Page 122 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

All these years, Brynleigh had operated under the assumption that Ryker had a reason—a twisted, wicked one, but still a reason—for what he’d done.

But no.

This was infinitely worse than that.

It was a gods-damned accident.

She flew and flew and flew.

Brynleigh’s phone buzzed in her pocket, but she ignored it. She knew who was calling. She should have been at the safe house hours ago. She hadn’t even texted Zanri or Jelisette before flying off. She should have responded, but she just… wasn’t ready yet.

Maybe she never would be ready.

There were no rules for this. This wasn’t a change in the game. Fuck, this wasn’t even a game. Not anymore.

This was a new situation, and Brynleigh had no idea what to do. The ring on her finger was a thousand-pound weight, reminding her that she’d almost killed an innocent man.

The worst part of this entire thing was that it all made sense.

The moment River had started talking, pieces fell into place. It was little wonder that Brynleigh had been so confused by Ryker’s behavior.

Everything she thought she knew was a lie.

Now, when Brynleigh thought back to that night when her world changed, she knew the much smaller person she’d seen standing next to Ryker had been River.

It was all River.

At some point during her flight, the box holding Brynleigh’s emotions shattered. It didn’t just break—it exploded into a million pieces.

All the feelings she’d shoved deep down inside came rushing out at once.

Tears flooded her eyes, pouring down her cheeks as she yelled her frustrations to the world.

No wonder Ryker seemed like a good man. No wonder she couldn’t see the evil in him. She wasn’t insane. She hadn’t given her heart to the fae who had killed her family.

She’d been given the wrong information.

Did Jelisette know? Had she planned this whole thing? Did she have an ulterior motive, or was it like River had said?

“Ryker and my mother helped cover it up. I… I didn’t mean to do it. I’m so sorry. I carry the weight of what I did every day.”

Brynleigh could’ve had her revenge right then. She could’ve ripped out River’s throat on that crimson couch and been done with it.

Something had stopped her. She didn’t want River’s blood on her hands.

Brynleigh killed people who deserved it. Bad people.

But River? Despite the water fae’s confession, Brynleigh didn’t sense any evil in her. She was hurting, like Brynleigh.

And now, Brynleigh had no idea what to do.

Hours passed.

She flew until the first rays of sunlight stretched through the darkness. The impending day clawed back the night. Her heart galloped as the dawn approached, the sun’s deadly fingers drawing nearer.

One touch from them, and she’d be burned from the inside out. Dead. Forever. There was no surviving sunlight. Not for vampires.

She waited and waited and waited until she had mere seconds left.

---