Page 143 of His Juliet

When I didn’t respond, she grabbed my shoulders. The light danced off her eyes. They were green, like mine.

“You speak English?” My words were slurred. Was I dreaming? My head felt weird, like it was too heavy for my neck.

“Focus. Your wedding is tomorrow.”

I shook my head, the movement awkward and clumsy. “No. I want Romeo.”

Her fingers dug into my shoulders. “Listen. At the reception, the men will pass around shot glasses with alcohol. Do not drink it.”

My mind swam. “I can’t get married.”

A sound in the hallway made both of us freeze. A few agonizing seconds ticked by. When nothing happened, she turned back to me. “Do not drink the raki. Do you understand? It’s poison. It will kill you.”

My heart raced while I blinked.Focus. Was this some sort of elaborate hallucination?

“Who are you?” I croaked. “What’s happening?”

She cupped my face, and the warmth of her skin helped me concentrate. “My name is Elira.” She moved back to the door when another sound echoed in the hallway. “Remember what I said.”

As quickly as she came, she vanished like a ghost.

69

JULIET

The dungeon door slammed open,and I forced my head up to see the man who haunted my nightmares.

The Butcher rubbed his hands together. “Today is the day, Juliet. Are you ready for your wedding?”

I stared at him, expression blank.

“Tut tut, I would change that attitude.” He crouched down so his face was level with mine. His putrid breath smelled of alcohol. “Your new husband knows you’re used goods. I promised him if he accepted a non-virgin as his bride, he could exact blood from her another way.” His lips caressed my ear, and I swallowed down the bile threatening to come up my parched throat.

He stood to his full height and pinched my cheek. “I’ll see you soon, niece.”

As he left, two women entered—the younger woman from before and one I didn’t recognize. The one who had appeared to me in what felt like a fever dream, Elira, wasn’t with them.

They dragged in a large trunk and closed the cell door behind them. The young woman untied me and pulled a roll from her pocket along with another can of cat food. Tears of gratitude pricked my eyes when Queenie started eating.

The other woman opened the trunk, pulling out a blood-red dress with goldwork on the bodice and sleeves.

I wanted to beg them to save me, to take me out of this place, but from the worsening bruise on the young woman’s face, it was clear they had just as much power in this situation as I did.

They stripped off my plain black dress and pulled tight shapewear over my thick curves that made it hard for me to take a deep breath. They still struggled to zip up the back of the dress, muttering apologetically when they finally got it closed. Next, they guided me back into the chair to do my hair and makeup. Sitting made it even harder to breathe, and black spots danced in my vision.

Queenie let out a satisfiedmeowfrom her spot on the floor. The can of food was empty. She made a running leap and crawled up the skirt of my dress. The young woman let out a soft laugh, and I almost had the urge to smile.

The women worked quickly to apply makeup and pin my hair up in a bun. I didn’t know how much time had passed before an armed guard opened the cell door. He barked something at the women. My heart pounded and my chest went tight. I snagged Queenie and slipped her into the dress’s large pocket, praying that she stayed hidden. The women nudged me out of the room where three more guards were waiting.

They led me through a series of hallways. The brick flooring was old and uneven, and my tight heels pinched my toes while I tried to keep up. Finally, after multiple locked doors, we emerged outside. I’d hated being in my cell, had been convinced I would die there, but being outside now made my heart feel like it was close to exploding.

I couldn’t do this. The sensory input was almost painful. The sun glared in my eyes and the noise, people,everything, was too fucking much.

I slipped my hand into my pocket. Queenie’s soft fur brushed against my fingers, and she alternated between licking my skin and gently nipping at it. It grounded me enough that I was able to take in my surroundings.

We were outside a massive house that looked more like a medieval castle. Ten black cars with dark tinted windows lined the circular driveway, each decorated with an arrangement of flowers and a flag featuring some sort of crest. A series of loud shots filled the air. I screamed and crouched down, but all I heard was raucous laughter and cheers. The men standing by the cars were shooting their rifles into the air.

The guards pulled me back up and marched me over to one of the cars, gesturing for me to get in the back. I caught one last glance of the two women before I climbed inside. The fierceness in their expressions took my breath away.

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