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

by Eloisa Clark

  She began to play, using the drums to set the pace and following along with syncopated rhythms and leading her phrases with long downward strokes. There was a shift in the energy, something that stirred her Demon-side. The air was charged with desire and she felt it directed at her from multiple sources. Her Demon tasted the air and sparked to life, allowing her to remain in control enough to keep playing.

  She didn’t understand what was happening, but it felt good, energising. The jam went on for so long that eventually Juliet’s hand began to cramp. She felt drunk from the buzz of absorbing so much energy as well as the high that performing always gave her.

  She signalled to the drummer that she was ready to finish, and they closed off their set. For a moment silence fell and then there was a cheer from the entire crowd. She bowed slightly to the band, thanking them for letting her join in and the dancing resumed as they began a new song.

  Juliet moved away and returned the fiddle, closing the case carefully. As she stood back up, she was pulled into strong arms that spun her around, lips descending on hers before she even had a chance to see who had grabbed her.

  But she didn’t need to see him to know who it was, she recognised his smell, his taste and the feel of him. She could feel the connection between them spark to life the moment his lips touched hers. A small part of her wanted to resist, but the combination of overindulgence and her attraction to him compelled her to submit and she returned the kiss with equal passion.

  She only broke away when she needed to catch her breath. He said nothing, only stared into her eyes for a minute before placing his lips on her jaw, along her neck and her earlobe. He seemed overcome with desire, she was so used to him holding back and being the one in control that the change in him was bewildering.

  “Let’s go somewhere.” He said silently.

  She shook her head, trying to push him away.

  “I’m here with Eric.” She replied.

  “Screw Eric. You only came with him to make me jealous. It worked. Let’s go.”

  She pushed him, hard.

  “Screw you Niko. I’m not going anywhere with you.” She yelled over the music.

  She turned to leave but he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him.

  “I’m sorry. Please, I’m not myself. Something happened to me while you were playing. I can’t explain it. Please. I have to talk to you. Just hear me out and I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the night if that’s what you want.”

  She pushed herself away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. She let out a long breath, she knew he wasn’t going to leave her alone and it would be better to just hear him out so she could get on with her night. She nodded in the direction of the tree line and let him place a hand around her as he led the way.

  He took her to the edge of the clearing, where the noise of the crowd and drums was less invasive, and they would be able to talk without interruption.

  But within seconds of reaching the trees, Niko had his arms around her and was backing her into a tree, kissing her again. His lips parted from hers momentarily to whisper mumbled compliments.

  The urge to let him keep going nearly overpowered her but she pushed him and held him away from her while she caught her breath.

  “Niko, stop! You said you just wanted to talk. So, talk!”

  “What’s there to talk about?” He said, giving her his lopsided grin and trying to move her hand aside so that he could come closer. She resisted and pushed harder against him, although she was completely aware that he could overpower her at any point, if he really tried.

  “You have three seconds, Niko. Or I’m leaving.”

  He shook his head, like he was trying to shake off the effect of whatever was compelling him to lose control.

  “I’m waiting.” She said, getting impatient.

  The longer she spent this close to Niko, the less she was able to resist the pull he had on her.

  “I changed my mind.” He said, confusing her.

  “About?”

  “Your terms. Whichever way you want to play this, I accept it. So now can we move on?”

  Juliet shook her head; he was clearly interested in more of a relationship than she was willing to give him and their argument had only exposed his true feelings.

  “We want different things from each other. You have expectations that I can’t meet.”

  He nodded, “You’re right. And I understand now what you need.”

  “You do?” Her eyebrow raised.

  “You want me, but with no strings attached. I get it. It’s fine.”

  “You can do that? You’re not going to just pretend we’re on the same page but secretly think we’re like ‘destined’ for each other or something, are you?”

  He shook his head, “No, definitely. We’re just going to do the casual thing. I’m onboard.” He tried to lean in for another kiss, but she wasn’t convinced and pushed against him again.

  “That was too easy. What are you playing at?”

  He sighed, clearly annoyed at being denied. But she stood her ground and waited.

  “Fine. I have one string.”

  She knew it.

  “What is it?” She asked.

  “I can deal with us having an expiration date. We’re done when we leave Livingstone, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, the thing about the soul-bond is that it kind of makes me extremely territorial. So, it would be easier for everyone if we could just agree to be exclusive for the remainder of our time here.”

  She thought for a moment. She wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t serious about keeping their relationship casual, but this did seem like a fair compromise. She really wasn’t the kind of girl to date multiple guys at once anyway. She hadn’t even wanted to go out with Eric even though he seemed like a perfectly decent guy.

  “O.K.” She said after giving it some thought.

  “O.K?” He asked, sounding surprised.

  “I agree to your terms, Nikolai Dmitriyev.” She dropped her arm, offering a handshake.

  He stared at the hand for a moment before he lunged at her.

  He kissed her forcefully, tilting her head back as he pressed his hard body against her, the back of the tree digging into her back. Her own desire mounted, and she began to reach for his belt buckle, wanting to feel his hardness in her hands. He pulled away, taking her hands in his to stop her.

  “Niko, you can drop the pretence. This isn’t about you ‘feeding’ me anymore. You want me and I want you. There’s no reason why I should be the only one who gets off.”

  In the dim light, Juliet saw Niko’s mouth open and close as he struggled to find a justification for why she shouldn’t continue. When he remained silent, she slipped her hands out of his and pushed against him until he was the one with his back against a tree.

  She kissed him for a moment first, tearing down the last of his defences before lowering her hands to his belt again. She undid it easily and made equally light work of his button and fly. She felt a rush of excitement as she heard his breath catch when her hand reached for the waist band of his underwear. She slid her hand slowly underneath the fabric and fisted the silky skin of his cock. He hissed and his fingers dug into her back.

  She began stroking the length of him, enjoying the feel of his hard flesh. It was highly arousing, and she felt herself growing wet as she began to increase her pace. Whether it was through their connection or just the normal interpretation of body language, Juliet sensed when he was about to come. Having never done this before, she wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.

  Niko stopped her suddenly, pulling her hand away but clutching her tightly against him as he froze completely. Feeling confused for a second Juliet was about to ask if she had done something wrong when she heard Niko’s shuddering moan escape his mouth against her neck. His body spasmed momentarily before going still once more and he leaned his head back against the tree, his face a mask of pure gratification. He chuckled softly and faced Jul
iet, his expression turning sinister as he broadcast the thought; “You’re turn.”

  Niko spun Juliet around on the spot and pinned her against the tree. His lips descended on hers and his hand began to slide under her shirt, but the moment was interrupted by a guttural scream which cut off abruptly. The pair froze. Niko quickly clutched Juliet close to him and looked around the dark forest that surrounded them.

  Juliet reached out telepathically, trying to see if she could hear the thoughts of whoever was in danger. She heard something faint, but it cut in and out like a poorly tuned radio. She couldn’t make out if it belonged to a male or female. All she could tell was that the thoughts were jumbled, jumping from anger to fear, remorse and glee. She shook her head as the thoughts began to make her dizzy. Before cutting off the connection she was able to pick up the direction they were coming from.

  “Over there.” She whispered to Niko, nodding in the direction she detected.

  As he quickly refastened his jeans, Niko looked down at Juliet and frowned.

  “You should head back to the others. They probably didn’t hear. You need to go and get help.” She shook her head, “No way, I’m not leaving you alone.”

  “If we both go back, we might not make it back in time.” He said silently.

  She nodded in agreement, understanding without explanation that they might be too late to save someone who needed their help, or there might be a killer about to get away.

  Niko took her hand in his and lead the way. Their night vision was greatly improved due to their recent energy exchange, but the height of Juliet’s heeled boots slowed down their progress.

  When Niko stopped suddenly, Juliet had been too focussed on her footing to realise in time and slammed into his back. She looked up to see what had stopped him, but he spun around and blocked her.

  “What is it?” She asked, trying to push him aside, but he wouldn’t budge.

  When he didn’t answer, she knew it was something bad.

  “Someone’s dead?” She asked quietly, wanting to be wrong.

  His silence confirmed her fear.

  “Who is it Niko?” A twitch in his jaw was his only response.

  “God! Niko, is it someone we know? Tell me!” She again tried to push against him, but he had become stone, his hold on her arms too tight for her to budge and she began to panic, wondering who she would see.

  “Juliet, please. Don’t you remember what it was like last time. And you didn’t even see it firsthand then, it was just through Livingstone’s memories. Trust me, it’s worse in person. Let’s just leave.”

  Juliet wanted to argue even though she knew he was right. But she wasn’t ready to leave without at least finding out who it was. She let her body go limp, allowing Niko to loosen his hold and when he did, she used the techniques she’d been working on in self-defence class to break his hold entirely and push past him.

  She only got a quick look before Niko recovered and grabbed hold of her again and spun her in the other direction.

  Sean’s body looked mostly whole as it hung loosely from a nearby tree. There was no mistaking that he was dead, the thick tree branch that impaled his chest made that painfully clear. Juliet had all of the normal urges, she wanted to scream, puke and cry. Instead, she held on to Niko, took several deep breaths and let him lead her away.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Fiona was sitting in front of the common room fireplace, legs half crossed in a casual lotus position. She was hunched over slightly as she worked, and Juliet moved in from the doorway to examine what she was working on.

  In Fiona’s lap was an intricate length of plaited leather strands, as she worked, the air around her seemed to distort ever so slightly. Juliet noticed Fiona’s lips were moving silently as if she was praying. Spell casting, Juliet assumed, never having seen her practise before but so curious that she couldn’t resist the temptation to sit and watch. She folded herself on the nearby couch and watched as she continued her work.

  Juliet noticed that Fiona had woven wildflowers into the waves of her auburn hair. There was also a scattering of dried flowers, crystals and a small bronze cup placed in front of her from which small plumes of smoke drifted upwards.

  The smell of sandalwood and lavender tickled Juliet’s nose, and something else that she didn’t recognise. She adored the scent, it reminded her of the woods surrounding the castle. Like fresh pine needles and mulled wine.

  Fiona placed a small bead into the pleat she was working on and tied off the strands. She had stopped chanting and Juliet wondered if the spell was complete. Fiona looked up at Juliet, her eyes were still unfocussed, and she seemed disoriented as if she were coming out of a trance.

  “Sorry, I didn’t see you come in.”

  “That’s O.K, I didn’t want to interrupt.” Juliet gestured down at the scattered items.

  “Just working on a little talisman.” She said.

  She looked embarrassed and Juliet understood her self-consciousness immediately.

  “I’d love for you to make me something like that, I mean if you have time and wouldn’t mind that is.”

  She wanted to put her friend’s mind at ease that there was nothing wrong with being scared at a time like this. With everything that had happened lately, it was no wonder that she should need something to help take the edge off.

  Ever since Sean’s death, Fiona hadn’t been herself. She’d been understandably upset at first and then she immersed herself in her craft. It had gotten so bad that at one-point Juliet had needed to force her to take meal breaks.

  “Did you go to your defence class?” Juliet asked. She’d just come back from her own and it didn’t look as if Fiona had moved since she’d seen her that morning.

  She shook her head, picking up her book and beginning to read.

  “They’re going to start pairing us up with Vampires tonight.” Juliet exclaimed, filling her in on the development.

  Fiona made no comment.

  “So, we now have two self-defence sessions per day.”

  Fiona remained silent.

  “I don’t know how I’m going to find the time for all of my other classes, and practice, and have a normal social life.” She added.

  Fiona continued reading, Juliet wished she had that kind of focus.

  JULIET PUZZLED OVER Fiona for the rest of the day, wondering if there was something that she could do that would help her. It wasn’t that Juliet didn’t understand Fiona’s sudden change, it was painful enough for her when William had been killed and they hadn’t even really been together. Fiona and Sean had seemed to really care for each other. To have that taken away in such a cruel way would be devastating.

  Fiona had then also been subjected to interrogation. Everyone had suspected her, everyone who didn’t know her anyway. Rumours had run rampant that she was a power-hungry Witch who was into dark arts and sacrificial slaughter. It would have been laughable if someone weren’t actually dead.

  Since Samhain, the Witches had been focussing all of their effort on either protective arts or working spells that might help catch the killer. But so far there had been no new leads.

  It was obvious now that William’s death hadn’t been a one-off and tension had begun to rise amongst staff and students alike. A meeting was held, where Doctor Livingstone offered everyone the opportunity to leave, subject to a thorough interrogation first. He’d also announced a new curfew and students were no longer allowed to enter the woods alone, day or night. This rule was especially aggravating to the Vampires.

  Niko had changed as well; he was no longer making any attempt to hide the fact that they were together. Escorting her to and from classes, always touching her and kissing her in public. He defended his behaviour by blaming the soul-bond, saying that a mated Demon was unable to ignore his instincts and his instincts were telling him to protect her. She’d agreed to meet with him after class each night, mostly to check in with him. They sometimes fooled around but mostly they just talked.

  JULIET HE
ADED TO Niko’s studio after their first Vampire/Demon self-defence class, still covered in sweat. Niko had hung around to speak to Doctor Livingstone and had asked her to meet him there.

  She decided to light a fire while she waited. She was still warm from the workout, but knew she’d start to feel the chill soon enough and she wasn’t sure how long Niko would be. The flames had only just begun to get going when Niko arrived.

  “What did you want to talk to Elijah about?” She asked, noting that his skin was still damp with sweat as well and he looked unhappy about something. He came up to her and stood by her side, running his hand through his hair as he stared down at the flames.

  “Just wanted to know if there were any new leads.” He said, the look on his face suggested the news wasn’t good.

  “It’s been weeks. Maybe whoever it was has left, or maybe they got what they wanted out of the killing and they don’t need to kill anyone else.” Juliet suggested, trying to be optimistic.

  “Unlikely.” He joined her on the floor and reached out a hand, toying with the end of Juliet’s braid.

  “What did he tell you?” She asked and his eyes returned to the fire.

  “Niko, please. Don’t keep me in the dark. I have just as much right as you to know what’s going on.”

  Juliet put a hand on his thigh, sending him the mental reassurance that she could handle whatever he had to say. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before answering.

  “He said that the killer seemed to be looking for something.”

  “Looking for what?”

  He shook his head.

  “He couldn’t say. Only that there were parts missing.”

  Juliet shivered involuntarily. The idea of some creature digging around inside bodies gave her the creeps.

  “What kind of monster would do that? I mean, what would be the point?” She asked.