Page 91 of The Devil and His Goddess

Shadows thickened around him like he was about to vanish, but before he did, I added, “Thank you.”

Xander froze and held my stare. Demons weren’t ones to share our feelings. Hell, we pretended as if we didn’t even have any. Expressing emotions or sentiments like gratitude wasn’t something we did. Hearing my thanks now probably surprised the fuck out of him.

I was equally surprised when the constant teasing glint left his face. My immature and jokester of a friend watched me with sincerity that would’ve been normal on anyone else but was alarming on him.

“You don’t have to thank me. I like being a menace. It …” He paused and rubbed at the small tattoo on the side of his pinky. “It keeps my mind busy.”

I knew what he didn’t say and why he tenderly touched the ink on his finger. Having things to do kept him from thinking abouther, which was all he ever did. If he was fucking around and constantly getting into shit, he never had time to stop and think about the human who’d wrecked him.

With that, he left, and as he got busy with his task, I refocused on my own. All night, I racked my brain for ways to help Harper somehow. Would taking her away from here help? Would surrounding her with female friends aid the hurt? For once, I was lost for answers, and nothing I thought of seemed good enough.

What could I do for her?

What could I give to take the pain away?

Morning light began to fill the room. With a tired sigh, I realized I hadn’t slept a wink and had no solution to show for that lack of rest.

I wanted to stay right there, stretched atop the comforter with Harper’s small hand in mine. But she wanted me at work. She wanted me to be there for my other dancers. I didn’t give a shit about any of them right now, but Ididcare about Harper. I wasn’t sure if she needed time alone or if she truly felt guilty about taking me away from Silverlight.

Either way, I wanted to give her any ounce of peace that I could, even if that was my absence. Plus, I now had something to take care of at the company.

I carefully pulled my hand out of Harper’s. My palm turned cold and tingled with the need to be back in her hold. I pushed the feeling aside by clenching my fist and got ready for work instead. With my hair down and gray slacks and white button-up in place, I went back into the bedroom.

“Harper,” I whispered, gently shaking her shoulder.

Her blue eyes fluttered open, and she sleepily looked over her shoulder at me.

“I’m going to work,” I told her, running my finger over the hair on her forehead to tuck it back behind her ear. “Think of my place as yours. You’re welcome to anything here. If there’s something you need, just call me, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

She made a groggy, mindless sound of acknowledgment. Yawning, her eyes closed, and she snuggled deeper into the covers.

My heart twisted, and I leaned down to place a kiss on her temple. I hovered there for a moment more, sending a silent plea to the Prince of Darkness himself that nothing ate away at her peace while she slept. Worry cut up my insides with its sharp barbs as I walked away and drove to work. Even as I nodded in greeting to the staff, my mind and heart remained in that bedroom, lying with Harper as she faced the darkness.

I collapsed into my office chair with a heaviness weighing me down. I pressed my fingers to my temples and braced my elbow on the arm of my chair as I called for Rupert, the dance master, répétiteurs, and the administration teams to meet me in the conference room.

Fifteen minutes later, I found myself standing at the head of the large oval table, looking over Rupert, the stage director, the managers of marketing, lighting, music, and costuming. The répétiteurs and dance masters also gathered around the room, waiting for me to begin the abrupt meeting.

“Scary,” Xander chuckled as he appeared alongside the répétiteurs. He crossed his arms and grinned at me from where he leaned against the wall, hidden from all eyes and ears except my own. “You look like you’re about to murder everyone in here.”

I pretended not to hear or see the demon, though I couldn’t deny his observation. Most of the time, I carried myself with a smile and the utmost pleasantness at work. Today, my staff found themselves facing a very different and unfamiliar version of their boss. There was no smile to be found, and I gave no effort to false civility. Today, their boss wasn’t the human but the demon, bitter and out for blood.

“There’s going to be a change in the schedule,” I announced, getting right to the point of the meeting. “We’re moving the show line-up by one place and ending the season withDancing in the Darkinstead of starting with it. I’ve already updated the schedule for the individual departments and emailed it to everyone. Starting today, theDancing in the Darkgroup will pause their practice for that production and begin prep forThe Nutcrackerinstead. I’m gathering that group of dancers after this meeting concludes to explain this to them as well.”

There was no missing the shared shock and confusion among those gathered. They stared up at me as though I’d sprouted my horns and demonic eyes that I constantly kept hidden.

“We were obviously anticipatingThe Nutcrackerto begin soon since it was next in the line-up,” Rupert began carefully while looking at me. “We’ll get it done, sir. But may I ask why the change? Did something happen?” He paused and added slowly, “Does it have something to do with Tuesday’s practice and Harper’s absence?”

I nodded. “It does. That brings me to the next topic of this meeting. Harper will be out for an extended period of time. She’s dealing with some personal matters, and therefore, can’t be here to doDancing in the Dark. I’m adjusting the schedule in hopes that she’ll be ready by the new show dates. If she’s not, we’ll move it to next season and replace the end of this one with a different ballet.”

“Sir,” Kendra, a middle-aged blonde répétiteur, cut in with a small raise of her hand. “Is there really a need to move theentireschedule for one ballerina? There’s a reason we have understudies. If Harper can’t do it, there are other ballerinas who can.”

I stared at this waste of space. Seconds ticked by, and with each one, the air in the room thickened with my quiet rage. People cast nervous glances Kendra’s way and shifted in their seats.

“Uh-oh,” Xander whistled low and vanished from his side of the room to reappear by Kendra. He studied her oblivious profile and snorted. “You’re gonna regret saying that, human.”

Ignoring Xander, I kept my calm stare fixed on this brainless husk. “I’m sorry, Kendra. Can you clarify something for me?”

Kendra’s gray eyes glanced apprehensively around her, as though hoping someone around the room might jump in and save her. When silence and averted gazes was all she got, she met my stare and nodded. The human didn’t speak. If only she’d learned that lesson earlier.

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