Page 22 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

That evasive answer was essentially what he had expected. A Choice couldn’t be forced, but it was strongly recommended. Marriage was the only option for Ryker, though. He couldn’t let his father down. He sat on the crimson couch, placing his notebook, coffee, and snacks on the table before him. A blanket hung over the back of the couch, and he pulled it onto his lap, getting comfortable.

“Of course, sir. That is my sole—” A high-pitched bell chimed in his headphones. “Your first date is incoming, Captain.” Celeste’s voice returned to the same sickly-sweet robotic tone from before. “Please stand by. If you require my assistance, say my name. If not, I will give you privacy.”

The AI’s voice switched off, leaving Ryker staring at the garden wall. Waiting-room music began playing in his ears, the slow pop song one he’d heard hundreds of times before.

It was him and his thoughts. He was actually here, in the ballroom, about to meet his first date. He’d known he would participate in the Choosing his entire life, but knowing something and experiencing it were two very different things.

He tightened his hold on his pen. “Get a grip, Waterborn,” he muttered under his breath. He counted back from five in his head. “You’re a gods-damned soldier. This won’t be difficult. You’ll ask some questions, meet the women, and find your wife.”

Failure was not an option, especially when it came to those he loved.

The music came to an abrupt halt. The silence was so loud that Ryker’s heartbeat was a drum in his ears. He straightened his back and stared at the virtual garden as he waited.

Three long seconds went by before a sharp inhale echoed through the headphones.

“Hello?” a soft, feminine voice whispered.

That one word was all it took to make Ryker feel like a youngling again. He palmed the back of his neck. “Hi.”

By the Obsidian Sands, that was an awkward response. Internally, Ryker chided himself for not being more suave. One would think he wasn’t a Mature fae nearing his fourth decade of life with monosyllabic responses like that.

The woman on the other side of the wall chuckled, apparently unconcerned by Ryker’s lack of linguistic prowess. “This is… weird, right?”

“I’m staring at a wall and talking to a woman I’ve never seen.” He leaned forward and grabbed his coffee. “Yeah, it’s fucking weird.”

She huffed a quiet laugh, and instantly, Ryker felt more at ease.

He’d been on his fair share of dates, but knowing he would end up participating in the Choosing, he’d never sought anything serious.

Sensing his partner was shy, he asked, “What’s your name?”

After a moment, she said, “Hallie. You?”

He jotted her name down in his notebook, underlining it twice. “Ryker. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She exhaled, and he could almost feel her nerves as she spoke. “Same. This is… a lot, you know?”

Hallie sounded sweet, and Ryker smiled. She must not have been expecting to be here. Filing that tidbit of information away, Ryker stretched his legs before him and settled in comfortably. A glance to his left and right confirmed the other men were doing the same.

Therian was on the next couch over, the dragon shifter’s large form taking up the entire piece of furniture. Beside him, Philippe drew green threads of magic absentmindedly through his fingers as he spoke to his date.

“Yes, it is,” Ryker agreed. The attack yesterday hadn’t helped matters, either. “Tell me about yourself, Hallie. Where do you live?”

A rustling sound came through the headphones, and Ryker imagined that whoever this faceless woman was, she was rearranging herself. Was she on a couch like him? Or perhaps she was pacing back and forth in front of the wall like Luca? The werewolf didn’t seem agitated, but clearly, he couldn’t sit still. He sipped from his red goblet, his mouth moving as he spoke to his date.

“I grew up on the tip of the Southern Region, near the Sandy Flats,” Hallie replied after a minute.

“It must be hot,” was Ryker’s reply.

He mentally slapped himself for such an awkward response. He needed to shake that, and soon.

She giggled. “Very.”

“How are you finding the more moderate climate of Golden City?” Summer was nearly half over, and the nights were rapidly getting colder. While it didn’t get as cold in the Central Region as it did in the north past the Koln Mountains, the four seasons were pronounced. “It must be a shock after the desert heat.”

Nikhail was from the Southern Region. The fae often complained about the changing weather in Golden City and lamented the lack of his homeland’s prolonged, dry heat. Personally, Ryker found the idea of living in a desert unappealing on several fronts, but he could understand why some people enjoyed the warmth it provided.

Hallie paused. “It’s… alright, I suppose. I don’t think I could live here all year round. How about you?”

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