Page 5 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

Moments later, Jelisette’s lithe form stepped out of the shadows. A shimmering crimson floor-length ballgown was draped over her tall body. The dress was sleeveless, sporting a V cut so low that it exposed the sides of her breasts and her navel. Long gloves ran to her elbows. Her chestnut hair was in an elaborate swooping bun, and a heavy black diamond necklace was her only adornment.

“Oh, good.” The powerful vampire’s midnight gaze swept over Brynleigh. “You’re here.”

Brynleigh nodded, keeping her shoulders straight. “Yes, ma’am. I finished the job.”

“Good girl.” Jelisette lifted a manicured brow. “It’ll be the last one for a while.”

The last one? Zanri usually had lots of work for Brynleigh. The Republic of Balance was extensive, spanning the entire continent. It used to be four kingdoms that had merged into one government long ago. There was no shortage of evil people who required their particular kind of deadly attention.

Although talking back to her Maker was never a good idea, Brynleigh questioned, “What do you mean?”

Something akin to a smile crept along Jelisette’s face. “I did it. I got you in.”

Brynleigh’s brows creased as she tried to follow her Maker’s words. Then, she gasped. “You mean…”

Jelisette crossed the room and gripped Brynleigh’s shoulder. Her sharp nails dug into the younger vampire’s flesh, but Brynleigh didn’t care. Not if this meant what she thought it meant.

“Yes,” Jelisette hissed, and her black eyes glimmered. “The gods have spoken, and the stars are aligned. Tomorrow, the Two Hundredth Choosing begins.”

Brynleigh’s heart, slow beating as it was, galloped in her chest like a wild stallion. Her mouth dried. Her fangs ached. She sucked in a too-shallow breath, taking in a sip of air instead of a gulp. “And I’m in?”

This felt too good to be true. She needed to hear it confirmed.

“Yes, my dear.” Jelisette removed her hand and trailed a sharp nail down Brynleigh’s face. The gesture was almost maternal. Almost. “This is the moment you’ve been waiting for.”

It felt like Brynleigh’s heart would explode out of her chest. She’d been training for this for six years, waiting for the moment she could finally exact her revenge.

Willing her heart to steady, Brynleigh stalked over to the chess board. Zanri silently watched as Brynleigh picked up the black king. She rolled the wooden carving around in her hand before trapping it in her fist.

This plan had so many moving parts, and this game had so many rules that Brynleigh hadn’t been certain they would actually pull it off. She hadn’t dared give too much thought to what this day would mean until now, for fear that if she did, the barriers she’d built around her heart would shatter.

If Brynleigh had spent too long thinking about her family’s murderer and the free life he was living, she would have gone on a deadly, bloody rampage across the continent and fallen into bloodlust.

Then, who would avenge her family?

Instead, Brynleigh had become a master of compartmentalization. She shoved all her feelings into a box deep within her soul as she trained to become a killer.

That would end now.

Her fist tightened until a crack echoed through the room. Brynleigh unfurled her fingers, one by one, until the now-broken king lay in the middle of her pale palm. She placed the cracked piece on the board, looking first at Jelisette and then at Zanri.

“I’m going to enter the Hall of Choice, make Captain Ryker Waterborn, Head of the Fae Division in the Republic’s Army, fall in love with me, and then I’ll kill him on our wedding night,” she declared.

Six years ago, the captain had vanished from the public eye. He hadn’t been very visible before, but no one had seen him since. Living a quiet life wasn’t abnormal for Representatives and their families. Some, like Chancellor Rose, were so secretive that even their children’s magical affinities were unknown.

The captain’s disappearance had been so complete that even in this technological day and age, finding him had been impossible. Jelisette had been able to confirm that the captain still lived, but even when he was at work, he was never alone.

Brynleigh had spent years hunting him, trying to get close enough to kill the captain, to no avail.

Until now.

The participants of the Choosing were supposed to be kept a secret, but Jelisette had a way of uncovering things that were meant to be hidden. He would be one of the twelve men taking part in the event.

“Revenge will be mine,” Brynleigh said calmly.

Hearing the words out loud made them real in a way they hadn’t been before. Her shadows twisted in her veins, and her dark magic pulsed at the thought.

Zanri’s face was grave as he studied her, but Jelisette’s black eyes twinkled. “Yes. No matter what, the captain will die before the year’s end.”

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