by Emma Dean
She tilted her head and studied the options one more time. Thankfully she’d done her hair and makeup first. Her lipstick she’d saved for last after she knew what color she’d be wearing.
“I brought you something,” Niko said.
Piper tightened her grip on the towel and tried to ignore how naked she was underneath. She turned to Niko and took the glass of wine from his hand. “Thank you, I really needed this.”
He chuckled and flopped onto her bed like he’d been doing it all his life. “I know. I can smell your nerves.”
She drank the wine and nearly finished the glass in one go. “I don’t know what to wear,” she confessed. For some reason Piper felt Niko would be better suited to this dilemma than Xavier would.
“You plan on wearing that necklace again?” Niko asked, nodding to the scarab around her neck. She hadn’t taken it off once since she’d put it on…just in case.
Piper shrugged one shoulder and finished the wine, setting the glass gently on the top of her dresser. “Yes, it makes me feel safer for whatever reason.”
“It probably has real magic,” Niko mused. “Show me your favorites?”
So Piper pulled out her three favorite dresses – a black one that was surprisingly comfortable but sexy, a red one that always looked great against Patrick’s suits, and then the beautiful green one.
“Definitely the black,” Niko said. “It’s very slinky.”
Piper laughed and put the other two back. “It is slinky, and a bit risqué,” she admitted, showing him the high slits that practically hit her hips. It made some of the more flashy moves easier. But the real beauty of the dress was the halter top, long, black lace sleeves, and the completely open back.
Niko grinned. “I hope you guys have fun.”
She frowned and went into her bathroom, leaving the door open only a crack so she could still hear him. No doubt Niko would be able to hear her even with the door closed. “You and Xavier aren’t coming?”
“Not officially,” he told her. “We’ll be outside for backup. Witches only gave us your invitation and a plus one.”
For some reason that made her even more nervous. Piper trusted Caleb to keep her safe, but she also didn’t really know how to act around him. Not to mention they were going to be in a new place in a world with people she didn’t yet understand.
Though those books she’d been reading had been extremely enlightening.
There weren’t many ways to void a demon contract. Sure, there was probably a clause in the contract in case the crocs wanted out. They could re-summon Eisheth and renegotiate the terms of the deal. But that didn’t help her – there was no motive or reason for them to void the contract unless threatened. Piper didn’t know what it would take for them to do that, but she could suggest it to Caleb.
Then there was the option to kill Eisheth. But Piper refused to go there no matter what Xavier said. There had to be another way, like Jessica and her connection to Lucifer.
There was also the loopholes demons could take advantage of, but Eisheth had said a witch had helped bind him. So unless she was to see the contract herself there wasn’t much she could do there. Piper had two other ideas though. She could try to make a contract with Eisheth to protect her which would come into direct conflict with his current contract.
Or the spell to break a binding.
And if neither of those worked…Piper had one more idea up her sleeve, but Niko and Xavier wouldn’t like it. Caleb would outright refuse. But it was her life…and theirs. She didn’t want to know what the crocs would do with her blood and she certainly didn’t want to die to find out.
She tied the neck of her dress securely and adjusted the tight fabric so nothing would fall out. Then she used fabric tape just to be safe. Thankfully she’d never been big in the boob department, but she’d learned the hard way that it didn’t matter when it came to dresses – especially with dancing.
Missing her normal milonga had been hard. Piper was used to a schedule. But Patrick had understood without pressing for an explanation. Though inviting the boys had crossed her mind, if only to see them at a tango dance, completely out of their element for once. Patrick certainly would have enjoyed the three of them.
Would Caleb have even gone?
Piper slicked on her darkest, reddest lipstick and checked her eyeliner one last time. Simple, elegant, and dressed up enough for an event without being over the top. She pinned a stray curl up and then sprayed one last time to make sure the updo wouldn’t fall out.
“So why do you like to dance?” Niko asked from her bedroom. “I mean it’s great, but it just doesn’t seem like you.”
When she came out he was lounged across her bed with multiple shoe options. It made her smile to see him so comfortable in her space with tango shoes all over the place. Somehow it didn’t make her feel weird, which she’d been afraid of when she first heard they would be staying with her for her own protection.
She climbed onto the bed with him and Niko couldn’t look away from her red lips. He handed her a pair of shoes without once breaking his stare. Piper took the red shoes with straps and buckles that matched perfectly.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “These are my favorite.”
Niko blinked and looked up into her eyes once more. “So why dance, and why tango out of all of them?”
Thankfully the shoes gave her an excuse to turn away. It was difficult to talk about and Piper never really had to before. No one else had gotten close enough and she and her dad had an unspoken rule to never speak about the subject.
“My mother died right after I was born from pre-eclampsia,” she admitted. “It’s curable if caught in time, but no one knew. She passed away only a day after I was born, leaving my father with a brand new infant.” The buckles clicked into place and Piper started on the other shoe.
Niko must have sensed her discomfort because he placed a hand on her lower back, but said nothing. Surprisingly the contact helped and she took a deep breath to continue. “It was hardest on him I think. He was heartbroken and drowning in grief with a tiny baby whereas I never knew my mother, so I could never really miss her. I did miss the idea of her though.”
The second shoe was giving her difficulty and Piper just gave up and turned slightly so she could face Niko.
He sat up and took her foot in his hand, gently doing the buckles for her. This man was so incredibly easy to talk to, so sweet – he made her want to pour her heart out to him. The touch on her bare ankle wasn’t sexual, but caring.
Piper blinked back tears. “When I became a teenager things weren’t easy. My poor father is so…unmodern I suppose. He knew nothing about periods and female hormones or what to expect. I didn’t have friends either and most of our extended family is back in Greece and Macedonia. I didn’t have any aunts or cousins to help me. It was the first time in my life I felt the loss of my mother – a woman I didn’t even know. I refused to go to school.”
She searched his eyes and there was no judgement or disgust there. Niko truly wanted to know.
Without making a single noise Xavier appeared in her doorway with an opened bottle of wine and two more glasses. He handed one to Niko and refilled hers before settling everything on her dresser. He handed Piper her glass and then quietly started putting her shoes and dresses away.
Piper watched him with a sad smile. She supposed he’d been able to hear everything from the kitchen and she wasn’t sure if she should feel guilty for not thinking to include him in the conversation, but he didn’t seem to mind. So she shrugged and pressed on.
“Dad didn’t know what to do so he took me to see a therapist. She helped me through a lot and after a few months my life seemed almost normal again and I was happy, but there was something missing. She told me it was in my nature to be anti-social after seeing how much I preferred to spend time with my dad and to study.”
Xavier sat next to Niko and they both sipped at the wine. It reminded Piper of her own and she drank at least half of it.
She would have to teach these boys how to pour a proper glass of wine.
“Your therapist suggested you take dance?” Xavier asked.
She shrugged one shoulder and took another sip. “Not exactly. She suggested I find something – anything to get me out of the house, to socialize with real people, and the challenge was to find something that would require I build a relationship with someone – if only temporarily.”
Piper never really understood why she had such a hard time trusting people. It didn’t really make sense as she’d never been hurt or lied to in the past, except for her ex-boyfriend – but that had been after her mental breakdown.
Her therapist had suggested it had something to do with the fact her mother had died so suddenly – that she knew nothing was forever and therefore why build anything at all? It made sense in a way; though sometimes Piper felt stupid for reacting like that to something she hadn’t truly experienced herself.
“I wasn’t really interested in team sports. The idea of getting to know so many people…”
Niko squeezed her ankle reassuringly and she smiled at him gratefully. These two, Piper felt herself opening up to them more and more, letting them into her world as they showed her theirs. She’d never experienced anything quite so beautiful before – it was like learning your dance partner, but there was a different depth to it that made her shiver with trepidation and longing.
“Dance seemed like something I could enjoy without too much commitment,” she explained. “I spent three days straight watching dance videos – everything from ballet to the waltz to contemporary to hip hop. I saw every stupid dance movie that existed and only one dance really spoke to me.”
Xavier pulled her across the bed, careful of the wine. “So you picked something quietly passionate – almost violent in its expression?” Those rumbling words took her breath away.
Piper was pressed up against his chest with Niko at her back and her heart started pounding. Hearing something so…viciously poetic come from Xavier of all people wound her up tight.
“I did,” she breathed. For so many reasons this dance called to her.
Xavier took her glass and Niko tugged Piper over so that she rolled onto her back. “Before Caleb has you kneeling at his feet, I want to taste you,” Niko told her.
Then his lips were on hers, his tongue in her mouth, and his hands were all over her. His kiss was quiet desperation and far more aggressive than she would have expected from him. Niko took her mouth with his and gripped her hip with unapologetic strength. It almost hurt, but not quite. The feel of his teeth on her lips made her groan into him and then suddenly Xavier was kissing her neck while she pressed into Niko.
This was something she’d never thought she’d actually get to do. Piper had fantasies, but she was so busy with everything else that sex and boyfriends weren’t something she’d even been interested in for a long time. And suddenly she wanted two instead of just one.
Maybe even three.
That thought pulled Piper out of her desire and she sat up, breathing hard. “I don’t understand how this mate thing works,” she told them, scooting off the bed. Checking her hair in her full-length mirror she saw her new lipstick had held up to the test at least. Nothing had smeared or moved at all.
“You can ask us anything,” Niko said, leaning into Xavier as if they’d done it a million times before.
She reapplied her lip gloss and eyed the two of them. “Are you two mates as well?”
Xavier chuckled. “No, we’re just really good friends who occasionally find sexual comfort in each other. Most cat shifters are extremely free with non-sexual touch and affection. When the males are mated to one female, sex can and does occur between them at the female’s discretion. If you don’t want us touching each other without you – that’s up to you. And we haven’t since we found out.”
Piper glanced between the two of them and felt herself getting flushed as she thought about Niko on his knees before Xavier. She didn’t really know how she felt about that. She needed more answers. “Well, there are three of you, not two. How does Caleb fit in? I’m not even sure he likes me as a person.”
Niko grimaced and shared a look with Xavier. “Caleb is our Alpha and has been since he was fifteen. We’ve never been close with him like that. I couldn’t tell you how he feels or what he thinks – you’d have to ask him yourself.”
Xavier got up, shaking his head. “Caleb honestly doesn’t have a say in what you do with any one of us. You are the center of this triangle, not him. What you say or do with us romantically goes. Now he is Alpha so there are some grey areas where he can overrule your wishes for your safety – such as escorting you to the ball himself.” He took her empty wine glass and kissed her on the cheek. “Just talk to him. You out of all of us have the best chance at getting through.”
Piper fixed her hair one last time and tugged her dress just right. “Can he deny me as a mate?”
Niko’s eyes softened. “No gorgeous, it doesn’t work like that. But he could be mated to you and you him without either of you being very close. Personally though, I think he just needs some alone time with you to open up. Tonight should be perfect for that.”
Both of them left her room and Piper felt those nerves come back and now she was feeling wound up, like her skin was too tight. She brushed her fingers over her lips and then checked her shoes. Niko and Xavier knew exactly what to do with her; how to touch her to get her begging for more – but before she decided what she wanted from them all…Piper had to talk to Caleb.
It would be fine. It was just a witches’ ball. She would be okay. Piper needed a little confidence booster was all. Arching her back she popped up on the balls of her feet and flicked her arm up, her other hand on her hip, for a moment she inspected herself in the mirror to make sure her form was perfect, her arm dramatic enough. Then she tilted her head and did a little adorno, sweeping her foot out in a half circle.
Well…at least her posture was perfect. The emotion that was supposed to be there was missing. Piper was far too nervous to let herself go like she normally did.
There were mutters from the living room and she caught Caleb’s deep voice among the other two. Her stomach flip-flopped nervously. It would be all right, she told herself again, trying to make it convincing. By the end of the night she would get an answer out of Caleb, one way or another.
She grabbed her purse on the way out and then stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Caleb standing with his back to her, explaining something to Niko. Then Niko nodded her way and Caleb turned.
Piper hadn’t needed to see him from the front to know how amazing he would look. The tux somehow caressed his shoulders, as if the fabric couldn’t quite get close enough to his body, and damn it all to hell she felt the same way.
His gaze went to her as though drawn by magnets. Those green eyes snagged on her red mouth and then traveled all the way down to her red shoes. The slow look up and into her eyes had her heart beating wildly and knowing everyone could hear it – she blushed, but refused to look away.
The man was practically a god. He cut a devastating figure in that tux with the perfect shoes and a trim beard that followed the line of his jaw into a goatee. Piper really liked the blond on him for some reason and the close cut hair. It was barely tamed with a tiny bit of gel, brushed forward, but it was so short it did what it wanted for the most part. It made her want to bury her hands in his hair and see if he tasted as good as he looked.
Well.
That thought had certainly surprised her. “Are you ready to go?” she asked. There was that shy Piper she knew so well, voice quiet and unassuming. Caleb intimidated her and she didn’t feel as comfortable with him as she did the other two.
Xavier came out of the kitchen with a strange-smelling metal ball. “Niko and I have all the weapons packed up.”
Caleb still hadn’t looked away from her, but he nodded. “Yes, we should head out.”
Piper knew it wasn’t a real date, but still she
’d hoped he would maybe act like it was. Instead Caleb let her walk by him and out the door without once touching her, or offering her his arm. She buried the twinge of hurt down deep.
She’d make him talk to her – Caleb couldn’t avoid the subject forever.
Chapter Ten
Piper
The ride to the event had been agonizingly silent. Niko and Xavier didn’t bother trying to fill the silence either. This was her night with Caleb and they had to figure this out before she got in too deep. Already she was thinking of inviting them camping with her and her father in the summer – if she wasn’t a demon sacrifice by then.
“We’re going to the Grand Ballroom?” she asked, craning her head to look at the massive building.
“Yes, that’s where the witches formally celebrate Beltane. They’ve already performed their rituals on the first of May, but everyone likes a party,” Niko told her.
“They just…celebrate it out in the open?” Piper asked, watching how Caleb pulled up to the valet parking. They were really going into Sacramento’s Grand Ballroom. Lord, this was a bit more surreal than she’d expected – though Piper had no idea what she thought it was going to be like.
“Freedom of religion,” Caleb said. “Most people get them confused with modern Wiccans. It’s not always the same thing and there are spells on the ballroom tonight to keep those uninvited away.”
At least there was that, but the flashing lights and banner stating the Golden Coven’s 83rd Annual Beltane Ball made Piper nervous. Had she really not noticed all these years she’d lived right here in this city alongside them when they were so blatant about their events?
She felt kind of stupid.
Piper had been so busy staring at the sign she hadn’t realized everyone else had gotten out of the truck until her door opened and she nearly fell out.
“Careful,” Caleb said softly, catching her before she made a fool out of herself.
Blushing again she took his offered hand and let him help her out of the car. This was what she’d been hoping for. This small bit of chivalry and romance, but it could just be good manners. Piper didn’t know Caleb well enough to tell the difference. He could be this way with every female out there.
