"Juliet, come here!" the man shouted with fury.
"You're mistaken. My name was not Juliet!"
Well, that could be misinterpreted. I was not a prostitute and an erotic dancer.
I was a waitress in a bar. I could not deny that some agreed to a certain kind of service, however, it was not usual in this place. In spite of everything, it was a respectable site.
The owner was a charlatan macho, but he did not force us to sell ourselves, much less. I could even say that he was trying to take care of us, although not the way one expected. He was the kind of person who, if he saw you in danger, would call you with that horrible tone of terrifying voice.
Attending the drunks was always unpleasant, but I had to bite my tongue from time to time so as not to let all the bad temper in me live.
I had to say that I was nineteen years old to be able to work here, when the reality is that I was only seventeen years old. Very young for the amount of things I had seen.
I could not complain, I knew I was lucky to stay alive. It was not a good life, but I tried to focus on working and get enough money for the day.
I gave a bad look to the drunk customer. He was angry because I rejected his tempting offer. His hair had been abandoned for a while, his yellow and crooked teeth betrayed the bad life he carried, closing with a belly that he used to call "La Cervecera".
"Juliet!" He took me from my hair when I started walking back to the bar, ignoring him.
The movement almost made me drop the glasses I was holding in the tray, but I managed to save it at the last moment.
I didn't even have time to complain. One of the guards appeared at that moment, tingling a punch to the abusive drunk.
"Thank you, Yale." I looked at him with gratitude.
"It's nothing, Juliet."
Yale was one of the few people with whom I could communicate. He was a security guard of the bar. He was so tall. However, it was enough to talk a bit with him to know that he was a sweet boy who tried to help me with the money for the house.
And I felt identified with him. For that reason and only for that, I could consider him a friend. Not a very close one, but enough to have shared one beer after a day of work.
I kept working until three in the morning. Being a waitress in a place like this was not simple. The men smelled disgusting, there was always someone wanting to propose with you due to the uniform shorts that we were forced to use. The pay was good and the schedule was flexible, the only reasons why I was still in this place.
"Goodbye, Juliet!"
I also said goodbye to one of my companions. I didn't even remember her name.
An alcoholic father, a mother in the hospital, three minor siblings to feed.
Supporting bad work was nothing compared to my situation at home.
The night was so dark, without even the moonlight to illuminate the road. I lived a few streets, but the same could be scary walking without being aware of the predators of the night.
I accommodated the hood on my head, trying to go unnoticed. The predators could smell fear. It was best to walk quickly and without hesitating.
A couple went by my side, laughing at their drunkenness. For a moment I looked at them. What would be their problems? Decide where to drink next weekend? Or maybe their lives are as devastating as mine? It was difficult to guess.
People always stay quiet. It was easier to use a mask than to say what hurt us. We all hid something, something so painful that we could never say it out loud without breaking us.
And it was simpler to smile.
I heard steps behind me. I can not deny that doubt invaded me. Was it a prostitute, thief or rapist? It was impossible to know.
I hurried down the steps.
I had a pepper spray in my hand that one of the girls at the bar gave me as soon as I started working.
"It's for your safety." She put it firmly in my hand. "You must put it here every time you leave here. Do not forget."
And I never forgot it.
I believed in the seriousness of her words.
For that reason, every time I changed in the bar dressing room, I came out with this device in my hand. I clung it firmly, without hesitation.
"Do not run, beautiful," I heard him whisper, making me nervous. "Although blood tastes better after a little exercise."
Do not turn, I repeated again and again mentally.
His voice was terrifying. Possibly it was some madman. Although it could also be someone spent on glasses of beer.
I could see my house, right on the corner. It was close, I did not have to do anything. I should only count on my steps, regulate my breath and in the worst case, prepare for an attack.
Just then someone appeared in front of me.
How did he manage to get up so fast?
That was nothing normal.
"Oh darling. Do you really think I'll let you get home? I have three nights watching you, you can not escape."
I did not think twice. I rose the pepper gas firmly, spraying it in his eyes. The man shouted at the sudden attack, but I could not enjoy his suffering. I started running in the bar.
I could not get home. If what he said was true, getting to my home would only involve putting my siblings' life at risk. Then I would just wait at the bar until dawn. I could even tell Yale to give a beating to the harasser.
I did not get too far.
It was a matter of seconds. In a moment I ran towards my salvation and the other was kissing the pavement.
The blow caused me to bite my lips, to the point of making me bleed.
And I hated blood.
My attacker climbed on my back, immobilising me against the ground. His legs were on each side of my waist, while his arms clung to mine tightly, causing a pain that he did not plan to let me see.
"This is how I like it."
"Take off, damn scum," I said.
He seemed surprised at my outburst. I was not precisely a lady, much less a damsel endangered. I did not care about the pain, I knew I did not have time to lament.
I was in danger.
"That little mouth…"
"Damn, take off." I wanted to turn around but my attempts were futile.
"You have a good body, I admit it." I felt his look on me. "A good prey."
I escaped a gasp when he got up and dropped me to the ground again. The air escaped from my lungs, as well as some tears in my eyes. It took a few seconds to process what had happened.
It hurt, it hurt a lot.
"You look prettier. Now, be a good girl and let me drink your blood."
"Drink my blood? What do you think you are? A vampire?" I felt the blood running down my nose.
Ah, damn condition. I could not alter my nose bleeding. I heard the laughter of that guy, just before feeling his lips on my neck.
Was that fangs?
My heart accelerated. No. It should be my imagination. Vampires did not exist, of course not.
I felt my end approaching.
I closed my eyes tightly, just before feeling a slight puncture over my neck. It did not last as long as I believed, I would say that it was even accidental. The next thing I knew is that I did not feel the hard pressure of that guy on my back.
What the fuck had it happened now?
When I looked around, there was a massacting who was attacking my attacker. Has someone saved me? I couldn't believe it. I saw it and I did not believe it.
In this city, the most unpleasant things happened in front of the eyes from all over the world, but nobody became involved. The violation of a fifteen-year-old girl? That was not our business. The murder of a parent? Surely I searched for it.
Nobody tried to help the other. Nobody bothered to pretend to be good, unless it was for interest.
My saviour? Possibly he also had self-interest.
"Do not touch even a single hair of her again!"
I frowned.
What did he mean by that?
What I most missed was that my attacker did not try to defend himself once. He kept still and without complaining, without replicating, without trying to stop the blows of that stranger who defended me.
"Hey, you're going to kill him," I said when I saw that he kept hitting him.
It's not that he interested me. Damn he deserved the beating.
"Believe me, he will not die," he said mockingly, leaving the inert body on the sidewalk.
Well, it seemed like yes.
"Uhm, thank you," I said dubiously.
I was sitting on the sidewalk so he helped me get up. I could not see his eyes, nor his expression. I could not see it at all. It was a blurred shade, as much as I could notice that he was tall and thin, but with good muscles.
"Do not thank me," he murmured, approaching a little.
"What are you doing?" I asked nervously.
"Forgive me."
And then I felt his bite on my neck.
Blood, vampires, pepper gas. Those words keep repeating in my head in an inconclusive order. I did not even understand where those words came from, nor what was its function, but it was the first thing I perceived when starting a new day. My head hurt and I barely opened my eyes. I was confused. Did I have a nightmare? I looked up in bed, without intentions to get up. I was so tired, all my muscles hurt for some reason, just like my chin. It felt as if you arrived from a long exercise session, even though I did not have the time for it, or the desire. “Juliet, I will be late,” my younger brother said. I growled in frustration. I hated that moment in which I had to abandon the love of my life, called a bed, to face the harsh reality. I looked at my brother’s to analyze how late he was. If he was relaxed, then he had a couple of minutes. He was just
Also, that job allowed me to read in my free time. I liked to lose myself between words, but I could not afford to buy books. No, that was money for our food. We used to eat twice a day at all. Justin took care of breakfast, because he knew that I had to work at the bar so he allowed me to sleep for a few extra minutes. While I took care of dinner, before going out to the bar. I had skipped breakfast in the morning, due to the nausea I had. I regretted doing that at noon when my discomfort worsened. However, I kept working. I could not give myself the luxury of staying at home. When leaving the bookstore, I look for my siblings. Justin could take care of them but I preferred to take them and bring them myself. I did not like them to come out alone, not with so much danger. “Juliet, you’re bad.” it was the first thing he told me as soon as he saw me.
“Juliet.” I listened on the way home. My steps were hesitant. I clung to my coat hard while fighting with nails and teeth so as not to collapse. The night was even darker than the previous one, so terrifying and so suitable for predators. Like the one who followed me without any dissimulation. The day of work at the bar became a torture since I came acrossed this man. Should I call him a man? Or maybe a vampire fits better with his description. I had gone crazy. Yes, that made more sense. I was probably working tirelessly. Because vampires did not exist. Right? I felt my heart hit my chest tightly. I did not feel good and even if I did not like to admit it, I was about to faint. I had to get home. And I need to get rid of
I barely entered my home. Justin received a bad look from me. He should not even be awake, but I knew it was impossible to control his protective instincts. They had to be around three in the morning and he had signs of having a good time awake. Surely he was worried about my health. I should not have escaped to work. I did not want to put more weight on his shoulders, but it was too late to correct it. “Who was that?” he asked. “I do not know,” I admitted. “He’s not important.” “He accompanied you here. Friend or enemy?” That was the key question to know if we had just met a potentially dangerous person. We invented it so that children could tell us if someone dangerous had entered the house because of our father.
“What do you say?” I turned to him in the middle of the street. Some people looked at me curiously, without getting to stop. An indiscreet child even pointed to me, causing his mother to be ashamed. Of course, it was not usual to see a girl screaming at a vampire in the middle of the street without any fear. I was facing him without hesitation, even when I had to raise his head to be able to look him in the eyes. My anger could be noticed from kilometers away. Even Donovan, who used to be so cheeky, was a little surprised at my outburst, although he only lasted a couple of seconds. He did not care about the people around him, he was focused on me and in my frown that seemed to say more than a thousand words. “The bites are pleasant, both for you and me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “In addition, you should feel flattered, littl
It was, but I found it impossible. Still I did not know what he wanted and could not get out of my head his angry expression. “Yes?” I turned to him, leaving aside dinner. “Tell me, what happened?” Deep breath. His tender brown eyes looked at me with doubt. His nose was upturned, his lips were thin and his brown tousled hair he always has. My brother was a very sweet guy and sure of himself, seeing him nervous was strange, so I was intrigued. He spoke, his arms crossed on the threshold of the door. “A field trip?” I asked Jake. “Yes.” His expression was dubious, almost frightened. “We will go to the water park in the n
Unbelief invaded me completely. I was sure I saw him with amazement and doubt. With interest and fear. Donovan did not even seem aware of what he had said, as if it were the most natural act in the world. How could I be important for him? I was just one a human, one with a life already quite complicated. But he said he cared … from some strange way, I could not prevent my heart from accelerating. His statement stuck in my mind. I knew that it would take turns and turns, looking for answers. The voices of the people around me took me out of the trance in which I had submerged myself. I started moving automatically, cleaning the bar with simple and fast movements. Was I important for him? That question did not stop repeating inside my head. Me? Among all people? “Why?” I whispered, overwhelmed. “I already explained it,” he commented casually. “You have the most delicious
I managed routine that did not have much time to think about everything that had happened since he came into my life. I worked day and night. Night and day. My sleep almost disappeared, but the effort would be worthwhile. Justin had promised to use his vacation, a little close, to take a part-time job and help a little. And though I wanted to say no, I could not. Justin saw me every day, ready to faint. Of course he cared about me and it was logical that he would like to help. I could not refuse him if it was his decision, since he was no longer a little boy. The bar was packed. The music was too loud and the pain in my head increased every second. I always had a headache. It was strange, because when Donovan roamed around, I felt intense pain and upset that tormented me since I was a child. Even my nose stopped bleeding for a couple of days. Did it have anything to do
It was a bit tense at first, but things just started flowing.Seeing my siblings happy was priceless. Julia kept smiling, quickly feeling confident. I greeted all the vampires we came across. At first they were uncool, but as the days passed, they noticed that I was just a very sweet girl, so they let their guard down with me.Jake, on the other hand, was always suspicious. He didn’t like it when vampires got too close to us, like he had some kind of sixth sense. He didn’t mind Donovan or Marilyn, but he did get on Camille’s nerves. He couldn’t even stand being in the same room with her.And Justin… Well, he was pleased to hear that I would be back at school. He even promised to help me with my homework if I needed it, which was adorable. He didn’t know that in my time I was
She took my arm without me being able to say anything about it. I signaled to my brother that I would be fine, or so I hoped. I didn't think she was stupid enough to attack me right under Donovan's nose. At least that's what I wanted to think. "Have they shown you the room yet?" she asked with feigned friendliness. “No.” "Well, let's go there." She dragged me all over the place. The castle was much bigger than I thought, especially when I saw the huge hall. I assumed that important meetings between vampires were held here. It was a lovely place, with great lighting and large windows looking out onto the garden. The ceilings were incredibly high, while the decoration leaned towards a gothic style that gave the place a certain charm. And right at the end, I could see something that left me transfixed. Two thrones. "You see, Ju
"An academy for people with special powers," I muttered, backing away from Donovan and Gabriel. Seeing the magic had shocked me. That boy, Gabriel, seemed like someone important. Hadn't he mentioned that he was the next leader of something? I frowned just thinking about it. I did not understand anything that was happening around me. And he wanted to send us to an academy for people with special powers. And what the hell did that mean? Was it some kind of reform school for troubled kids? Who thought of it? Of course we'd be in trouble! We did not belong to that place. I looked carefully at the four bracelets. They were beautiful, with a small chain that shone in silver, joined by a circle, inside which they had hundreds of lines, making the shape of a star. Easy to hide. My brothers wouldn't suspect the bracelet, but it was a magic detector. They were made to detect magic around us and send ou
Donovan. She walked through the doors, hesitating, looking at everything around her. Her gaze fell on Gabriel, who was studying her in turn. I felt an uncomfortable sensation in my chest, related to jealousy. But I wasn’t jealous of the warlock. Was I? Nah, someone like me could never feel insecure. Juliet was mine, so the mother moon decided. And a warlock would never be a match for me. “Oh, I didn’t know you had company. I can come back later,” she murmured. “Come closer, little creature.” “Little creature?” He looked confused. “Is that what you call all your conquests?” Juliet raised an eyebrow. She looked an
Donovan.Letting Juliet sleep was a bit of a hassle for me. After all, vampires didn’t sleep. I was nervous about having her here in my home. I grew up in this castle and everyone who lived here was loyal to me, however, that did not calm my anxiety.“Sir.” The maid bowed, she was short with dark hair. I was nervous about what she would have to tell me. “Your guest rooms are empty.” I was in my office. I was expecting a visitor, so I hadn’t moved from my spot. Only people could interrupt me when I was here, with a few exceptions. Like the one where my guests disappeared from their rooms. “Hey. How empty?” I asked, feeling concern wash over me. I had chosen this castle because I trusted every one o
“Yeah, well,” I agreed. “This way,” Donovan pointed out, pointing to doors on the sides of the stairs. “There is the dining room and the kitchen. After you take a break, I will ask the service to cook you a good breakfast. If anyone gets hungry in the meantime, they are free to stop by whenever they want.” It wouldn’t be easy to keep those kids out of the kitchen, I thought for a second. “And on this side is the living room. Dances, banquets and more are offered there.” He pointed out. “The first floor has access to everything you might need, so don’t hesitate to come here. Now, I’ll show you their rooms and then give you a tour of the place.” Bedrooms? Did he say rooms? In plural? I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but we followed him up the stairs. We went up to the third floor, as elegant as everything in the place. Even trying to show off a rustic charm, elegance w
The journey was slow and tedious. The minutes felt like hours, while the hours felt like days. I can’t deny that giving the brats mobile devices didn’t help, on the contrary, it made the nightmare just a bad dream. There was only forest to be seen everywhere. My siblings got distracted by the phones Donovan got them. Jake and Julia watched a movie together, while Justin reviewed each app carefully and curiously. I, on the other hand, refused to touch it. I didn’t want to use something that Donovan bought without my consent. I didn’t feel overly communicative. Everyone in the car noticed. Luckily for me, my siblings knew it was best not to get too upset when I was that way. Even Jake and Julia, who were so awful that there was no way to stop them, were silent, watching their animated movie. We took a few stops to go to the bathroom and another to dine on the sandwiches that Justin had been in charge of making. My st
Donovan kissed me. Fear and shock left me paralyzed for a few seconds. But Donovan didn’t stop. He pulled me closer to him, his hands gripping my waist tightly and that brought me back to reality. I reciprocated his kiss, because there was no human way to refuse a kiss from Donovan Vladimir San Victores. I felt a little pain in my lower lip and realized that he had bitten me. I wasn’t sure if he did it intentionally or not, but I wasn’t going to sit idly by. I nibbled at his, hearing him growl in approval. His hands ran down my back, while mine began to play with his hair. The more time passed, the kiss became more wild and passionate. “You are mine, Juliet. So forget about Romeos.” “Don’t worry,” I replied, agitated. “I never expected one.” I moaned softly when he kissed me again, much m
Donovan.I took the necessary documents with me. I knew he didn’t really need them, but it was better to do things legally. In addition, I knew exactly who to contact to expedite the procedures.I left high school, a little upset. I didn’t like thinking about all the work my girl had to do. And much less seeing that she had people who could help.And they did not.I asked the phone in the truck.“Who’s speaking?” I heard a shrill voice ask.“The boy of your dreams,” I replied.“Donovan.” Estelle smiled, even though I coul