Undertow by K.R. Conway (1st book in trilogy)

Chapter 20

Ana was a living flame as she inspected herself in the mirror. The shimmering, slinky, floor length concoction had a back cut nearly down to her tailbone, which was crisscrossed with a cobweb-like pattern of crystal strands. The blood-red material clung to every one of her athletic curves and showed off the soft, trailing divot of her spine. The entire outfit stopped just shy of indecent.

Kian was going to have a coronary.

"You look . . . incredible," I breathed, awestruck.

Ana smiled and I could tell that she actually felt like a Hollywood starlet. It was a rare moment for her and I hoped she would remember it forever.

Looking at myself however, I wasn't nearly so confident. Granted, the snowflake white gown did manage to hug my more ample curves perfectly, the tiers of silk fabric creating a flowing, full skirt. The beaded corset top managed to make my chest look full and Austen-worthy, even without straps. Small crystals were sewn delicately into various areas of the skirt and bodice causing it to twinkle like stars on a summer night. It was gorgeous . . . and 100% intimidating.

Ana adored it. "Raef is going to love it. It is so you – quiet elegance. A rare flower," she said, smiling at me.

I turned slowly in the gown and the layered skirt trailed slightly on the floor and twisted around my ankles as I moved. The back of the gown also dipped low, but nowhere near as far south as Ana's. I actually did feel a bit like a Victorian princess.

Collette had also supplied us with mile-high heels, make-up and jewelry, complete with a matching ruby headband for Ana and a diamond barrette for me. The sheer worth of what we were wearing made me insanely nervous, but the boys assured us that the baubles were not on loan from Tiffany's.

Instead, the thousands in jewels and gowns were ours and Raef and Kian had footed the bill. Ana had to remind me, repeatedly, that Raef and Kian had plenty of money, but still – I felt uneasy being unable to repay such an extravagant gift.

By late afternoon, we had docked in Newport and I had barely seen the boys all day. They had been pouring over information on the Breakers, plotting ways to leave in a hurry if needed.

Ana had helped me with my hair and make-up, both of which I had been terrible at during my solo attempt to beautify myself. She took pity on me and then she took over. Her killer ability to glamorize was shocking since she so often dressed like a tomboy without a speck of make-up.

She finished my hair by setting in the barrette, then left me to attend to her own needs. I sat in Raef's room, in front of the mirror with my robe on, watching myself. The elegant evening wear Collette had chosen for me hung from the hook by the door, and I wondered if it could ever hide my own self-doubt.

I sat there, alone in the room, and could hear MJ talking to Ana in the galley. They were only down the hall, but I suddenly felt truly alone. I couldn't help but wonder if the past three days had actually marked the beginning of the end of my life.

We were operating on assumptions. Utilizing a rough draft of a violent history between my kind and the Mortis, since neither Kian nor Raef ever actually saw those centuries of bloodshed. They were "born" into their dark lives at the close of the fighting and at the end of Rysse's reign. Their information was sketchy at best and only derived from battle-stories of older soul-thieves and the other clansmen.

And stories handed down through the ages often become warped and twisted. At best, facts were exaggerated, at worst, completely inaccurate. I feared we were utilizing the later as our baseline of knowledge.