Chapter 8 #2
The driver’s door opens first, and Killian steps out, all sharp black suit and effortless confidence, while Xavier circles around from the other side dressed more casually in jeans and a sweatshirt and with a garment bag in hand.
“Thank God,” I mutter under my breath.
Killian smirks immediately. “That nervous, huh?”
“Yes.”
“At least you’re honest.”
Xavier grins and signs to Killian.
I was lucky to learn how to sign from another servant who worked at Pen’s. Derrick hadn’t bothered. The skill has come in handy.
“I might,” I admit. “It’s a real possibility.”
That makes both of them laugh.
Xavier hangs the garment bag from the gazebo’s overhang and unzips it. The first thing I see is white.
Lots of white.
The tux practically glows beneath the lights. Crisp fabric, satin lapels, with intricate silver embroidery curling subtly along the cuffs like frost patterns. It’s expensive enough that I’m almost afraid to touch it.
My gut sours. “I’m not so sure about this.”
Killian barks out a laugh. “Oh, come on. You sounded so confident yesterday.”
“Yeah, but now I feel sick.” The risk is worth it for the reward. Isn’t it?
No matter what might happen to me if—
Killian starts to take the jacket off the hanger. “Buckle up, buttercup, because this is happening.” He tosses the jacket to me. “It used to be mine.”
I catch it awkwardly, absorbing the weight of it in my hands. There was no skimping on quality when making the suit, that’s for sure. “You’re kidding.”
“When I was younger.” His grin widens. “And skinnier.”
That part, at least, makes sense. I’m tall for a Delta, but nowhere near Alpha-built. The jacket looks broad enough to fit Derrick.
“I’m not sure I’m going to be able to pull this off,” I say. “I’m too scrawny.”
Xavier signs,
With a sigh, I duck into the shed to change. I pull on everything as quickly as I can, and to my complete and utter surprise, the jacket fits. A decent enough fit to loosen some of the knots in my chest.
I tug at the shoulders in confusion before realizing they’ve been padded from the inside, subtly reshaping my frame into something broader.
More like an Alpha.
My pulse stutters strangely at the thought.
When I step back outside, Killian looks entirely too pleased with himself.
“It looks good on you,” he says with casual ease.
I’ll have to take his word for it because there’s no mirror to check.
Killian grabs the silvery tie from the bag, slips it around my neck, and knots it. “Iris helped alter it.”
I pause, adrenaline kicking in. “Iris knows?”
“She knows enough.” Killian straightens the tie on me. “Not details.”
Xavier nods in agreement.
“She won’t tell Marigold,” Killian assures me. “Relax.”
Easy for him to say.
I glance back down at myself again, unsettled by how different I look. I’ve never worn anything so expensive in my life. I look like I belong in rooms I’ve only ever served in before. It’s a terrifying thought.
Tonight, I’ll need to act the part. Not simply look it.
Killian reaches into the bag again and takes out a matching white mask trimmed heavily with feathers curling up one side.
“And here are your feathers to stay on theme,” Killian says.
I stare at it. “You think that’s going to be enough feathers? I don’t want to stand out.”
Killian snorts. “Trust me, the themes are meant for the Omegas. Everyone else pretends they understood the assignment.”
Fair enough. I take off my glasses, and my vision instantly blurs.
I blink rapidly, and while some things adjust, most far-away objects are still fuzzy around the edges.
That may make things difficult tonight, but my glasses will give me away, so I slide them into my jacket pocket before pulling on the mask.
Xavier suddenly freezes.
“What?” Killian asks him.
He signs quickly.
I blink. “What?”
Killian’s expression changes to worry. “Oh, shit. Right.” He points at me. “Question: Can you still smell Mari when she has blockers on?”
I hesitate. I should probably say no. No makes the most sense for an answer, but when I think back to all the times Mari would come close to me and her floral scent would invade my nostrils, I nod.
Hiding the truth with these two will only make things worse for me later on.
“Yeah. I can.”
Both of them exchange a look that strokes my nerves like claws.
“That’s what I thought,” Killian mutters. “Okay. This is going to be tricky.”
“I still don’t know what you mean.” My hands flex and uncurl on repeat.
Instead of answering, Xavier pulls a glass spray bottle out of his sweatshirt pocket.
“Ah, good thinking, Xav.” Then Killian turns to me. “Arms up,” he orders.
My eyes widen. “What?”
“Arms.”
I obey with a reluctance he notices.
Xavier immediately sprays me head to toe with something that smells aggressively like pine trees. The scent burns my nose, my throat, until I’m bent over coughing.
“There,” Killian says after Xavier finishes. “No one’s smelling Delta on you tonight.”
I cough. “Jesus Christ. That’s strong.”
Killian waves a hand through the cloud of scent. “Hopefully it’ll overpower everything else.”
Xavier signs again.
I swallow roughly. My throat aches from a mix of the pine spray and rising bile, but I glance down at myself again. White tux. Feathered mask. Broad shoulders. Deep pine scent clinging to my skin.
Will it be enough?
I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off without them. Maybe it’s the turn of luck I needed, maybe one I’ve had coming. I’m not about to question it.
“Well?” I ask quietly. “How bad is it?”
Killian’s smile spreads, slow and wicked.
Xavier signs at the exact same moment Killian says, “Like an Alpha.”
I run my shaky hands over the jacket. “Great.”
But then Killian tilts his head. “Uh… One more thing. You’re still going to have to change your voice.”
I frown. “What?”
“It’s too recognizable.” He gestures toward me. “People know your voice. Especially Mari.”
That thought stops me cold.
Then something clicks in my brain.
I hurry back into the shed and grab the vibration box from my workbench. I’ve polished the metal casing. Now it’s sleek instead of cobbled together, the silver surface gleaming with a near mirror-like shine beneath the low lights.
“Tonight, we’re both playing a part, aren’t we?” I whisper to it like it can hear me. I jog back to the Alphas, and Xavier immediately looks intrigued.
“What is that?” Killian asks.
“My prototype for Mr. Stockton,” I say. “It may have to work double duty tonight. Then again, there’s no better proof than seeing it work in real time.”
I loosen my tie slightly and slide the small box beneath the fabric until it rests against my throat. When I press the button to the lowest setting, the metal vibrates faintly against my skin.
I clear my throat. “Testing. Testing. Do you think this is different enough?”
The voice barely sounds like mine. It’s lower and rich with a vibration that rolls beneath each word.
Xavier’s face lights up.
“Holy shit,” Killian breathes. “Now that’s fucking cool.”
I swallow hard, pulse hammering now.
Killian nods. “It absolutely can.”
“It needs to.” I stare down at my shaking hands. “For tonight.”
I only need one night, and everything could change. One evening of pretend.
Killian claps his hands. “Well then, let’s get this show on the road. The ball is about to start.”
This is it. Now or never.
I follow behind them, pausing at the gazebo when I spy an abandoned spiral-bound notebook left lying on the bench. One of Mari’s sketchbooks? She must have left it by accident.
If the weather takes a turn it could ruin those pages. I’d hate to see her disappointed.
Without hesitation, I step up into the gazebo, thinking I’ll return the notebook to her later. Pages fall open when I grab the spine. I pause on the most recent page, caught. Captured.
It’s me and Mari.
She’s drawn us with an intimate closeness, and there’s a crown of flowers on her head. Am I imagining it or does her body tilt slightly toward mine, drawn as though seconds away from a kiss?
Oh. Shit.
Heat swims through my veins. Why…why would she draw this?
Unless—
“Reece!” Killian shouts.
Dropping the book as if caught red-handed, I jerk my head up.
He is smirking like the devil himself. “Come on, Cinderella,” he says. “It’s time to get you to your fucking ball.”