Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Piper

“I mean, this is the—Actually, I don’t. Hell, no,” I snapped, jerking the curtain of the dressing room open. I hit my hands against the fluffy, layered black skirt and scowled. “I’m not wearing this.”

Drake leered at me, not even hiding his pleasure. “I like it.”

“Of course, you do. You’re into this kind of crap.” I tugged at the lace choker and grimaced, feeling feminism going back a hundred years just for agreeing to put the dress on.

“What kind of person is that?” Allister made a small sound in his throat, half between a laugh and a hum. If he knew what was good for him, he’d not draw my ire in his direction. I had plenty to go around starting with the sadist ass wipe who thought this was a good idea.

“Seriously?” I shot back, my brow raising to my forehead. “I look like a Gothic Lolita.” I grimaced, pulling on the tight corset top half of the dress. If I were a bigger girl or buxomer, there would be no chance of getting me into this contraption. I was dying here.

“Stop bitching. Here, put these on.” Rayne came around the corner of the dressing area, holding a pair of black heeled Mary Janes and white, thigh-high tights. He shoved them into my arm, but I pushed them back, earning me a frown. “What?”

“I’m not wearing this. I’m the maid, not some vampire pin-up girl.”

Drake snorted.

“Watch it.” I shot him a glare.

Rayne wasn’t affected by my words. “You’ll wear it because I was put in charge of dressing you. Darren has never complained about my clothing choices.”

My fingers curled into fists, and I bared my teeth. “That’s because his outfit didn’t come with frilly underpants.”

Letting out a disparaging sigh, Rayne raised his eyes to the ceiling. “No one said you had to wear the underwear.” I opened my mouth to argue, and Rayne pressed a hand to my mouth. “Let me put it in a way you will understand. Others like us aren’t as forward thinking. They won’t see you as an equal.”

“You’re food to them,” Drake interjected.

“Exactly.” Rayne nodded to his brother. “They won’t bother to ask if you want to be touched or groped. Wouldn’t you rather have piles of fabric between you and their grabby hands?”

My brows scrunched together. He made sense... surprisingly. Damn it.

“Fuck, fine. Give them to me.” Rayne handed over the stockings and shoes with a smug look that I wanted to smack off. Instead, I ducked behind the curtain and threw my skirt up to pull on the thigh highs. “If this is all to keep them from getting handsy, why wear a skirt at all? Or the choker?”

“The guests coming are old fashioned. Women wear dresses and men wear pants. You won’t want to give them the impression that you aren’t a lady, despite the obvious.” Rayne’s voice rolled over the curtain, and I could just imagine the snarky expression on his face. Man, I wanted to hit him again, broken hand be damned. It was worth it.

I held onto that feeling as I finished rolling up the tights. They were actually cute, if I were honest. The tops of them were frilly with black bows landing just above my knee. The shoes were thankfully only a couple of inches with thick heels. If I had to be on my feet all night, I’d rather be comfortable.

I pushed the curtain back open and held my hands out to my sides. “Well?”

Rayne’s eyes scanned over me, a finger tapping his chin as he circled me like a damn vulture. My fingers curled around the fabric of the poufy skirt, not knowing what to do with them while he surveyed me.

“You’ll do,” Rayne finally announced, stopping in front of me.

“Good. Then I can take this crap off.” I shifted to go back into the dressing room, but Rayne stopped me with his hand. His other hand reached up and touched the lace collar around my neck. The collar and the thin straps of the dress were the only things covering my shoulders and neck, the neckline of the dress barely dipping to hint at a cleavage. It was a weird combination of conservative and tempting.

“The collar is to give the illusion that you have been claimed.”

I cocked my head to the side, glancing around him to the twins. “Claimed?”

Drake nodded. “While our family adheres to a different set of rules, others will expect us to have... tasted you.”

I shivered at the way he said it, not completely displeased by the prospect.

“If you aren’t bound to our family then you are a threat or food.” Rayne adjusted the strap of my dress, and I smacked his hand away with a glower. Not at all bothered by my lashing out, Rayne ran a hand through his red hair, tousling it. “The collar hides the fact that you haven’t been bitten though it might not stop some of them from trying for you.”

Allister snorted. “Valentine.”

“Exactly.” Rayne’s head jerked once.

Sighing at all the vampire bullshit, I threw my hands up. “Then why even have me serve? Darren is used to doing it all by himself, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” Rayne exchanged a look with his brothers, “but Antoine wants you there and what he says goes.”

He didn’t seem entirely happy about that, but I didn’t probe. I took the chance to duck into the dressing room and ripped the outfit off as fast as I could without destroying it in the process. I’d already peeked at the price tag and about threw up when I saw the four digits. Who the hell spent that much on a single outfit, let alone one they didn’t want?

Putting my regular jeans and t-shirt back on, I gathered up the outfit and handed it over to Rayne to pay for. He took it up to the front counter where an overly enthusiastic female clerk rushed to help him. Drake and Allister hung back with me as we waited for him to finish paying. The more Rayne tried to leave, the more the woman, who looked around his age if he wasn’t a vampire permanently stuck as a twenty-year-old, flirted with him.

He just couldn’t seem to get away without being a dick.

“Why doesn’t he just tell her to fuck off?” I muttered, getting annoyed.

Drake chuckled. “Because Rayne isn’t that kind of guy.”

My mouth dropped open. “Not that kind of guy? He hated on me the moment I stepped into the house. If anyone could tell someone to fuck off, it’d be him.”

Drake and Allister exchanged a look and just laughed, irritating me more.

After a moment, the clerk wrote something on a paper and handed it to Rayne. Reluctantly, Rayne took the paper and made a show of putting it in his pocket before taking the bag she was holding hostage and coming back to us.

“Ready?”

“Are you?” I crossed my arms and cocked my hip to the side. “Or did you need to suck face with the clerk first?”

Rayne gave me a quizzical look before shaking his head. “Whatever. I’m hungry. Let’s find something to eat then go home.” I tried to reach for the bag, but he wouldn’t let me take it, insisting he carried it.

Stomping after him, my mind a jumbled mess of confusion, I waved an arm toward where my car sat. “Why can’t we just eat at home? My car’s down there.”

“Because I’m tired of microwaved meals.” Rayne ignored my directions and headed for an Italian place across the street.

The twins looped their arms through mine, effectively giving me no choice but to come with them.

“Come on, Piper.” Drake crooned in my ear. “Spend time with us. It’s not like you get to see us much around the house.”

I glanced up at the tall, beefy vampire who smirked and winked at me and then looked to Allister who seemed a bit eager for me to join them as well. Sighing, I dropped my head. “Fine, but that’s it. Unlike you, I have to sleep at night.” I glanced at the watch on Allister’s arm. “It’s already nine o’clock.”

“There’s a good girl.”

I jerked my arm out of Drake’s arm and shoved him away. “I’m not a dog. Don’t treat me like one.” Placing both hands on Allister’s arm, I gave him a squeeze and a smile. “You’re the only gentleman in the whole household, I swear.”

Drake barked out a laugh. “Allister, a gentleman?”

Allister’s arm shot out and his brother in the shoulder shoving him into the brick wall of the restaurant. Rayne stopped talking to the hostess long enough to snap at us. “Stop screwing around and get in here.”

While Drake continued to chuckle behind us, Allister led me to the table Rayne had acquired for us. Releasing my arm, he pulled my chair out for me. I smiled in thanks and sat down.

Picking up the menu, I glanced down at the prices. Wow. Fifty dollars for a salad. I peeked up from my menu to scan the room. Everyone was dressed really nice, suit jackets and cocktail dresses. The guys might have been able to pull off being in here with their expensive jeans and collared shirts, but I didn’t think my outfit cost more than twenty dollars altogether including my underwear.

“How’d you get us a table?” I whispered to Rayne over my menu. “We’re not exactly dressed for this place.”

Rayne didn’t look up from his menu. “They know us.”

“Master Durands, a pleasure to have you in our little restaurant.” An older man wearing a suit came to our table, his hands clasped together in front of him. He had the air of someone who was in charge. Maybe the manager? His eyes landed on me, and his beaming smile never faltered. “And who might this gorgeous young woman be?”

“Piper Billings.” I offered him my hand to shake, but he bent over it, kissing it like some kind of Victorian gentleman. Oh-kay.

“I am Richard Griffin, the manager of this esteemed establishment. Any friend of the Durands is a friend of ours. Please, do not hesitate to ask for anything.” To the others, he asked, “Would you like your usual?”

Drake and Allister nodded, handing over their menus, but Rayne held his hand up. “No, I want the Melanzana alla Parmigiana and a nice Sangiovese. Just bring the bottle. Please give Miss Billings the same thing.”

Richard took Rayne’s word for it and didn’t even ask my opinion before he took the remaining menus and disappeared into the back. My jaw clenched, and I prepared to ream into him, but a waitress came next, giving us water and a plate of bread. I jiggled my foot and gripped my knife in my hand, waiting for her to stop eying the guys and leave. Not that they were doing a good job of getting rid of her as Drake kept asking her questions.

When she finally left, I picked my knife up and pointed it at Rayne. “I am not your pet. I can order my own food.”

“We both know you can’t afford this place—” Rayne started.

“That’s beside the point.”

“So, you should trust me to pick something you will like. I am paying after all.” He paused as another waiter came out and poured the wine. Rayne swirled it around and gave it a sniff before sipping it. He nodded, and the waiter poured for everyone at the table.

Ignoring the glass, as soon as the waiter left, I snapped, “I didn’t ask to come here. I can buy my own food or just eat at home. Stop treating me like some kind of doll you can dress up and feed whatever you want.”

I expected Drake or at least Allister to jump in and help me out, but both of them were more than content to sit back and watch us snipe at each other. Freaking traitors.

“As far as I’m concerned, you are that,” Rayne began but then held his hand up to stop me from arguing. “However, Antoine wants us to get along. To put our unpleasantness behind us. So... maybe, for a moment, you can stop finding reasons to hate me and take this meal and the clothes as a peace offering.”

If this were a cartoon, my jaw would have hit the table. “A peace offering? Hate you? You’re the one who has had it in for me since day one.”

“That’s true,” Drake pointed out helpfully, earning him a look from Rayne. “What? It is.”

“Fine,” Rayne conceded. “We are both at fault, but this is our chance to remedy it before the party tomorrow. You don’t want to show any weakness in front of these people. We can’t afford to show any weakness, and you are a weakness.”

“I am not.”

“A little help here?” Rayne took a drink from his glass, no longer willing to argue with me.

I stared hard at the twins, daring them to tell me I was wrong. Allister avoided my gaze, picking his own wine glass up and busying himself with it.

Drake had no such issues. “You’re unpredictable and undisciplined. Which we like,” Drake added quickly, “but will make us look bad to the other masters.”

“Masters?” I paused. “Who exactly is coming to this party?”

“Several of our fellow brothers.” Drake’s eyes moved around the table, looking for someone to add to it.

Something about the way he said it made me think of something. “Hold on a moment. I thought you guys were brothers, but you’re not, are you?”

“Not in the traditional sense,” Drake answered.

Allister added, “We are blood brothers.”

“We all have the same sire or maker, whatever you want to call it.” Rayne tapped his fingertips on the table, impatient to get on with it. “Every once in a while, he, our maker, decides to send one of his other... children to check up on the different factions.”

“The Durands being the main one here,” Drake continued for Rayne. “However, the person they’re sending...”

“Valentine,” Allister interjected with a displeased frown.

“... likes pretty women, especially unbroken ones.”

My pulse pounded in my veins at Rayne’s words. “Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”

Shaking my head and forcing myself to breathe, I asked, “Then why not hide me away? Why make a show of me being there at all?”

“Because if there is one thing our kind likes more than anything, it’s taking other people’s toys.” Drake’s lips curled up in a fiend grin. “If we hide you, then he will think you are important. If we put you on display...”

“He’ll ignore me,” I squeaked.

“That is our hope,” Drake agreed.

“At least that’s what Antoine has us believing,” Rayne gave me a cruel grin. “It could just as easily be because he wants to taunt Valentine with what we have that he doesn’t... which, in this case, would be you.”