Page 13 of Rejected Mate

Maybe the illness explained what an arrogant bastard Ares was. That level of smugness just wasn’t healthy. Though it certainly didn’t explain the strange attraction I felt to him, even though I despised everything he stood for. It had to be the enthrall powers, and I had to figure out how to avoid their influence so I didn’t get all starry-eyed any time he was near.

The info the vampire servant gave me had to be a clue, one I would keep on hounding until I found a way to use it to my advantage.

The sound of our exterior door opening again drew me out of my thoughts. I expected Maurica or the other maid, but instead it was Laurel, the shifter female who’d shown so much spunk during our introductions and who also got on my nerves like a buzzing mosquito.

“The ladies are gathering in the sitting room at 6:30 for drinks,” she said, peering around our room, her teased hairdo entering before she did. “You all should come.”

Drinks? Had she become that comfortable already? Or maybe the drinks were part of some sort of plan that would help her escape. That had to be it. Maybe she wasn’t so bad, after all.

“What is this really about?” I asked in a whisper.

Laurel looked at me as if I were stupid. She gave a little snort and sucked her teeth before saying, “It’s about having a little bit of fun, silly.”

Silly?Was she for real?

“There’s no fun for us here. We need to find a way to escape.”

Laurel shrugged and adjusted her pushup bra. “All I am interested in is some girl time.”

What the hell was she playing at? Either she had air for brains or she distrusted me even when a bigger, badder enemy was at hand. Her pack had always pushed the boundaries of my grandfather’s authority as the Supreme Alpha, so maybe that had something to do with her attitude.

Violet sat up straight, her eyes brightening. “Oh, yes. That sounds fun, right, Wren?”

I wasn’t too keen on the idea of sipping martinis with Laurel. She wasn’t the kind of person I would befriend on the outside, but it wouldn’t do to stay cooped up in here. If I was to figure out a way to escape, I had to take every opportunity to learn all I could, even if the others seemed far too comfortable or cagey for my tastes.

Play the game, Wren.

“Sure,” I said, trying to sound genuine. “Girl time. Yeah.”

“Girl time,” Violet said brightly, clapping a little.

Laurel didn’t even bother to seem amused. “Sure. Girl time. See you then,” she mumbled before slipping out and shutting the door.

Hmm. I didn’t like Laurel at all. I needed to keep my eye on her.

I frowned at Violet, trying to figure her out. One moment she was scared, and the next, she was all excited about having drinks. What was up with that? Maybe she was hoping to find safety in numbers, or maybe she didn’t want to rely solely on me to figure out an escape plan. Yeah, that was probably it.

We finished getting ready. There wasn’t much left to do after all the pampering the vampire servants had done, but we refreshed our lipstick and sprayed our hair. By six-thirty, we were heading to the sitting room.

It was strange to walk freely through the halls. I knew it was because of those damn force fields—which I’d mentioned to the others to save them from getting blasted—but that didn’t mean I couldn’t investigate. The problem was I didn’t get a chance—not with Violet’s death grip on my arm, one she used to drag me into the room with the other females and plop me in a chair, insisting that I stay there while she got me a drink no matter how much I protested.

While she went to the bar, I glanced around at the other women. They’d all been dolled up, much as we had. Each was wearing a unique evening gown in a different color of the rainbow. Many wore their hair down in waves like Violet, but a few had fancy ponytails or buns with hair piled up on the top of their heads. Glitter jewels sparkled from their ears and necks. All were wearing high heels.

All this glamor is stupid, I mused, thinking I would give my left arm for a pair of pants and flat shoes.

I scanned each face, noticing plenty of furtive glances and apprehension from everyone. The air was thick with tension.

Violet came back with a few females, which she’d quickly befriended. There were Silvia and Nanette, both beautiful, strong, and formidable candidates. After that, the names became a blur as sparkly dress after sparkly dress whizzed by. As I was trying to remember names and start a conversation about banding together and planning an escape, the doors opened and the camera crew swept in.

Damn!I’d forgotten about the intrusive filming aspect of this. To me, the idea went from irritating to downright stupid, but some of the other females seemed to play right into their hands. Laurel popped up immediately and made a beeline for the camera. I watched as she talked animatedly, smiling and playing it up for an audience. Maybe that was her plan, to charm the socks out of everyone in order to escape. Could that work? I couldn’t see how.

“She’ll be seen live by every coven and pack in the country,” Violet said, sitting beside me.

Every pack in the country.

Was she sending some secret “rescue” message by batting the hell out of her fake eyelashes? Maybe she knew Morse code or something. Except I didn’t think we needed to be that covert about it. They should just shout, “Save us! We’re being held against our will!”

As I rose, intent on making my way to the camera, several vampire guards slipped in.

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