women now led to awkward situations later.
He still had a restraining order out on the last one.
He patted the girl on her back and all but ran to his
dressing room. Once safe behind a locked door, he threw
himself down on the couch.
"I need a vacation," Raven said to the empty room.
For the past twenty years, Raven had done nothing but
dance. He'd spent his first few years as a prodigy fighting
to get noticed, and then his next few as a young star
struggling to get the best roles. Now at the age of twenty-
four, he was the most sought after dancer in the galaxy. He
could write his own check, but right now he was just tired.
Bone tired.
Although this last production had been technically
and physically challenging, Raven knew he'd lost some of
his fire. The critics and the audience never noticed, but
Raven felt something lacking on the inside. In this last
performance of the season, he'd frantically tried to
recapture his passion, but the spark that had kept him going
all these years had left him. Maybe he needed to try
something new.
Raven tried to envision a life without dancing but
2
Mate Dance
Amber Kell
drew a blank.
What would he do if he didn't dance? Choreograph?
Direct? Raven didn't know what he'd do, but he did know
he needed a vacation from both dancing and the paparazzi
that stalked him from planet to planet hoping to catch a
picture of him in questionable situations. It didn't help that
the top three galacticnet agencies had voted him the most
eligible bachelor in the galaxy every year since puberty.
Even after all this time Raven still didn't understand the
amount of fuss made over his appearance. Too much
attention went to his genetic makeup instead of to his true
talent—dancing.
Idiots.
A quick shower, a fresh set of clothes, and the hasty
addition of a concealing cap and dark shades transformed
Raven from a shining star to the average man on the street.
Checking to see the path was clear, he made his way
through the side gate. No one was about. Smiling, Raven
walked away from the theater and down the deserted
sidewalk. The farther he traveled from the theater the more
the stress from the evening slid away.
Humming a tune from the show, Raven headed
down the sidewalk towards the bright lights.
Maybe he could get a drink and find some company
for the evening. Although he should be tired, his body still
3
Mate Dance
Amber Kell
jittered too much from dancing to settle down for the night.
Hopefully he could find some discreet, friendly company to
help him wind down. Once his body relaxed maybe his
mind would stop spinning frenetically about his future.
Raven smiled when bar signs flared into view, but
quickly lost interest when the sound of someone sobbing
grabbed his attention. Curious, Raven followed the noise.
"Hello." The noise grew louder as he approached
the dark alley. He generally wasn't an idiot who blithely
walked into dark alleys, but the crying sounded like a child.
"Hello," he called again.
Raven peered into the darkness. The dim streetlights
barely reached the mouth of the alley, and he could just
make out the shape of a small figure curled up on the
ground. Unable to stop himself, he rushed over to the child,
stumbling over something as he went.
"Hey, hey, none of that now. What's wrong?"
A young girl looked up. Raven estimated her age at
about seven years old, but it was difficult to tell in the
meager light. A dim beam of light reflected shiny tears
tracking down a small oval face.
"My nana is gone," she said in a voice so
heartbroken Raven had to blink back moisture forming in
his own eyes. As he crouched down trying to soothe her,
Raven's vision adjusted to the dark and he realized the
4
Mate Dance
Amber Kell
lump he'd stumbled over was a body.
Unmoving.
He had no doubt the dead woman was the nana the
girl mentioned.
"Shh, sweetheart, I'm here," Raven cooed. "I'll take
care of you." He took off his hat and
He still had a restraining order out on the last one.
He patted the girl on her back and all but ran to his
dressing room. Once safe behind a locked door, he threw
himself down on the couch.
"I need a vacation," Raven said to the empty room.
For the past twenty years, Raven had done nothing but
dance. He'd spent his first few years as a prodigy fighting
to get noticed, and then his next few as a young star
struggling to get the best roles. Now at the age of twenty-
four, he was the most sought after dancer in the galaxy. He
could write his own check, but right now he was just tired.
Bone tired.
Although this last production had been technically
and physically challenging, Raven knew he'd lost some of
his fire. The critics and the audience never noticed, but
Raven felt something lacking on the inside. In this last
performance of the season, he'd frantically tried to
recapture his passion, but the spark that had kept him going
all these years had left him. Maybe he needed to try
something new.
Raven tried to envision a life without dancing but
2
Mate Dance
Amber Kell
drew a blank.
What would he do if he didn't dance? Choreograph?
Direct? Raven didn't know what he'd do, but he did know
he needed a vacation from both dancing and the paparazzi
that stalked him from planet to planet hoping to catch a
picture of him in questionable situations. It didn't help that
the top three galacticnet agencies had voted him the most
eligible bachelor in the galaxy every year since puberty.
Even after all this time Raven still didn't understand the
amount of fuss made over his appearance. Too much
attention went to his genetic makeup instead of to his true
talent—dancing.
Idiots.
A quick shower, a fresh set of clothes, and the hasty
addition of a concealing cap and dark shades transformed
Raven from a shining star to the average man on the street.
Checking to see the path was clear, he made his way
through the side gate. No one was about. Smiling, Raven
walked away from the theater and down the deserted
sidewalk. The farther he traveled from the theater the more
the stress from the evening slid away.
Humming a tune from the show, Raven headed
down the sidewalk towards the bright lights.
Maybe he could get a drink and find some company
for the evening. Although he should be tired, his body still
3
Mate Dance
Amber Kell
jittered too much from dancing to settle down for the night.
Hopefully he could find some discreet, friendly company to
help him wind down. Once his body relaxed maybe his
mind would stop spinning frenetically about his future.
Raven smiled when bar signs flared into view, but
quickly lost interest when the sound of someone sobbing
grabbed his attention. Curious, Raven followed the noise.
"Hello." The noise grew louder as he approached
the dark alley. He generally wasn't an idiot who blithely
walked into dark alleys, but the crying sounded like a child.
"Hello," he called again.
Raven peered into the darkness. The dim streetlights
barely reached the mouth of the alley, and he could just
make out the shape of a small figure curled up on the
ground. Unable to stop himself, he rushed over to the child,
stumbling over something as he went.
"Hey, hey, none of that now. What's wrong?"
A young girl looked up. Raven estimated her age at
about seven years old, but it was difficult to tell in the
meager light. A dim beam of light reflected shiny tears
tracking down a small oval face.
"My nana is gone," she said in a voice so
heartbroken Raven had to blink back moisture forming in
his own eyes. As he crouched down trying to soothe her,
Raven's vision adjusted to the dark and he realized the
4
Mate Dance
Amber Kell
lump he'd stumbled over was a body.
Unmoving.
He had no doubt the dead woman was the nana the
girl mentioned.
"Shh, sweetheart, I'm here," Raven cooed. "I'll take
care of you." He took off his hat and
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