Page 57 of A Dance With Fire
Before she could bolt, Clay clamped his hand on her shoulder and pulled her forward. “Julius Darah, meet the lovely Fire Dancer of Piriguini’s Circus, Shula Azzarh.”
Julius’ eyes widened. “No shit.” His eyes flicked to her ears, but she knew they were safely hidden beneath her long hair. Besides, she didn’t need him judging her decision like Ryker had.
Just his eyes straying there made her self-conscious.
She tried not to look away.
“I’ve heard about you,” Julius went on. “Heard your act is the best there is to see.”
Shula’s throat tightened at the compliment, and something like longing surged through her. She had worked hard to gain a reputation for herself. A reputation, it seemed, that even this Fae had heard about. Pride pressed around her, followed by immeasurable sadness. She would never be able to dance again, never feel the gaze of the crowd as she hypnotized them with the movements of her body.
Dancing was all she’d ever loved. It was her solace, and now she didn’t even have that.
Julius was still staring at her, and she wondered just how much they could read from her expression.
“Shula’s an Elemental Fae,” Clay explained. “Fire.”
Julius’ eyes widened. “Elemental, huh?” He took a step towards her. He used the same stance Ryker usually did. Shula always shied away from Ryker because of his overbearing presence. This man was different. She didn’t fear him. Perhaps it was his attitude, or perhaps she was just a good judge of character and knew he wouldn’t harm her. Okay, maybe she wasn’t thebestjudge of character, but there was something kind shining in Julius’ eyes. It was the same kindness that shone in Clay’s, bright and blinding.
“Welcome to the Resistance, Shula.” Julius wrapped his arms around her and lifted her feet off the ground to twirl her in a circle. Her hands scrambled for purchase on his shoulders, and her nails dug into his skin. A moment later, he settled her back down on her feet and she swayed backwards. “We’re excited to have you on our side.”
Smoothing her hair down over her ears and shoulders, she sent him a glare. “I’m not on your side,” she snapped. “I’m not on anybody’s side.”
She regretted the venomous way she spoke when Julius’ expression fell. He looked from face to face and uttered, “Seems like you all have a story to tell.”
Valerio nodded. “We do. Let’s set up camp and we can catch up.” That cold gaze slid over to Shula, and she met it with one of her own. Two could play at that glare, she thought vehemently. Valerio just quirked his lip up in amusement. “I believe Orna needs you.”
A dismissal.
One she was glad and willing to take.
She turned on her heel and stomped over to where Orna was helping tether their horse and mule to a tree, not caring if they talked about her behind her back. Already she was mingling with the new people with a smile on her face. She cast one look at Shula’s expression and a frown creased her brows.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Insufferable Fae bastards,” Shula grumbled, yanking the ropes from Orna’s hands and tying the knot to the tree herself. She needed to give her hands something to do, lest she find them wrapped around Valerio’s skinny little neck. “Arrogant pricks,” she mumbled.
“Alright, it sounds like they did something to make you mad again, didn’t they?”
Shula grunted in response.
It was at times like these when she desperately wanted a friend. Someone she could vent her emotions to. And Orna was looking at her with such trust in her gaze, and Shula knew instinctively they were the eyes of a friend. That she could confide in her and the trust wouldn’t be broken.
Anytime she’d ever thought about entrusting Fanny with the truth of her heritage, Shula’s stomach had roiled and lurched painfully. Like her gut was telling her that Fanny couldn’t be trusted. It had happened every time. But as she looked at Orna, she didn’t feel that dizzying need to hide herself. Not in her gut or in her mind. Rather, her own heart was afraid, even when her instinct said that Orna wasn’t Fanny and would not betray her.
Shula sighed, and the words that came out of her mouth were the words she’d hidden deep in her heart. “I miss the circus.”
Just saying the words made a fierce longing ripple through her chest. Mana, how she missed it, and she hadn’t even realized it. She missed the scents of popped corn and candied apples, of sweet meats and pastries, she missed the sounds of humans running, but most of all, she missed dancing.
“You were the Fire Dancer, right?” Orna smoothed a hand down the mule’s flank. “You did fire tricks and danced while you did it?”
Shula smiled, the first real smile she’d given in what felt like weeks, even if itwaslaced with a bit of sadness. “Yes.”
“What was it like?” Orna whispered.
“It was the best feeling in the world.” Stepping out on stage, controlling her body, her movements, hypnotizing and moving to the beat of drums. Shula had lost control of everything in her life. She couldn’t control the world or how they saw her kind, but she could control her body in dance. And that was a beautiful thing. “I miss dancing the most.”
Orna was quiet for the longest time, and Shula didn’t realize she was still gripping the cord so tightly until Orna’s small, blue hand settled over hers.
