Page 17 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

Three more guards waited in the hallway. Two took the front, and the other pair flanked them from behind.

The predator within Brynleigh had awoken at the scent of blood; now, it was on high alert. It prowled within her, writhing like the shadows in her veins.

She jumped when something brushed against her arm.

“What’s going on?” Hallie’s voice shook as she hugged her arms around herself. Her pale wings twitched behind her.

Brynleigh’s stomach twisted at the sound of the Fortune Elf’s voice. Hallie sounded so much like…

No.

Brynleigh refused to think about that. She couldn’t risk letting those memories take hold. Not right now. She needed to stay alert and present.

Still, she could take pity on Hallie and try to protect her. The Fortune Elf seemed too frail for this world, as if all the inequality and violence surrounding them would break her.

Brynleigh leaned in. “I’m not sure,” she whispered. “I think someone was shot.”

That was the most plausible explanation for the amount of blood. Even though they’d moved far enough away that the scent was gone, Brynleigh’s fangs still burned. She needed to feed, and soon.

In the old days, when the Kingdom of Eleyta was ruled by vampires, Isvana’s children used to have Sources. They were able to drink from the vein whenever they wanted. Now, that kind of behavior was frowned upon. Blood banks were the intermediary between vampires and the vital liquid they needed to survive.

For a fee, of course.

Paying for blood was considered more “humane” than biting. In fact, Brynleigh had never actually bitten and fed from anyone before. She was fairly certain that the blood banks were another way for the Representatives to keep vampires in check.

When creatures of the moon drank blood that didn’t come directly from the vein, their powers were significantly reduced. Oh, their blessings of wings and shadows remained intact, but as Jelisette so often told her progeny, vampires had other gifts in the past. One of their blood ancestors had even been able to read minds. Brynleigh had never met Estrella de la Point, but she’d heard of her impressive skills.

Estrella, along with many of the vampires who’d lived in the Four Kingdoms, had voluntarily entered a deep sleep when the Republic was founded. Tales were told of the older vampires, who’d grown weary of life and required a rest. Their location was a well-kept secret, known only by a select few.

Hallie gasped, and several of the other women glanced her in direction. “Shot?” Panic flared in the Fortune Elf’s eyes, and she stumbled.

Brynleigh caught Hallie’s arm and righted the elf before she fell. “Don’t draw attention,” she cautioned.

Brynleigh knew better than most that flying under the radar was the best way to get through life. She didn’t need anyone looking too closely at her.

“Oh gods,” the Fortune Elf moaned. “This was supposed to be a safe place.” Hallie wrung her hands in front of her, and worry leaked into her voice. “I never thought someone would get shot!”

So much for keeping her voice down. By the time Hallie spoke the last words, she was yelling.

Valentina appeared out of nowhere. “Aren’t you a Fortune Elf?” she sneered. “You should’ve Seen this coming.”

Hallie seemed to shrink in on herself. “That’s not… it doesn’t work…” Her wings flapped, and she was as white as a sheet of paper. “I can’t… the paths of the future don’t reveal themselves like that.”

“Leave her alone,” Brynleigh snapped. “She’s in shock.”

Not everyone was used to death like Brynleigh. Hallie obviously didn’t know how horrible life could be, which was a blessing, in a way.

Brynleigh’s innocence had drowned along with her family.

The mean fae wrinkled her nose. “Oh, I see how it is. The Fortune Elf has acquired a fangy bodyguard. Two misfits finding solace in each other. The bloodsucker and the commoner.”

“Fuck off,” Brynleigh snarled as she reached out and drew Hallie towards her. The elf trembled as she drew in massive gulps of air. “Go find someone else to harass.”

Valentina’s violet eyes widened, and she bared her elongated canines. “You vile blood-drinking bitch. Do you know who I am?”

Brynleigh raised a brow and haughtily replied, “You look like dinner to me.”

A very nasty dinner whose blood probably tasted like putrid garbage. But Brynleigh didn’t care. She didn’t know what kind of fae Valentina was, whether she took after her mother’s elemental abilities or her father’s, whoever he was, but right now, she didn’t care. Her control was already hanging on by a thread.

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