by Layla Heart
“Yes. Twice, thanks.” I hope that my smile shows how sorry I am for Zack’s actions and that I really don’t approve of them.
“Got it. Coming up.” And she’s off.
“Z...” I glare his way. “Can you behave nicely, for just one week? Just the one week?”
He narrows his eyes at me, like he’s considering it. “What would I get out of it?”
“I don’t know. But I’d like for there to be just one week where our parents don’t yell at us, or where cute girls won’t ignore us because you were being an ass to them.”
“Okay. What do I get in return?”
I sigh, giving in. “I’ll be your date to the Night Gala. But no kissing and hands stay above the waist at all times. If you can be good for one week, I’ll play along in your charade.” I already know I’m going to regret this, I’m going to severely regret this, but I’m feeling like I’ve got no other way out.
Maybe after we’ve been all outrageous at the Night Gala, and Zack isn’t constantly putting Cyra on edge and has even moved on to some other girl, maybe then I get to finally talk to her without her immediately distrusting me. Or without the only conversation between us being me apologising for Zack’s shit.
Cyra has been on my mind all weekend and I just... I don’t care if she’s human, I just want to get to know her. She seems nice and sweet, someone who’s fun to be around and could make me smile.
Hell, just because I don’t have a mate, and don’t really want one, doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate having a girl around who’s smart and who I can have actual conversations with about worldly things. Unlike the asshole next to me right now...
But for that to happen the asshole needs to stop his shit first, and I’m not sure how easy that’s going to be... I’m willing to try just about anything today...
I walk over to the counter. I’m paying today, since somehow Zack has been behaving ‘well’ and putting his resolve to the test this early into our one-week ‘challenge’ would be a bad idea...
“Hey.” Cyra looks up, smiling, though her eyes aren’t shining. She looks tired.
“Hey.” I nod to the table where Zack is still sitting. He’s doing something on his phone, totally engrossed in it, like a little kid. He looks like one of his triplet siblings right now, he’s even sitting in the same way, and it makes me smile, before I turn back to Cyra. “I’m here to pay.”
“Okay.” She taps on the computer and then looks up again, smiling more this time. “Was everything to your wishes?”
“Yes, it was.” I quickly pay, but don’t walk away yet. “Are you okay?”
She stops a moment and then nods. “I’m fine. Just a little tired. Had to get up early, not used to it.” She hands me the receipt and instead of accepting it, I take her hand. I don’t know why.
Her hand is soft, and I catch a light nail polish on her nails, barely visible, so light, but it makes her hands look even longer and more elegant than they already are. Her breath catches and when I look at her, her cheeks are all red and she’s licking her lips slightly.
“I’m okay. Really.” Her voice is all breathy and I want to do nothing more than push her against the counter and kiss her silly, but instead, I let her hand go again.
“That... That’s good.” I nod. Not really sure why I did what I just did. I just felt like I had to touch her for some reason. I nod again. “Have a good evening.” I quickly turn around, walking back to our table.
“You too.” Her voice is all soft and that makes walking away even harder. Fucking hell. That’s not... That’s not how I normally act. I’m in control of myself, I’m not impulsive like Zack.
“What’s with you?” Zack raises his eyebrow at me. “You’re telling me to act normal and then you go and grab her hand for no reason?”
I smack him over the head, for good measure, and take my jacket. “At least I don’t sexually harass her. Let’s go.” I have no idea why I did it either, but something just... Something took over, making me act out of character, wanting to claim her, needing to claim her as mine.
“Sure, Romeo.” He gets up. “Can I at least tell her goodbye?”
“No.” I put my hand on his shoulder and push him through the cafe, while he blows kisses to the waitresses. Cyra looks mortified while Audrey just laughs. Yeah, that’s one way to deal with him...
Once we’re outside, I let him go. “If we’re going to the Gala, we’re going to have to get suits.”
“Matching suits.” Zack smirks. “I know the perfect place.” He grabs his phone. “Hi. Yes, Zack here. Could you keep the store open for a while longer? I need to pick up a pair of suits.” As he says the words, his smirk gets even bigger, before he hangs up and winks at me. “Taken care of. We can pick them out right now.”
“Oh, great.” I groan. “Who did you call?”
“You know that fashion show your sister was involved in a couple of years back?”
I look at him, mostly remembering being really drunk that evening. “Somewhat.”
“Well, I got the number of the designer. He doesn’t just do dresses, he does amazing suits too. I’ve worn a few of them to special occasions a couple of times.”
“They’re not all weird, right? Just suits? I’m not going to be wearing a skirt suit or something?” Because this is going to be ridiculous enough as it is.
“They’re just suits.” Zack laughs. “Remember the jacket I wore on my birthday? He designed it. That was from him.”
I push at Zack. “You asshole.” I’d been asking him for weeks where he’d gotten the jacket and he wouldn’t tell me shit. It looked amazing on him, making his shoulders broader, his waist slimmer and somehow the whole thing had made him look even taller than he already is. And the fabric... It had had these really subtle scales on it, only visible at the right angle. Hell. Now he tells me where he got it from?
“Hey.” He grins. “A man’s gotta have some secrets. I can’t have you know all the best places, or you’ll be better dressed than me.”
“Whatever. Just get us there.” I know that Zack is always trying to be stylish, but I had no idea he was this secretive about where he got stuff. I just thought he was pulling my leg about the jacket and he’d gotten it somewhere strange, not at a local designer, but like... I don’t know, from the other side of the world or something.
“Will do. Follow me.” He turns us in the other direction. “His place is actually pretty closeby, we can just walk.”
I let him push me in the right direction. Sometimes it’s hard to understand Zack, or to understand why he thinks some things are super important and he can’t bother about other things. But I think that deep down, he likes these kinds of surprises because he knows that I’ll appreciate them. He can be so childish, but he’s caring too, no matter how weirdly sometimes.
Even as we go to the designer’s place, I can’t put Cyra out of my head, she’d really looked exhausted. And I didn’t know how to make it better, so I did something weird. Maybe I should bring her something nice or fun next time. Though, maybe getting Zack to behave well would be enough of a gift to her.
And that feels stupid. It feels not enough, even though bringing her gifts would probably make her even more awkward about it. Arg.
10
Cyra
When I reach my apartment building, my feet heavy and my head full of bad thoughts, I find two guys leaning against my car. My car, which is parked in front of the apartment, in the place where I always park it. Like it had been there this morning, and it wasn’t in some totally other neighbourhood, broken down.
“Hey.” Liam pushes off the car and comes over to me, grinning as he holds out the keys. “Got you your car back.”
“Thanks.” I take the keys and while I try to be happy, I can’t. I’m done, exhausted. “How much... How much do I owe you?” Let’s get that out of the way first.
“Nothing.” He shrugs, still smiling. “This one’s on me. Though, next time, I might just get you a new car instead. Would
probably be cheaper than having to repair it all the time.”
“I can’t accept that.” A sob escapes me. I can’t just let him pay for the repairs. I can’t owe him anything. I can’t owe a shifter anything. “How much was it?” But the words barely leave my mouth. I’m too tired. I’m just done with this all, with the whole world. I’ve been worried about the cost of the repairs all weekend and all day at work today.
Two strong arms surround me, and then Max’ voice rumbles in his chest. “What did you say to her?” He’s talking to Liam, his tone accusatory, as his arms tighten around me.
“I just... I told her that she didn’t have to pay me back for the repairs. I thought she’d be happy, not start bawling.” I hear Liam sigh. “I really don’t mean anything bad with it. Just... You looked like you could use a surprise like that. I thought you’d be happy.”
“I’m not a charity case.” I move my head up, but somehow I don’t really want Max to let me go. “I can... I can pay you back. I might... But...”
“What if it’s a shared gift?” Max’ voice is soft. “What if Liam and I both paid for it? What if it’s a gift from the both of us, as a thank you for being such a great entertainer last weekend?”
I shake my head. “I can’t accept it.” Fuck. They’re trying to be so nice and I just... I can’t... I really can’t, and I can’t tell them why either. I just... I can’t be in debt to a shifter, especially not two of them at the same time. Two very fucking rich shifters who could make my life hell if they ever got upset with me, who might try to cash in on this favour at some later date. I can’t risk it.
“Let’s make a deal, then.” Liam tries to smile as he meets my eyes. “In exchange for us paying for the car, you come with us to a party this weekend.”
“Liam...” Max growls, his arm tightening around me. “No. You can’t... She won’t go for it.”
“Why not? It might actually make the party more fun for all of us, for a change. It means we get to talk to an intelligent and pretty girl all evening and we won’t have to make small talk with boring people like previous years.” He shrugs. “It means we’re not simply ‘gifting’ her the cost of the repairs, she works for the money, and we all get out of it what we want.”
That sounds like a bad plan... A really bad plan... They might not be saying it openly, but this hidden talk reeks of this being a shifter party. “I don’t think that’s a good idea...”
“We won’t do anything. No kissing, no touching, nothing, just talking. That will be all, and, of course, a pretty dress.” He steps closer and why is that excited sparkle in his eyes bringing down my defences already? I can’t do this. I shouldn’t be doing this. But I also can’t afford to pay for the repairs myself...
“Liam...” Even Max doesn’t seem convinced.
“There’s no rule against it, and last time I got stupid drunk and you slept through most of the party.” He gives Max a pointed look and when I glance up, Max gives me an awkward smile.
What? How did he manage that?
“I fall asleep easily.” He loosens his arms around me and I kind of don’t want him to let me go just yet. “I still don’t know if it’s a good idea. But it’s up to you.”
“I...” I shake my head. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I’ll... I’ll pay you back for the repairs. Just... I...” My tears start all over again.
I’m so tired of the money problems, and this isn’t even going to fix them. Even if they give me these repairs for free, I still won’t be able to pay for everything this winter. It’s not like it’s going to make much of a difference. Why not give up now and just...
“How much do you get paid for the princess stuff?” Max’ voice is quiet. “We’ll double it. Since I’m pretty sure that your boss or agency is getting that much for the parties. I’d be surprised if they gave you even a third of what the people have to pay for it.”
“So, we triple it, to keep things fair.” Liam nods, looking more serious now. “We’ll hire you. No freebies. You get to play a grownup princess for a couple of hours. I’m saying ‘grownup’ not ‘adult’.” He gives me a quick smile. “You get to be a real princess and for once you won’t have to keep twenty kids in line while you do it. You get to do the other side of being a princess, the eating of pretty foods and drinking of bubbly drinks, or water, if you prefer that.”
Fuck. I shouldn’t take the offer. I really shouldn’t. But if it means that I won’t be in debt to them... It might be worth it.
Max is smiling softly and my stomach’s all fluttery. “Any money you’d earn on top of the cost of the repairs, we’ll pay you. And if we leave the party early for any stupid reason from our side, we’ll still ‘pay’ you enough to cover the repairs. Since that wouldn’t be your fault, and that shouldn’t be taken out on you.”
Fuck. What is it with sexy guys looking at me like that lately? I’m not used to it and I don’t want to get used to it.
“What do you say?” Liam reaches out and I carefully take his hand. “It’ll barely be any different from being a princess at the kids’ parties, just that the entertainment is more grownup, fewer bright pink and bright blue balloons all around, and conversation instead of silly games.”
I put away my pride, locking it up deep and strong. This is the best chance I’m going to get. I’m not selling myself for sex or perviness or whatever. I’m just going to be their companion to a party. I’ll make sure to take my meds and use lots of ‘human’ scents so that they won’t notice. I’ll be safe. I’ve been safe for years, I can manage a simple evening. It’ll work out.
It has to. Because if anything goes wrong, everything falls apart. But from where I am right now... It’s falling apart already. So what’s the difference, really?
“I’ll do it.” I push the words out, fear making it hard to speak. Fear of things going really really wrong at the party.
“Cool.” Liam shakes my hand and grins. “Looking forward to it.”
I glance at Max, who’s smiling, even though he still doesn’t look fully convinced, but in a flash, he takes that away and his smile grows. “I’m looking forward to it already. This year it might actually be fun.”
Fun for some, but I’m not so sure that I’ll be the one having any of the fun. What did I just agree to? Crap.
“I...” Fuck.
“We’ll take care of the dress, and the shoes.” Max touches my shoulder softly. “I promise we’ll send pictures of them to you so that you can veto any that you don’t like.”
“Nothing too revealing, please.” I’m already feeling like I’m selling myself, and that’s a crappy enough feeling.
“Noted, nothing too revealing. Are you good in heels?” Liam looks down at my legs, catching sight of the low heels I’m wearing. They look nicer than the sturdy shoes I’d prefer to wear, but sometimes you have to look the part. “I’ll make sure they’re not too high.”
“Thanks.” I nod.
“Anything else?” Liam looks at Max, who shrugs.
“I think that’s it.” Max nods. “We’ll pick you up on Saturday evening at eight.”
“I can’t get dressed in two minutes. I’ll need the dress sooner than that. Gotta do hair and makeup and everything.” I almost laugh at the idea of trying to get ready for a fancy party in two minutes, even dressing up as a princess for the kids takes longer than that.
“Right.” Max shrugs. “I can drop the dress off, Friday evening?”
Friday evening... I don’t have anything then, and the cafe doesn’t close too late. But it does mean that the dress will be in my house, able to pick up my scent, for a whole day... But I don’t see another way of doing this. “Sure. Friday evening is fine.”
“Are you sure?” Max eyes me, he’s getting all hesitant now. “I can drop it by sooner or later, if you want me to.”
I quickly shake my head. “It’s fine.”
Then I carefully take a step back, my heart a little lighter, but everything else is a huge mess now. Fucking hell. “I should...” I nod
towards my building. “I should get in. Shower and everything. You know, from work.” I suck at this and if I don’t leave quickly, I might call this whole thing off. Because I should, I totally should...
“Sure.” Liam grins. “We’ll send you pictures of some dresses so you can choose, and then we’ll drop it off on Friday. I’m already looking forward to it.”
“Me too.” Even though I’m scared as hell.
I have no idea how I’m going to survive this. But I’ve survived until now, so I should be able to hang on a little while longer, right?
Right.
11
Max
“I’m still not convinced it’s such a good idea.” I look at Liam over my plate of rare steak and fries. We’re at our favourite restaurant, since Liam was convinced we had something to ‘celebrate’.
“It’s not against the rules to bring a human.” He shrugs, stealing a fry from my plate, dipping it in the weirdly fragrant sauce on his own plate. I have no idea what it is, it’s too strong for me, but he seems to love it. “Humans have attended in the past, and there isn’t anything that says that we can’t invite someone as our plus one.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” I chew on a piece of the perfectly prepared steak. “I meant that Cyra didn’t look comfortable when she agreed to it. We shouldn’t have pressured her.”
“We’re all getting what we want from this deal. She gets the money she obviously needs, we get someone to talk to while we’re at the event. I don’t see the problem.” He sips of the red wine, and then stares out the window. “She accepted it easily enough.”
“Yes, because she probably knew she wouldn’t be able to afford the cost of the repairs on her car otherwise.”
She’d looked scared and upset, and that doesn’t sit well with me. But it’s not like the event is dangerous. We can protect her if there’s a fight between Alphas, and if she’s really uncomfortable we’ll just leave, simple. It’ll be fine.