Page 8 of 3013: Wonderland

“I didn’t mean the Artanes,” Juliet assured.

“Then, who is it you wish to see?”

She hesitated briefly before coming clean. “Do you know Raek and Fenris Barra? And their sister Charm? I lived in a group home with them before they aged out and I moved to the dance academy. We’ve been friends a long time, but I lost contact with them after…”

Emma nodded in understanding. “I know them. Quite well, in fact, since my mate is friends with them.”

“I have not met them,” Jade said. “But I do know much about them through my mates’ memories.”

“Their memories…?” Juliet chuckled. “Sorry, I forgot that Dragon Warrior mates can share memories with one another. That is very cool, by the way.”

Alestra grinned. “Ilius mates share minds and memories as well.”

Emma gasped. “Wait! Juliet, are you the dancer they always mentioned? Holy nova, am I relieved.”

“Why?”

“Trip and I thought they were infatuated with a stripper or something since they were always pretty closed mouth when it came to details about their dancer.”

Their dancer?

Hearing that made Juliet’s heart skip a beat.

Melody frowned. “What is wrong with being a stripper? It is not easy to remove clothing while dancing without looking awkward or clumsy. I’m very good at it.”

“I’m sure you are,” Emma acknowledged quickly. “I didn’t mean there was anything wrong with it. I just meant…I’m just going to shut up now.”

“I was just messing with you.” Melody chuckled. “So, you had a thing going with these two back in the group home?”

Juliet felt her face flush with heat. “No, we just…we grew up together.”

The truth was she’d had a crush on Raek and Fenris since she was young, but she’d always thought they were too good for her. Since they were older than she was, they had already started excelling in their chosen fields while she’d still been in the dance academy. Raek had become a brilliant chef, while Fenris had become one of the most famous tattoo artists on or off planet.

She had foolishly wanted to prove herself to them by rising to the top of the dance world before expressing her feelings to them, but James had ruined that for her. During the trial, she had discovered that he hadn’t destroyed her wrist unit after he’d kidnapped her. He had used it to reply to any messages that had been sent to her. The harsh messages he had sent to Raek and Fenris while pretending to be her had broken her heart.

It made sense why they hadn’t tried to reach out to her after that. They had thought they were doing what she had asked them to do, which was to leave her alone with her new bonded. Juliet had considered reaching out to explain everything to them, but she couldn’t make herself do it. Besides, she thought it might be best if she spoke to Charm first.

Charm had always been like an older sister to her, and she could definitely use her advice about how to tell Raek and Fenris what had really happened between her and James. During thetrial she had also discovered that Charm had actually tried to visit her, but she had been turned away.

Although none of it had actually been her fault, Juliet felt like she had a lot to apologize for.

“My mates told me that Raek and Fenris accepted the offer to create the sanctuary on Evo because they wanted to put some distance between themselves and the female who broke their hearts,” Jade said softly.

Juliet gasped. That couldn’t be true. If it were, they had lost so much more than just time together. They had lost a chance at finding true love. But maybe, just maybe, that was something they could rectify.

She wouldn’t know unless she tried.

“I know that look,” Emma said with a grin. “That’s the expression of a woman in love. Looks like you’ll be taking a trip to Evo.”

“I wish I could go. I have wanted to see the new gaming world, but my brother is on his way here for a visit. He has never been to Earth and is looking forward to seeing it.” Alestra paused, then she smiled. “Perhaps we will join you on Evo after he arrives.”

“I can’t just show up there, can I?” Juliet asked. “I mean, they are still in the beta testing phase on Evo. Maybe they’re too busy to have visitors at the moment.”

“That would be like us not accepting visitors here,” Jaded pointed out dryly.

“Right,” Juliet agreed weakly. “You have a point.”

“Go,” Jade told her. “I will remain here with my mates to deal with the aftermath of whatever the Alliance decides to do about the bonding regulations. And before you suggest it, nay, you should not stay here. In fact, it would be best if you were far away once the Alliance announces their decision.”