lifted its top layer up and cocked her hip. Before he had the chance to fully appreciate her sassy stance, Nadia waved her skirt with a flourish and lunged along the line of the tables, moving in rhythm to the music. Her feet fluttered deftly along the hard surface of the tables. Her skirts billowed like the clouds of shimmering colors as she twisted, twirled, and turned.
He stared, mesmerized by the vivid show of the young woman jumping, swaying, and spinning, within the iridescent swirls of fabric. As the pace of the music increased, so did the speed of her dance—her feet but a blur beneath her skirts.
Suddenly, the clasp of the wide gold-tone belt around her waist clicked open and the upper, pale-yellow layer of her outfit slid loose—the one with the longest skirt trimmed with feathers.
She shrugged it off her shoulders in a slow, seductive gesture, then tossed it off into the crowd. The crew roared, growled, and hissed, fighting over the garment.
He watched in horror as the fabric was ripped to pieces in seconds. For one terrifying moment, he imagined it being Nadia herself.
She did not belong here—delicate, beautiful, and vulnerable—like a bright flower tossed into a dirty fighting pit. He had to get her out of this room and lock her up again—safe.
He balled his hands into fists so tight, his fingernails dug into the skin of his palms, but he ignored the pain.
“Nadia.” He moved along the tables, keeping himself between her and the males who were devouring her with their eyes.
She didn’t skip a beat in her dance. Her movements light and easy, she leaped into the air as if taking off to fly through it. He had never seen anything more spectacular in his life. Nadia was now his definition of beauty and magic.
Deliberately slow, she unwrapped the next layer of fabric from around her. Crimson red, it fluttered through the air like a wisp of the Anomaly light, landing among another group of males who immediately shredded it, too. Nadia followed it by yet another layer, without stopping her dance.
As she revealed more of her body, the movements of her limbs had become more apparent and even more fascinating to him. Her legs propelled her through the air. Her arms undulated smoothly, like wings, as if the music gave Nadia the power to conquer gravity and levitate.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her, enthralled by her dance. Reality ceased to exist. She no longer appeared as a person but a magical being from another world.
Eventually, the music slowed down then faded away. With a graceful sweep of a leg to the side, Nadia lowered herself into a deep bow.
Her chest heaved. Her eyes shone with life and excitement when she rose and glanced around the room. The wide smile on her lips was genuine.
His consciousness slowly floated back from the blissful feeling of awe her dancing had plunged him into. A new kind of pleasure rolled through his body, warming his chest. He wanted more of this, so much more. At the same time, he was afraid his heart would burst from emotions he couldn’t name.
Raising his hands, he clapped—the only way he could remotely express his deep delight and appreciation for her performance. The noise of his clapping seemed to grow and multiply, as others joined in his applause.
Whistles, stomping, and roaring took over.
Nadia looked around nervously. Her gaze landed on him. Then, she smiled again, just for him this time. He nearly staggered from the charge of pleasure rushing through him at the sight of recognition in her eyes.
He had to get her back to her room, the sooner the better.
“Hey!” Nocc’s voice cut through the noise of the crowd like a rusty knife. “How come she’s still wearing clothes?”
A short purple skirt and a narrow matching scarf tied around her breasts were all that remained from Nadia’s outfit. Yet it proved too much for Nocc and some others who started joining him with growls of disapproval.
Nadia raised her hands in front of her as if trying to stop an approaching disaster.
“Step back, everyone!” Her voice rang high with fear, though she visibly made an effort to remain calm and to calm down the crowd. “Stay were you are if you want to see more.”
She moved a hand up to the knot of the scarf around her breasts.
Judging by the musty smell of semen saturating the air in the room, most of the males had already come during her performance.