Juliet was still slightly dazed three hours later as she sat in Fiona and Halona’s apartment. She wasn’t spacing out anymore, but she couldn’t pay attention to what they were saying. Halona showed Juliet three pairs of shoes, but Juliet little more than glanced at them before she turned again to the window. The traffic on the street below was more interesting to Juliet than ten centimeter heels.
Finally, Fiona slammed a monster-sized text book on the coffee table in front of Juliet so that the bang sounded like a shotgun.
Juliet jumped.
“So, what exactly did Seth do that was so amazing?” Fiona asked crossly.
Juliet let her head fall back and rolled her eyes. “Nothing, I guess.”
Fiona picked up the text book and prepared to chuck it at Juliet.
Halona grabbed it from Fiona. “Are you crazy? You can’t kill her! Calm down! We can go about this in an easy, peaceful manner.”
“I already asked her peacefully!” Fiona retorted angrily.
Juliet watched them struggle over the weapon with her head still tilted back. Halona was right. She was the more rational of the two.
It wasn’t that Juliet thought the twins wouldn’t understand. Certainly Halona would understand. Yet she couldn’t find the voice to say, ‘I hoped there was something special about me, too. I was hoping that was the reason Seth liked me.’ Since she was human, she was in a worse place with Seth than Fiona was with Chas. At least Fiona had a reasonable belief that if she treaded water long enough then a future with Chas was possible. Juliet didn’t even have that. She saw now what Seth saw when he said that any relationship between the two of them would end in ruin. He was talking about Nixie’s mother, Melanie. Juliet didn’t need to meet her to realize that she was a shell of a woman who simply didn’t know how to exist without Chas. That was why Nixie had to protect her so fiercely.
If Juliet gave into her love for Seth, she’d become a broken shell as well and, eventually, Seth’s desire for her would die, just as Chas' desire had died for Melanie.
The thing that stung like hellfire was that Seth knew this. He had always known this. Yet, he had pursued their relationship, trying to keep it unsoiled by her blood. Now she’d discovered how impossible it was for her to resist him and she had nothing to offer him that would sustain him... one hundred percent human.
She wondered if Seth was disappointed. He’d clearly had hopes, but he seemed at ease with her humanity. She thought about what he said about taking away her innocence. What had he meant by that? She knew what he meant. He meant that she wasn’t worth more than a donor to him and he had to let her know as quickly as possible. After he figured that out, he was determined to give her a good show, but that didn’t mean that he had any special feelings for her, only that he wanted to be good to someone who donated blood for him. He told her that they do practically anything for women the day they donate.
Juliet glanced at Fiona and Halona still struggling and arguing.
She leaned forward and picked up a pair of slim, black high heels. She had to make an effort at behaving properly or she would never get them off her back. She curled her fingers around the heel, thinking.
What was she going to do? She had been forcing herself to act numb, but now the numbness was falling away. She felt like she couldn’t go back to Seth, no matter how she much she wanted him, and she wanted him badly. It wouldn’t do any good. They had no future, because she wasn’t the mystical creature he thought she was. She didn’t want to hear that she wasn’t right for him.
She was in the midst of contemplating life without love when she suddenly remembered she had a boyfriend. She had forgotten all about him. She still had Rylan. That thought seemed to snap her into awareness. That was right. She still had to get dressed, go to the club, and meet Rylan.
With that, she nodded her head once and got to her feet. “Fiona, show me the dresses again. I’m going to pick one.”
***
The lounge was called Hugo’s and it was deep within the forest of skyscrapers in a part of the city Juliet had never been before. The hostess who ushered them in was one of the most beautiful and well made-up women Juliet had ever seen. Actually, all the waiters, waitresses and the bartender were knock-outs. The seats were dark brown leather and the walls were tan and looked like they were made of suede. Unique track lights lit up each table and illuminated the most exquisite liquor glasses.
Juliet steadied herself. Normally, she would have felt uncomfortable in such a place, but not that night—not after Seth’s voice, his breath, his eyes, and the song he sang that still played on repeat in her head.
Her outfit helped, too. She wore a black mermaid gown with a high neckline and deep cut sleeves. There were swirls embroidered on it with sparkling mulberry thread. Her impossibly high heels were the icing on the cake.
Halona went to great lengths with her own appearance as well. Obviously, she was excited to see Paulo.
Juliet scanned the room looking for Rylan when they sat down at their table, but she didn’t see him anywhere. She leaned over to Fiona and asked her when he said he’d be there.
“Don’t worry,” she soothed. “He’ll probably be here in two minutes. He doesn’t like to wait at tables all by himself. Such a child, don’t you think?”
The waiter approached and took their drink order.
“Is Paulo here tonight?” Halona asked, after they had given their orders.
“He is,” the man answered cordially. “Actually, he’ll be performing one of his poems in just a few moments.”
“Excellent,” Halona said with obvious pleasure. “I love his poetry.”
Just then, the low lights went even lower and a faint spotlight appeared at the front of the lounge. In the faint purple light there was a man sitting on a bar stool. His one boot was crooked between the legs of his seat and the other supported him on the floor. He had a small glass of liquor in his hand and a small microphone pinned to his immaculate shirt. He had loose, black hair that curled around his face and fell just past his shoulders like he was just waking up from a night of passion. On his face were rectangular glasses that rested on the tip of his nose, but didn’t mask the melancholy expression on his swarthy features.
Juliet stared.
She was supposed to kiss that man at the end of the night! Halona had chosen a man with an aura of sexuality so potent it was sickening to be her partner in their experiment? Juliet was completely aghast. She would have been better off to lay a kiss on a stranger she found on the street than allow the ensuing insanity to continue.
As the waiter placed her drink in front of her, she nearly stood up and kissed him on the spot, just so she wouldn’t have to kiss the rakish man sitting nonchalantly on the stage. But the waiter backed away and Paulo began to speak.
“This is called ‘The Woman I Cannot Have’.”
It was high-class bar, but Juliet was positive she heard some guy snort at the next table.
Paulo appeared not to notice and continued, “It’s also entitled, ‘The Burning Rose’.” Then he began reciting the poem:
The fairytale of my love began with you
With that single rose spell of forever love
With charms and keys of enchantment
Like a white witch, you trapped me
And when you fall, you fall like a blossom in sea spray
And my heart falls when you keep me at bay
And my soul fills with lifeblood when I hear you say,
“Only when the rose burns”
The fairytale of my love grew for you
With arms and lips I sought to prove
With words and breaths of worship
Like a fallen angel, you undo me
The fairytale of my love goes on for you
With aching body and broken arms
With apology and borrowed sympathy
Like the blue rose, you forget
And when you fall, you fall like a blossom in sea spray
And my heart falls when you keep me at bay
And my soul fills with lifeblood as I forever say,
“This rose still burns... for you”
Afterward Paulo swigged his drink, climbed off his stool and stepped off the platform. Everyone clapped, though Juliet got the feeling that some of them were not quite as genuine as others in their appreciation.
She thought his recitation was really brilliant. The way his voice flowed and the way he acted truly mournful was overwhelming. She forgot all about the experiment and focused on his acting, his energy, and his charisma. It was exactly what she’d come to the city to experience. Professional performances like that couldn’t be found in her hometown. Halona was right; it had been worth it.
Paulo sauntered over to their table and took a seat between Fiona and Halona. “Good evening, my beautifuls,” he said as he lightly caressed and kissed each of them on the cheek.
“That was a slightly different performance than usual, wasn’t it Paulo?” Halona said provokingly. “Normally, you narrate one of your seduction stories like you’re Homer recounting The Odyssey, don’t you?”
“Ah, well,” he said, leaning toward her and carefully slipping her arm around his shoulders, like he had to have her arms around him. “I could scarcely do that with you coming tonight. Whenever we meet, I’m always afraid it will be the last time. And now you’re trying to pawn me off onto one of your friends. Will we never be together?”
Halona pursed her lips and Juliet couldn’t decide if Halona was going to kiss him or kick him in the shin.
Paulo smiled roguishly and continued, “Besides, you haven’t said what you thought of the poem. I composed it tonight, just for you. I expect an appraisal.”
Halona opened her mouth and let it hang ajar for a few seconds while she looked at the ceiling, trying to figure out her response.
Paulo moved in to kiss her while her attention was diverted, but she put out one finger to stop him at the last second.
“You cast me in an unusual role, since it’s not me that rejects you.”
“What? You always reject me!”
“No, you continue to reinvent yourself into different versions of the same cheater. If you became a truly decent character, then you’d stop refusing yourself access into my life,” she said sternly.
“So, you’ll never be mine?”
“If you say so,” Halona said deliberately.
“Yet you want me to fool around with your friend?”
Juliet colored uncomfortably.
“I never said I wanted you to fool around with her. I said I wanted you to kiss her. It’s an experiment and I need a man for the job who isn’t blown off his feet by one tiny kiss. That’s you, isn’t it? We came all this way.”
Paulo turned away from Halona and glanced across the table at Juliet.
She was beet-red and sweating like she’d just run five miles. Why did he have to look at her so appraisingly? It was rude.
“All right,” he said, getting up from his chair and rounding the table to Juliet’s side. “Let’s not do this in the lounge. If the waiters see me kissing a woman for longer than one second, the gossip they’ll conjure will ruin my life. Let’s go someplace quiet.”
Juliet steadied her nerves and took his offered hand. She didn’t want to do it one bit, but she wanted to find out the answer to the question Halona had posed. Was she the one who cause the visions or was it Seth and Rylan? After what happened that afternoon, she was inclined to believe it was Seth and Rylan, but she needed more proof.
Paulo curled her hand around his arm and led her toward the back doors.
“What are you doing here?” he asked somberly as soon as they were out of earshot of Fiona and Halona.
“I... uh…” she stammered.
His whole tone and demeanor changed as he continued speaking, “What kind of a joke is this? I know you’ve always been disappointed that you didn’t have the same exciting stories the rest of us have, but this is too much. I’m sorry, but I don’t feel enough pity for you to play along.”
Juliet was confused. “Play along? I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. This wasn’t even my idea... And why are you talking to me like you know me?”
He rolled his eyes and opened the door to the back corridors. The hallway was lit with flickering fluorescent lights, but Paulo still looked beautiful under them.
Letting go of her, he crossed his arms and said coldly, “A line like that isn’t going to work on me.”
“Listen,” Juliet said, feeling crushed by his insolence. “I don’t know how you know me. Have we met before?”
He took a deep breath and said, “I really have nothing against you, nor do I like the way you’ve been treated in the past. What happened to you was a catastrophe that I mourned. You know that. But I can’t put myself on the losing side of this foolishness. The very idea makes my stomach turn. Please don’t pursue it.”
He moved to leave, but Juliet grabbed his arm and said forcefully, “Do you know me? Am I somehow connected with you? I don’t remember anything before I was thirteen. Please tell me if you know something!”
Paulo’s jaw tightened. “Don’t try to pretend you’re innocent. I saw that thing. I’ve seen him all over town. Each time I lay eyes on him, the violence I feel toward him can’t even be described, but I can’t go after him—he outranks me. It’s infuriating!”
Who was Paulo talking about? Juliet tried to connect the pieces together. The only thing she could think of was Seth, and the only thing Seth had mentioned who didn’t want to meet him was the vampire. But Paulo couldn’t be the vampire. His flesh wasn’t crumbling.
“And you,” Paulo went on. “Do you even realize how much blood would be spilled if I committed the abomination of placing one finger on you? I won’t play into your sick little game for some demented practical joke that you’re twisted enough to find amusement in.”
Juliet tried to protest again saying that she had no idea what he was talking about.
“Enough,” he said just before he jerked his arm free from Juliet’s grasp and opened the door that led back into the lounge. He held the door open for her and she had the courage and grace to step through it without crying.
“Let me explain things to the twins,” he whispered as they crossed the room.
Back at their table, Juliet slid into her seat without comment. She felt irrevocably dismayed and downright exhausted. How many more confusing twists would she encounter before she found the truth? She was exhausted from the effort of keeping her head above water.
“How did the kiss go?” Halona asked Paulo when he took her drink and had an unoffered sip.
“We didn’t get that far. She fainted in my arms before the fateful moment and I almost had to carry her back here,” he said cheerfully, like nothing unpleasant had just happened.
Juliet knew Fiona and Halona were staring at her. They were waiting for her to comment, but she couldn’t bear to look at them. She was so embarrassed and confused that she wanted to cry. She kept the tears away by folding her napkin and breathing steadily.
It felt like the horrible deadlock with the twins staring at her would last forever, but Paulo shifted the attention away from her by asking Fiona about her love life. It was a hot topic, and soon the three of them were laughing and talking and Juliet might as well have not been there.
It was then that her eyes wandered to the exit.
Rylan was sitting at the bar. She couldn’t have missed his shining hair anywhere. Juliet fumbled in her purse to find money to pay for her untouched drink, placed it on the table, got up and made her way over to the bar. The seat next to Rylan was empty and she hopped up onto it.
Rylan smiled when he saw her. “Hello,” he said casually. “Having fun with the whore?”
“Not really,” she admitted gravely. “I’m really glad you came.”
“Do you want to go? I could take you back to your dorm or we could go to my hotel, or wherever you want.”
“Yeah. Thanks. I really don’t want to hang out here anymore.”
“No problem. Just go tell them you’re leaving with me.”
Juliet squinted at him. “I don’t want to go back there. Couldn’t you go tell them for me?”
Rylan shook his head wearily and pulled out his cell phone.
“Are you seriously going to text them instead of simply walking across the room?” she gawked.
“Seriously,” he affirmed. “I told you. Me and that guy don’t mix. I’ll text Fiona. She’ll at least pick up her phone when she’s around that guy.”
As Rylan keyed in his text message, something finally occurred to Juliet. Maybe the guy Paulo mentioned wasn’t Seth. Otherwise, why would Rylan refuse to merely walk to the table to deliver a simple message? Seth had said that he didn’t think Rylan was human... so what was he? Who was Paulo and why did Rylan outrank him?