“I read that they’ll marry in the spring,” the woman continued. “Isn’t that sweet?”
“Mmm.” I would have said more, but Langston and Juliana had stopped directly over us, so close I could touch their feet. Langston whispered something in Juliana’s ear, to which she glared and looked away. And right at me.
We both went stock still, our gazes locked together. I couldn’t risk running, not while she was staring at me; my only hope was that Juliana would keep her mouth shut. Then, her gaze moved to slightly above my left shoulder, and she gasped.
“Max,” she breathed. Too late, she clamped a hand over her mouth. Langston had heard her, clear as a bell.
“Why did you—” he began, then his gaze shot out over the crowd. “He’s here, isn’t he?” When Juliana didn’t answer, he grabbed her arms and forced her to face him. “Isn’t he?”
Max’s hold on my arm had become like a vise grip, and for a moment I thought he was going to leap onto the stage and deck Langston. I grabbed the back of Max’s shirt, whispering for him to calm down, but just then Mike said something that made the crowd cheer. At the same time, Juliana’s refusals had gotten to Langston, and he started shaking her.
“Where is he? Is he with the rest?” Langston demanded. “Tell me now!”
Juliana looked over her shoulder and scanned the crowd, then she indicated an area about thirty feet behind us, more toward the center of the stage. “There,” she said. “Behind the people holding the banner.”
Langston released Juliana as he barked orders to the guards, so abruptly that she fell to her hands and knees. Max reached forward, as if he was going to help her up, but Juliana shook her head. “Go now,” she mouthed, then rolled out of the way as Peacekeepers leapt off the stage and into the crowd.
Langston had taken over the microphone and was ordering everyone to remain calm, despite the fact that Peacekeepers were detaining everyone within a twenty-foot radius of that banner. Taking what might be our only chance, Max and I slipped out of the audience amidst the ensuing uproar, and once we found an alley, we portaled back to the Whispering Dell, this time to the edge of the manor’s gardens. As soon as we were safe in the Otherworld, my mouth started running.
“I can’t believe she saw us,” I muttered. “So much for your fancy disguises.” Max snorted. “And she just had to say your name.”
“She also distracted them,” Max pointed out. “She gave us time to get out of there.” Now I snorted. Since I didn’t want to discuss any possibly noble acts committed by Juliana, I changed the subject.
“Is that really what they think Elementals do?” I demanded. “Run around kidnapping Mundane women, making little Elemental babies?”
“It’s one of Mike’s scare tactics,” Max answered. “Sometimes, he accuses us of stealing all the good jobs, all the good food…You know, whatever people are upset about, he blames on Elementals.”
“Like we have nothing better to do than be his lousy scapegoats.” Max grunted in agreement, and we walked in silence for a time, which was just as well. I still couldn’t get the image of gaunt, sickly-looking Juliana out of my mind. Or what Mike had insinuated.
“Hey, do you think Juliana really was sleeping with an Elemental?” I asked suddenly.
“Didn’t you hear Mike? He said she was.”
“Better an Elemental than shacking up with a Peacekeeper,” I continued. “And that Langston, what a creep. What could she possibly see in him?” I recalled the guys Juliana had dated in the past; all of them had been athletic jock types. She never would have fallen for some nerdy creep like Langston. Then again, I was pretty sure that she hadn’t been dating Elementals while we both worked at REES. Although, the way Langston had yelled at her, treating her like she was his property rather than his partner, made me think he wasn’t exactly in love, either. And Max seemed to think that she was being punished…
“I wonder who knocked her up,” I mumbled.
Max stopped short. “What?”
“You heard Mike,” I explained. “He said that Juliana was ruined. When a girl gets pregnant and doesn’t get married, they say she’s ruined.”
Max was staring at me, eyes wide and brows nearly touching. “I…I have never heard that expression.”
I shrugged. “I guess it’s not that outdated.” Max nodded, and we resumed walking.
“Hey,” I asked suddenly. “Was Juliana getting it on with one of the Elementals at the Institute?”