Page 19 of Rejected Mate

“Mmm.” Violet’s head sagged onto her chest.

On second thought, maybe I should let her catch a bit of sleep. If they were going to keep us awake, a nap here and there wouldn’t be a bad idea. We needed to do everything in our power to stay strong.

I sat in the chair beside her. I would keep watch and stay… awake…

But my eyelids were so heavy…

I awoke with a start.

Lurching upright, I fisted my hands, ready to fight whoever had woken me up. Instead of a devious foe, Maurica stared back at me. As I blinked at her, she shoved an outfit into my hands.

“Get dressed, miss. You’re going to be late.”

“Late for what?” Disoriented, I glanced around. I was in the suite. Violet and I had dozed off in the soft chairs next to the fire in my bedroom. The other vampire maid was waking Violet up in a similar fashion. Then she pressed a wad of clothes into Violet’s hands.

The outfits they were offering could barely be called that. Spaghetti straps and tiny shorts, paired with matching panties and bralettes in lacy black.

Lingerie would’ve kept me more concealed.

“There’s no way I’m wearing that.” I pushed the garment out of my face. “Those clothes wouldn’t fit a Barbie doll. I eat, you know?”

Maurica simply shrugged. “Your funeral.”

“I’m liking you more and more,” I said before standing up. “You’d be my favorite if you could find me a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Oh, and a chocolate bar.”

She shook her head. “You’re on your own there.”

I walked over to the large walk-in closet and opened the door. It was empty except for a few more sparkly gowns and high-heeled shoes.Versace, kill me!Opening a drawer, I managed to find a pair of yoga pants and a matching tank top. Score!

Once I was dressed, I stepped out to find Violet in her skimpy outfit. She looked stunning. Her long, brown hair trailed down her bare back and her tiny frame filled out the little black tank top and shorts perfectly.

“Callan will be impressed.”

She blushed. “You really think so?”

“I know so.” I didn’t want to see her fall for a vampire, but her confidence was so low that I wanted her to feel good about herself, especially since she’d been so sweet to me. I hadn’t counted on coming out of here with a friend, but it might be a welcome side effect of this nightmare.

Violet smiled and turned to check out her backside in the floor-length mirror. At least she was happy while I had a nest of snakes roiling in my gut. What fresh hell would they put us through now? Maybe if I didn’t hate vampires so much, I could at least pretend to have fun. I loved a good competition under better circumstances.

The guards arrived to escort us down the hall to a set of stairs. We’d never been in this area of the massive castle before, so I made sure to keep an eye on doors and windows, just in case.

The stairs led down to a foyer and a set of doors that opened up into a large gymnasium. Overhead lights burned brightly, illuminating several basketball courts and a set of bleachers with a glossy floor beneath. A camera crew ahead watched us filter in and others occupied strategic spots near the bleachers and at the far end of the court. I thought about my earlier outburst and was pretty sure they’d found a way to put their live feeds on some sort of delay, so it didn’t happen again.

Cunning asshats.

As we entered, so did the vampire suitors. The seven eligible bachelors walked in from the other side and stood in the center of the gymnasium floor.

What could this game be?

“Ladies,” Ares said, stretching his arms wide and pointing to the closest bleachers, “please, come in.”

Violet and I joined the other females on the bottom bleacher. The girls were all wearing the supplied skimpy outfits, except for me. Considering where we were, at least my outfit made sense. I’d really scored finding the yoga pants. The rest of them looked like they were about to walk the runway in a Victoria’s Secret show.

I noted that the men weren’t in thongs or mesh tank tops. Not a single banana hammock to be found. So sexist. Instead, they were allowed to wear athletic clothing, albeit tight and veryhuggyaround their muscled bodies. Did all vampires come out looking like Men’s Health models or did they transform when they went from human to vamp? Either way, they hit the gym on the regular, or vampire venom turned humans into undead gods. I had to admit they were physically fit and pleasing to the eye until you considered the fact that they were all involved in this ploy to trap us and seduce us.

“Thank you for joining us here,” Ares said once we were settled.

He was wearing matching athletic shorts and a tank in royal blue and black that fit his frame perfectly. His thighs were powerful, making it clear he didn’t skip leg day. And how could such a narrow waist go along with those wide shoulders? Henry Cavill had nothing on him.

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