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Chapter 36
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REJECTED MATE Chapter 37
She wanted to scream. Instead, she exhaled the panic away and kept her ears open, hoping she could at least evade whatever sinister form was coming for her. The forest was decidedly quiet, the shout already cut off and the man not making any sound. It caressed at her nerves until she was trembling, and Maya had to curl herself to ease it off.The minutes went on and her mind became a separate form of trap. She broke free from it when a figure emerged from the trees, panting hard and bloody. But he had no wounds on him, and the blood wasn’t his. A brilliant, resolute gaze pinned her with a force that held her breath.“It wasn’t you.”She released it in stunned silence. Bafflement rose before understanding gave way and had her clutching the net. She shook it, willing him to let her go. Hope blossomed when he cut off the triangular ties, but that died when he dragged her bundled, still-covered form deeper into his territory.“There was a dead deer. Torn apart and eaten alive. Fresh, mayb
REJECTED MATE Chapter 38
“Here. To keep you warm.”She eyed the bowl distrustfully, but the smell…it was calling to her. So was the tall glass of water beside it. But Maya kept an eye on him, not touching anything until he lay down on the other side of the cottage and turned his back to her.“Goodnight. Try to sleep, too. We will figure things out tomorrow.”When he stopped talking and moving, she devoured everything in sight.***He slept like a baby and she was sure she would have gotten far if she had something to pick the lock. He was too big for his cot, the creaking noises alerting her to every move he made until awareness was burning brightly in her system. She supposed she should be insulted that he wasn’t even the least bit troubled about her escaping. But then again, maybe he didn’t care, the offer to protect her was an offhand gesture that wouldn’t extend to searching for her if she did run away.Bargain.The idea appealed and had her getting comfortable on the futon, but she couldn’t sleep. With n
REJECTED MATE Chapter 39
Stupefaction had him frozen. But it didn’t last long. To her dismay, his other hand covered hers, a fleeting warmth before he steadfastly pushed her fingers away and disentangled from the grip.“I will be back.”Then he was gone and Mayawas all alone again.***The coast was clear by the time Lukegot out of the cottage, but he would never forget the sensations that had wracked his body when the energy had pulsed so hard as if trying to penetrate his skin. More so, there was no forgetting the way she looked: terrified, the kind that indicated she had been in this scenario before, and it was something she never wanted to experience again. Then there was her voice, croaked out and small, as if she hadn’t used it in a long time. Maybe she hadn’t.He tried to set everything aside. His beast made its way out, more than ready to take on the challenge as it burst into a run and followed the trail he knew by heart. Leaving the cottage area was difficult, but the knowledge that the magic would
REJECTED MATE Chapter 40
“My clan leader is mated with a vampire from a powerful vampire clan,” Luke explained. “None of that matters because he looks at the heart, not what kind of creature one is.”She didn’t trust that, but she didn’t contradict it. He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward.“So, Maya…it’s your choice. Do you want to be free or do you want to come with me? If you go, you have to leave completely and find a new spot—somewhere far away from all the trouble happening here. There aren’t many of them around with all the clans flourishing, and they are all wary of lone creatures like you. The second option is that you can come with me. My clan’s main territory.” He paused, letting all of that sink in. Then he went for the kill. “We have shelter and protection. We have food. You will never have to go hungry again, and you won’t have to steal.”Her cheeks went violently red at the latter, unable to deny it. He glimpsed her internal battle happening under a relatively calm façade, and ther
REJECTED MATE Chapter 41
“I know. I was with a female earlier.”There was no blushing and no misinterpretation, which was so typical of the blunt female. Reese rolled his eyes and tugged her away from Luke, their familiarity with each other apparent. But the intimacy felt gentle and natural, that of two people who just liked to spend time with each other and nothing more.“You need to go home, Daria, before your folks come here looking for you again,” Reese said.Daria shrugged. “They don’t know I’m out. We haven’t had any threats lately and they won’t mind if they find out. Besides, I can’t go out now. A big storm’s coming.”“Huh?”She inclined her head. The two men looked, expecting to find dark clouds. But there were only white ones and a scatter of stars.“The sky’s clear,” Reese shot back.“Not that.That.”She was gesturing at the fog, not at the sky. They watched as it roiled and coated the forest area in a thick gloom, leaving behind zero visibility. Luke checked the invisible barriers and noted they w
REJECTED MATE Chapter 42
But the words trailed off when he realized that his brother was looking, and he noted something that hadn’t been there before: a darkening expression and a rush of something familiar. Eric stood up and approached them, wrestling with a scowl until only that same stoic expression remained.“You should get inside. It’s cold here.”Tina ignored him.“Tina,” Eric growled.Tina glowered at him and opened her mouth. But Luke was faster, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her closer.“I’m here to warm her up if it’s needed.”She squeaked in bewilderment but managed to keep most of the sound subtle. She sank into his embrace and nodded. “Yes. That’s right. Luke’s here.”A muscle ticked on Eric’s jaw. More muscles bunched. As much as he enjoyed the discovery and wondered how deep it ran, he knew he was playing with fire and wasn’t in the mood to deal with it when it came out. So, he shrugged.“But the mansion’s a much better option, I suppose. Or one of the tents. Come on, Tina.”Tin
REJECTED MATE Chapter 43
He wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to witness this, but here the man was, refusing to go away. His words washed over her dazed mind, puzzling her. His hands cruised down her back, steadying even as she stiffened.“Shout if you must. Let it out if you must. I will stay here and protect you.” A pause, then. “I will protect them, too, if that’s what you are afraid of…if you want to keep quiet and don’t want anyone to know about this.”Something inside her quivered, shuddering outwards until it was uncontrollable. She whimpered soundlessly as the agony became unbearable. Her body followed suit and tried to roll again. To her astonishment, she couldn’t move as a barrier held her in place, and it took her fuzzy senses a while to register that it was Luke’s arm banded around her to lock her in. His body was there, too, pressed against her back and holding her tight, as if the possibility of her free claws slicing at him wasn’t a problem.A palm brought a blanket to her stomach
REJECTED MATE Chapter 44
“Playtime’s over. Sam is here and will start the lessons soon.” There were more groans. “Iz will join your lessons, too.”Whoever this Iz was seemed to have a positive effect on them as they rallied cheers around Luke before racing off. A boy lingered for a bit, looking up solemnly until Luke glanced at him.“Hey, you. What is it?”“I didn’t have my breakfast yet.”Luke’s lips quivered while he leveled the boy with a look. “Really? Well, now, we can’t have that when you are about to embark on a long day of lessons. What did you have in mind?”“Bananas. Fresh.”The boy held out his hands expectantly, orbs twinkling in excitement. Luke didn’t hesitate to pick him up and hitch him over one hip, and the two ventured away from the group of kids. She trailed after them, fascinated with the interaction as Luke led the boy through paths that didn’t have markers, where the trees and lushness seemed to go on forever. They stopped in a clearing set up as a garden, where root crops grew along wit
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