leave Reece here for it.
The ceremony would also serve as his initiation into the Bloodbound when he would take his binding eternal vows. I was running out of time to convince him not to go through with it. I had to get his attention somehow.
The following night, I decided drastic action was called for. Reece knew that by joining the Bloodbound he was taking himself out of the running to be my mate and leaving me single.
So I would behave like a single girl.
First, I recruited Heather to give me a makeover. If anyone knew what vampire guys found attractive, she did.
“I’ve been waiting for this since the day we met,” she exclaimed, excitedly combing through my long hair, which had never been cut before.
“Hey—should I be offended?” I laughed. “I thought guys liked long hair.”
“They do... as long as they can still see your butt.”
I laughed out loud, scandalized, and covered my mouth with both hands as she went to work with the shears.
When she was finished, the floor around us was covered in dark curls.
Thankfully, I had plenty of hair left. It looked better than it ever had in my life, falling in long waves that were still well past my shoulders but left my... backside—I blushed just thinking about it—in clear view.
Makeup came next, and that was where Kelly applied her expertise.
“I used to do all my friends’ makeup for school dances and picture day,” she informed me, and I nodded like I understood.
I had zero personal experience with either, but it was clear these events had honed my friend’s skills with a mascara wand as well as all those tiny little brushes.
During the makeup session, she turned my chair away from the mirror, so I had only a marginal side-view. Once she’d declared her work complete and “gorgeous,” I turned my chair to face my reflection and literally gasped aloud.
Logically, I knew it was me in the mirror. But it was still hard to believe. I looked so much older... so much... prettier, I almost looked like a different person.
Contradicting my thoughts, Heather squealed, “It’s perfect. She looks like her, only more beautiful—like the best version of her.”
“And now for the finishing touch.” She opened a bag and drew out a scrap of red cloth. “Your swimsuit. Say hello to La Perla.”
“And goodbye to modesty,” I muttered in dismay. “Is that the whole thing?”
She motioned impatiently for me to change into it. “It’s much more full coverage when you see it on. It’s going to be fabulous on you.”
I stepped into my closet to put it on then emerged, tugging at the edges of material that was comfortable but seemed present in inadequate quantities for the job.
“Do you know the meaning of the word ‘full?’” I asked Heather, and she laughed out loud.
“Oh my gosh, look at you,” Kelly exclaimed. “You’re stunning.”
“I’m freezing. No respectable Amish girl would be caught dead in this.” I glanced in the mirror, turning side to side and attempting once again to stretch the sexy suit into a more chaste one before putting on a cover-up.
Heather scoffed. “Well, you’re not Amish anymore. And you’re dead to them, so get over it.”
“Good point,” I admitted.
“Now,” she said with a shark-like grin, “let’s go find your boyfriend.”
Many members of the Bastion community spent their leisure time bathing in the cavern’s communal pools.
Formed millions of years ago by underground rivers, the cavern’s lakes were clear and inviting. Some of them were no more than eighteen inches deep and served as glass-smooth mirrors, reflecting the fascinating multicolored stalactites hanging from the ceilings above them. They were decorative only.
Only one was deep enough to swim in—Fairy Lake. Its mineral content was purported to work wonders on sore muscles.
Perhaps that was why the Bloodbound went there every night for a soak after training.
Tonight, we’d be joining them. Heather and Kelly donned swimsuits and cover-ups of their own and we set off for the natural pool. When we reached it, I stopped and stared in surprise.
“Great vampire minds think alike,” Heather said, reading my mind. “Or at least the female ones do.”
Apparently Bloodbound-ogling was a popular event at the Bastion. Dozens of women were in the pool or lounging on the sides of it—all within view of the tall, fit warriors taking their evening hydrotherapy.
Though Kannon had told me the Bloodbound vows included forgoing romantic relationships, it was clear not all of the warriors were happy with that state of affairs.
Quite a few of the men were reacting