Scarlett Drake

Caspien Deveraux was poison. It took me years to realise that he hadn’t been born like that. He’d been cultivated and nurtured by a careful hand and a bitter heart. When I first met him, he was a bud. One primed to bloom beautifully and deadly. One I should have torn out at the root. I loathed him. I loved him. And until him, I hadn’t known just how completely those two things could exist at once.

Raphael We met once two years ago - a few awful moments I’d rather forget - but he’s lived in my head ever since. Lee Jaehyun. K-pop idol and star of every filthy fantasy I have these days. I should be thinking about the fact we just won our first Grammy, I should be focussing on our next album. I should be planning my wedding. But I’m not; I’m thinking about him. About what his mouth might taste like and what that body might look like under those carefully curated clothes. About how he might feel in my arms and what my name might sound like from his mouth when he’s turned on. I’m not sure what this is; the near obsession I have with this guy, but it’s burrowed itself deep and refuses to give an inch. I’ll go insane if I can’t have him just once. Once to scratch the itch, douse the flames. Except it turns out once isn’t enough, and it’s not dousing the flames it’s striking a match and I’m about to blow my entire life up. Jaehyun Raphael Scott is going to break my heart. He’s an American rockstar, engaged to be married, and straight. He’ll get tired of whatever this is soon enough. Then he’ll go back to his beautiful actress girlfriend and I’ll be alone again. I’m fine with that. But it doesn’t mean I won’t take what he’s offering me right now. His shining American smile, his beautiful open heart, the desperate kisses he presses into my skin. No, Raphael Scott won’t break me, nothing can. I’ve fortified myself against this sort of thing. My body, my art, all of it is armour. This soft American boy has no hope on earth of breaking it.

FelixDancing is everything to me. It’s the mother I lost, the father who never sees me. It’s the fiery love of my life, and I’ll defend it to my last breath—that’s what it means to be the lead principal at one of the best ballet companies in the world. Just when I thought I was on top, my greatest rival—my eternal nemesis—waltzes back into my Nicoló Savini. The ache in my bones and the bane of my existence.If he thinks I’ll sit back and let him steal my spotlight, he’s sorely mistaken. No one’s taking this from me—not my father, not my ridiculously hot rival, and certainly not the confusing feelings that twist inside me every time I see Nico dance up close. He’ll regret coming here, to my city, my company. I’ll make damn sure of it.NicoFelix Taylor-Brooke has been my fiercest competition for years. I should loathe everything about his entitlement, his arrogance, that painfully captivating beauty. Felix was born for ballet; I was forged by it. People call us rivals, but that’s just the surface matter. Anyone who bothers to look any closer would see there’s something else simmering beneath, something we’ve both been fighting against for years.When I walked away from ballet two years ago, I thought I was free. But then I was offered the one thing I’d always wanted, and I knew I’d regret not seeing this through. I know he’ll hate it, and I know he’ll likely make my life a waking nightmare, but honestly, I don’t sleep that well anyway. We might kill each other, but if we don’t, then we might be about to take on the greatest roles of our lives.