Page 24 of King of Sin
"Oh my God! Juliet!"
Juliet barely heard her.
The world spun violently around Juliet.
The bright neon lights outside the club blurred into streaks of color, twisting and merging together until she could no longer tell where the ground ended and the sky began. A sharp ringing filled her ears, drowning out the music thundering from inside the club and the distant sounds of traffic passing by.
For several seconds, she simply lay there on the cold pavement, unable to move.
"Easy, easy..."
A familiar voice broke through the haze.
Strong arms slipped around her shoulders, carefully helping her into a sitting position.
The movement sent a sharp stab of pain shooting through her head.
Juliet sucked in a breath and immediately raised a trembling hand to her forehead.
"You... didn't leave?" she asked weakly, blinking several times as she tried to focus on the person in front of her.
Amara looked as though she was on the verge of tears.
"I had a bad feeling after you went inside," she admitted, kneeling beside Juliet on the pavement without caring that her expensive dress was getting dirty. "I was about to leave, but something told me to wait."
She swallowed hard, her eyes darting anxiously over Juliet's pale face.
"Thank God I listened."
Juliet wanted to tell her she was overreacting, but the words never came.
Everything still felt strange.
Distant.
As though she were watching herself from far away.
That was when she noticed Stella standing a few feet away.
Stella looked horrified.
Her face had gone completely pale, and she was staring at Juliet as though she'd seen a ghost.
"Girl..." Stella said weakly. "You're bleeding."
Juliet frowned.
Almost absently, she touched her forehead.
The moment her fingers brushed the skin, they came away wet.
She slowly lowered her hand.
Bright red blood covered her palm. For a long moment, she simply stared at it.
But strangely, she felt nothing.
Then the pain finally caught up with her. A small wince crossed her face.
