Page 33 of Vicious Impulses (The Capo and Ballerina)
“Just, what? Trying to leave me?”
Oh, no. He’s angry. He’ll explode any second.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur halfheartedly. More so an apology for getting caught than anything.
“Are you aware of where you are?”
I shake my head again.
“What if I had armed guards ordered to shoot on sight?” he asks, and my belly churns at where this is going. “Do you know that it’s dozens of miles from here to civilization? With this November chill we’ve been having, do you believe you would’ve survived?”
“Caelian—”
“Answer me,bella,” he says firmly. “Do you think you would’ve made it more than a few hours in the freezing cold woods?”
I close my eyes and release a deflating sigh. “No.”
He tilts his head to the side in consideration. “But given all that, it was still worth the risk for you?”
Hesitantly, I nod.
He makes a throaty noise I can’t place, then takes another sip from his glass. “I thought so. Then it’s true. She was right.”
“Who was right about what?”
“Put your luggage down. I have a surprise for you.”
Caelian sets off down the hall without a further word. It dawns on me a couple seconds later that he expects me to follow.
I take the bait and trail behind him. He leads me into a wing of the house I’m unfamiliar with. The archaic décor continues, more heavy furniture far past its prime, and more dim lighting and damask wallpaper. Cobwebs hang in every corner as though the spiders that take up residence in them occupy the space more than Caelian and his staff does.
Caelian makes a final turn down a hall and then reaches into his pocket to pull out a ring of keys. He lets the door swing open once it’s unlocked.
I’m at a loss for what’s happening. I hover several feet from the open door and faintly consider making another break for it—not that I’d ever get far. We’ve already established that.
“Nevaeh,” he says. “Look inside.”
“I’m not understanding.”
The room’s filled with old furniture covered in dirty white sheets. I cough at some of the dust particles floating through the air.
Caelian smirks. “This will be yours. A space for you to do what you love once it’s renovated.”
“Renovation? You mean it’s going to… you’re changing it into a place for me to…”
“It’ll be a small dance studio, yes. The project should be complete in the next few days. The company I have coming in has been told to finish as soon as they can.”
I take a step back and run a hand over my hair as if checking I’m awake. “You’re serious? This will really be a dance studio I can use?”
“Whenever you like.”
A moment passes where I’m too stunned to think up any kind of reaction. I settle for gaping at Caelian from where I stand, then glancing over to the room caked with dust. It’s a small space located in what seems to be a deserted wing of the house, but none of that matters. It’s my own dance studio!
A sudden current of happiness bursts out of me. Unable to contain myself, I release a delighted squeal and jump into his arms for a thank you hug.
Because of the jarring height difference, I’ve had to leap up to hug him, and he’s caught me to hold me off the ground. I squeeze myself to his thick neck, murmuring how grateful I am that he’s letting me have a dance studio.
Seconds pass before I realize I might be doing too much.