Auditions were never fun. Anxiety was the word of the day as she practiced her routines for the hundredth time the morning of her audition. She was perfectly sure in her skill, but there were always dozens of dancers applying for the same places. Her one failing, if it could be called that, was her height. Finding a studio to overlook it was always difficult.

She made some final tweaks to the stitching in her costume and left to ensure she arrived relatively early. She made sure to bring her portfolio with her experience and pictures, hoping that a well-rounded repertoire would set her above at least some of the others. Ballet was not her only dancing skill.

She watched from the wings as other dancers went on stage and performed their pieces, recognising the talent she was up against. She'd been told when she arrived that there were only three spaces at the studio, yet almost 30 dancers turned up, all with their own specialisation. She tried not to think of the worst-case scenario. She would be happy with a secondary call back. To be rejected during the first round would not improve her mood. More than anything, she wished that Della could be there. Always her biggest cheerleader, she never missed an audition or a performance, no matter how small. Baldwin had left sometime before sunrise and likely had a whole day of meetings to deal with. She was honestly surprised he hadn't gone back to New York to see to his business and had wondered more than once if he felt obliged to stay with her until she was on her feet with work.

Baldwin, as it turned out, wasn't at meetings. He had spent most of the day arranging to set up an account in her name. He'd taken copies of all forms of her ID whilst she'd been sleeping and had already shifted the water service into her name so she had some form of proof of address. He of course had made sure the water was paid for upfront for the next year so she wouldn't actually get a bill, he just needed a letter with her name on it.

His only concern was how he would tell her about the account. She had made it clear more than once that she didn't want his money. He knew it had taken her squashing her pride down to even accept living in the apartment and even then, he'd needed to spin it in such a way that she was actually doing him a favour. It wasn't exactly a lie, but he could have let it out easily enough. Bricks and mortar didn't really depreciate unless they fell into ruin, or the market crashed. Baldwin was an expert with the financial market, and he'd never be so foolish enough to let a property fall into disrepair.

Athena made sure a well-crafted glamour was in place when it was her turn to perform. It wouldn't do to let out a burst of magic in front of the company as would sometimes happen when she danced alone, fully immersing herself into the movement and music.

Her performance went off without a hitch. Not so much as a misstep or stumble, every movement was precise and fluid. There was nothing more she could physically do. Baldwin had asked her earlier in the week if it would help things for her to cast a spell. In truth, a spell certainly could help sway things in her favour, but she'd never used magic to further her career before and she didn't want to start now. She knew her talent should be enough. She'd worked too hard throughout the years to take the easy route.

Baldwin for his part had been there to see her dance. He'd hidden in the back where she wouldn't be able to see him. He wasn't sure why he hid, but he tried to rationalise it by telling himself that he didn't want to be a distraction for her. He wasn't altogether pleased that she'd dulled her natural witches' glow, but he understood the importance of not lighting up like a glow worm in front of the humans.

Fate had thankfully been on her side. She'd been asked to come back for a second round of auditions, along with nine others. She was elated. It was one step closer to landing a paying job so she wouldn't have to relay on the little savings she had and she wouldn't have to take Baldwin's charity. She didn't care that he had more money than all the world's billionaires. That wasn't the point. She was a capable adult and she felt it was important to be able to look after herself. She had no one else to rely on now. Her father was dead, her sister was murdered, and her mother wanted nothing more than for her to disappear. She had no coven to rely on. All of the local covens knew her mother and she didn't trust any witch who was in contact with her.

When she returned to the flat, Baldwin was sat at the dinning table, his laptop open and numerous ledgers and files spread out around him. He'd both heard and smelled her come in. He could smell the elation radiating from her.

"How was the audition?" he asked. He did so out of politeness. He'd heard her being asked back for a second audition, and even if he hadn't, he could smell that she was happy.

"Perfect, apparently. I got a call back for next week, but I need to prepare a new piece," she responded, dropping her bag down.

"You smell happier than you sound. Aren't you feeling good about it?"

"It's not that. It's the first time I've performed without Della being there. I can perform perfectly well enough, but it felt… Hollow."

Baldwin wondered if he should have made his presence known. Perhaps it would have been moral support rather than a distraction. She was so remarkably headstrong, he hadn't considered that she might want some support.

He sat back in his chair and looked at her. She hadn't truly grieved the loss of her sister. Oh, he'd seen her vengeful and full of burning rage, bother when she took her revenge on Satu, and when she confronted her mother, who had broken into their home so she could rifle through Della's things. He wondered if she was waiting for her body to be released.

"Perhaps she was there… in spirit," he replied.

"I don't know. I'd like to think I would feel her if she was."

Baldwin held out his hand to her, which she readily took. He pulled her to sit on his lap and then frowned. "Are you wearing a glamour?"

She chuckled and removed it with a quick flourish of her fingers. Her skin glowed faintly as her magic was allowed to flow freely. Baldwin inhaled as her scent changed and strengthened and Athena sighed softly at the release. She'd been so caught up in thinking about what she would perform for her second audition, she hadn't removed the glamour when she'd left the studio.

"I understand the necessity, but it doesn't do your scent or presence any favours."

"Are you saying it makes me dull and smelly?" she quipped.

He smirked, shifting her so she was straddling his muscular thighs. "It actually dulls your scent and your presence. It seems almost as though its purpose is to make you fade into the background. I do hope it doesn't have the effect on humans?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't seem to. It just keeps uncontrolled magic at bay. The Covenant might be lifted, but I don't think it would be wise to go setting off personal fireworks in a dance studio."

"I might prefer you vibrant and tingly," he said, leaning in to inhale the scent from her bosom.

"Tingly. Like licking a battery?"

"If that battery was on fire," he mumbled against her skin.

"Are you saying I'm too hot to handle?"

"It would be an interesting way to die," he said, his hands slipping under her blouse.

He lifted her as he stood, carrying her to the bedroom. He had every intention of filling the hollow she'd complained about to the best of his extensive ability.