Page 73 of The Paranormal Investigation Bureau
Bellatrix was on her best behavior, and ignored me for the most part. I could even tell the lifts were easier for the men this time as they worked their way through the opening number. They managed to get through it and learn the rest without incident.
The rest of the rehearsal should have just been Bellatrix and me in the studio, learning the solo, but the guys weren’t about to leave me alone with her considering how she was getting increasingly violent.
This could have been an easy rehearsal. Bellatrix didn’t seem interested in sabotage. I was behind her, shadowing her solo while she learned it. She wasn’t even looking at me in the mirror. Bellatrix was focused on Marsden and this solo. I knew she was up to something, but I also thought today would serve as a wake-up call for her.
She wasn’t sorry about trying to attack Madame Lucinda. Still, I think she’d realized that if she focused all her energy on getting rid of me instead of ballet, she would look horrible on stage. She might not like this ballet, but I was certain she liked bad reviews even less.
It could have been so easy. She learned all of her solo, and Marsden asked her to run through it from the top. She’d barely gotten started when Marsden yelled at her to stop.
“No! It’s all wrong. You’re playing Damita too much like a succubus seducing her prey. Damitaearnstheir love, with her personality. You’re oozing sexual vibes. Sit down and watch Beyla do it.”
I was going to murder Marsden. This wasn’t my first time being someone’s understudy. When Kaine pulled me from my human ballet school and enrolled me in one meant for supernatural students, they’d all looked down on me because they thought I was behind. I worked my ass off and proved I wasn’t. By the time the Solstice show came around, I was in several corps numbers and the understudy for a few solos. It was not the understudy’s job to teach the lead how to dance their part. I was supposed to blend into the background, learn the part, and step in for performances only if the dancer couldn’t. The lead was supposed to have their part for a reason. Everyone I’d danced under so far cast people because they were technically proficient and had the acting skills to pull it off.
Bellatrix was a succubus. Everything about her was designed for seduction. Watching me dance this part wouldn’t make her dance this part any less sexy or any more how Marsden wanted. All it was going to do was fuel this insane feud between us that I wanted no part of.
I wanted to refuse, but I couldn’t without blowing my cover. I hated the position I was put in, but I had to admit, I was here for a reason. I didn’t like Bellatrix, but I’d still save her life. I hated what Marsden was doing to her. She wasn’t a nice person, but she only got this bad because he let her. Fuck, if he had put his foot down and threatened her career, none of this would be happening, but they needed a diva.
I pushed down all my rage and danced the solo. I had every intention of just doing the steps and not giving Marsden any ammunition to use, but I’d never been good at that. The music and choreography for this ballet really were spectacular. It was easy to lose yourself in both.
I didn’t even fight it. I’d never danced a part like Damita before. I clicked with the character. The part was written for a witch, and Damita was a Bruja. The choreography highlighted everything witches were gifted at when it came to dancing.
Some species got amazing air time in their leaps, and some had this incredible athletic prowess. People like Bellatrix and Merlin oozed seduction. Everyone fell in love with them. Witches and warlocks could weave spells with our bodies—if we were into the dance—and could easily enchant an audience.
I wasn’t trying to. I didn’twantto. I wanted Marsden to tell me I did a shitty job and not ask me to do this again. I knew I blew it when the music stopped, and everyone in the room, except Bellatrix, started clapping. She was scowling at me.
“That!Thatis exactly what I need, Bella.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a witch, and she just enchanted all of you. That’s cheating,” Bellatrix pouted.
“Bella, you’re the best dancer in the fucking world. I cast you in this part for a reason. You’re just as capable of dancing this part as perfectly as your understudy is. Rehearsal is over. Go home and recuperate. Bella, I’ll draw you a bath, and we’ll dive deep into this character.”
“I can’t come by tonight. I have something I need to do.”
Marsden kissed her forehead.
“Tomorrow then.”
I grabbed Marsden’s arm as he went to follow her out.
“Ireallyneed to talk to you,” I hissed.
“Later, Beyla. I need to do some damage control with Lucinda… what happened in class today… you understand.”
I growled and stomped off. Yeah, I understood, even if I hated it. One of these days, I was going to figure out how to manipulate Marsden on his own level.
Chapter18
Merlin
We needed to have a meeting of the minions. So, I invited everyone to our apartment for dinner, even Arden. I was cool with him now that I knew he’d do anything to protect Bevan. Now, Bevan could handle his shit, but he preferred playing the long game and not flexing his magical chops. Sometimes, you just needed to take the pissed off gryphon approach to make a bitch sit down.
We weren’t three helpless bachelors living in a nasty apartment, eating sad microwave food every night. We picked up after ourselves, and all three of us were excellent cooks. Our kitchen was tiny, but we were all going to chip in for dinner.
I needed to do something to get my mind off the earlier events of the day. I was furious about Madame Lucinda, and I couldn’t get my mind off Beyla’s solo. She deserved that role, not Bellatrix.
Cooking calmed me. I did it all the time for my friends, but I hadn’t really done it for a girl I liked before. I wanted it to be special. I was making my mother’s shrimp scampi. Nicolai was making grilled salmon, and Bevan was handling the sides and moonshine.
Nyx seemed concerned about kitchen politics when Beyla was cooking, but we had this down to a science. We had to. We’d all lived together for a long time. We kept different schedules in the morning, but for the most part, we ate dinner together. Sometimes we took turns cooking, and sometimes we did our own thing.
