Chapter Thirteen

Practice Makes Perfect

Voices whirring around her, fragments of conversations she couldn't remember having. People she'd never met before. The round face of Desmond Tiny laughing at her ever corner she turned. This was a sadistic maze she'd built. Trying to weave in and out of things she couldn't see or remember, but remembered seeing in the past. It had been the same dream every night for a week; the same visions of the dark beast-woman, a ridiculously tall man, turning corners, voices, yelling. The sky lit up with fire, yellow and red. It was almost enough to keep her from falling asleep.

Almost.

"Juliet, you're un-focusing again, I can see it." Mika called from across the garden. He wore a pair of loose black slacks, no shoes, and an open necked black tunic that revealed a great deal of his broad chest. None of this would have fazed Juliet except for one major addition: a long sword that was nearly the same height as her. Either that or her fear of it made its size more dramatic, and the way he stood with it at his side could only be described as menacing.

A few days after Kathy's departure, Mika had begun soaking her daggers in vinegar to help remove the blood, and he'd shown her how to hold them with their specially designed hilts. Now, it seemed, he expected her to fight with them. Juliet was more than a little hesitant, considering how their last spar went south. Though she'd shown more than a little dexterity when it came to throwing the weapons, something that surprised and excited both of them, she couldn't bring herself to attack him.

"You admit that you've been having spurts of memory ever since our first 'fight'," he pointed out, for what had to be the one hundredth time, motioning at her with his gargantuan sword. She followed the metal in the moonlight, wide eyed and worried. "What if violence is the key to unlocking your memories?"

Juliet sighed and sank to the ground, absentmindedly drawing in the garden soil with the pointed end of her dagger. "I don't want to risk going bonkers on you again…" she murmured."I'd rather lock away my memories than hurt you like I have… Can we start with, I don't know, dummies? Something fake, at least until we're sure I'll stay sane. No matter what happens I know you will just beat me into the dirt."

Mika smirked. He would never hurt her, he was almost positive she knew this, but good training always left the participants with a few bruises. "Alright, I am a gracious teacher; we can do things the way you want."

Slowly he walked over to her, reached his arms under hers and hoisted her to her feet, much to her chagrin. He stepped backwards, leaving less than two yards of land between them. "I am your dummy, now practice." He dropped his sword.

Juliet groaned. "Mika this is not a joke!"

He cocked a razor-edged eyebrow. "I am not laughing. This is completely serious, Juliet. I want you to regain your memory, and if you have to hit me a few dozen times to accomplish that, I will be happy to oblige you."

Juliet's heart fluttered at his words. He was seeping masculinity right now, all towering power, and selfless compassion, trying to help the poor, background-less and defenseless woman. She glared at him.

"Chauvinist." She sighed. The Vampire smirked. Meekly she took an uneasy stance, mimicking what she'd seen him do whenever he had snuck away to practice his hand-to-hand combat, her dagger hung limply from her hips on a leather holster she'd dug out of the bottom of its box. "I guess I'll start now." she began, throwing out a punch that Mika caught with ridiculous ease.

"Wrong, try again." He stated.

Juliet blinked as he released her hand. She gave him a quizzical look, but he merely nodded for her to continue. Sighing she retook her stance and threw out another punch, and he caught it again.'

"Wrong."

This scene went on for half an hour, Juliet constantly throwing the same punch and getting more and more frustrated. Mika began to smirk as her patience failed her and she got more and more forceful with her punches. Finally after the Vampire had caught her punch she threw her hands to her sides in frustration and growled in annoyance. Taking deep breaths she stood in her fighting stance a final time. Again she threw the punch. Again Mika moved to catch it, only this time as he extended his arm; Juliet dropped to the ground and did a sweeping kick at his ankles, catching him by surprise, but still he managed to move out of the way.

Panting and frustrated, Juliet stood and regained her composure, crossing her arms in annoyance, ready to call it a night. She huffed at him and he smiled. "Now you're catching on, Juliet." He laughed. She glared at him, her pale eyes full of confusion.

"What are you talking about; I'm getting fed up with this!"

"Yes you are, and it's making you creative, which is exactly what I was waiting for!" he held out his hand to her and she took it slowly. "That's enough for now, let's eat something."

As he led Juliet back inside he noted the confused look on her face. Once in the kitchen he explained his lesson as she placed some bread and roasted chicken on plates for them to eat.

"When fighting you need to think creatively and strategically." He said, thanking her for the meal with a kiss on the hand that made her face flush with color. "As you realized I was only going to continue to catch your punches, you decided to use that to your advantage, and change your attack; tactical, creative, brilliant. He smiled at her again, and she sighed and smiled back.

Juliet watched him while she ate, slowly chewing her food, realizing she didn't have an apetite, and gazing at him with her pale blue eyes. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Mika commented quietly on his need to feed. Taking his plate from him, Juliet merely nodded and he looked at her quizzically.

"Does it bother you?"

"Surprisingly not as much as you probably think." She replied offhandedly, glancing at him from the sink. "We all leech off of another organism to live in some way or another, I hold no ill feelings towards you or your needs." She chuckled. "I suppose I should be proud to say I was almost one of your snacks. Too bad you like me too much to eat me." She stuck her tongue out at him, eliciting a deep laugh from the Vampire.

"Don't tempt me, Juliet. You are one of a kind." He chuckled. "I'll take my leave now." He smiled and pat her shoulder as he walked past her. She grabbed onto his hand.

"Ah… you'll be coming back, won't you?" she whispered. He furrowed his brows.

"Of course."

"Tonight?" she looked up at him, her eyes bright and full of unknown emotion, he smiled.

"Of course, I'll be gone for only an hour or two."

Slowly she released his hand and he walked out the door, sighing on the other side. Every time she looked at him with those eyes his heart swelled. Juliet was still so lost, and she clung to him like a drowning man, and it wrenched at his heart. It was hard to stay away from her, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to anymore.

Composing himself, Mika stalked into the night, stealth and darkness on his side as he reprised his role as the ultimate predator.

Juliet fell onto the sofa with a sigh. She had intended to let Mika leave, certain that he was fed up with taking care of her and training her each night. She was posed to let him come and go as he pleased, just like before, but as he was leaving something insider her grew frightened of what it would be like without him, afraid of never seeing him again. She groaned.

Love was a strange word. She'd never experienced it, at least not in this way. The love she'd had for Highland was strong and resounded in her, gave her the strength to carry on her life after his passing, but as she'd grown to know Mika, she was finding he was becoming more and more her reason for waking up every day. Juliet had never been in love before, but if she knew anything she was in it now. Every afternoon, as of late, she would leave for work, and pass his sleeping frame on her parlor room sofa. A few times she'd caught herself simply gazing at the creature before her, his slick black hair and his strong jaw, the straight-edged eyebrows that always seemed knit together in concentration, even in his dreams. She'd kissed him goodbye once. Quietly slid up to him and placed her lips upon his as he slumbered, then immediately blushed at her actions and ran out the door.

Next to him she felt so small, frail and insignificant compared to his towering build, all muscles and male. But as soon as he spoke he put them on even ground. Intellectually they were equals with rivaling opinions and some of the best conversations she'd ever had. Every time she thought back to the nights when they would spend hours in her bedroom talking about books and history, even science, she couldn't help but smile. He would regale her with stories of the Vampire Princes, of their lore and their laws and many times their history. Most nights she would end up scratching her head and debating war strategies with him. Some nights they had even tested their strategies on the old chessboard in Highland's bedroom.

Perhaps it was because she'd never had a man before, or just the overwhelming loneliness she'd felt, but somewhere along the line Juliet had fallen in love with the brooding, bulky Vampire who'd been spying on her from the trees, and even though she thought her cause hopeless, she wanted to be with him. The memory of the kiss, their first kiss, she thought fondly, and of the words that he'd spoken, so furious with emotion, gave her a reason to believe.

She yawned and clutched one of the throw pillows to her chest. 'Such a typical woman.' She thought with a small laugh. Slowly she leaned into the sofa cushions and closed her eyes, waiting for the man she adored to return.