Page 53 of Rejected Mate

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Adate.Ourveryfirst date.

I shouldn’t have been nervous since we’d already shared a kiss, and he’d seen me completely naked, but that wasn’t the case. I was more nervous than when Raul Dunkelpelt took me to my first middle school dance and tried to French kiss my windpipe.

Staring into the mirror, it felt as though a flock of birds was darting around inside my chest cavity.

I had no idea how Ares felt about me. Yes, we shared an intimate moment a few days ago, but that was before I purposely sabotaged our win. Plus, that had been alcohol-fueled and driven by pure lust. Did he prefer Laurel now? He’d taken my side when he’d learned she’d cheated, but that might only mean he hated deception. Maybe he didn’t want me or Laurel. Maybe he’d end up with Silvia or Violet or one of the other girls who was much less drama.

And what exactly did I think our partnership should look like? He was still a vampire. Still part of this abduction and forced competition. I knew that William was the brains behind the scenes, but Ares was going along with it, even if at some level he appeared to be fighting it.

I reminded myself that it didn’t matter. I couldn’t allow Laurel and Ares to partner or… mate, whatever that meant. I needed to make sure of that and let the cameras and everyone at home know Ares preferred me. I needed to show my grandfather I could do as he asked. Then, once the competition was over and the cameras turned off, I could do the right thing and tell Ares to hit the road.

There was less competition now. Three females had been let go, and I was glad for their sake that they could go home to their families. Deep down, I wanted to be one of them, but I know that wasn’t an option for me.

The vampire suitors or William—or whoever was in charge of that decision—had determined that Paulina, Kaylie, and Savanna were no longer in the game. That left seven of us and seven vampire suitors, one for each of us. We’d been told now that every remaining shifter female would be offered one of the vampire suitors. I shuddered at the thought of any vamp trying to mate with me. Yet, I wondered if the other girls would take the vampires up on the offer. Would their families allow it? Would we see a bunch of were-vamp babies running around in nine months? We still weren’t exactly sure that was possible or what it might look like, but William and the others sure seemed to think it was.

I’d breathed a sigh of relief for Violet, though. She’d thought for sure she’d be sent home, but she wanted to stay. Selfishly, I still wanted her with me since we’d made a tentative peace. I understood her motives, but that didn’t mean we were besties again. It would take a while before I could trust her with my secrets.

Speaking of secrets…

Ares’s tapestry and the words he’d spoken came to the forefront of my mind again. I was hoping that during the date I would have an opportunity to talk more about the claim that we were tied together, but would he speak to me at all?

Ugh. Everything was so complicated.

“Why are you frowning? You look fine, miss,” Maurica said, walking back into the dressing room with a pair of heels in her hand.

“I need to look more than fine,” I said, checking out the red dress from the back. You could almost see my panties it dipped so low down my spine.

I’d taken no chances this time. I’d let Maurica pick out the sexiest dress in the closet and ply me with makeup. She’d curled and styled my hair until I barely recognized myself. I had to admit I looked very glamorous. The cleavage the dress showed didn’t hurt either.

“This is what they want, right?” I said, turning to check myself out from the front.

“You will knock Mr. Raith’s socks off.” She smiled faintly.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” I said skeptically.

“Beauty, strength, and cunning. What’s not to like?” She handed me the heels.

I slipped them on, feeling unsteady on my feet, which matched how I was feeling inside. “Thank you.”

“Are you excited?” Maurica asked, peering at my reflection in the mirror.

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Hmm… I thought you didn’t want Mr. Raith,” Maurica said, tilting her head. “You do want him now?”

I blinked a few times, thinking about her question.

“Frankly, I don’t know if I want him. And I don’t know if I have any choice.”

She shrugged. “Well, I guess tonight you’ll find out the answer to one of those things.”

A knock sounded at the door. Maurica and I turned toward it.

Maurica opened the door to reveal, not Ares, not the guards, but a camera crew. The director—a vampire I’d seen around giving orders—stepped into my room.

“We need some shots with Wren. Can we set up near the fireplace?”

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