Page 1 of Dearest Protector

Prologue

Ariel

New York City

Ten Months Earlier…

Iwas exhausted but still running on pure adrenaline as I hurried down a familiar New York City street toward my destination.

I didn’t slow down to admire the beauty of the big city lights at night.

I didn’t look at all of the people around me who were rushing to their own locations.

I never did.

I was working, and nothing else interfered with my focus when my attention was on advancing in my career.

My fixation on being the best ballet dancer I could be was the only thing that had gotten me this far.

“Dammit! I’m late! But I’m nearly there,” I grumbled unhappily under my breath as I stopped at the corner, waiting impatiently until it was safe to cross the street.

I looked across the busy thoroughfare, relieved to see my final destination ahead of me.

I lived and breathed on a very rigid schedule with zero flexibility, so running behind probably upset me more than most people. My daily planner notebook kept me on track, but this particular late-night afterparty hadn’t exactly been planned way in advance, unlike all my usual work-related activities.

An unplanned event like this one had thrown me off balance, and I was completely wired when all I wanted to do was to wind down.

Really, all I’d wanted to do after my very first performance as a principal dancer in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake was to go home, ice my feet, and then sink into a warm bath.

Unfortunately, that idea was a no-go since I’d been invited to a small gathering at a swanky club that was being hosted by one of the ballet’s largest donors. It was mandatory that I attend since it was a very large donor hosting the party, and he’d specifically asked for me to be present since I was a principal dancer.

To say Iwasn’ta party girl was an understatement. Maybe I was young, but I felt like I’d been born an adult. In fact, I couldn’teverremember being a carefree child.

I’d started studying ballet at four years old.

I’d never really had much of a choice back then since my mother had been a ballet dancer here in New York, too, and she’d wanted the same for me. She’d been insistent that I’d needed to start as early as possible.

I’d joined my dance studio’s professional company at the age of eleven, and after that, all I could remember doing was dancing and making sure my grades stayed up in school.

The day I’d been offered a scholarship to attend one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the country had made it worth all of my hard work over the years. I’d packed my stuff and moved to New York from Florida right after my graduation from high school.

I’d grinded hard since I’d made that move years ago, but I’d finally become a principal dancer.

I just did something tonight that I’ve dreamed about my entire life.

I let out a sigh of pure joy. My heart was soaring, even though my mind and body were completely wasted.

I tapped my foot as I peered at my watch, my euphoria fading just a little as I started to stress over being fifteen minutes off schedule.

Maybe I’ll catch a break and be able to slip into the club without anyone noticing.

It wasn’t that I minded being nice to donors, but dancing the principal and dual role of Odette and Odile this evening had been mentally and physically draining.

Maybe I was still flying high because dancing that particular role had been a dream of mine for a very long time. Really, wasn’t that nearlyeveryyoung ballerina’s dream?

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the forward movement of someone else who was waiting to cross the street.

As freaked out as I was about lagging behind, that small motion was all it took to send me on a mad dash to get across the street and into the club so I wasn’t any later than I was already.