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

Chapter 19

It took Kian almost twenty minutes to convince his personal stalker, Collette, to dress us for the coming ball. Considering that the event was less than 24 hours away, I was surprised to learn she was placated with the owner's papers to Kian's Corvette and not one of his appendages. I would have thought being allowed to keep one's arms would have been a plus, but Kian seemed highly displeased with the loss of his favorite automobile.

Collette, Kian explained, was almost 120 years old and originally from Paris.  She studied under great designers like Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel and numerous others, but she currently favored Versace-esque designs. I was sure they had no clue she was an immortal when she was a student, although with THAT haute crowd, one never was sure they were all human to begin with.

"Is this really necessary?" asked Ana as she wrote our sizes on a piece of paper for Kian to take to Collette. Ana was obviously not thrilled with the idea of Kian having to face a former lover. "Can't we just grab something at a department store?"

Raef shook his head, "At five thousand dollars a ticket, no one there will wear anything less than runway designs. If we want to blend, we need to look like we belong."

"I am going to look SICK in a custom tux!" said MJ, enthusiastically. He threw his arm around Ana and reached out with his other arm and pulled me over to him. "And you two are going to look devastating in these foreign things called 'dresses'!" He smiled widely.

"Ha ha," said Ana dryly as she handed the paper to Kian. "But seriously – does he really need to go and meet up with this chick? I'm not sure it's safe."

For a moment, Kian's face flickered with something tender, but he recovered, clearing his throat. "I, um – I'll be fine. I'm to meet her around 2 am at her loft."

"I'll wait up for you," said Ana, diverting her eyes to the floor.

The same tenderness lifted to Kian's face and this time he let it remain as he walked over to us. MJ dropped his arm from her shoulder, moving slightly away. While I knew that MJ wasn't Kian's biggest fan, he also seemed to respect the fact that he and Ana were trying to figure out their relationship. And one couldn't ignore the fact that he saved Ana's life.

"Don't wait up. You need your rest. Your body is still recovering," Kian said softly, mere inches from her.

She finally looked to him. "Wake me then, so I know you are back in one piece."

He smiled. "I will. I promise."

I glanced to Raef. The warmth generated by the two of them was infectious and I felt the heat climb up my back. I swallowed, but the motion made my throat ache. The discomfort triggered the memory of what happened in my bedroom and the urge to take a shower was overwhelming.  Raef saw and stepped close to me.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

I realized my hand was at my throat, rubbing the spot where my attacker had choked me. "I really just want to take a shower . . . and get some sleep," I replied, but I could tell he knew exactly why I needed to get clean. Darkness caressed his eyes for just a moment.

"You can take my bed. I'm going to stay up and keep watch."

I shook my head, refusing. "You need sleep as well. I'll just sleep on the couch."

He shook his head. "Technically I can go days without sleep and be unaffected. You, however, need a solid night's sleep. Take my bed – it's much more comfortable," he said, ending the conversation.

"Thanks." I fidgeted, desperately wanting to climb out of my skin. I headed to the stairs and Ana saw me leaving.

"I left you some clothes in the bathroom!" she called.  I waved a thank you to her as I headed down to the lower deck and the lure of a hot shower.