-side in pain. The in-house physician and physical therapist made quick work of stabilizing her leg so they could move her into the back changing room. I followed with Xander right by my side, barely fighting my grin. My eyes flicked sideways to catch Xander’s golden Mischief eyes.

Good work, I silently praised.

His chest puffed out with pride, and I knew his bloodstream had to be fuckingwiredwith fresh energy and power. The reaction from, not just Mandi, but everyone in the building who’d seen her nearly fall from the agonizing accident, had surely given him a burst of power unlike any other. He could probably flatten this entire place and everyone in it with a single snap of his fingers right now.

With Mandi now in a private room, Rupert and I watched the medical professional check her injury. Xander stood beside him, and every time the medic touched her knee, Xander would sneer and narrow his eyes before Mandi let out a fresh scream. The sound of bones snapping was only heard by mine and Xander’s ears, and it was more beautiful than anything the orchestra had played tonight.

That crunch of bone meant the shame of failing in front of everyone.

That breaking of bone meant inescapable torture.

That snap of bone meantpayback.

Now she felt the same things she’d caused Harper. But while that crumbling of Mandi’s knee meant an unknown future for her dance career, that was one thing she and Drake couldn’t take from Harper. They could never break the ballerina she was. I’d make damn sure of it.

Chapter 35

Harper

I SCROLLED THROUGH THE ARTICLE Aiysha sent me that morning. My heart raced as I read about this past weekend’s performance ofSwan Lake, or rather, the injury that Mandi sustained during it. The head of public relations didn’t go into detail in their comment to the writer of the article, but they confirmed Mandi would be out for the foreseeable future.

A pang rippled through my body as I reread the line that confirmed Mandi was out. The sharp jolt inside of me was a mixture of worry for someone I’d danced with for years but also smug satisfaction.

Anger—something I’d barely felt amid the grief and pain that came after that day three weeks ago—funneled through me with the ferocity of a deadly earthquake. She’ddruggedme. She’dleftme to fall victim to that monster. Fuck feeling bad for her.

I was glad she got hurt.

I was glad karma was catching up to her.

That fire in my gut had a burst of restlessness breaking free beneath my skin. I was wound up tight and eager to release this feeling that had always been there but had been lying dormant beneath the other dark emotions.

I shot to my feet and paced beside the bed while scraping my fingers through my hair. The bitter hatred only grew until all I could do was scream, grab the pillow beside me, and pound it into the bed over and over again. Tears blurred my vision as I roared and beat the mattress, letting out the acrimony.

I hit the bed, picturing everyone I truly wished was on the other side of each swing. I screamed until I was hoarse and slammed the pillow into the mattress in hopes that it would crush the faces of all those I loathed in my mind—Mandi, Drake … myself. The bitterness boiled over until even the pillow couldn’t take it, bursting in an explosion of feathers.

I was furious with Mandi for tricking me.

I was enraged with Drake for taking what didn’t belong to him.

I was irritated that I found joy in Mandi’s suffering.

I was angry ateverything.

I collapsed to my knees and choked on my cries as I squeezed my eyes shut and tilted my head back. The soft white feathers slipped across my face as they slowly rained down, but I took no comfort in their light touch. The pillow got to release what was inside, but I was still waiting, still hoping to burst with a release of jagged and sharp feathers.

When would this hell end? When would the hurt stop? When would the grief subside? When would I learn to live again?

Time slipped away from me, but that was the norm for me these days. It was like my mind knew I couldn’t handle being able to think or feel, so it would shut down, freezing me in whatever state I was in until the room that had glowed with the rising sun dimmed with the sleeping sky.

Only Perseus seemed to bring me back from the place I floated away to in the protective corners of my mind. The warm and gentle tenor of his voice would wrap around me like a blanket amid winter storms. With his smile guiding me back to reality, he’d keep me here with him for some time, but then the smallest of things would send me right back to the numbing darkness.

The taste of something faintly sweet like coconut.

A tune from the TV that resembled any piece of music fromSwan Lake.

The word ‘beautiful.’

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