The Overture of Fear & Passion (The Daemonica Symphony Series Book 1) Page 19

  “O.K.” She finally said, extending her hand to shake on the deal.

  “But I have to balance the terms. A violin lesson really doesn’t compare with twenty-four hours of servitude. So, I’ll offer the same.”

  Niko’s eyes bulged, he definitely hadn’t expected that, he had been planning to lose the bet intentionally, thinking that a day of waiting on her hand and foot would help her to see his virtuous side. Now he didn’t know if he wouldn’t prefer to win the bet.

  He took her hand with a smile and shook firmly, holding on for a little longer than necessary, the first stage of his plan was a success, now it was time for stage two.

  “Since you seem to be in such an agreeable mood, I have another proposal for you.” He said, hoping his luck hadn’t run out yet.

  She pulled away, suspicion creeping back into her eyes.

  “Look, I know you’re not going to like what I’m offering, but just hear me out before you say no, O.K?”

  She looked at the envelope she held and nodded as she folded her arms across her chest, Niko had to focus all of his concentration on maintaining eye contact, despite being fully aware that her arms were lifting up her breasts and the top of a lace bra was playing a tantalising game of peek-a-boo. Niko shook his head and swallowed to return some moisture to his mouth before he could speak.

  “We both know what happened a few weeks ago, so I won't rehash the details. I apologise if you felt like I invaded your privacy, that definitely wasn’t my intention. But I can’t go back and change what I know. The fact of the matter is you need me. Yes, you could use someone else, and there would be nothing wrong with that, but I know that’s not what you want. You have to admit you feel something for me, but for now let’s just put all of that aside.” He took a breath, hoping he hadn’t lost her already, but her expression hadn’t changed so he continued.

  “Regardless of how we feel for each other, let’s just think about this as a friend – me” he said, pointed at himself, “helping out another friend – you." He said, turning his hands towards her.

  “I want you to be fit and healthy and as your friend, I’m willing to offer you my uh... services... to help you with uh... that.” He felt like a fucking idiot the way he was falling over his words, this had gone so much better when he’d practised it in his head.

  “If I was starving, and you were the only person that could feed me, you would do it, right?” He asked, hoping to rationalise his proposal to make it seem less dramatic. She looked away but seemed thoughtful.

  “Let me do this for you, as your friend, Juliet. We can worry about feelings and all that other stuff later.” He let the offer hang in the air, hoping she wasn’t going to completely reject it.

  Her silence was reassuring. After a minute, she finally looked up again.

  “What did you have in mind exactly? I mean, how would this work?” She asked, looking nervous. He smiled, relieved.

  “We can meet up, once a week. We’ll start off slow and keep things professional. You will be completely in charge. Whatever you’re comfortable with Juliet, I’m not asking for anything more than that. And when you say stop, I’ll stop. No questions asked.” His heart rate had increased, the possibility that she might actually agree was getting too real.

  She took a deep breath and let it out, seeming to let go of the last of her resistance. She began to nod.

  “O.K.” She said. Niko had to muster up every ounce of self-control to not act like a complete idiot.

  He was ecstatic. He genuinely wanted to make sure the girl he cared about was O.K, but part of him also saw this as his way to get her to give him a chance. A few months ago, he never would have believed he would care so much about a woman he had just met. Maybe if he had known what was waiting for him, he wouldn’t have been so angry at his parents for wanting to send him away in the first place.

  He looked at her for a moment, and when she didn’t look away, he began to feel nervous. Now that the deal was struck, he was unsure of how to act around her. He began trying to think of something to say but was spared the trouble when they were interrupted by a couple of party goers bursting through the terrace doors, noisily making out, completely oblivious of their presence.

  Juliet looked away, the shadow of a blush spreading across her cheeks. He tilted his heads towards the door to indicate they should go back into the party and she smiled and came forward, letting him open the door for her as she led the way in.

  THEY WERE REUNITED with Fiona, Sean, and Scott quickly enough before they were joined by a few others and sat down near the fireplace. Scott appeared to be taking a break from playing bartender and had clearly been enjoying some of his own creations. He was in the middle of a one-man drinking game that had everyone clapping and singing along. As his performance came to an end, everyone cheered loudly and rewarded him with a huge applause while he skulled the last of his drink.

  “Who’s next?” He asked the crowd. When no one volunteered he pointed at Sean.

  “Sean, mate! Surely you know a good one.” He slurred and Sean chuckled.

  “Sorry Scotto, I only know one drinkin’ game.” He said.

  “Rubbish.” Scott replied, “You’re Irish for crying out loud! You have to know a heap of ‘em.”

  “No, I swear it, I don’t know any but one.” Scott rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  “Well, what is it then?”

  “Never Have I Ever.”

  Scott nodded, “Ah, yes a classic. That’ll do. But we’re gonna need the music turned down so we can hear each other properly.” He looked over the sea of heads and yelled across the room.

  “Hey Eric! Eric!”

  He got the attention of Eric and made the classic turn it down hand gesture.

  “Turn it down mate!... Cheers” He said, yelling not as loudly when the music was reduced to a manageable level. He addressed the crowd again.

  “Well, since I’ve already got everyone’s attention, I’ll start, shall I? Anyone need to know the rules of the game? No? Good.” He contemplated for a moment.

  “Never, have I ever...” He seemed to be looking around the room at all of the females in the group, “Kissed a bloke.” He said. A few of the women rolled their eyes and took sips of their drink. Niko watched Juliet as she watched everyone else before taking a sip of her own. Niko had a suspicion that Scott’s aim was less about finding out secrets and more about getting as many people as drunk as possible.

  “Right, Sean. You’re turn. Since the game was your suggestion.” Scott said to Sean.

  He looked nervously at Fiona, clearly not wanting to embarrass himself or make her uncomfortable.

  “Never have I ever kissed a girl.” He said shyly before taking a sip of his beer.

  The boys all laughed and drank, Niko nearly spat out his beer when he saw Juliet take a drink too. Jesus! His girl was full of surprises.

  There were a few wolf whistles from the boys as Juliet wasn’t the only girl to drink. It was no surprise to Niko that the Otherworld males could be just as immature as humans when it came to drinking games.

  “Never have I ever...” Fiona called out, volunteering to go next, “Eaten cereal for dinner.” She said, everyone laughed at her innocent expression, and nearly everyone had a drink.

  As a few more people took turns, Scott went around with what looked like a bottle of tequila and topped up the glasses that were nearing empty. He clearly wanted things to pick up a notch.

  Juliet joined in, “Never have I ever cried while watching a Disney Movie.” she said with a mischievous grin while she watched several members of the group drink. He wasn’t surprised that her own lips stayed dry.

  “Never have I ever-” But Niko was cut off by Odette before he could finish his sentence.

  “Never have I ever killed a person.” She said nonchalantly, before taking a sip from her glass.

  The Vampire had appeared out of nowhere and looked bored with the party, although Niko could hardly remember a time when she didn�
��t look that way. There was nervous laughter from a few members of the crowd, but Niko’s stomach hit the floor. He eyed Juliet nervously and she too had gone as white as a sheet. Scott, God love him, rescued them all from having to decide whether or not to drink.

  “Right, who invited the buzz killer?” He raised his glass into the air.

  “Who here wants me to do a shoey?” A few people cheered but the damage was done. He watched Fiona and Juliet exchange a silent conversation before Juliet got up from the couch. She averted her eyes as she made her way past him and she left the party without another word.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “The main thing that I want each of you to take away from today’s lesson, is that in order to successfully use any form of mental compulsion, you must have complete focus. Even if the power balance is in your favour, you will accomplish nothing if you cannot remain centred.” Elijah ended the lesson with his usual sage advice and Juliet opened her eyes, returning her attention to the warm room.

  Now that she was no longer struggling to maintain her mental shield, it was once again her favourite lesson at Livingstone. The meditation practise alone helped to calm her mind and let go of her concerns while she focussed on nothing other than her breath.

  The week since her birthday party had moved along slowly. Despite the uncomfortable end, she had to admit the night hadn’t been a total disaster. She kept the Opus tucked loving inside her violin case after carefully making a copy, so that she could study it closely without risking any damage to the original. Just having it near her instrument made her feel like she was syphoning some mystical power from it; that it was helping her to play more precisely and with more passion. She had even shown it to Fiona, asking if she could work a protective spell over it to keep it safe. Fiona promised to do her best but wanted to practise on other less fragile pieces first.

  As she made her way back to her room, Niko came up to her and walked by her side, exchanging casual chit chat like they were old friends.

  “So, when do you want to catch up?” He asked as their paths diverged. He posed the question so casually that he could have been asking to do homework together, but she knew exactly what he was referring to.

  She chewed her lip, looking towards the stairs in the hope that someone she knew might interrupt them and save her from having to answer. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she tried to restore the focus she’d attained in her meditative state.

  “Tomorrow afternoon?” She suggested, watching as relief flooded his eyes. She only noticed then that he’d been spinning his fountain pen in circles the entire time, a sign that he was just as nervous as she was.

  He nodded as his lips turned into their usual half-smile, but she was on to him. He might have a better poker face, but she was learning to read his tells.

  NERVOUS ENERGY PLAGUED Juliet for the rest of the night causing her to have strange dreams. When she woke in the morning, she couldn’t remember many of the details, only that her mother and William had been there at one point and then she had been alone, either drowning or floating in the eerie blackness of the lake in the woods.

  She had been missing William’s company in the weeks since his death. In the short time that she had spent getting to know him, she had begun to rely on his friendship and affection. Without it, she had begun to feel lonely and isolated in the strangeness of Livingstone.

  Sitting by the window in the common room, Fiona’s constant stream of chatter brushed away the last remaining cobwebs of her dream. She had been a steady source of frustration all week; asking endless questions, many of which she asked repeatedly, trying to weasel out more detailed answers, but Juliet remained tight-lipped. Without knowing for herself what was going on with her and Niko, how was she going to explain it to Fiona?

  “Would you like me to make you some tea?” Fiona asked. She’d let herself in after lunch, apparently having nothing better to do than test Juliet’s patience.

  “What for?” Juliet asked, putting down her mirror in frustration. Juliet’s anxiety was making her irritable and having to look at Fiona while trying to apply a perfectly straight eyeliner wing was bumping up her stress levels.

  “No reason.” Fiona replied, pursing her lips and looking away innocently.

  “Sorry.” Juliet said, realising that she was in fact, just trying to be helpful.

  “Thank you.” She said, letting out a slow breath through her nose.

  “Some tea would be great.”

  Fiona jumped up and went to work, which by the looks of the assortment of herbs and little mumbles coming from Fiona’s lips, seemed to be more “bewitched” than “bergamot”.

  “Is that what you’re planning on wearing?” Fiona asked, nosing the cardigan and jeans that Juliet was wearing. She nodded slowly, pursing her lips as Fiona handed her the hot tea.

  Fiona tsked and shook her head, she took Juliet’s free hand and dragged her towards Juliet’s room.

  “Where are ‘dose leather pants you wore last weekend?” She asked, as she opened Juliet’s wardrobe and began rummaging around.

  Juliet flopped herself on the end of her bed and sipped her tea. She watched as Fiona rummaged through her small collection of clothing and she rubbed the bridge of her nose, then stopped herself, inspecting a finger to see if she’d rubbed off all of her painstakingly applied highlighter. Fiona had been trying to teach her how to apply make-up and she was getting better, but the progress was agonisingly slow and what Fiona could do in fifteen minutes, took her hours to accomplish.

  “Fi, I am not wearing those. There’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing.” Juliet said. She thought she looked fine in her dark jeans and loose t-shirt. The cardigan was one of her favourites, lovingly hand knitted and extra cosy. It even had pockets.

  Fiona looked at her and sighed, before returning her attention to the closet and letting out a cheer.

  “Fine, but you ‘ave to wear dese!” She exclaimed, holding out the thigh-high boots that Beatriz had bought her. Seeing them reminded her of her friend and she released a sigh. She missed her friend; Beatriz always knew exactly what to say to boost her confidence and cheer her up. She needed a dose of that desperately.

  Juliet shook her head, wondering why she hadn’t thought of it sooner as she pulled out her phone and quickly placed a video call.

  Fiona waited with a curious expression on her face while the dialling singsong played.

  “Cara!” Beatriz exclaimed as soon as the call connected.

  “I’ve missed you, beautiful girl! Who’s that with you? Is that Fiona?” She asked.

  Fiona came closer, holding the boots to her chest and looking at Juliet to see if it was O.K for her to join in. Juliet smiled and nodded her over.

  “Bea, I have a little problem I was hoping you could help me with.” Juliet said.

  “Shoot.” Beatriz responded with a smile.

  Juliet handed the phone to Fiona after switching the camera mode and stood in front of her.

  “I’m supposed to be hanging out with Niko this afternoon and this is what I’m wearing.” She had already filled her in on the basic details of what had been going on with him and like Fiona, she had begged for more details and had pouted sullenly when Juliet had refused.

  “Oh cara, no! What are you, a forty-five-year-old cleaning lady?” Beatriz whined. Fiona giggled and switched the camera mode again to display the boots.

  “I told ‘er she should wear dese.” She explained.

  Juliet went over to her and snatched her phone away, but it was too late. Beatriz was nodding.

  “Yes Julietta, you have to wear the boots. This is exactly the perfect occasion.” She said.

  “Don’t you think they’re a little bit...”

  “Slutty? Yes! Exactly!”

  “But I don’t want to give him the wrong idea.”

  “What, you think because you wear boots that say you want to fuck that you have to fuck?” She asked rhetorically, her language making Fiona blush.


  “No. I know you want this guy Juliet. I can tell. You want to let him know that you’re interested. The boots are perfect. Now you will look like a slutty forty-five-year-old cleaning lady.” She said before laughing hysterically at her own joke.

  JULIET MADE HER way to the wing where Niko’s make-shift-studio was secreted away. Her heels clicked along on the marble floors, the halls quieter in this part of the castle than the rest.

  When she arrived at the door, she heard music coming from within. She listened for a few seconds before recognised Beethoven and decided to let herself in without knocking.

  Niko was draped over the edge of a chair, his feet bare and his hair dishevelled. His eyes were narrowed and focused on the objects in his hands and he appeared to be lost in his work.

  As Juliet drew near, she noticed he was threading what appeared to be small paper cranes onto strings of wire. From the looks of the boxes around the room, there must have been thousands of them.

  “One thousand exactly.” Niko said, seemingly picking the thought out of Juliet’s head. She looked up into his eyes, not having realised that he’d stopped what he was doing to look at her.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, you were practically broadcasting.” He apologised.

  She nodded, realising she hadn’t even bothered to put up a shield. She thought about it for a second before deciding that there really wasn’t much point.

  He seemed to sense the change in her, smiling a little as he let his eyes drift downwards.

  “Nice boots.” He said, when his eyes landed on them.

  “Nice music.” She said, smiling.

  “It’s O.K, but not as good as when you play.” He stood up, moving to the back of his chair.