Teach Me to Fly by Tanisha Headley

She came home to escape her demons.
He’s never stopped feeding his.
A match made in…ruin?

ANGELIQUE
Trauma always leaves a mark, and mine is buried deep beneath scar tissue and muscle memory. I fled New York to escape the ballet world that broke me—and the man who ruined everything—swearing I’d never dance again.
But Imperium isn’t New York. They’re here to challenge the rules, starting with a darker, grittier Swan Lake retelling with an Odile who finds her own redemption.
I’m partnered with the boy I once knew…except Reign Harrington isn’t a boy anymore. Now he’s a man filled with quiet rage, and too many secrets.
And somehow, he sees straight through my façade.
As we dance a story too close to my own, I find myself coming undone all over again. Because healing isn’t linear, and surviving might not be enough.

REIGN
I was raised to lead Imperium. To dance until my body breaks, and to carry a legacy I never asked for. I dance because it’s expected but I play the piano because it’s the only way I know how to breathe.
When I play, I see her. Always her. The girl who once kissed me like I was someone worth staying for. I’ve composed entire symphonies just to survive missing her.
And now she’s back.
Angelique Sinclair—too fragile to touch,and too broken to stay.
Watching her dance feels like breathing for the first time in years, so I make it non-negotiable: I’ll dance Swan Lake, but only if she lets me stay in the guesthouse with her.
Close enough to stop her from disappearing.
Close enough to teach her to fly.