Page 28 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

She hadn’t been expecting that at all. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d chuckled, let alone laughed. Not really.

She didn’t have much to laugh about these days.

“You don’t mind that I’m a vampire?” she confirmed. “It doesn’t bother you?”

“Not at all,” was his immediate response. “I’m a fae. Does that bother you?”

It fucking should bother her. Other things about him bothered her. But somehow, that wasn’t one of them.

Brynleigh didn’t care what someone was. Human or vampire, fae or mer, shifter or elf, witch or werewolf, it didn’t matter. True, world-ending, soul-crushing evil could exist beneath anyone’s skin. Darkness could find a home anywhere if the right circumstances presented themselves.

“No.” She twisted her braid through her fingers. “What kind of fae are you?”

Obviously, she already knew the answer. However, since it was imperative Ryker never found out exactly who Brynleigh was, she had to keep up appearances.

“A water fae,” he said.

“What does that mean exactly? Can you summon a few drops of water? A sprinkle?”

This time, it was his turn to laugh. The sound was as deep as his voice, and it washed over Brynleigh like the first drops of rain after a long summer’s day. It woke parts of her that had no business being awake right now.

She yearned to hear that sound again and again…

And she wanted him to never, ever do that again in her presence.

“Not at all, sweetheart. More like storms.”

The nickname registered in Brynleigh’s mind, and she stared at the wall. Part of her rebelled against it, but the other couldn’t help but preen. She liked it—a lot. That could possibly be problematic, but just like the issue of her burning fangs and twisting core, she gathered up that emotion and shoved it down, down, down until she couldn’t feel it anymore.

Thank Isvana, a chime sounded in her headphones, and the AI interrupted them. The date would soon be over. They said farewell, and Ryker was kind as he wished Brynleigh a good rest of her day.

It was horrible.

Brynleigh chugged the remainder of her blood wine as soon as the connection broke. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the couch. That did not go as planned.

The remainder of the afternoon went by in a blur. No matter how many other men she spoke to, she couldn’t get a certain water fae and his deep voice out of her head.

In all her planning, Brynleigh had never anticipated that she might actually be interested in Ryker Waterborn. That she might actually… like him. He was nothing like what she expected. He wasn’t hard or ruthless or cold.

That was frustrating, to say the least.

There wasn’t a rule for this.

CHAPTER 8

Butterflies and Silence

“What’s your favorite childhood memory?” Ryker reclined in the hammock as he waited for Valentina to answer.

A few days had passed since their initial introduction, and he liked the fae. Not only was Valentina sharp-witted, but she had a fire in her. Ryker had a gut feeling his mother would love Valentina if he brought her home. They’d already been chatting for a half-hour, and Ryker smiled frequently during their conversation. He liked that.

Valentina chuckled. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”

Curious, he raised a brow. “Try me.”

She paused, and for a moment, he wasn’t sure she’d answer. He ran this thumb down the side of his mug and waited.

“Are you familiar with the goldback butterfly?” she asked. Her voice was different than it had been earlier. Softer, like a harsh edge had been scrubbed away.

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