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Perhaps, Octavius figured he needed more time to break him down and get him to agree…because if this had been sprung on him on Halloween, Henry would have refused to wear it. Too bad for Octavius, as he would not break on this.
“I will not dress as a mermaid, Master Octavius,” he stated firmly.
“But it’s not a mermaid costume! You’d be a siren. You know the ones that drag people to their deaths?!” his sire explained, as if that made it any better. “Oh, don’t you think it’s such a pity that mermaids are real, but sirens are not?”
“Yes, because who wouldn’t want one more creature running around trying to kill people?” he asked with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “Either way, this changes nothing. I will not dress as a mermaid, siren, or otherwise.”
“But it’ll be so cool! And you’ll have your own moveable grotto, and a water hole—”
“A water hole!? In the house?!” he barked, his concern rising. “No, surely it’s outside the house, right?”
Had he been too busy taking care of the brothers to notice that Octavius had dug a hole inside?! Where was it? Had he done it at Scarlett’s? No, she’d never allow that.
“Yes, a water hole, in the house!” Octavius replied with excitement as he completely ignored Henry’s tone of voice.
Taking a calming breath, he asked, “Please tell me you did not dig a hole into the floor of either of the houses!”
He would like to say Octavius would never do something so insane…but he knew Octavius way too well to rule it out completely.
The vampire giggled. “Oh, no. I made a hill in the west ballroom of my home, which I then put a water hole into. It’s a see-through water hole.”
He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at his sire. “There is dirt in my once perfectly clean house now, isn’t there?”
Octavius' eyes widened a bit, and his smile dimmed slightly. “Well, I mean…just a little dirt.” He gestured with his hand. “Just a little.”
The one thing he had absolutely hated about being a pirate…the filth.
“No…”
“BUT IT’S ALREADY MADE! I can’t unmake the hill! I mean, I will when it’s all over, but it’s too late now! And there is a show planned! A show, Henry!”
A show? By the Gods, Octavius' eccentric tendencies really came out during this time of the year. He eyed the stubborn expression forming on his sire’s face. But he was determined to not lose this fight. There was too much at stake.
“Master Octavius, the other fledglings are coming. I cannot be seen dressed as a mer—”
“Siren,” Octavius corrected.
“Same difference. I cannot.”
“But everything is already prepared!” he whined.
“Sire, please!”
Octavius stared, mouth pressed into a fierce pout for a few moments before saying, “Fine! But only if you agree to this compromise.”
“As long as it isn’t me in a tail and a wig, I’m fine with it.”
His sire’s pout disappeared as a rather evil smile slipped upon his face. “Good of you to say that. So, this is what we will do. Cormac will be my siren. He shall go into the pool and perform the show. BUT you are not off scot-free, Henry. You will have a starring role still.”
Henry grimaced. He felt like he had been tricked, as if this was Octavius' true plan all along. “And what will that role be?”
“You shall be the pirate he drags into the sea! There will be a kiss! And not only will you be starring in that role, but you also have to stay by Cormac’s side all night while dressed as his pirate. You will cart him around on his grotto as we go to different rooms during the party.”
This…had definitely been a trick. Which was not surprising. But Henry could handle this much, could he not? He could handle a kiss, right? It was just a kiss. It would be fine.
Standing by Cormac’s side did mean he’d have to deal with the werewolf flirting all night. He’d have to be in control of himself, do his best to stop the damned blush that loved to pop up at some of the pup’s more rambunctious comments…
Constant flirting or…be seen in a wig, shirtless, while wearing a fishtail by the other fledglings, who definitely would take an obsessive number of photographs and never let him live it down…
