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Chapter 62
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REJECTED MATE 62.1
“Thank you.” The ogre helped me exit the Überwald, and I stepped out into the crisp evening, my lungs filling with pristine air.Griff stepped out behind me and placed a hand on the small of my back. “I’d like to see the Administrator of Bad Debts.”The ogre’s features fell. “Have you come to settle a balance?”“That’s a confidential matter,” Griff replied with a bit of bite.Up ahead, his much larger colleagues turned their attention to where we stood. I placed a hand over the dagger in my thigh, checking that it would be ready if we needed to fight our way out.The smaller ogre placed a hand on his ear and mumbled something in another language. From the loop hanging down one side of his face, it looked like this was another kind of communication device.I stood closer to Griff, who remained relaxed and confident, as though he was accustomed to attending gambling establishments.Beki’s sad bark reminded me of something he’d told me when I’d been Katie. Griff’s father had moved him ar
REJECTED MATE 62.2
“We always went through a mediator from the Fae King’s court,” I said. “And we never once rescued someone who made a bad bargain.”His eyes widened. “What?”“We were advocating for their families,” I said with a sigh. “It’s one thing to sell a thousand years of your own labor for some frivolous reason, but we couldn’t allow our villagers to trade living people without their consent.”The bartender returned with two tumblers and six bottles, each containing brightly colored liquids. He tapped on their metal lids, releasing puffs of air that covered the glass in ice. I reached into Griff’s pocket, pulled out his phone, and tapped it on a reader, making it beep.As the satyr left to serve a green-skinned faerie, Griff visibly sagged. “When I signed away my first-born, I never thought I would find a mate.”“Why not?” I asked.“Life in my old pack was brutal. Having a mate meant having a weakness.” He reached for the bottle containing the indigo-colored drink, flipped its lid, and poured a
REJECTED MATE Chapter 63
We followed the faerie in the silver tuxedo out of the disco bar and back into the casino’s domed entrance hall illuminated by starlight. My heart slammed against my chest at the impending confrontation. If Griff had armed us for battle, then I’d better be ready to fight.The faerie paused in the middle of the reception area, turned, and swept his gaze up and down our outfits, as though checking us for concealed weapons.My hands clenched into fists. “Is there a problem?”“We’re just awaiting a routine scan.”Light flashed above us, followed by a tingle across my skin. I glanced up to the ceiling to find the stars swooping down. My gaze darted to Griff, who gave me a reassuring nod. I hoped for both of our sakes that the weaponsmith he had purchased from kept his concealment methods up to date.“Thank you,” said the faerie.I placed a hand over my mouth. “What happens next?”The square beneath us descended, making my stomach lurch. I grabbed Griff’s shoulder, and he wrapped an arm ar
REJECTED MATE 63.1
I glanced at Griff, who shrugged. After getting the runaround, I was in no mood to miss the opportunity to meet this administrator. Taking his hand, I walked with him to the widening gap in the shelves and stepped into a thirty-by-thirty-foot clearing with a wooden desk in the middle with three matching stools.Shadows emerged from the tall shelves, forming the shape of dogs twice the size of elephants. They glared down at us through red eyes and bared sharp, white teeth.My lips formed a tight line. If we got out of here alive, it would be a miracle.“Please take a seat.” A five-foot-tall man poked his head out from behind one of the dog’s front legs. He was dressed in the kind of pale tunic, breeches, and homemade shoes people wore in the twelve century. “My name is Edmund Harefoot, and I am the Administrator of Bad Debts.”Griff and I walked to the two stools in front of his desk and sat.He shuffled out from behind the dog, his features tight. My gaze dropped to the chain attached
REJECTED MATE 63.2
The muscles in my stomach tightened. If the administrator elaborated and triggered Griff’s memories, then all the scrolls in this room might catch fire. One of the dogs lowered its head and glowered down at us through eyes that glinted like rubies.If I didn’t say something right now to get this conversation back on track, we’d have more things to worry about than Hades and his curse.I clapped my hands together, bringing Edmund’s attention back to me. “As far as the casino is concerned, the debt was fulfilled.”“That’s right,” he said, his voice halting.“But my mate still has the bargain on his soul.”“It should have been removed by the agent at the point of write-off.” Edmund walked toward his stool.Dread tumbled through my innards at the prospect of watching him succumb to his friction. I shot out of my seat and gave Griff a shove on the shoulder. “Why don’t we all stand for the rest of this meeting?”“All right,” Edmund said, his voice trailing off.“You were saying that the cas
REJECTED MATE Chapter 64
Throughout the stroll through the hallways, the ride up the invisible elevator, and the walk across the casino’s darkened entrance hall, the fine hairs on the back of my neck continued to stand on end. Whoever or whatever had followed us past the bookshelves was now shadowing us as we stepped out of the casino.Admiralty Arch stood a few hundred feet away beyond a courtyard, where a black limousine pulled out and disappeared through its middle arch. It was still dark outside, with the only illumination coming from the stars.As we continued toward the steps that led to street level, the smaller ogre we had met earlier broke away from where he had been standing with his colleagues and fixed us with a hard glower.“Watch yourselves,” he snarled.I turned to meet his black eyes. “Are you really the Administrator of Bad Debts’ supervisor?”His heavy features split into a grin of crooked teeth. “Is that what he told you?”I rolled my eyes. “Of course it was a lie.”He reached into the pock
REJECTED MATE 64.1
My eyes narrowed. This was sounding too convenient, and it was exactly how we had gotten Azriel to take us into the Fifth Faction of Hell. “Oh yes? And you’ll provide us this name out of the goodness of your heart?”“It’s true what you said about the casino. I used to be a coyote shifter. When I got into debt and couldn’t pay, they twisted my soul into this. Now, I’ve spent the past two centuries watching Edmund stroking himself.” The smoke around her body shuddered.“Damn.” Twenty minutes in that man’s presence had been enough, let alone two-hundred years. Even though I sympathized with her plight, I couldn’t see why she would risk herself to help us.Before I could voice my concerns, Griff asked, “What do you want in return?”“A kiss,” she said.I ground my teeth. “Is this a Gullible Fisherwoman and the Frog situation?”“No,” she said with a yelp. “I swear I’m not trying to pass on my curse to someone else.”“Bullshit,” Griff snarled.“It sounds like a crock of faerie gold to me,” W
REJECTED MATE 64.2
Griff’s soft lips grazed the shell of my ear. “Dancing with you was agony when all I wanted to do was fuck you on that dance floor.”“Really?” I whispered.He slid his hand down my back, cupped my ass, and groaned. “Don’t tell me you couldn’t feel it, because I could smell your arousal.”“Shouldn’t we wait until we’ve broken the curse?” I asked.“No,” he growled. “I want you, Cathwulf Aibek. Right here, right now, right under me.”I swallowed hard. “What if I gave you another blowjob?”He shook his head. “I want all of you, including our bond.” He threaded his fingers into my hair, holding me in place as he gazed into my eyes with a hunger that made my chest tighten. “Whatever you did to me no longer matters. I’ll forgive you.”My breath quickened. “Griff—”“No more refusals,” he growled. “You’re a noble she-wolf, but you have to know you’re not taking advantage of me.”I jerked my head to the side. This was so wrong. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”He took my hand and brought it
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