Chapter One: Second Cast

Nadia Voss had learned the choreography for Giselle three times over — once for herself, twice for other people's triumphs. She knew the count of every phrase in Marisol Anders's featured role better than Marisol did, because Nadia was the one who marked it in the back corner of the studio during rehearsal breaks, alone, while the principal iced her knees and took calls from her agent.

She wasn't bitter about it. Not exactly. Bitterness required energy she didn't have left over after twelve-hour days.

What she hadn't planned on was Damian Cole.

He'd been hired mid-season to partner Marisol — imported from some European company...