16. Mylo

Sixteen

I stood still,holding my arms out as Taylor took my measurements. I still had no clue what was going on. First, Saffron broke into my hotel room—I guess it made sense that twins would commit the same infraction—then he brought me to the dragons' castle saying he had a ‘surprise' for me. Now I was a living mannequin for a pair of fabric-loving fated mates.

"Um... should I do anything?" I asked Aurum.

"Nope." He grinned. "Just stand there and look cute."

Heat filled my cheeks. Did he have to compliment me while I was under scrutiny? Everyone could see my flustered reaction.

"This was a good idea," Aurum went on. "Your clothes were... a choice. But don't sweat it, ‘cause the fashion duo's gonna make you a new outfit."

"A new outfit?" I cried. "But that's so much time and effort!"

Crimson scoffed. "What are we, a pair of amateurs? With my fashion sense and my mate's sewing skills, this will be over in no time."

"But... I had clothes already," I argued weakly.

"No, you had tablecloths failing to pass as clothes," Crimson shot back. "It was not flattering."

I blushed harder. It was odd being fussed over, but admittedly, not unpleasant. Crimson and Taylor acted differently than the condescending way my parents fussed over me, as if I couldn't do anything right by myself. This felt like the pair genuinely wished to help me.

I sighed. "Okay..."

"You can put your arms down," Taylor instructed, stretching out the measuring tape again. "Now for your chest and waist."

Dread crept into my voice. "You're going to measure my waist?"

"We're making you clothing, so yes," Taylor explained simply. Although there was no trace of judgment in his tone, that didn't stop my anxiety from spiking.

I bit my lip. Having my measurements taken was bad enough, but now they were going to focus on my biggest insecurity? I didn't know if I could handle it.

Aurum suddenly took up my entire vision. He stared me down, his golden eyes burning. Before I knew it, he'd taken my hands, holding them gently in his own.

"It's okay, Mylo," he said. "Nobody here is judging you."

The honesty and confidence in his voice soothed me. My tension eased.

"Do you trust me?" Aurum asked.

"Of course!"

A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "Then let me do this for you. And hell, if you don't love the final product, I'll burn that, too."

I chuckled in relief—and the mental image. "Okay."

Meanwhile, Crimson scoffed. "You will not burn the clothes my mate labors over, so get that through your thick skull."

On the other hand, Taylor looked curious and amused. "You've burned Mylo's clothes?"

"Believe me, they had to go," I insisted.

Crimson put a hand on his chest, as if overcome with feeling. "My younger brother, invested in fashion..." He sniffed and wiped a fake tear from his eye. "I never thought I'd see the day."

I rolled my eyes. "Can you get back to work? We have a deadline, remember? If we're not in front of the cameras by evening, Jade's going to kill all of us."

"True. I'd forgotten about that wily snake," Crimson said. "All right, darling. Let's get to work."

Taylor nodded, then asked, "Can you lift your shirt, Mylo?"

I hesitated. Lifting my shirt meant revealing my big belly for all to see. Aurum had already seen it, but everyone else...

"Hey," Aurum said sharply, seizing my attention. "You're hot as fuck."

A volcano of heat erupted within me. I tried to say something, but all that came out was a pitifully confused squeak.

Aurum grinned. He rubbed my shoulders, forming languid circles with his thumbs. In the background, I was vaguely aware of Taylor wrapping the measuring tape around my waist, but Aurum's touch stole all my focus.

"That's right, Mylo," Aurum murmured, like an act of hypnosis. "You just think about how sexy you are."

A strangled noise piped in my throat, unable to evolve into actual words. It was impossible to think or speak when Aurum stared hungrily at me and showered me with compliments.

"There," Taylor stated, drawing away. "All done."

"Huh?" I said, dazed. Had he already taken all the measurements? That was fast.

Aurum looked proud of himself. "Told you. It's painless, and look, it's already over."

"Entertain yourselves for half an hour," Crimson said, already walking off as he waved a hand dismissively. "We'll be finished soon."

He and Taylor set up their station nearby on a large table with a metal sewing machine on it. The pair got to work designing, cutting, and stitching clothes.

All for me.

My heart fluttered with different kinds of affection. I loved Aurum, of course, but that Crimson and Taylor would do something so kind for me when they barely knew me...

Tears welled up in my eyes.

"What's wrong?" Aurum asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

I smiled, wiping the tears. "Yeah. I'm happy."

Aurum relaxed. "Oh, good."

"Your family is really kind," I murmured. I thought of Saffron, too, who'd set this up for my sake.

Aurum paused, then broke into a small smile. "Yeah. They are."

As we waited, we drifted over to the playpen where Saffron entertained a restless toddler. But as we approached, I gasped in surprise.

"Whoa," I said.

I'd only seen Ruby from a distance, but ten minutes ago, he was definitely human. Now there was a plump winged reptile in his place.

A young dragon.

A high-pitched keening sound escaped me before I could stop it. Shamefully, I slapped my hands over my face.

Aurum laughed. "Was that you?"

I groaned in embarrassment. "Sorry. The baby dragon was so cute, I couldn't help myself..."

Saffron sat cross-legged in the pen. He looked right at home. "Want to hold him?"

"Can I?" I asked.

Saffron scooped up the baby dragon and handed him to me. I carefully supported his bottom so he felt secure. His scales were a rich shade of amber with striking black scales—a tiger pattern, just like his omega father. He was heavier than I expected, though he was a dragon, after all.

Ruby peered at me curiously. His eyes were intelligent and bright. As I looked into them, emotion bloomed within me.

"He's so cute," I murmured. I couldn't stop smiling.

Aurum watched us closely with a captivated expression. "You two look natural together."

I blushed. I'd never thought of myself as particularly good with children, mostly since I didn't have many chances to interact with them. But holding Ruby awakened a powerful warmth deep inside my soul.

"Aurum's right," Saffron remarked, watching us with a smile. "Look how pleased Ruby is. You know what you're doing, huh?"

Ruby pawed at my chest playfully with chubby dragon digits. His claws were too small to inflict harm, so it felt like being poked with the blunt end of a pencil.

I chuckled and patted his head. "You're a cutie."

Ruby squeaked happily like a bird.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Aurum and Saffron exchange a pointed glance. I was curious but didn't want to bother them by asking what it was about. Probably a twin thing.

"And... done," Taylor announced.

We all glanced up from the pen to see Crimson and Taylor proudly putting the new outfit on display. My eyes widened in amazement. It was a gorgeous shirt and trousers, nicer than anything in my entire wardrobe.

"Oh my gods," I said. "It's so... professional."

Crimson fawned over his mate. "That's because my talented mate sewed it."

Taylor shrugged modestly. "I'm used to sewing quilts and plushies, not clothing. But this was good practice. I think it turned out all right."

"All right?" Crimson scoffed. "This is a piece suited for my exquisite collection!"

Aurum rolled his eyes as he fetched the clothes. "Can you two conduct foreplay when you're alone? Thanks."

As Aurum brought the clothes towards me, I handed off Ruby to Saffron, who was just as eager to hold him.

"This is incredible," I murmured. The stitching was beautiful, and the fabric felt expensive. I also noticed it wasn't overly baggy. But would such a trim outfit look good on me?

"What are you waiting for? Try it on," Aurum urged.

"N-not when everyone's watching."

Crimson sighed dramatically and turned around. Saffron and Taylor averted their eyes. The only person who didn't look away was Aurum, but I was okay with that. It wasn't like he hadn't seen me naked before...

I discarded my shirt and jeans—one of the outfits that Aurum hadn't burned, but I suspected that would change soon. Then I took a breath and changed into my brand-new clothes. As soon as they touched my skin, I was shocked at the difference in quality.

Aurum watched me like a hawk. His intense gaze made my blood sizzle. Passionate desire radiated from him like rays of the sun.

I hurried to button up the shirt before I got too riled up. When I was done, I cleared my throat. "Um... how do I look?"

Everybody turned to stare at me. I'd been stared at a lot in my life—mostly by bullies and judgmental people—but this was different. Crimson, Taylor, and Saffron looked starstruck, like I was a celebrity.

And then there was Aurum.

He stood rigidly still. His eyes pierced me like shards of topaz. There was such raw want in his gaze that I secretly wished we were alone.

But he didn't leap on me like I fantasized he would. Instead he approached me and grasped my arms.

"Mylo..." His eyes raked me up and down. "You have to see yourself."

Crimson wordlessly gestured to the full-length mirror outside his door. Aurum led me to it, then allowed me to glimpse myself in my new outfit for the first time.

I was stunned.

The man in the mirror didn't look like me.

Except he did. He was me. I had the same chubby cheeks, the same glasses, the same face...

But the outfit changed everything. Gone were the excessive, baggy clothes that obscured my frame. The new clothes were trim and form-fitting. They highlighted my thick figure, but in a flattering way I didn't even think was possible.

I looked handsome.

Seeing myself in the mirror, I no longer hated my body.

My eyes grew hot with tears again. Seeing me cry, Aurum immediately hugged me.

"Mylo, what's wrong? Don't you like it?" he asked.

"I do!" I said through my blubbering. "I love it. Sorry, I'm just really happy."

Aurum sighed in relief, hugging me harder. "Your tears of joy are gonna give me a heart attack. I don't like seeing you cry."

I laughed through the tears. "Sorry." After catching my breath, I sighed. "It's getting late. I should probably get back to the hotel and wash up before our date."

"Just use my bathroom," Aurum offered. "That way, we'll show up on time together, and Jade won't peel my skin off."

The idea of seeing Aurum's room excited me. "Sure, that works."

His sunny grin brightened the hallway and made my heart flutter. "Cool. Follow me."