Page 33

“Alright. No more sulking, pinky. You’ve been doing it for days, and frankly, you’ve become as boring as Lucifer’s toupee.”

“Lucifer wears a toupee?” What kind of cockamamie bullshit is that?

“You have some shitty priorities here. I tell you you’re boring, and you’re more worried about if Lucifer actually has a toupee or not.” Zane clucks his tongue and shakes his head.

It’s now Saturday, two days after I passed my Basic Elements class and two days since the kiss with Thaddeus. I feigned cramps yesterday morning to skip my first two periods, the same two where he’s my instructor.

Unproductive of me? Yes.

Very much needed? Also, yes.

Did I do it just to avoid the Fae? Bingo. Third time's a charm.

Luckily, Bane let me get away with it and even went as far as going to Jasper’s office to tell him I wasn’t feeling well. The headmaster gave me the whole day off, but I still went to my history class and Transmutation since that’s where I seem to need the most help.

Not that I let Professor Asshole know that. He still thinks Aero is my weird, out-of-body form, and it will remain that way.

“Let’s remedy this, shall we?” Bane strides from his room, a bottle clutched in his gray fist. “We never properly celebrated your passing of Basic Elements.”

“Oh, oh!” Zane bounces on the other end of the couch like an excited puppy. “Is that the good stuff? How the hell did you score it here?”

“It is,” Bane cackles. “I made a deal with one of the Fae fucks, but instead of his soul, I got this in return.”

My brows furrow. “What is it?”

“Fae wine. It’ll fuck up even the biggest bastard after one glass. Fae keep this shit to themselves since it’s harder to get here, and when they do get it here, they spend a fortune on just one bottle.”

“What the fuck did he want to where he willingly traded it? Idiot,” Zane mutters the last part under his breath, but we both heard him.

“That’s the best part,” Bane snickers, grabbing three glasses from the kitchen. “Poor kid is a shower not a grower, and his now ex-girlfriend laughed at him when they were about to get busy. So he wanted to be a grower. And now he is.”

“Oh Lucifer’s tits, that’s hilarious!” Zane roars, slapping his thigh. “How long is the contract?”

“One month. But get this shit… he only wants it long enough to sleep with a few other chicks, so word gets back to his ex-bitch how good he is in bed. Any longer than that, and I would have wanted more in the deal. I mean…” Bane shudders. “I had to touch his tiny pecker for it to work, and I don’t wish that shit on anyone.”

“Okay, okay.” I hold my hands out placatingly. “No more dick talk. Let’s celebrate.” Anything to get my mind off missing my mates and the freaking kiss with Thaddeus.

“Fuck yeah. Gimme.” Zane makes grabby hands at Bane. “I’ll crack the bottle.”

A glass full of a deep red liquid is thrust into my hands, strong raspberry notes flowing from wine inside. It looks like any normal wine you would get in the human sectors and smells the same too.

So it can’t be that bad, right?

Wrong.

The first solid sip goes straight to my head, giving me a floaty feeling. Something I don’t normally feel until Mom and I are halfway through our second bottle.

My second sip has me swearing there are tiny pixies flying around my face. And laughing at me.

Jerks.

By my third sip, Zane, Bane, and I are laughing our asses off, deep in a game of Truth or Dare, with none of us choosing truth.

Dares are always more fun, anyways.

We’re seventy-eleven rounds and half a bottle in when Bane turns me.

“Snow, truth or dare?”

“Hit me with a dare, Baney.”

“Baney?” Zane snorts. “You’re just one letter off from being that big, stupid purple dinosaur.”

“Shut up.” Bane shoves at Zane, sending him flying off the couch and onto the floor. His big red body hits with a loud thump, and for a moment, I worry the vibration of the floor will bother whoever lives below us, but then I realize I don’t give a shit.

Normally, I would. But the assholes at this school don’t deserve my worry.

“Snow?” I hum in acknowledgement. “You ready?”

“Yep.” I pop the “P”.

“Okay. I dare you to make a deal with me. An honest, crossroad deal.”

Zane sucks in a sharp breath, eyeing his brother for a moment before turning those inquiring eyes toward me.

“Okay.” I shrug; no big deal. “But I don’t have a dick, so no showing or growing here.” Zane cackles, probably remembering how we got the fae wine in the first place.

“It can be anything, snow. Anything your heart desires.”

“You sound like that genie from the Disney movie. What was the name of it?” I ponder for a minute before snapping my fingers. “Aladdin.”

“Close. But this isn’t a three wishes kind of thing.”

“Potato, tomato.” I wave my hand. “Okay. Okay.” Ugh, why is this so hard? “Oh, oh. I got it.” I shimmy in my seat, super excited at the prospect. “I want a year’s supply of that old coffee they used to make. Star… Starbucks. We learned in the human sector that it used to be really popular before the veil shattered, and the company collapsed not long after.”

Bane arches his brow, his forked tongue licking his lips. “You want to put your soul in my hands for… coffee?”

“Yeppers. You underestimate my love of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Steamy . Now, are we making the deal or not?”

“If that’s what you want…” he trails off, shaking his head, before holding out his gray hand. “Deal?”

I slap my hand into his, shaking it happily. Best deal ever.

“Deal.”

I wait with bated breath for something to happen. My coffee to pop up out of nowhere. His hand to shock mine. Something.

My lips turn down in a pout a few minutes later after nothing happens. Because yes, I’ll wait minutes for coffee to materialize out of thin air.

“I think your dealmaker’s broken. Poor form, Baney.”

“Sorry, snow. I think you’re right.” But he shares a weird ass look with Zane, their eyebrows waggling like they’re having a silent conversation.

Rude.

I can do that, too, though. I turn to Aero on the couch across the room and wiggle my eyebrows up and down, trying to tell him that the demons are rude for not including me in whatever they’re talking about.

Only, he doesn’t reply. Hell, my own damn pony ignores me, turning over on the couch and burying his head in the cushion.

Jerk.

“Alright, pinky girl, your turn,” Zane cackles, sloshing the precious Fae wine over the edge of the cup. “Oops.” His forked tongue snakes out and licks up the side of the glass.

Damn. Just thinking of things that tongue could do has heat pooling in my belly and wetness soaking through my boyshorts.

“Snow? You good?”

I flinch at the hand waving in my face. Damn wine is making me think dirty thoughts. I wonder if they did this shit on purpose.

Sneaky demons.

“Yeah. Okay… ummmm… Truth or dare?” I shift in my spot on the couch, tapping my chin.

“Who ya asking, pinky?”

“You.”

“Are you sure about that, snow? You’re pointing at both of us.”

Huh? It’s then I realize through blurry eyes that I’ve got two hands raised, and I am indeed pointing at them both. Well, shit. When did my other hand move?

“Just roll with it.” I roll both my wrists for emphasis. Or at least that’s what I hope I’m doing.

“Truth,” they both declare at the same time.

Really? This is the first time they chose it, and they choose it at the same time? One plus two does not make four here. Unless… I raise my brow. Maybe it does.

“Bro, I don’t think she can handle her Fae wine,” Zane snickers.

“Snow, what are you counting?” Pfft. I blow a raspberry. How can they not see I’m trying to make one plus two equal four? “Snow!”

“What?!” For fuck’s sake, he’s a pushy ass demon tonight.

“I’m not pushy, thank you very much. I’m just waiting for you to ask us a truth question.”

Crap. I think I said that out loud.

“You did.”

Double crap.

“Fine. Uhh… okay. I got it.” I sit up straighter, darting my eyes between them both. “What do you guys think of me?”

Fuck yeah. Good question, Bailey.

Thank you, Bailey.

“Bane, did she just thank herself?”

“I think she did, Zane.”

“You both shush,” my finger smooshes to my lips, “and answer the damn question already,” I mumble.

“Bailey, I…” Zane trails off, sharing a look with his brother.

Uh oh. I got first-named.

“Honestly, snow. I don’t think this is a fae wine kind of conversation we should have.”

“It’s fine.” I deflate, kicking myself. “You guys don’t like me, and you’re afraid the truth will hurt me more because of the wine. No biggie.” Real fucking biggie, but I refuse to admit that.

“Pinky, it’s not like that.”

“I’m a job. I understand it perfectly. Your turn.”

The big red demon makes me jump in my seat as he appears quickly in front of me, dropping to his knees. “You don’t understand, pinky. Not at all. We,” he waves at Bane standing behind him, “worry you won’t believe us in the morning when you wake up and think it was just the wine talking.”

“Try me.” Seriously… Try me with your forked tongues, your luscious lips, and those tails.

“We’re your mates, snow. Fated…mates.”

“Ha!” I laugh out loud, tears running down my face at the hilarity of their comment. “Cool story, bro. Sorry if I don’t believe you, because if you really were my fated mates, you wouldn’t have kept it from me. Not living together as long as we have. And the last asshole who told me I was his mate, dragged me through the academy and broke my wrist right before he told me.”

“Fuck, Bailey.” Zane’s warm thumbs brush the tears from my cheeks. “I’m sorry you went through that, but it’s not a story. We really are. I didn’t say anything because you have enough bullshit going on in your life, you didn’t need to add another mate on top of it.”

“And I didn’t know for sure, snow. Not until tonight, anyways.”

“Fine. Prove it then. I dare you both to kiss me right now.” Zane shares a look over his shoulder with his twin, but I already know what’s going to happen before they even say it. “Exactly. On that note, I’m going to bed.” I slip off the couch and stumble toward my room. “You know.” I spin around, grabbing the doorway to keep myself upright. “If all you want to do is fuck me, you don’t have to lie about being my mates.”

With those last words, I disappear into my room, slamming the door behind me to really drive my point home.

My hoodie gets caught on my messy bun as I try to remove it, and after wrangling it off, I drop into bed, curling myself up in a ball and my blanket over my head.

I’m out before I even realize I’m crying over their lie.