Page 11 of Rejected Mate

"I just thought maybe if we spoke properly and more in depth about the issue—outside of the penthouse—then maybe I could convince you to help me."

I stood up, feeling silly about hiding, seeing as she'd seen me. My white dress was slightly dirty from crouching behind the dumpster.

She noticed as she rushed to my side, and tried to get the marks off my dress with her hands. It was an act of kindness, but still I felt threatened by her.

"Don't!" I barked, and she backed away. Her eyes lit up as if shocked by the tone of my voice.

"I didn't mean to scare you." She'd said that already, but before I had a chance to reply, she was walking away.

I took in a deep breath and followed her, the walk that I had imagined taking had worked out to be completely different. I wanted it to be about getting my thoughts together about Husk, not to think about Mayia and her problems when I had my own to deal with.

"You didn’t scare me, it’s just that…" Before I had a chance to finish what I was going to say, she nearly fell to the cement. I managed to catch her in time.

"I shouldn’t be out during the day. The sun makes me feel weak, but I risked it because this is too important. I had to."

"All right." I gave her a tight smile. "We shouldn't be out like this. I know a place we can go that's not far. We can sit down and talk over a drink."

She nodded, looking pale, but stood with my help.

As we reached the curb, I didn't hesitate in hailing a cab.

"Thanks." Her voice was raspy, and I knew she wouldn't survive much longer if I didn't get her somewhere dark soon.

* * *

About ten minutes later we reached the bar—the one I had accidentally discovered on my walks alone. It was my hideout, a sanctuary. The type of place where no one cared about what they looked like, let alone who walked in.

My secret haven was about to be shared with someone I didn't even know if I could trust.

It was as if an eternal light shone over her once we entered the dark, shady place. She was quiet in the taxi, almost quivering. But from the moment we walked into the bar, she no longer needed my support. If anything, she appeared like she felt at home. I watched her change from a nervous girl to the woman she must be.

"How old are you?" I asked as she undid her bun and let her dark locks flow over her shoulders. Her hair was long as it bounced down her back, as far as her butt.

"I’m twenty-one."

She didn't offer more than that as she started walking to the side bar in the corner of the room. It was just after noon, a little too early to order the strong stuff, so I just ordered two glasses of wine. I needed something stronger than a coffee but lighter than a shot of whiskey.

"Two glasses of house white wine," I said as I approached the bar. Mayia reminded me of myself when I first went to Moon Crescent Casino. She was curious about everything and anything. Her eyes traced across the bar while debating about where to sit. As she sat in the first chair, she changed her mind and sat in another. I didn't know what made her change her mind, but it confirmed what I'd suspected—that she was someone I could trust.

Her naivety had proved it in the short space of time I'd known her. I didn't realize it until now, as I paid for the glasses and then headed to her table.

"You're smiling. Why?" she asked.

I moved the glasses toward her and then sat next to her on the bench. I took a sip, thinking of a way to explain it to her.

"Until now I didn’t think about it. But, here with the guys, I’m alone. I don't have any friends here. I had a best friend back in SmallHeath, though she and her husband left when I did. Until I bought the drinks, I never considered that maybe in time, you and I could be friends."

"Friends?" She gave me a quizzical look.

She shrugged, holding her glass as if she was debating whether to take a sip.

"Drink up."

She nodded and took a sip, then she closed her eyes as if she were scared of it. After that one sip, she downed it like it was a glass of water. Then she sank into the bench with what seemed like relief.

"Friends. It feels so weird hearing that. I can't remember the last time someone referred to me in that way. Everything changed when I left home. No one wanted to know me," she said.

Her story was different from mine. I drank some of my wine and encouraged her to tell me about her past.

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