Juliet
I peek around the door and find everything as I expected. Scores of women in wide flowing gowns hold masks to their faces, giggling and smiling as the men try their best to woo them. Blue LED lights twinkle around the perimeter, cupping the glass ceiling—the overhead centerpiece of the vast ballroom. For a moment, I watch the twinkling stars outside, wishing that I could be free of this prison. But wishing upon a star is for children. Obligation, and lack of other options, roots me here to do the bidding of my father, and I’m never getting out. Even if, by some small chance, my father lays his sticky fingers on the alliance he so wants and rules the galaxy, my name sealed my fate on the day of my birth. Juliet Capulet—heir to the demon. Perhaps that’s erring on the side of melodramatic, but the truth rings no less. My father is as corrupt as the double agents who move from station to station selling secrets, and I’d have to be blind to miss the way he greedily accepts bribes to further his career. He never leaves politics at the door, preferring to bully me into situations I abhor.
“Juliet!”
Ugh, Paris. Son of one the biggest movers and shakers on this godforsaken space station and creep extraordinaire. The man I despise almost as much as my father.
Plastering on my fakest, brightest smile, I turn to face him, my mother’s instructions to flirt sending an army of butterflies to war in my stomach.
“Paris. How lovely to see you. You’re having a good time, I trust?”
His blue eyes glow against the matte black of his mask, tiny rhinestones twinkling around the edges.
“Wonderful my lady, and the night just got decidedly better.” Resting his hand on his hip, he gestures to his arm. “If you would be so kind as to allow me to escort you to the night’s entertainment it would make me a very happy man.”
My arms feel like tiny bugs are creeping across my flesh as I link my arm through his and enter the ballroom. His proximity always has the same effect.
All eyes turn to face us as we descend the smooth metal staircase. The air becomes thicker and a mother ship settles on my chest. This ball is a sham and I know it. Nothing more than an excuse to throw me in a room with Paris. As we reach the bottom step, the retro music blaring from the speakers changes to a slow waltz. Paris’ hand slips down to rest on my lower back and I brace myself for what’s about to happen.
“Care to dance?” Paris asks.
I work hard to keep my eyeballs under control—I want so bad to roll them, but with my father’s career at stake, I have no option but to smile and accept.
The crowd parts as he sweeps me to the center of the room and spins me in a circle. My dress swishes around my ankles, the sequins along the trim scraping against my skin. I focus on the grating sensation, preferring torture over dancing with Paris. The mournful wail of the violin reaches its crescendo and the music switches again, this time to a slow melody accompanied by sultry vocals.
Paris pulls me so close that not even the tiniest molecule of space dust could pass between us. His fingers slide lower and clutch at flesh under layers of skirt and petticoats that no hand should touch at a debut. The butterflies win the war, twisting my stomach into a tight knot. The overwhelming urge to flee grips me, and I flatten my palm against Paris’ chest.
“Loosen up, Juliet,” Paris purrs in my ear, and that’s it—the final straw. I can’t do this. Stepping back, I excuse myself with the age-old excuse of needing to use the ladies room.
Paris licks his lips and flashes me a grin. “Be quick, I’ll be waiting right here for you.”
The room around me shrinks, pressing in on me, sucking all the air from my lungs. I stumble from the dance floor, desperate to find a pocket of cool oxygen. My foot snags against something and I shriek as I stumble forward, pushing my hands out to break my fall. My palms hit metal before I plummet to the floor, and the cool steel cuts through the intense heat sizzling through my veins and my heart slows its rapid thrum. Never in all my life have I been so glad to touch a wall. I press my forehead against it and take a shaky breath. The air scorches my lungs.
Looking for an escape, a green light blinks in my peripheral. The viewing room. My legs quaking, I lean against the wall and grope my way toward it.
Romeo
Stunning. Perhaps the plutonium grade alcohol scorching through my veins causes me to hold my breath, but I’m pretty sure it’s the beauty of the star dusted sky. Besides, I’ve only had one glass.
A rock drops to the pit of my stomach. Such a vast expanse and not a light-year of it free. The Capulets have governed this part of the galaxy for far too long. Tonight, it ends. Taking one last look at the beauty outside, I turn, ready to do what needs to be done. Find the youngest Capulet and kill her.
Dread knocks on the corner of my mind, but I won’t let it in. I’m not a killer, but the Capulets have left us no other option. We start with his prize daughter, making it clear we will continue the slaughter until we gain the freedom to trade. My father’s plan will work, and then we can move freely from station to station, offloading our wares to the highest bidder.
As I reach out to press the button, a faint breeze rustles my hair and the door hisses open. A girl stumbles into the viewing room, her body shaking and her lips blue. Tendrils of bronze curls hang from her loose updo, trailing a path to the string of pearls lining her midnight bodice. She rips the mask from her face, her eyes pleading in a silent prayer.
I should avert my eyes—walk away, but the rattle coming from her chest sucker-punches me. Reaching out, I graze her arm and rest my palm on her lower back, guiding her to the floor. The skirt of her dress spills across the metal grating, spreading like an angel’s wings. An intense need to take care of her flourishes from my soul, spreading out and infecting every bone in my body.
“Bend your head between your knees,” I say once she’s rested her back against the wall. She complies and I add, “Take a couple of deep breaths.”
Her shoulders move up and down and after a few moments, she stops shaking.
I check my jacket to make sure my cutlass and pistol are still hidden beneath it. “You all right?”
She lifts her head and the whisper of a smile plays on her face. My heart stills. Her cheeks—like ripe cherries against her pale skin, her eyes, oh my stars, they’re made from the clearest cut emeralds I’ve ever seen. Our gazes lock and somewhere in the back of my mind, comets collide.
Her sweet mouth opens and she says, “Young men’s love lies not in their hearts, but in their eyes.”
I pinch my brows together at her enigmatic words.
“The stars.” She gestures to the viewing window. “You love to watch them—that is why you would rather be in here than out there indulging in the festivities?”
A smile tugs at my lips. Even her words are as striking as the pillars of creation. I reach out and help her to her feet. “Such a vast expanse filled with beauty. How could a man not love to watch them?”
She nods her head and turns to stare through the window, a small frown marring her brow. “Or woman. Have you been out there much?”
I inhale. A distraction is the worst and best thing for me right now. “Yes. It’s how I make a living. I’m a merchant trader.” Why am I indulging this conversation? I need to get on with the mission.
Her forehead smooths and her mouth curves up. “Really?”
I bob my head in the affirmative. She bombards me with questions about space travel and the different colonies and space stations I’ve been to. I answer as best I can. As soon as I’ve responded to one, a new question comes out of the exquisite girl’s mouth. For a moment I forget what I’m here to be and let myself be just a boy, talking to a girl, flirting with a girl, wanting a girl. I get lost in her enthusiasm. Then I notice how close we’ve gotten, inching closer with each pass moment.
“It is freedom that I crave. Exploration. Anything that unleashes me from my father. What I would give to leave,” she says, amusement sparkling in her eyes. “I’d even join the space pirates, if I coul
d.”
Her words hammer into my chest. I lose control of my body and my arm reaches out, hand cupping her face. My lips move, my tongue taking on a life of its own. “Shall I compare you to a summer’s day?”
Her lips curl and her laugh rings through the air like a thousand delicate bells. “Have you ever seen a summer’s day?”
She nuzzles her cheek into my palm, sending a ripple of electricity racing from my fingertips to my heart.
Her eyes flicker to my lips, and her tongue darts out and grazes her own. The air surrounding us grows denser, the awareness of her smooth skin under my hand unleashing a sea of stars across my vision.
Bending forward I brush my lips against hers. She gasps, but then her mouth presses firmer against mine, kissing me back, heating my blood. Her hands tangle in my hair and I’m done. Memories of Ros fade to oblivion. This is her—the girl my heart yearns for. I know it within the very depths of my soul.
Eons pass before we break away from each other. The cold frost of loss overtakes me immediately. I can give her what she craves. Once I’ve completed my father’s instructions, I’ll take her with me. My heart almost stops when I remember my assignment as an assassin and I’ll likely never see her again.
Warmth rises on her cheeks and she bends her head, hiding a bashful smile.
“Please, don’t look away from me,” I say, tracing my thumb across her lips. “Never look away.”
She tilts her chin and a smile brighter than Venus lights the room. “I have no intention of it.”
Pins and needles race over my skin, my pulse quickening. “Then come with me. I leave this place tonight. You can join—”
My words fade as a harsh alarm screeches from the speakers. Red lights pulse on and off in time to the siren, bouncing eerie shadows around the room.
Juliet
Fissures crawl across my heart as the guy rushes through the doors, leaving me behind. “Wait,” I cry, but he’s gone before I can ask his name.
I touch my fingers to my heated lips; the scorch of his kiss lingers. It started the lamest act of rebellion ever, kissing a complete stranger—someone of no political importance—but it felt good to defy my parents, even if they’ll never know it. And now I have the chance I’ve always wanted—to leave them behind, begin a new life away from their tyranny, and I will take it.
Shivers crawl up my spine and I yearn to stow away on that guy’s ship and hide until it’s too late to bring me back. Though we only just met, he has burrowed his way into my very being. The image of him still burns in my mind. Deep chestnut eyes, strands of light blond hair hanging just above them. His gray mask bore feathers, though I doubt they’re as soft as his mouth. The muscles in his arms rippled as he lowered me to the floor, his touch sweet, caring.
The sirens pull me from my yearning. Shouts and screams carry through the now open door. I scramble to lift my dress above my ankles and rush to peruse the scene outside.
Women run in various directions, their masks abandoned and crushed on the floor. Men brandish pistols and swords, pushing their way through the crowd toward the dance floor. What lies beyond the mass of bodies, I don’t know.
The back of a blonde head bobs through the crowd, gray ribbons tied around it. My blood ignites—it’s him.
I race into the ballroom, desperate to reach him, but the density of the throng closes in on me. Spinning in a circle, elbows jab my body, but the pain won’t deter me from finding him.
“Juliet!”
A hand seizes my wrist, whipping me around. Paris glares down at me, his eyes so wide they are almost lost beneath his mask. A gun brandished in his other hand signals toward my quarters.
I try to twist away, but his fingers bite into my skin. “Let me go, Paris.”
“This is not the place for a young lady,” he says, pulling me against him. “Come on, I’m getting you out of here.”
I cry out as he spins and jerks me along behind him, my shoulder aching from his roughness. I dig my heels into the floor, but it only makes him pull harder.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice high and cracking.
He doesn’t answer, instead yanks me forward. We break free from the crowd and skirt around the edge of it, Paris hauling me toward the stairs from which I entered. As we reach the bottom step, his hold slackens and he pushes me in front of him.
“Go back to your room, Juliet. I’ll come find you once we’ve got the situation under control.”
“What situation? What’s going on?” I ask, unwilling to leave without first finding the man with whom I shared a kiss. My freedom beckons with the beauty of a birthing star.
“Space pirates have infiltrated the station and a fight has broken out. It’s the Montagues, Juliet. Now, go.”
Fear rolls from my heart to my stomach. The Montagues’ grievances with my father have resulted in a war, and now they’re here and who knows what they’ll do to secure the galaxy’s freedom. I sympathize with their plight. I know how it is to be trapped—forced to follow a set of rules I don’t believe in. Still, the war has already resulted in casualties, and my father recently received a threat on my life. I doubt the source was even credible.
My legs ache as I race up the stairs, leaving the scuffle behind me. Invisible strings tug at my back, the need to see the man consuming my thoughts overwhelming. Halfway up, I stop and turn to search through the crowd one last time.
The chaos has overtaken the ballroom, yet the dance floor is clear save for a woman and several men, some of whom brandish black swords that only space pirates carry. My cousin, Ty, pulls back his arm then launches it forward, his fists landing heavy punches on one of the space pirates. He lunges for his sword on the ground a few feet from him. A figure breaks through the mass, kicks the sword out of reach and pushes Ty away. Ice runs through my veins at the familiar figure.
Romeo
“Save your fight for another day, we are simply here to enjoy ourselves,” I say, wedging myself between Merc and Ty. The lie doesn’t fool anyone, but I had to try.
Ben bounces behind them waving his sword, his pupils wide from the Queen Mab. I need to get the situation under control before he goes atomic.
Ty spits a glob of bloody saliva from his mouth and reaches behind him. “You had the audacity to show up here, now you must pay the consequences.” He reaches into his pocket and produces a knife, the blade glinting under the red warning lights as if blood has already spilled.
Holding my hands up, I take a step back, herding Merc in the same direction with my body. “We’ll leave now, if you’ll allow us safe passage.”
“I’ll allow you no such thing.” Ty sneers, lurching forward.
Before I can react, Merc grabs my collar and yanks me back, but Ty advances, his fingers fisted around the blade’s handle. As he lunges forward, I close my eyes. A scream erupts from the crowd and Merc releases me. Opening my eyes, Ty’s stares back, a nefarious grin on his face.
“Romeo,” Merc whispers from behind me. “I am hurt.”
I turn to my friend, dread rushing through every nerve. His hand trembles against his stomach, blood seeping through his fingers. The color rushes from his skin and he pitches forward. On instinct, I catch him and lower him to the floor.
“You both did this—the ambition of your father and Capulet’s greed. A plague on both your houses,” he whispers before his body slumps to the floor and he falls still.
His words aren’t lost on me. Too long has my family been at war with the Capulets. Too many have suffered and now Merc has paid the ultimate sacrifice. It should be me lying in his place.
“Romeo, we need to get out of here before the guards pour in.”
Ros places a gentle hand on my shoulder, but I can’t tear my gaze away from Merc’s lifeless body.
Behind me, Ben and Ty grunt and shout, caught in a scuffle. Swords discarded, they look to settle the score with fists.
Ros tugs my collar. “He’s dead, Romeo. There’s nothing we can do for him now. We mus
t leave before we end up like him, too.”
I wrench my mask off, tears stinging my eyes as I say a silent goodbye to my friend. Another life ended so callously and all because of the Capulets desire to govern every space station and planet in this galaxy.
A mournful wail rips from my throat. A wave of anger rides it, morphing my cry into a roar.
Leaping up, I follow Ros across the dance floor. Guards push through the sea of people, and it won’t be long until we’re caught.
“Ben,” I shout, but he’s too caught up in the fight with Ty to notice me. His face reddens as he roars, the Queen Mab sending him into a frenzy. He reaches into his jacket, brandishing cold metal.
I jerk back as a crack rips through the air. Ben’s arm rises, tiny wisps of smoke spiraling from his pistol. Ty’s hand clutches his chest. A heavy silence spills over the room as his eyes roll back and he crashes to the floor.
“Cousin!” a women’s voice screams, and, though I’ve heard only a sentence from those cherry red lips, I know it’s her.
The desperation to see her overrides my need to escape and I glance up. Her mask dangling limply by her side, she stares at me, horror etched all over her face.
A woman appears behind her. “Juliet, come on.”
Juliet Capulet. Bile creeps up my throat. Of all the girls I could’ve fallen for, it had to be the very one I’d come here to kill.
A hand locks around my wrist and pulls me back, but I can’t tear my gaze from Juliet.
“Romeo,” Ben says, with a growl in his voice. The killing has seemed to satisfy the Queen Mab’s appetite for mayhem. He appears in control and rational again. “We need to get to the escape pods on the east side of the station.”
My life at risk, I have no choice but to flee. Sure, I could aim my pistol at her now and do my father’s bidding, but the thought of harming her in anyway repulses me.
Never Be Younger: A YA Anthology Page 3
