"No," I announced. "I still have three more sets to try on.”
"Ugh," the two of them said together. "Where are Otis and Adonis?"
"Oh no, no, no." I twirled right around on one foot and widened my stance to give them a vile glare. "Don't you dare summon Mr. Apocalypse and his smooth-talking brother."
"What's taking so damn long? At this rate, the moon will come out and it'll be time for my night shift."
The three of us glanced to our left to see two identical pairs of plum eyes staring back at us.
"I might as well summon the moon now so it can rise and make me into a glittering ornament."
"That's what humans call a disco ball, Otis, and that whole vampire glitter stuff was a myth with the sun. Not the moon. Well...except for that Edward guy. He actually glitters during the full moon. I can't believe humans got that all mixed up. He's a celebrity in the vampire world. Otis still has his autograph on his wal—"
"Not the point, Adonis," Otis snarled and looked my way. "Why is Cass naked?"
"When is Cass not naked?" Adonis smiled seductively at me. "She might as well give up on buying lingerie. She always finds a way to rip them to shreds."
"I am not naked!" I fought back as I pointed at them. "Let me correct your statement, Adonis. Why is it that my lingerie gets ripped to shreds? Oh, I don't know. Maybe because someone's long nails destroy them, which always leaves me naked with no lingerie!"
Adonis lifted his hands to stare at the source of my lingerie crisis.
"Hmm. My nails are kinda sharp. I really got to get them done. What color should I go with, guys?"
Tristan shook his head. "You've asked us the same question for seven years and you've yet to venture out of the purple and black department."
"Why not try red?" Dominick suggested.
"Or pink. Or any other colors in the rainbow," I offered.
Adonis bobbed his head in thought.
"I'll go with...purple."
"Ugh," the three of us groaned.
"What?" Adonis gave us a teasing grin. "It complements my skin."
"Of your hands, not your face," Otis reminded.
"Yes, but a little splash of color goes a long way," Adonis concluded. "I still think our parents were fools. Why name me after the god of beauty and desire when I still get pimples and the rest of you look ten percent more attractive than I do?"
I smirked and leaned against the door frame of my change room, arms crossed. "They knew, like the gods above, that you'd have too much seduction in your bones to have perfect looks. If they did that, you'd get cocky instead of having a hint of humility somewhere in that brain of yours."
"My brain is rather talented, thank you very much. I'm the smartest in the group, remember?"
"The brain that loves to signal you to rip my lingerie whenever you get a chance," I muttered. "And since when are you the smartest?"
"Since last week when he beat Dominick's perfect score with a bonus star." Tristan chuckled.
"Bonus star? Aren't we supposed to save those during the year and use them to boost our grades at the end?"
"Yup." Dominick seemed pleased. "Should have seen his proud face. Made all the girls faint in the cafeteria."
"It's not my fault that I was blessed with the ability to hoard my stickers and steal Otis's."
Otis side-glared at him, but Adonis didn't care. "Now, are we heading out to eat? Otis is serving an extra glass of crankiness due to his lack of blood. I'm thinking of grabbing him a Bloody Mary from Vampy Dee's."
"I will never understand how identical twins can carry completely different supernatural traits," I voiced as I looked between the two of them.
Otis von Dolorosa and Adonis von Dolorosa. Identical twins, and yet one was a vampire and the other was an incubus. The mystery behind it all would never be solved, seeing as their parents offered them up to the nearest dumpster when the twins didn't turn out to be hybrids as desired.
Just as with my predicament, Everett had been at the right place at the right time and took them in.
"Genetics, Princess," Adonis remarked while his plum eyes checked me out. I expected him to add another comment about my almost-naked appearance, but he moved his gaze to Tristan and Dominick. "Did Cass gain weight? It was the cake, wasn't it?"
"Yup," Tristan and Dominick responded like it was Jeopardy’s latest Let's Remind Cassandra Thorn of Her Flaws special edition.
"Fools," Otis insulted. "This is the one time I'll flee Death." He turned right around and slipped his hands in his pockets. "Hurry up, Cass. I have shit to do. If I end late for my night shift, I'll let Mr. Drack-A-Lot suck your blood like he's been wanting to since you were four."
I cringed at the thought and reached out for the closest man of the three, which was Adonis. "Hell to the no, no, no! That creep of a stalker isn't getting near me. He's a panty stealer!"
Otis looked over his shoulder; his usual emotionless expression remained.
"Says who?"
"Uh, everyone. Right, Adonis?"
"The women who fawn all over me at the club always bring him up." He put an arm over my shoulder and brought me close to him. "Cass is right on in that department. Drake's a perv. Plus, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten arrested for all the times he's tried to drink a girl's blood on sight. Why is he still working at the Blood Protection Services when he can't even purge that craving for strawberry juice?"
Strawberry juice was the code name for blood among most supernaturals when they were around humans. The guys were still getting used to saying blood around me, something Everett wouldn't allow them to do until I got my period.
Silly, right? It must have been in one of those "How to Raise A Human Child Correctly" handbooks he carries around all the time. The previous edition was so outdated.
"Anyways, get moving Cass." Otis got back to the point.
"I still have three more sets to try."
"It's the same shit." Otis was going to pop a blood vessel with his impatience. Typical.
"No, it's not," I argued, clearing my throat.
"Oh, no," Tristan interrupted. "Here comes the lecture on Panties 101."
"I'm glad you're prepared," I sweetly replied and gave him a wink.
Dominick walked over to stand next to Otis. At 6'2", he had a few inches on the twins.
Fae had the ability to grow taller or shorter if they chose to. Dominick loved to be tall, especially because he worked as a model at multiple agencies and had been on covers like GQ, Men’s Health, and other high-profile magazines. It was a good height for him anyway, unless he landed a role in a movie full of badass, 6’6" warriors.
Dominick looks good in gold armor. What was I about to talk about again?
"I'm heading to the men's department. I need some boxers."
"Coming!" Tristan scrambled out of his seat.
"Hmph." Otis was already walking away, not caring where they went.
"Hey! I didn't start my lesson," I called out.