Page 9 of The Paranormal Investigation Bureau
I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’d had men stare at me before—some even worse than Marsden had—I never felt the need to leave the room. Kaine had taught me how to deal with that, and I knew how to defend myself in so many ways. When Kaine took me in, he wanted to make damn sure no one would ever hurt me again, like Derek had.
I knew damn well that, if Marsden tried to touch me, I could kick his Unseelie ass physically or magically. Still, there was something about him that was making my Spidey senses tingle.
“Marsden?” Nyx snorted. “He’s a horny fairy who likes ballerinas, and he’s a total hardass when it comes to running this company, but he’s a teddy bear. Women in the company will tell you that it’s not just solos. By all accounts, he treats his favorites well and spoils them.”
“But, he kicked Bellatrix out of his apartment when I asked to meet,” I pointed out.
I didn’t have any grand notions of Marsden grooming me to be a soloist. No, I was here to dance in the corps and help him bring this ballet to the stage. He probably kicked her out because he knew I was missing information to do my job.
So, what was it about Marsden King that had everything in me screaming he was dangerous?
Chapter9
Beyla
Itook the subway, then walked the last couple blocks to Marsden’s apartment. I was buried in sweats, and it was April.The Sugar Skull Girlwas supposed to be this mysterious show to close out their season. It was a hot day in New York, and by the time I got to Marsden’s apartment, I was thinking how idiotic it was that I had to dress like this to get him to focus long enough to give me the information I needed.
I pressed the bell, and he buzzed me up. Marsden was freshly showered and dressed. He was refreshingly all business this time, as opposed to our first meeting. His eyes scanned from my feet to the top of my head, and he rolled his eyes.
“I take it you’ve been listening to company gossip. You look uncomfortable in all that. Have you eaten?”
“I had some coffee.”
Marsden whirled around and narrowed his eyes at me.
“Beyla, dear, I know you’re here undercover, but if you’re going to be dancing in my company, you’re going to fuel your body with real food and not just caffeine. You’ll find yourself in the audience instead of on stage if I find out you aren’t eating, so sit and eat.”
I hesitated. I always ate breakfast. I just hadn’t that day because I was so nervous about meeting with Marsden. Everything he said made sense, and that was precisely what an artistic directorshoulddo when he had dancers under his care. This was an art form that relied on you being thin enough for men to easily lift you, but you still had to eat.
Marsden crossed his arms and smirked at me.
“You’vedefinitelybeen listening to company gossip. This is just a meal, Beyla. We need to talk, and if you are going to be training with my company, you need to eat. Besides, I’m going to be eating, and I find it wholly uncomfortable when someone watches me eat, and they don’t join in.”
Marsden wasn’t staring at me like I was this fascinating creature he wanted to own. I was hungry, and I could eat. He needed me more than I needed this. If he expected more, after I ate with him, I’d just beat his Unseelie ass and remind him what I was there for.
I joined him at the table for breakfast. He made Eggs Benedict and had freshly squeezed orange juice. While he was staring pretty hard at me, it wasn’t sexual. I knew he would keep his promise. If he thought I had eating problems, he’d either bench me from class or tell the bureau I was fired.
I dug into my food, but I wasn’t there to prove to him I ate.
“You left a lot of information out in the manifesto you sent the bureau. I know all about the plot, music, and costumes, but I don’t know anything about why the original production was shut down. I was told several artistic directors have tried to pull this ballet off, and the show always got canceled because people died. It would be helpful to know if I'll be dealing with some sort of cursed object, or any angry spirits.”
Marsden sighed and put his fork down, like I had ruined his breakfast.
“Your roommate is a banshee. If this company were swarming with angry spirits, she’d be too busy to spread rumors to you about me.”
That much was true. Banshees could not only foretell death, though they could talk to spirits. Marsden had announced the show to the company. If someone had died in the original production and were set on ruining the show, they would have been there when Marsden told everyone the show's name and made them sign NDAs in blood. Nyx would have seen them. I was sure there were other banshees in the company. Someone would have said something after they literally signed their names in blood. Nyx would have brought it up to Arden, who was already suspicious about this ballet.
“Did you stick me with Nyx because she’s a banshee… or because she had an empty bedroom?”
“I stuck you with Nyx because she’s a banshee, and because she’s intuitive. I know she thinks she’s stuck in the corps because she declined my dinner invitation, but I invite all new dancers to eat with me, and it doesn’t always mean more than that. Nyx is one of those rare dancers who can bring an entire company of dancers together. The corps looks a million times better with her leading it. I could give her solos, but it would be at the expense of losing the entire corps.”
“Why do you let her continue to believe she’s not getting solos for not sleeping with you then? You had to be aware of what she was going to tell me. You kicked someone out of your bed when I called. It was a company member, wasn’t it?”
Marsden’s eyes glittered dangerously, and that uneasy feeling in my gut returned.
“Who I take to my bed is not part of your investigation. I let Nyx believe what she wants because her hatred motivates her to be a better dancer. I don’t need to be liked by everyone. If it inspires someone to dance their best, then I’m willing to be the villain in their life. I would have thought that, as a federal agent, you realize there are two sides to every story.”
“So, what exactly am I dealing with here? Angry spirits or cursed objects?”
