Page 62 of Dance Omega Dance

He growled against my skin as he came, filling me with heat that seemed to burn straight through to my core. My whole body jerked as he claimed me.

There was nothing left of me but sensation. Raw. Wild. Marked.

And his.

Chapter Twenty-seven

The sun was setting in royal bursts of reds, oranges, and gold as we drove into the city. Summer dusk, soft and forgiving. It painted the buildings in honeyed light and kissed the windshield with warmth. I pressed my forehead to the glass window beside me, watching the Royal Theater come into view.

It was real. Not a dream. Not some unreachable future or shattered past.

My breath caught.

It looked almost the same. Same marble pillars, same ornate gold filigree curling along the rooftop like a crown. But it wasn't. This was new. Rebuilt from the wreckage of the last one. Stronger. Like me.

The last stage had split beneath my feet. I’d fallen through the floor while the world shook and crumbled. I remembered the snap of wood, the scream of metal, the pain, the terror. But this theater, the new one, stood tall and whole. A symbol of everything I had survived.

Zack parked the SUV and cut the engine. The moment the motor stilled, the silence felt heavy, loaded with everything this place meant. Blake reached across the console and brushed a knuckle down my cheek.

"You okay?"

I nodded, though my throat was tight. My fingers trembled in my lap, and I curled them into fists. The velvet box in my handsheld my ballet slippers... white satin, fraying at the edges, still stained with a little blood from the day it all fell apart.

But they were mine.

And tonight, they were coming back to life.

The doors of the Royal Theater loomed as we stepped out. Anders slipped my hand into his, warm and grounding. Zack moved to my other side, his palm on the small of my back, his touch steadying me.

Blake walked a step ahead, but I felt the tension in him. The restrained violence, the protective rage he'd buried since the day he found me broken and bloodied. I knew it hadn't left him, not yet, not really. But right now, it had been silenced. Caged. Replaced by something different.

Hope.

I took a deep breath as we reached the entrance. The air smelled like old wood and fresh paint. My stomach twisted. I wasn’t sure if it was nerves or excitement or the echo of grief that still haunted these walls.

But I wasn’t the girl who had been left on that stage.

Not anymore.

Inside, the lobby sparkled. Crystal chandeliers dripped light like champagne, casting golden stars across the marble floors. The deep crimson velvet curtains rippled from the air conditioning. It appeared decadent. Regal.

My footsteps echoed as I crossed into the main hall. I felt small, but not powerless. The seats stretched in rows before the stage, empty, and waiting, like the theater was holding its breath.

Maddie met me just outside the backstage door. Her eyes lit up the second she saw me. She didn’t hesitate, just wrapped me in a hug that cracked something open inside me.

“I knew you’d do it,” she whispered into my hair. Her voice trembled, rich with pride and emotion. “I knew you’d find your way back.”

Tears stung the corners of my eyes. Tears of happiness, nervousness, and excitement. I hadn’t realized how much I needed her here until I was in her arms.

She pulled back, cupping my face. “You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be you. And that’s already everything.”

I nodded, the lump in my throat too thick to speak around. Maddie took my hand and led me backstage. The mixed fragrances of perfume and makeup hit me like a memory. She helped me change, smoothing the bodice of my costume, adjusting my bun, fussing like she had before my last show.

In the dressing room, I sat on the small cushioned bench in the corner, the box in my lap, trembling in my hands. I opened it, taking my time. This was it. This was the day I danced again. My new pointe shoes were soft, and pliable now I’d broken them in. The faint marks on the outer sole tugged at something deep in my chest. The dance studio in my new home. I smiled. It had been so long since I had found a home. Not since, that day. From when everything fell apart.

My brow furrowed as I bent to slide the shoes on. My hands were clammy, fingertips trembling as I wrapped the ribbons around my ankles. Sweat beaded at my temples despite the cool air in the dressing room. My breath came quick and shallow, the pounding of my heart threatening to burst at any given moment.

What if I failed?

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