Chapter Twenty

I’d slept in and woke up curled around Vaughn. The drapes were closed tight, leaving the room cool and dark. I checked the time. It was just past noon, and I was starving. I left Vaughn sleeping and wandered into the main area in search of my tonic.

Skyler was sitting in the living room.

“I made you a treat,” she said. “It’s in the fridge.”

I grinned. “Really?” Maybe she’d finally forgiven me.

I went to the fridge and spotted a tray of brownies. Underneath the sugar and chocolate, I detected the scent of blood she’d baked in them, and my mouth began to water.

I set the tray down and then shoved a brownie in my mouth. “Good,” I said while chewing. I let out a tiny moan of appreciation and then said, “Thank you, Skyler. These are delicious.”

“Marisol is handling my side hustle while we’re here,” Skyler confided. “She said that the vampires are complaining that the brownies don’t taste as good as they used to.”

“That’s not good,” I said. “I don’t want them to revert back to finding their own desserts.”

Which would probably be human. I didn’t want to have to kill my subjects, but I couldn’t let them feed off unsuspecting humans, either.

I was going for a second brownie when there was a knock at the door, and then before I could answer, an older woman swept in, Rose and Thorn trailing behind her.

“Dad sent you a stylist,” Rose said. “For the party.”

The woman turned at that and said, “My name is Ms. Geneva.” Her eyes swept me from the chocolate smudges on my mouth to my Basic Witch tee to my lounge pajamas and fuzzy socks. “You must be Queen Tansy.”

“That’s me,” I said. “But I didn’t agree to all this.”

“My orders are to outfit all of you,” she said. “You and your friends are included.” She spoke in a high-pitched twang that landed somewhere between Wisconsin and Minnesota.

My protest was ignored as bellhops brought in racks and racks of clothing. My brain couldn’t fathom the kind of wealth it took for Mason Alicante to send a personal shopper to fit us all out in party wear.

“We don’t have much time,” Ms. Geneva said crisply. “Let’s get started. My assistant will handle you gentlemen,” she said. Her young vampire assistant herded the guys to one of the bedrooms.

The selection of clothing was almost overwhelming.

I started to pick up a pretty black lace top. “No!” Ms. Geneva snapped. She sorted through the racks and handed me three choices. “Try these.”

I glared at her. When she met my eyes, I realized she was wearing colored contacts. At least I thought she was. I’d never seen eyes that brilliant shade of blue. Her grey hair was in a short bob, but I thought it might be a wig.

I mentally shrugged. People in fashion often altered their appearances.

Skyler, Thorn, and Rose were all given the same treatment. Ms. Geneva had definite ideas about what we should wear, which I guessed was the whole point of a stylist.

I ended up picking out a midnight blue dress with a deep vee in the front and tiny stars sewn into the skirt. I wore my hair in a braid wrapped around my head.

Despite being a little freaked out by getting a true love tattoo, the crescent moon covered up the bite scar on my neck. I was glad it was gone, but a scar wouldn’t even warrant a raised eyebrow with the group we were meeting tonight. I was almost certain some of them had either had fang scars or had been the ones to give them.

Ms. Geneva had tried to get me to wear heels, but I picked out silver ballet flats instead.

“Easier to run in,” I commented, and she gave me a strange look.

I admired my sparkly silver shoes, and Skyler looked down. “Showing off your tattoo?”

I’d told her about the strange circumstances surrounding our matching tattoos, but she’d helped me to calm down and then said she thought it was romantic.

“How many people do you know who have a true love tattoo?” I asked her.

“I don’t know anyone with a true love tattoo,” Skyler replied. “But you’ve got to admit that it’s romantic.”

“Okay, yes, it’s romantic.” I was getting used to the idea that Vaughn was my forever, however short that forever may be.

“Anyway, I’m sticking with heels,” Skyler said. “I need the height.”

Skyler’s dress was a pale pink, long and lacy number that fit her petite frame perfectly. We were both wearing our charm necklaces, although Ms. Geneva had pushed hard for us to pick out expensive jewelry.

Skyler decided to wear her dark brown hair down and straight.

I was completely surprised at the dress Rose had chosen. It was a strapless black number with a slit up the side, which showed a lot of leg. The only thing floral about her tonight were the black roses pinned in her pink hair.

We were cutting it close, and Thorn still hadn’t found anything to wear. “I need something I can fight in,” she told Ms. Geneva.

I gave her a look.

“What?” she asked. “I said I needed something I could fight in, not that I was going to.”

Thorn finally tried on a blue dress with a wide skirt and a lace bodice. “I like this one; it has pockets,” she said. She flipped her skirt up. “And shorts.”

Her hair, which was more blue than black lately, was slicked back and gathered at her nape.

“You all look very nice,” Ms. Geneva said.

Although she did seem to know what styles would suit me best, her own clothing was nondescript, the kind of thing you wore when you didn’t want anyone to notice you.

I stared at her, realizing what was bothering me. There was something so familiar about the way she smelled. Like strawberries and burnt orange.

She shifted uneasily when she felt my eyes on her. Before I could figure out what was bothering me about her, she excused herself. “I need to grab a few more options for your sisters, too,” she said.

How did she know Rose and Thorn were my sisters? It wasn’t like Mason was hiding it, but he hadn’t taken out a full-page ad, either.

When we went back out to the common area, I was sure all the guys had on nice suits, but I only had eyes for Vaughn. His fitted gray shirt matched his eyes perfectly, and the jacket clung to his broad shoulders.

He seemed equally as entranced by my outfit. “Tansy, you look…” He breathed in, seemingly unable to think of an adequate description.

I smiled at him. “Thank you.”

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “I hope there’s going to be dancing tonight.”

“There is,” I told him.

He smiled. “I love dancing with you.”

His smile faded when I added, “The music is going to be courtesy of the Bleeding Hearts.”

“I can take it,” he replied. “As long as there’s a slow dance or two.”

“Where’s your dad?” I asked Vaughn. “Isn’t he coming with us?”

Mr. Sheridan had seemed better today, so we’d thought maybe he’d be okay.

Vaughn grinned. “He’s fussing with his outfit. As soon as he heard he would be hanging out with your dad, he changed his tie. Twice.”

I chuckled.

“I’m nervous.” Mr. Sheridan walked into the room. “But I’m also looking forward to seeing your father. I can’t wait to tell him what a wonderful young woman you are.”

I beamed at him. “I’m not sure he’ll believe you,” I said, only half-jokingly. “But do your worst.”

Then a vampire queen, her best friend, her assassin sisters, her werewolf boyfriend–slash–vampire slayer, and his pack went to a party thrown by the Paranormal Activities Committee and friends.