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66.1
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REJECTED MATE 66.2
I leaned into Griff and whispered, “When they said tea with the king…”“I thought he would at least sit at the head of a table.” He flicked his head toward the end of the room.The Fae King slumped on a golden throne, dressed in a black velvet frock coat that contrasted with his long, silver hair. Ornate silver buttons ran along its cuffs and in two rows down its front, giving it the vibes of a tin soldier. The shirt he wore beneath it was unbuttoned to his waistband, revealing his pale, muscular chest.I held back a snort. What a wanker.He rested his chin on the palm of his hand and stared unseeingly through half-lidded eyes. I’d never seen anyone look so thoroughly bored. Flanking him on his left and right were officious looking men and women dressed in medieval formal wear.“Those have to be the High Court faeries,” I said to Beki.She cocked her head. If I’d had the time, I would have explained to her that these were the aristocrats, while the loan sharks and those who ran the ca
REJECTED MATE Chapter 67
I returned to the Faerie Palace Hotel with Griff, my insides thrumming at the prospect of confronting the faerie who had ruined his life—both of our lives. Nobody should ever have to bargain something as precious as their own child to save their father. Especially not a sixteen-year-old who was too young to enter into contracts.If Griff hadn’t made that bargain, then he would never have stolen my alpha magic. He would also never have been cursed with an insatiable lust or been coerced into saying those terrible words and banishing my family and me.We practically sprinted through the hotel’s white marble lobby and bounded up its black-and-white marble staircase. After last night, neither of us particularly wanted to take the elevator.“How long do you think it will take?” I asked Griff as we reached our floor.“Twenty minutes to set up,” he said in a low voice. “The most difficult part will be arranging the metal around the ritual circle.”I glanced over my shoulder and down the stai
REJECTED MATE 67.1
As soon as we passed the wards, a little old man in a tweed suit emerged from behind a stack of books, his white mustache quivering as though it was a separate being. He swept into a low bow.“Welcome to the Fitzroy.” Straightening, he beamed, revealing gapped teeth that had been filed into sharp points. “I believe you’re seeking a ritual room?”Griff stiffened, and I stepped back. “How did you know?”“Fitzroy is a place of knowledge, young lady.” He tapped the side of his head, as though that explained anything. “Follow me.” He strode across the large room and disappeared through a doorway.Griff and I exchanged glances before rushing after the old man. Unlike the servant at the faerie palace, this one moved with an alarming speed for his height and age. The next room had darker paneled walls and a spiritual staircase that stretched over ten stories. Instead of a bannister, an iron pole took up its middle that reminded me of the ones Batman used.We followed him five flights before h
REJECTED MATE 67.2
The faerie’s gaze sharpened. “What’s in it for me?”“Freedom,” I blurted. “Freedom from this circle. Freedom from being burned with the iron salt I’ve stuffed in my pocket. Freedom from this gun filling you with iron bullets. Need any more incentives to take off that bargain? I’d be happy to demonstrate.”“Keep your hair on,” he said, his nostrils flaring. “There’s no need to rant like a raging bull.”“What were you saying before?” Griff asked.I turned to my mate, my eyes pleading. “Let’s get rid of this curse, while the faerie’s still in an agreeable mood.”Griff’s features tightened, and he stared down at me so long that my heart spasmed. Eventually he gave me a soft nod. “You’re right.”“Go on, then,” I said to Rumpel Kracknuts. “Take away your bargain.”“It’s done.” He patted down his ruffles and sniffed.“What does that mean?” I asked.“See for yourself.” He waved his fingers in the direction of Griff’s middle.Griff glanced at his chest, then at me, and frowned. I frowned back.
REJECTED MATE Chapter 68
I jumped back, my heart somersaulting to the back of my throat, the scorpion hurtled toward me on clattering beetle wings. Beki barked at me to run—as if I wasn’t already trying to escape—but no matter how fast I lurched away from the thing, it kept coming.Griff chased after it with his dagger, but the wretched thing seemed to want to land on me. Its pincers click-click-clacked like castanets, their sharp points glinting against the light.My pulse thundered. If I didn’t do something right now, I would become the scorpion’s next host.Rumpel Kracknuts’ maniacal laughter echoed across the ritual room’s blackened walls. “Fools. Did you think a demon curse would be so easily removed? It’s looking for another host.”“Put it back inside me,” Griff snarled.“Impossible,” the faerie said, his voice rising several octaves.I spun, pointed my gun at the monstrous curse, and shot a hole through its middle. Black debris exploded from its underbelly, dissolving into smoke, only to drift back int
REJECTED MATE 68.1
“Throw it.” The faerie pointed at the ceiling. “It should remain airborne until it absorbs the curse.”“And then?” I asked.He raised a shoulder. “Then make sure you don’t let the blade graze you on the way down, or you’ll become the curse’s next host.”“Is there anything else we need to know?” I clutched the dagger. “Any salient information you have that will ensure we don’t summon you again because you omitted something vital.”His lips pursed. “Seventy-two hours, don’t let the blade touch you,” he counted off the items on his fingers. “Try this summoning shit with me again, and I’ll be ready for you with curses.”Griff patted me on the shoulder and nodded at the other end of the room. “Throw it in that corner.”“All right.” I tossed the dagger over the ritual circle, making Rumpel Kracknuts duck and hiss.It embedded in the wall, directly beneath the cloud. A tendril of black smoke seeped into its blade and disappeared into the metal. More and more of the vapor streamed into the da
REJECTED MATE 68.2
Rumpel Kracknuts bared his sharp teeth and hissed. “Tell anyone about this, and I will slit your throats.”“You just murdered an innocent healer in front of two witnesses,” I snapped. “If anyone’s going to get their throat slit, it’s you.”“Well, fuck you.” Rumpel Kracknuts gave us the finger before disappearing in a puff of faerie dust.The dagger fell to the floor with a clunk.“She died for me,” Griff said, his face slack.I squeezed my eyes shut, my throat tightening with guilt. “We’d better call the enforcers.”Another knock sounded on the door, and the receptionist from earlier stepped inside. “Oh dear.” He wrung his hands. “I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience. If you keep quiet about this incident, Fitzroy will waive all charges.”I spluttered. “But this poor woman just got killed. All because she saved my mate’s life.”He clapped a hand to his chest. “All that blood. Fitzroy insists that you order new vestments from the Hatch.”“Did you hear me?” I said much louder this t
REJECTED MATE Chapter 69
This time, we were too busy glaring at the cursed dagger to notice the old man walk out of the room. As soon as the door clicked shut, I placed a hand on Griff’s arm.“There’s only one person I hate enough to stab, but he’s too powerful,” I muttered.“We’re not going after a god,” Griff said.I shook my head. “Especially not one who flings curses for every occasion.”Griff walked to the dagger, crouched low, and examined its handle. I held out a hand and said, “Don’t touch it.”“There’s no chance of me doing that,” he muttered.“Hold on a second.” I jogged over to the Hatch, where I’d left the box from the vendors who had sold the dagger.Inside was a leather sheath and a pair of protective gloves labelled ONE USE ONLY. That was good enough for me. Nodding, I slipped one onto my hand, saved the other for later, and returned to the dagger.“What are you doing?” Griff asked.“Making sure neither of us gets nicked.” I picked up the dagger by its handle and stuck it into the leather sheat
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