Page 80 of Rejected Mate

His eyes met mine. “Or their doom.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, tentatively touching the page. “Is this… us?”

He paused. “I don’t know, but I think it’s what William is trying to find out. It’s why he took over the Mating Games.”

“He wants to control the Dark Match.”

Ares nodded.

I sighed. “That can’t be good.”

“No,” Ares agreed. “It is not.”

My mind began to swirl, but Ares reached out and brushed his knuckles down my cheek. “No one can know we found out about this. If we are the Dark Match, people will want to control us or kill us. On both sides.”

“Great,” I said, feeling buried by this news. “More pressure.”

He pulled me to him. “If I could take this burden from you, I would. I wasn’t sure I should tell you, but then you asked to meet me here, and I decided you had a right to know.”

“I do,” I said, pressing my cheek to his chest. With his arms around me, I could almost pretend the world wasn’t closing in around us. Almost.

Then the door burst open.

Startled, I could do little but step back from Ares. He was much quicker than I was, flipping the book closed and sliding it out of view before the figures in the doorway could see what he was doing. Then he stood protectively in front of me, a posture I was getting far too used to.

“They’re in here,” a male voice said. The cloaked figure stepped into the room and pulled his hood down.

“Callan.” Ares stiffened as his hands fisted. Though I couldn’t fully see it, I sensed he was donning his fighting posture.

Not this again. I prepared to fight.

Another figure stepped in.

“Laurel?” I said, shock in my voice. “What are you doing here?”

Laurel smirked, but it was the third figure who answered.

William joined our enemies, his features hard and unforgiving. “We should be asking you that question. Ares, what are you and Wren doing here?”

Ares dragged his eyes from his death stare at Callan. “We were… talking.”

“Ha!” Callan said. “Doingsomethingwith your mouths, no doubt.”

William shot Callan a look that shut him up. Thank the gods.

“These secret meetings, Ares,” William said, picking lint from his jacket sleeve. “These are part of the problem.”

“What problem?” Ares said, his voice hard as steel.

“The cheating problem,” Laurel hissed.

“Cheating? You’re the one who cheated,” I said, ready to dart around Ares and fight Laurel right here.

“She isn’t the one in the library breaking the rules,” William said darkly.

“I brought her out,” Ares said. “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”

William frowned. “I will deal with you later. For now, I will deal with Ms. Ravenmoon.”

What did he mean bydeal with me?

“Wren,” he said, “because of your insubordinate behavior and disregard for the game’s rules, you are hereby banned from participating.”

“What?” I asked, not sure what he meant.

Laurel’s smile curled up like a snake. “He’s saying you’re kicked out. Pack your shit. You’re going home.”

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