Page 44 of Rejected Mate

“Okay, not friends. How about allies?” She grinned, tiny dimples appearing at the corners of her cheeks. Violet was hot. It was ridiculous that she hadn’t been picked for the last competition. I suspected it was all about strength, which did leave her at a major disadvantage, but that wasn’t her fault.

She deserved a break, and dammit, I did too. Plus, making allies wasn’t a bad idea. They might come in handy later.

I gave her a nod. “Allies. Yeah. Now you’re speaking my language.”

I hadn’t forgotten how weak that loss made me look to the viewing audience. I also needed to keep my grandfather’s decree in mind. Even if that wasn’t my desire, maybe I could form some alliances with packs that would help mine if Laurel and her ilk came to challenge us.

“Fine, let’s go.”

I let Violet pull me out of my cover cave. Soon, I found myself in the parlor amidst a gaggle of chatty females.

The room had been transformed. Instead of chairs and chaise lounges, salon chairs and rolling carts with makeup and hairstyling equipment had been brought in. The girls were lounging in the salon chairs, drinking wine, and laughing. No one who walked in here would guess we were prisoners trapped in a vampiric castle. It certainly wouldn’t look that way to the viewers, which was exactly the plan. Because, of course, there were cameras always watching.

My gaze dragged over to Laurel. She leaned back in a chair while a vampire maid gave her a pedicure. I had a sudden urge to take the cucumber slices off her eyes and shove them down her pretty little throat.

“Let’s sit over here,” I said, angling Violet to the far end away from Laurel. Now that we were here, I didn’t want to go anywhere near her and her vipers.

A maid came over to offer to do my hair, but I felt too guilty to make her do that. I did, however, grab a glass of wine to take the edge off. Violet took two and accepted the offer of a pedicure, sitting back and closing her eyes.

The girl next to me leaned forward. “Hey, Wren.”

“Hi… Silvia?”

She nodded. “Good memory.”

I appraised her closer than the first time we met. Silvia was beautiful, from her dark curly hair to her caramel-colored skin. Her eyes were expressive and her smile bright. She was attractive and formidable, a great combination. So far, she’d not been left out of the competition or the dates, so she was doing well in the games. I’d watched her competing, but had not really talked to her before. Still, I felt she could be my ally more than Nanette or Loba ever could. They were too similar to Laurel.

“How’s the game going for you?” I asked, sipping the wine that tasted faintly floral.

She shrugged, firm shoulders dipping beneath her turquoise silk robe. “I didn’t think I wanted to be here at first, but I guess it’s growing on me.”

I gestured around the grand room with the servants waiting on us hand and foot. “They sure do know how to dress up a prison.”

She laughed, a bright airy sound that only endeared me to her more and shook out her dark curls. “You’ve got that right. Hard to believe we’re trapped here.”

I leaned toward her. “That’s what they’re trying to do, pamper us into compliance.”

She raised an eyebrow conspiratorially. “Great minds think alike. But the cameras…” She leaned over, making sure none were close enough to hear us. “They can only pick up voices about twelve feet away, and it’s worse if there is background noise.” Silvia tapped on her head and gave me a wink.

All of this was great information. I wanted Violet to be in the know, too.

“Violet,” I said, leaning back to try to get her attention. “Violet, listen.”

But when I turned around, Violet wasn’t in her chair.

Glancing up, I spotted her all the way on the other end of the room, talking to Laurel. My heart skipped a beat. Now, what did they have to talk about? Did Laurel beckon her over? I hoped Laurel was being nice to her. Watching like a hawk, I saw Laurel frown, and then Violet’s eyes darted up to me.

Wait, what? Were they talking about… me?

As Violet left Laurel and headed back my way, I kept my eyes trained on her. When she sat back down, I asked, “What was that all about?”

“What? Laurel?” Violet lowered her gaze to the floor. “She’s just asking us all to go to lunch on the terrace when we’re done here. I thought it was nice she included us.”

“Did you have to beg her to invite me?” I asked, my eyes narrow.

“What? No. I mean, yes, yes, I did, but she said yes, so it’s fine. Don’t be sour, Wren. We’re trying to get along with people, remember?”

I groaned and shot a look at Silvia, who laughed again.

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