Makena was like a mad scientist—lab rat by day, party animal by night. We all wondered when she found the time to sleep. Lachlan had this wild theory that she didn’t sleep at all, just secretly huffed some weird, experimental drugs from her chemistry department.
“Mrs. Heisenberg here had a busy night! I can smell it!” Tiziano whistled.
“I had to put on my noise-canceling headphones,” Amaia commented. “And stop using Heisenberg’s name in vain.”
“Sue me!Breaking Badwas revolutionary.” He handed me a cappuccino, foam bubbling over the rim in just the way I liked it, fresh from our beloved coffee machine.
I took the cup and planted a quick kiss on his clean-shaven cheek, soft apart from where his mouth was stuffed with croissant. Our coffee machine was another gift courtesy of Uncle Andrew, Mom’s twin.
“Did you at least reach a healthy number of orgasms?” Amaia asked medically, not looking up from her ancient laptop.
“A few. We ended up at some party, then I dragged him over.” Makena flicked her onyx curls back, a few escaping her purple glittery hairband as her Taylor Swift friendship bracelet jingled.
“And…? Who was the dildo this time?” Tiziano prodded.
“Some random guy from another pack’s business school.”
“Which pack?” Tiziano’s chestnut-brown eyes narrowed to suspicious slits.
Makena bit her lip, averting her eyes. “DD.”
“DD?! You traitor!”
I gawked at Tiziano’s unnaturally agape mouth. Yes, I could fit a full croissant in it.
DD was short for Dark Diamond. Among us Comet pack members, there was this ludicrous superstition that saying the full ‘Dark Diamond’ out loud would curse our wereball team for seven days and eight hours.
Internally, I shook my head at that. I understood people’s fascination for folklore and tarot, but this was what happened when fanaticism met a lack of hobbies.
“Come on, Mak, don’t stress about it.” Tiziano patted her shoulder. “Everyone slips up sometimes. You shall be forgiven ifyou go through the purging process. I’ll run you a disinfectant bath and book you a sexual health appointment.”
“I used protection!” Makena shot back.
“DD is the official STD founder, and you know that! STDs spread because of them.”
“I wonder how you’ve made it to your third year of medical school and didn’t get stuck in middle school when you say things like that,” I told him as I packed three croissants for my twin.
Tiziano advanced to steal one, but I batted his hand away.
Makena stretched her arms up. “He’s just sour because all the sex he gets lately is from Literotica.”
“I’m not justifying my literature choices to you horndogs!”
“Hey, Yvaine here is the one getting it on a regular basis,” Makena threw in.
“Once a week. And never around ovulation!” I argued.
“And I don’t read Literotica!” Tiziano finally shot back—then winked at me. “I’m into the kidnapping trope and being chased through a dark forest lately.”
I averted my eyes and opened today’s agenda.Kill Tizianoat 2:15 p.m.
“Besides, why are we talking about me when we have a traitor in our ranks?” Tiziano began the start of one of his heart-centric lectures. “Have you been sad or pessimistic lately, Mak? Remember, holding negative emotions in your heart can mess up with your brain’s ability to function, leading to bad decisions…like that troglodyte you brought home! Never forget that, Queen M. Keep your heart happy, and your head will follow!”
Makena nodded along, her curls bobbing as if they agreed, too.
I grabbed my to-go coffee cup that saidMiss Brain—another gift from Uncle Andrew—and stuffed a second almond croissant in my mouth. Amaia stood behind me, my bag in her hands,before she helped me slip it on over my busy hands and forearm while Makena was screeching, “Why the shower now? Let me eat in peace first, you crazy warlock!”
“You know how the DD purge works!” Tiziano was throwing water at Makena, chanting something about removing evil spirits with gonorrhea. The water wasn’t even holy, just some scented stuff from our pack.
