Page 11 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

“Fascinating!” the Death Elf exclaimed. She asked Esme a slew of questions, making Brynleigh eternally thankful that she was no longer the target of Yvette’s interrogation.

Esme didn’t seem to mind the questions one bit. She told them where she grew up (the plains of the Western Region), her favorite food (chocolate cake, and honestly? That was also Brynleigh’s favorite before she was Made), what she did for a living (unsurprisingly, her father was an Elven Representative, so she was training to take his place when he retired).

Thank all the gods, neither of the women seemed to notice Brynleigh’s silence. The vampire procured a glass of blood wine from the bartender, a quiet human with black hair and kind eyes.

By the time Yvette had run out of questions, more women had joined them.

Armed with her beverage and a desire not to answer any more questions, Brynleigh stationed herself against the back wall. She studied the participants as they filtered in, taking slow sips of her drink. Blood wine, like all alcohol except for Faerie Wine, didn’t really affect vampires, but Brynleigh didn’t want to risk being anything but alert.

Soon, the room was packed. Some women were as tall as her, while others were shorter. A werewolf with glowing orange eyes entered, followed by four more elves, two fae, and a shifter of some kind. So far, Brynleigh was the only vampire. Eleven women were present, and they were just missing one.

Excitement filled the air as the women milled around and introduced themselves. No one seemed to notice that Brynleigh was standing off by herself, which was exactly how she liked it.

An elf with long silver hair twisted in an elaborate knot sauntered up to Yvette.

“So, who do you think the last one is?” She twisted a lock of her hair through her fingers. “A child of a Representative or a commoner?”

Standing a few feet away, Brynleigh scowled. How dare the elf draw such a blatant line between the upper and lower classes?

Yvette didn’t miss a beat before she shrugged. “I don’t know, but regardless, they’ll probably be a wonderful person. You shouldn’t be so quick to judge others.”

Just like that, Yvette rose much higher in Brynleigh’s books.

The elf sneered. “It’s not judging if it’s true. My mother always says?—”

The gong sounded one final time, cutting off the classist elf. The door didn’t open immediately, though, and something felt different. Narrowing her eyes, Brynleigh pushed off the back wall and stood beside Yvette. The vampire’s shadows swirled in her veins, urging her to pay attention. Some people followed their gut, but Brynleigh followed the call of her darkness. It hadn’t steered her wrong yet.

The next contestant to walk through the door would be dangerous. As someone who claimed that title herself, Brynleigh felt confident assigning it to another.

Rule number five: always trust your instincts.

When the door finally opened, a tall beauty strode into the room as though she owned it. Danger emanated from her every pore. Blue-black hair was piled on her head, highlighting her pointed, pierced ears. Sharp cheekbones and a long nose looked down on the room. Bright, ruby-red lips were pressed together. Violet eyes glimmered with the promise of violence. Unlike most of the other women, this one wore a scarlet gown. When the light hit it, it sparkled like a thousand rubies were sewn into it.

Next to Brynleigh, Yvette gasped. “The Chancellor’s daughter.”

Shock rippled through the room.

One of the fae murmured, “I had no idea she was participating in the Choosing.”

Brynleigh’s heart, which usually mimicked a turtle, sped up. Now, this was interesting.

Dangerous but interesting.

There wasn’t a single person in the Republic of Balance who didn’t know about Valentina Rose. After all, her mother was Chancellor Ignatia Rose, the head of the entire government. The fae had kept her daughter sequestered and guarded for decades, only parading her out for select functions with the Representatives. She was so well hidden that no one knew which element her magic favored.

But now, Valentina was out in public. Here. At the Choosing.

Brynleigh studied the fae. Something about the other woman made her feel on edge.

Valentina’s sharp gaze swung around the room. She silently assessed each participant until her violet eyes locked onto Brynleigh’s black ones.

Those red lips twisted into an ugly sneer. “I thought this was a classy competition. Who let the bloodsucker in?”

Inhaling sharply, Brynleigh tightened her grip around her glass of wine. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard that particular insult, or even the hundredth, but she hated it all the same.

Most people in the Republic of Balance didn’t harbor much love for vampire kind. Growing up as a human, Brynleigh had seen some of the side glances directed towards children of the night. She’d heard the stories of vampires who ripped through the throats of others for fun. She’d learned about the Firsts who’d terrorized the previous Kingdom of Eleyta before being entombed in Hoarfrost Hollow, the evil Queen Marguerite and her Favorites, and the Last King and Queen who ruled Eleyta.

None of that knowledge could have prepared Brynleigh for the hatred she’d encountered since her Making.

---