Free A Mate for Gideon by Charlene Hartnady

that the using goes both ways. Vanessa is far from an innocent, sweetie
pie.”
    “Sweetie
pie…” Jenna snorted at the concept. “Not by a long damned shot.” She instantly
regretted speaking this way about another person. She knew firsthand how easy
it was to misjudge someone and to be misjudged right back. She sighed. “Then
again, what do we really know? Neither of us knows Lance or Vanessa well enough
to make judgment.”
    Julie
spat out a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and snort. “I’m not saying
it’s not possible, but I highly doubt we’re misjudging anything. Although, I
still think that there may be more to Lance.” The other woman ran a hand
through her shoulder length blond hair. “Anyways, I think we should just really
enjoy ourselves while we’re here because I’m not sure that we’ll still be here
in a couple of days.”
    Some
of the women would move on to round number two while the rest of them would be
sent home. The vampires in the program were each allowed to pick one woman. The
reality was that some of the guys might pick the same woman, while others - she
suspected Lazarus would be one - weren’t going to pick anyone. At best, ten out
of the twenty-five women in the program would go through to the next round. Jenna’s
heart raced at the thought. Her hands turned a little clammy. Julie was right,
neither of them stood much of a chance. Jenna had made zero effort with any of
the guys. There was no way she was pretending to be interested in someone just
for the sake of staying in the program though.
    At
least if she was forced to leave, she would get a small payment from the
vampires. It would be enough to buy her a bus ticket and maybe cover her living
expenses for a month, six weeks if she was really careful.
    Though
it would be a fresh start, it would also mean that she would lose any hope of
getting back with Gideon. The thought was too painful to contemplate. She still
had a few days to try and change his mind. She had been looking out for him, but
she’d only seen him once or twice and he had continued to keep his distance. She
knew that if she tried to reach out to him, in any way, it would draw attention
that he wouldn’t want.
    It
had been made clear to them that any interaction with guys outside of the ten,
was strictly forbidden.
    “I’m
going to head back.” Julie gestured in the direction of their hotel. Although
the vampires insisted on calling it the human accommodations, Jenna had come to
think of it as a hotel because, that’s what it was. Only, they didn’t have to
pay.
    She
didn’t feel like going back just yet. There always seemed to be some or other
group of vampires practicing either fighting or swordsmanship. Or just doing some
sort of drill. It reminded her quite a bit of what she imagined guys would be
doing if they were training for special forces. Right now, all was quiet.
Tranquil, relaxed and calm. Just what she needed. “I think I’ll stay for a
bit.” She smiled at Julie, who nodded.
    “I’m
going to go and read at the pool. We still have quite a few hours before we
have to get ready for tonight. Dinner and dancing…” She rolled her eyes. “I
struggle to imagine all those big, burly vampires strutting their stuff.”
    Jenna
swallowed thickly, she forced a smile. “They might actually surprise you.”
    They
said their goodbyes and she watched Julie walk away, her mind firmly on one and
a half years ago when she’d first met Gideon. Her lips curled into a small
smile.
    Jenna
wasn’t sure how long she had stood there, staring at the swans, remembering
that first night with Gideon. Remembering how she had gotten sick all over him.
    Her
cheeks still heated at the thought of how she had covered him…them both in
warm, stinking vomit. The only consolation was that it was mostly watery with
the odd piece of what looked like a bit of carrot but couldn’t be since she
hadn’t eaten any. The evidence had still been on her clothing the next