Juliet Immortal

be.
    “Well, well.
There’s
a secret.” Gemma sounds almost as repulsed as I feel. I pull my mouth from Romeo’s, shifting my eyes to her, though I stay in Romeo’s arms. “I think I’m going to go now. Ben, you coming?”
    “Definitely. I’m definitely coming.”
    I turn to look at him, and it’s all I can do not to burst into tears. The mixture of pain and disappointment, anger and despair, on his face cuts a hole in my heart deeper than the one Romeo put there with his knife. Ben looks so completely betrayed that I want to beg him to stay, confess that the kiss meant nothing and that I never would have touched Dylan if it weren’t the only way to save Ben’s life, a life that is impossibly precious to me after only two days.
    But I can’t say any of those things. Instead, I press closer to Romeo, twining an arm around his waist. This is what’s best for Ben. Now he can write me off and turn his attention back to Gemma.
    “Cool,” Gemma says. “We can go hang out in the stables. I’ll borrow the trainer’s truck to take you home later.” She digs into her pocket for her car keys and throws them at my and Romeo’s feet. “You two can take my car out the back gate. I’ll come back and erase the gate security tape after you’re gone.”
    I meet her eyes, and the anger there makes me flinch. I didn’t expect my kissing Dylan to make her even angrier. Her relationship with Ben is my top priority, but I don’t want to ruin things between her and Ariel. “Wait, Gemma,” I say. “Don’t be mad. We wanted to tell you, but—”
    She holds up a hand. “I don’t want to talk about this now. Okay? Will you just go? You can park the car in front of the Windmill tomorrow morning. I’ll get my mom to drop me off there before she goes to work.” She turns and reaches a hand out to Ben. He takes it and holds on, following her through the discarded monster cups littering the concrete, making my spirits rise and my stomach plummet at the same time. I ignore my stomach. This is what has to happen. I have no other choice.
    I stay in Romeo’s arms until Ben and Gemma disappear down one shadowed row, then put my hands on his chest and shove. He lets me go with a laugh. “I guess this means you’ve changed your mind about loving me.”
    “Hardly.” I grab the keys from the ground. “But I won’t let you win this one.”
    “Then you must give me your love. If you want them both to live, if you want to live yourself, there is no other option.”
    I ignore him, gathering the cups from the ground. “What’s going on with you and Gemma? With Dylan and Gemma?”
    He waves his finger back and forth and makes a tsking sound. “No, no. No more scratching your back until you’ve scratched mine.”
    “When have you ever scratched my back?”
    “Well …”
    I hold up a hand. “Don’t. Just … don’t.”
    “I was only going to say that I helped you now, by sending that boy running back to Gemma’s arms. I think he was starting to take an interest in someone else, in spite of these.” He reaches for the scarred side of my face, but I step away. He smiles, an eager smile, as if anticipating some excellent game. “I like them, myself. Ugliness only makes beauty more striking. Don’t you think?”
    “Ariel isn’t ugly. And I don’t care what you like.”
    He shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. Soon you’ll have your own body back.” He fiddles with the spigot, sending little bursts of wine to splatter onto the ground. “There’s another way I’ve scratched your back. I discovered the spell, our way out.”
    “Stop that.”
    Romeo grins, flips the spigot to the on position, and walks away. I sigh as I turn it off and tuck the cups back under the steel tank. There’s nothing left to keep my hands busy. I have to talk to him. At least enough to ensure he’ll leave Ben and Gemma alone. “This is Mercenary magic?” I ask, trying to sound vaguely interested while I warn myself not to be drawn in.
    “It is old magic,” he says. “Original magic, before the Mercenaries and Ambassadors decided which side they were on.Back when they were the very best of friends.” His look becomes a leer. “Some of them were even lovers.”
    I roll my eyes. He’s mad. This delusional story proves it. The Ambassadors and Mercenaries are bitter enemies.
    As are you and Romeo, but once upon a time …
    It’s as if Romeo can hear my thoughts and knows the second weakness creeps into my mind. He sucks in a