a delicate cut in some jade shantung by the entrance of Baron Metzger’s undead manservant.
“Miss Cally?”
“Yes, Edgar?”
“A Jules de Laval to see you.”
“Jules? What are you doing here?” Cally asked as she walked into the living room. She was surprised to find the young nobleman already making himself at home on the sofa.
“I heard you were living in the Plaza with your dad, and I thought I’d pop by and say hello. I haven’t seen you since the Grand Ball—what’s been happening?”
“I’ve been…busy,” Cally said cautiously as she sat down beside him. “To tell you the truth, I’m surprised to see you here. Your father doesn’t approve of true-bloods associating with hybrids. He wanted the Synod to declare me a threat to the Blood!”
“I can’t help how my dad is,” Jules said with a shrug.
“I won’t hold you responsible for what your father does, just like I don’t blame Melly for anything her dad says, but what about you?” Cally asked. “How do you feel about me now that you know I’m half human?”
Jules smiled and leaned forward. “When I first met you, Cally, I realized right then that you weren’t like any girl I’d ever known. Maybe the fact that you have human blood explains it. Now that I know the truth about you, I find you even more attractive than before….”
“That’s really sweet of you to say, I guess,” Cally replied uneasily, removing his roving hand from her knee. “Is that why you came to see me?”
“To be honest, ever since the Grand Ball I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.” He flashed his trademark smile as he leaned in closer. “I can’t forget how you felt in my arms when we danced that night or how your eyes sparkled when you looked at me….” Jules moved in closer, his irises glowing in the dim light of the room like those of an animal. “I keep thinking about the kiss we shared at the club that night…how good it felt…how right it felt….”
Cally could feel Jules’s body heat radiating from him, mingling with the musky scent of his cologne. He kept leaning toward her as he spoke, his voice pitched in such a way that it was necessary for her to move in closer in order to hear him clearly. Cally was on the verge of being mesmerized by his voice when she felt his hand traveling too quickly up her thigh.
“I think you’d better go now, Jules,” she said sternly, getting to her feet.
“There’s no need to look so frightened!” Jules laughed as he stood up. “Are you worried about Lilith? Don’t be! We broke up.”
“Yeah, I know,” Cally replied. “I heard all about it at school.”
“Really?” he asked, instantly dropping the smooth seducer act. “What else did you hear?”
“That you and Xander Orlock got into a fight at some club. Look, Jules, I like you. You know that. But I’m not interested in being used like Carmen, understand? I know you only want to be with me because you know it will make Lilith nuts.”
“That’s just not true!” he protested, caught off guard. “And even if it was, you have no reason to be afraid of Lilith. You don’t have to be afraid of anyone ! You have the Shadow Hand!”
Cally gave Jules a disappointed look. “You just don’t get it, do you? I don’t want this power, and I certainly don’t relish it! I never want to use the Shadow Hand ever again. And I certainly don’t want to have to use it against Lilith!” Seeing the blank look in Jules’s eyes, Cally realized that she had no choice but to go straight to the bottom line with him. “Even if I didn’t have the Shadow Hand, I still wouldn’t want to get involved with you. I’m coming out of an intense relationship that ended very, very badly. It was with someone I never should have fallen in love with, and I’m not ready to put myself back into that kind of situation. I’m sorry, Jules. Really, I am. I’m willing to be your friend, but that’s as far as I’ll go.”
“You mean I’m
“Miss Cally?”
“Yes, Edgar?”
“A Jules de Laval to see you.”
“Jules? What are you doing here?” Cally asked as she walked into the living room. She was surprised to find the young nobleman already making himself at home on the sofa.
“I heard you were living in the Plaza with your dad, and I thought I’d pop by and say hello. I haven’t seen you since the Grand Ball—what’s been happening?”
“I’ve been…busy,” Cally said cautiously as she sat down beside him. “To tell you the truth, I’m surprised to see you here. Your father doesn’t approve of true-bloods associating with hybrids. He wanted the Synod to declare me a threat to the Blood!”
“I can’t help how my dad is,” Jules said with a shrug.
“I won’t hold you responsible for what your father does, just like I don’t blame Melly for anything her dad says, but what about you?” Cally asked. “How do you feel about me now that you know I’m half human?”
Jules smiled and leaned forward. “When I first met you, Cally, I realized right then that you weren’t like any girl I’d ever known. Maybe the fact that you have human blood explains it. Now that I know the truth about you, I find you even more attractive than before….”
“That’s really sweet of you to say, I guess,” Cally replied uneasily, removing his roving hand from her knee. “Is that why you came to see me?”
“To be honest, ever since the Grand Ball I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.” He flashed his trademark smile as he leaned in closer. “I can’t forget how you felt in my arms when we danced that night or how your eyes sparkled when you looked at me….” Jules moved in closer, his irises glowing in the dim light of the room like those of an animal. “I keep thinking about the kiss we shared at the club that night…how good it felt…how right it felt….”
Cally could feel Jules’s body heat radiating from him, mingling with the musky scent of his cologne. He kept leaning toward her as he spoke, his voice pitched in such a way that it was necessary for her to move in closer in order to hear him clearly. Cally was on the verge of being mesmerized by his voice when she felt his hand traveling too quickly up her thigh.
“I think you’d better go now, Jules,” she said sternly, getting to her feet.
“There’s no need to look so frightened!” Jules laughed as he stood up. “Are you worried about Lilith? Don’t be! We broke up.”
“Yeah, I know,” Cally replied. “I heard all about it at school.”
“Really?” he asked, instantly dropping the smooth seducer act. “What else did you hear?”
“That you and Xander Orlock got into a fight at some club. Look, Jules, I like you. You know that. But I’m not interested in being used like Carmen, understand? I know you only want to be with me because you know it will make Lilith nuts.”
“That’s just not true!” he protested, caught off guard. “And even if it was, you have no reason to be afraid of Lilith. You don’t have to be afraid of anyone ! You have the Shadow Hand!”
Cally gave Jules a disappointed look. “You just don’t get it, do you? I don’t want this power, and I certainly don’t relish it! I never want to use the Shadow Hand ever again. And I certainly don’t want to have to use it against Lilith!” Seeing the blank look in Jules’s eyes, Cally realized that she had no choice but to go straight to the bottom line with him. “Even if I didn’t have the Shadow Hand, I still wouldn’t want to get involved with you. I’m coming out of an intense relationship that ended very, very badly. It was with someone I never should have fallen in love with, and I’m not ready to put myself back into that kind of situation. I’m sorry, Jules. Really, I am. I’m willing to be your friend, but that’s as far as I’ll go.”
“You mean I’m
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