Page 25 of Nosfer-Meet You

“Yeah, okay. You’re right about that,” I say, and scrub my fingers through my hair. “But what you’re describing is something called Stockholm Syndrome, not love. It’s easy to get the two mixed up, though.”

She narrows her eyes. “What is ‘Stockholm Syndrome?’ Another thing you made up just now?”

I shake my head. “No, little lady, it is not. It’s real. It’s when you’re held captive by someone and you fall for them.”

“Dante did not hold me captive,” she says, and puffs out her cheeks.

“He did.”

“Did not!” Juliette jumps to her feet. “He loved me. He loved me more than anything. He told me so!”

Hoo, boy. This is not going well, like, at all. I leave my tray on the ground and stand up. Fuck, she’s short. When she barely comes up to my chest, it’s hard to remember that she could kill me before I even hit the ground. Just a pile of dust on the curb all over my half-eaten doner chunks. An appetizing thought.

This is such a stupid idea, but I put my hand on her shoulder to squeeze it. She stares up at me, her face as bright as the moon, and sneers. But she doesn’t pull away. Instead, fat droplets of red surge from her eyes and trickle down those round, adorable cheeks of hers.

Without thinking, I catch one with my fingers and flick it away. “Hey. It’s okay,” I say. “It’s okay.”

Juliette lets out a loud sob, and a couple humans are sober enough to toss glances in our direction. Shit. It might be time to move on. I loop my arm through hers and pull her along gently, away from the kebab shops and toward a quieter street. We still haven’t had a proper meal, but it doesn’t seem like Juli’s up for hunting now. Not like I’m going to press the issue, even though I’m starting to get the damn shakes.

She sniffles as we dip into a nearby alleyway. Thankfully, it’s empty.

“You good?” I ask just in time to watch her scurry off behind the dumpster. Oh, man. She’s not good. She is the opposite of good. “Hey. You don’t belong behind a dumpster.” I slowly peek around the corner to see her crouched down and covering her head. “If you need⁠—”

“Merde, just give me a moment, will you?” she mutters.

I nod and take a few steps back.

“I swear, there is always a man ready to ruin your peace. This is why I stayed in the sewers. It was easier.”

I worry my lip. “Yeah, so, it might’ve been easier … but it must’ve also been really lonely being down there for centuries. Replaying moments and painful memories in your head over and over like a broken record, right?”

Juliette lets out an irritated huff. “What would you know about it?”

“A lot, actually, but you haven’t really asked me anything about myself, have you?” I wince, instantly regretting my choice of words the moment they’re out of my mouth. She is clearly going through something difficult. Way harder than anything I could have possibly gone through … but no, that’s not right, is it? It’s not like it’s a competition. Still … she did save my unlife, so listening to her is the least I could do.

Juliette emerges from behind the dumpster and looks up at me with a blank expression. “You … you are right. I’m sorry. From the moment you woke up, it’s been all about me. And that isn’t fair. My burdens are not yours to carry, but mine alone.”

I put my hands up in defense. “Hey, hey. Whoa. Let’s not get too carried away, here. I’m happy to listen. Just … you know, it would be nice if it felt more like a conversation. I have life experience, too, you know. If you need advice, I can give some.”

She quirks an eyebrow at me. Yeah, okay, I didn’t think she’d go for that. But I had to try.

“Tell me, then,” she says, waving her hand at me. “About yourself. About your family. About your life as a human.”

I let out a soft chuckle and shake my head. “Oh, shite. That’s what I get for offering, huh? I guess I walked right into that. Well, okay. I guess it’s only fair since you told me everything about yourself. But are you sure? It’s not a happy tale. Might make your mood worse.”

“Or it might make my suffering seem less,” she says, shrugging.

“Wow. Kind of cold.” I smirk at her, and she smiles back. I don’t mind being the butt of a joke if it gets her to smile. She has a pretty one. I mean, her entire face is … pretty. In a weird-ass kind of way. But I’m just glad she isn’t crying anymore. I don’t think my long-dead heart could handle any more of her tears. “Let’s go for a walk, at least, and look out for some Helsings to harass. I’m still hungry.”

Juliette nods and walks in step with me out of the alleyway and back onto the sidewalk. “It’s a deal. I’ll even be polite and let you tell the entire story without interrupting. You know,” she mutters, “unlike you.”

I wink at her and slide my hands into my pockets. “Deal. So, it all happened about forty years ago, but you know what happened to me. Let’s fast forward to the nineties. Fantastic decade, by the way.”

“Debatable,” she says. “The fashion left something to be desired, as did the décor. And before you say anything, because I know you will say something, yes. I did get out during the nineties. I still had to eat. But please, go on.”

Chapter 16

Scotty