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Chapter 26
Piper
“Imean, 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.”
