Shifter's Dance by Vanessa North

pair of tattered shoes on her feet, she
moved in tiny steps across the floor, paused a moment, and then
dropped down off her toes. She paced back to where she had started,
and then moved again. When she reached the center of the room, she
stretched out like an exquisite waterfowl, arms and one leg
reaching. She circled her leg back and her chest plunged toward the
floor. He lurched forward, reaching for her, believing that she was
falling, but she righted herself, scratched her back absently, and
started the whole process over.
    He watched as she made her way through the same
steps, over and over, before moving on to another sequence, giving
it the exact same meticulous attention. Every once in a while,
she’d start the music over, and move through the whole series.
There were certain points where her movements would look like a
miniature of the step she wanted to take: she wouldn’t stretch her
arms all the way out, wouldn’t step all the way onto her toes, like
she was holding back.
    “Why do you hesitate?” he finally asked.
    She startled, dropping off her toes. Damn. He
hadn’t meant to scare her.
    “Stephen?”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “It’s okay. Come here, I could use your help.”
    “No, I mean I’m sorry for this morning.”
    “You aren’t married, are you?”
    He damn near choked at that. “No, definitely
not.”
    “Okay, then we can talk about that later. Come here,
please.” A grin flashed on her face as she beckoned him forward.
Her scent hit him at the moment she reached for his hand and the
wildness crept back into him. The animal inside him pushed to
complete the bond. Not married—but I want to be, lover.
    “This jump is typically assisted by a partner—I take
three steps—” she moved back across the room and demonstrated “—and
when I reach here, your hands come around my waist, like this.” His
breathing grew shallow as she placed his hands on either side of
her waist. “And I jump. You lift at the same time, so I can go
higher and hold the position longer, and then you set me down.”
    “I’ve never done this before.” He shook his head. “I
don’t want to drop you.”
    “Oh, it’s okay. I’ve been dropped tons of
times.”
    Anger flooded him, that her dance partners could
have been so careless that they’d dropped her.
    “Hey, it happens. It’s okay, really. A few bruises
never hurt anyone. Besides, I trust you.”
    “You do?” How could she trust him, when he was
keeping such a huge secret from her?
    “Yeah.” Her grin was stunning as she reached down
and squeezed the hand that was still on her waist.
    “Then let’s do it.”
    The first time, he almost did drop her, but she
laughed it off.
    “See? You’re a natural. Again.”
    He lost track of how many “agains” there were, but
there were enough that he suspected his arms might be sore the next
day. It was worth it, though, to see her face light up every time
she threw her arms back and soared in his hands.
    “Oh, I have another idea!” She turned to face him
after he set her down, her hands moving quickly as she spoke. “What
if, instead of a grand jeté like that one, you lifted me
toward yourself, up over your head, and then I slid down your body
on the way down—here, let me show you…Just lift me up, I’ll do the
rest.”
    The moment she was in his arms, he understood. Her
arms flung wide, her head back, then her hands moved to his
shoulders. She seemed to hang in the air for a long silent moment,
and then she slid down his body to the floor, the wide grin on her
face turning sweet and hesitant as he set her down, holding her
close to his chest.
    “You’re incredible,” he said, staring into her
unseeing eyes. His hand moved up to cup the side of her face, to
draw her into a kiss, and she stepped away, scrubbing the back of
her hand across her forehead.
    “You’d make a pretty good dancer.” She smiled at
him. “Thanks for your help.”
    And then she turned her back to him, walking to