Romeo & Juliet & Vampires by William Shakespeare Read Free Book Online Page A

servants used them to evade the guards and exit the castle for an unscheduled evening of leisure in town. Originally, the tunnels had been constructed so that if the castle ever came under attack by the Montagues, the Capulets could move throughout the interior without detection and ambush their enemy. Some of the tunnels led to prison cells, where torture devices, like thumbscrews and knee splitters, were stored.
    At the end of the south tunnel, there was a room such as this. It was about the size of two wardrobes, and Juliet would take refuge there whenever she clashed with Lord and Lady Capulet. She was on her way there now, weaving and darting through the underground system as she’d done countless times before. Since she had the routes memorized, she could navigate them easily in the near pitch-blackness.
    The echo of her heels clicking against the slippery stone masked distant whispers that were being carried in the thin air. One woman’s voice sounded familiar to her, but the others belonged to strangers. Juliet did not want to be caught in the bowels of the castle by the servants, so she picked up the pace, grabbing hold of the hem of her dress so it would not trip her up and swiftly ducking her head when she passed by places where the ceiling hung low.
    After a good fifteen yards, she closed in on the secret room. Juliet opened the door and went inside. She reached into her shoe and pulled out a match, in hopes of lighting the oil lamp that she had brought down to the room a few days ago. She struck the match against the wall and it burst into a bright orange flame.
    All of a sudden a terrified shriek rang out, startling Juliet so much that she toppled to the ground. A large black boot came out of the darkness, then a huge white hand with long, sharp fingernails. A set of wide redeyes became visible, along with a toothy grin that Juliet knew all too well.
    â€œTybalt? Is that you?” she whispered.
    Juliet scrambled for the oil lamp that was in the corner of the room, lighting the wick just before the match extinguished itself. Her mouth went agape when she saw a busty blond woman, dressed only in her pink lacy undergarments, and her handsome cousin, putting his shirt back on.
    â€œDon’t you know how to knock?” Tybalt asked as he basked in the soft glow of the lamplight. “And stop staring at me like that. This isn’t what you think.”
    Juliet put her hands on her hips. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”
    Tybalt smiled at her as though nothing strange were going on. “Because you’re too young, that’s why.”
    â€œYou said we wouldn’t be found down here, Tibby,” the lady whimpered.
    Juliet let out a giggle. “Tibby, eh? Isn’t that sweet.”
    â€œBe quiet, Cecilia!” he hollered into the cell.
    Juliet gasped and kicked Tybalt hard in the shins, then stormed out into the tunnel, happy to hear her cousin groan in pain. Tybalt limped out of the room and stepped in front of Juliet, preventing her from leaving.
    â€œWhat are you so upset about? She and I are just having ourselves a bit of interspecies fun. There’s no law against that, is there?” Tybalt inquired while he buttoned up his shirt.
    â€œYou can be such a disgusting lout!” Juliet snapped, and stomped her foot.
    Tybalt laughed and patted her on the head. “And you’re still a little girl.”
    â€œI suppose that’s why I’m down here, hiding,” Juliet said, sighing.
    â€œFrom your destiny, I presume?”
    Juliet nodded.
    â€œWell, I’m afraid you will never accomplish that. You are a Capulet, through and through, warts and all,” he said, smoothing out his shoulder-length auburn locks.
    â€œThat may be, but there is one way to avoid my fate,” she said, her voice serious.
    â€œWhat, starve to death? Do not even threaten something like that.” Tybalt’s face suddenly filled with concern.
    â€œWhy