Page 62 of Rejected Mate

He rubbed a hand along his chin thoughtfully. “I feel like I have. Somewhere…”

Before he could say more, the door behind us creaked open. Startled, we both jumped to our feet before anyone could enter the room. Ares moved protectively in front of me.

William strode in and stopped at the entrance, his eyes on us. “What is this? What are you doing?”

Ares frowned. “Wren and I are on our date.”

“In a dusty room? In the dark? No cameras?” William stared at us disapprovingly. His eye twitched, betraying his emotions behind the mask of calm he was projecting. I had a feeling he could be very vengeful when he wanted to be.

“I asked Ares to bring me here,” I said, slowly closing the book we’d been reading and slipping around Ares’s massive frame. “I miss my books back home, and Ares agreed to let me come here to pick some out. There’s nothing to read in our rooms.”

William gave me a disapproving glare before turning on Ares. “I need to speak to you. Now.”

His tone left no room for negotiation, but Ares tried anyway. “I’m on my date.”

“Now.” William had a death grip on a pair of gloves he was slowly strangling. I had no doubt if Ares didn’t comply, there would be consequences.

“It’s fine. I’m tired,” I said, giving a fake yawn.

“Are you sure?” Ares asked.

“I’m sure. I can look for a book another time.”

He gave me a knowing glance. “Yes, we can.”

Turning to William, Ares asked, “Can I at least walk her to her room?”

“There are guards for that,” he snapped back. “Come with me. Now.” William turned and strode out of the room, his hard heels clicking on the tile.

“I’m sorry,” Ares said, his jaw ticking. “I have to go.”

“I understand.”

His gaze lingered on my face. “I want to see you. Soon.”

“You know where I am.”

He leaned in and planted a chaste kiss on my lips. Though it was brief, it still made my heart flutter and my knees weaken. To my bewilderment, the feeling lingered long after he’d gone.

Two vampire guards waited at the library door, the same silent sentinels that were always lingering around. Once Ares parted, they walked me back to my room, leaving me to my thoughts, which were, once again, a jumbled mess.

Dark Match. Ares. Callan. Attack. Prophecy.

Kiss.

There was so much I didn’t know. It seemed that every time I went digging for answers, all I found were more questions. It didn’t help that my emotions were a giant clump of thick taffy that gummed up the works on everything else. I decided that instead of going to my room, I would go for a walk. The guards didn’t put up a fuss, nor seem to care where I went as long as I wasn’t causing trouble. I kept walking, making random turns down the tiled floors, the guards in step behind me.

Dark Match. Ares. Callan. Attack. Prophecy.

Kiss.

Hot kiss.

Ares’s body. His hands on mine. Yearning. Wanting.Needing.

Lost in my thoughts, it took until I was practically at the entrance of the women’s sitting room before I heard the fight.

Someone was yelling. I could hear it through the closed doors, muffled voices, some shouts, and… was someone crying?

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