Page 71 of Rejected Mate

“How was it? Um. It was… You know what? Let’s make sure we get to the introductions. Lizzie,” I leaned down and pulled her into a proper hug. “There’s someone I want you all to meet.”

I turned to find Ares and William standing in the driveway, looking pale in the moonlight. Ares’s luminous skin practically glowed. He’d taken the whole scene in and now he stood with a look of wonder on his face. William, for his part, had no discernible expression.

I walked Lizzie up to the vampires and angled her toward Ares. “Lizzie, this is Ares. Ares, this is Lizzie.”

Her eyes were as round as a full moon. “Wow. Are you that prince from TV?”

He kneeled down to be at her level. “I’m not really a prince.”

“You look like a prince,” she said, her fist holding tight to my jacket.

“Thank you.” He offered her a warm smile. “And you must be a princess.” He held out a hand, and she took it tentatively, giving it a little shake before grabbing onto me again.

“Lizzie, Ares is a vampire.”

She nodded, still looking a little bit scared. “I know. Do you drink blood?”

He gave a wry smile. “Yes.”

“Did you drink Wren’s blood?”

“Okay, that’s enough,” I said, pulling her away and handing her back to my aunt. “Mama, will you get some food and drink for the Raiths? We’ve been traveling.”

“Of course, but Wren, your grandfather, I think you should see him right away.” Her expression froze the blood in my veins.

I could barely breathe. “Why?”

She bit her lip. “You’ll see.”

Without another thought, I made a beeline to the house, up the main staircase, and down the hall to my grandfather’s room. My heart pounded in my chest as I knocked on the wood door.

“Come,” he said, his voice a whisper.

Carefully, I opened the door. “Grandfather?”

He was lying on the bed with the covers pulled up to his chest. The giant bed in the giant room made him look diminutive, and I hated that. Worse, the room had been rearranged since the last time I’d been in here. Human medical equipment stood unused in one corner. On the nightstand, many herbs and pill bottles had displaced the lamp and alarm clock. It seemed they’d tried everything to get him well and failed at that. What I could see of him above the covers appeared shrunken, as if someone had sucked the life out of him.

He was half the man who’d accompanied me to Raithborrow Castle.

Had it only been a week? It looked like he’d been deteriorating for months. My heart broke. What was happening? How could he have gotten this sick so fast?

I went to his bedside and fell to my knees. I didn’t want the anguish to show on my face, but I feared I wasn’t doing a good job at hiding how I felt.

“I’m so sorry it took me so long to get back. I… It was…” Excuses died in my mouth. This wasn’t about me. It was about him. How could he be this far gone?

“It’s okay,” he said, reaching a frail hand out to take mine. “I’ve had a good run. It’s time for me to move on.”

“Don’t say that,” I said, choking back tears. “You’ll get better. I know it.”

He shook his head, wispy hair trailing across the pillow. Rheumy eyes strained to see me. “My dove, don’t fret. We’ve tried every remedy known to our kind. My time has come.”

Tears dribbled down my cheeks. “There has to be a way.”

His hand squeezed mine. “Don’t fight it, Wren. It’ll only make it harder. I’ve lived twenty-five decades, so much more than most. I’ve seen the Pyramids. I’ve tasted the salty sea. I’ve howled at Mother Moon more times than I can count. I’ve done it all.”

I shook my head. “But I still need you.”

He patted my hand. “And that is why I’m so glad you are here. Listen to me, we don’t have a lot of time. I’ve been waiting for you. We need to talk.”

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