Page 109 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

She waved awkwardly. “Hi.”

“Atlas is a pain in the ass, dog-watcher extraordinaire, and he’s also one of my oldest friends.” Ryker nodded in the earth fae’s direction.

“Nice to meet you.” Atlas put out his hand, and Brynleigh shook it.

Even though Atlas was objectively handsome, with his tattoos and muscles for days, Brynleigh didn’t feel a single twinge of attraction toward him. Not like she did for Ryker. When the water fae touched her, it was like she was burning up from the inside out.

Damn it all to hell. That probably meant something, but like everything else lately, Brynleigh shoved all those emotions down, down, down until she was somewhat numb.

No matter what, Ryker was still her family’s murderer, and she would still kill him.

“Here, Marlowe,” Atlas called.

The dog trotted after to the fae, his tail wagging. Smiling, Ryker put his hand on Brynleigh’s back and led her into a small mudroom. Shoes sat on racks, and several jackets hung on hooks. A picture of Ryker and Marlowe was on the wall. The two of them were posing together, surrounded by pine trees. A shining blue lake was behind them. It seemed impossible, but between the relaxed posture and the grin on Ryker’s face, he looked even more handsome than before.

More emotions went away. The box threatened to burst open right then and there.

That wouldn’t do.

Desperate and in need of a new solution so she could survive this, Brynleigh decided she would try being numb. If she didn’t acknowledge the emotions, they couldn’t bother her.

That was good.

Numbness was the answer. She needed it to work.

If Brynleigh weren’t numb, watching Ryker love on Marlowe and shower him with hugs and slobbery kisses would’ve tugged on her heartstrings. If she weren’t numb, her smile and laugh would’ve been genuine when Ryker and Atlas shared stories about how they met in high school. And if she weren’t numb, her insides would’ve warmed when Atlas pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of the two gangly fae as teenagers with big glasses and stacks of books in their arms. Ryker had certainly grown up since then.

But since she was numb, they didn’t affect her. Nope. Not at all.

She was numb. Empty. A void. That’s what she told herself.

Her heart certainly didn’t grow three sizes when Ryker crouched down and hugged Marlowe, letting the dog give him a series of wet embraces before Atlas took him out.

That didn’t happen.

She was ice. Emotionless. She focused on rebuilding her boundaries, brick by fucking brick.

A crack appeared in the cold, numb veneer when the door closed, and Ryker’s hand landed on the small of her back. “Ready for your tour of the apartment?”

They were still in the mudroom.

“Yes.” A blatant lie. Brynleigh was not ready for this. She should turn and run.

Was it too much to pray for a sudden illness? Something to stop this from happening. If she were mortal, she could claim food poisoning. Alas, she hadn’t eaten anything.

Brynleigh supposed she could kill Ryker now, but there were witnesses. They’d seen her come up, and it was unlikely she’d get out of the apartment complex before being caught. It was daytime, which severely limited her escape routes.

And then there was the added complication that Brynleigh didn’t want to kill Ryker. Yet. Following the plan was the best course of action. No need to act irrationally.

There was definitely no other reason she was hesitating.

“Welcome home, sweetheart.” Ryker opened the door to the main apartment and held it for her.

One step was all it took for the ice around Brynleigh’s heart to melt. Her boundaries? Smashed into smithereens. Her resolve to stay numb? Gone.

She stood in the doorway, unable to move. Her heart slammed against her chest, and she stared at the windows.

Ryker had assured Brynleigh that she would be safe in his apartment. She had believed him, expecting to see blackout curtains stretched across the windows to block the sun’s deadly rays. That’s what most people did.

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