Page 19 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

Brynleigh snatched the cup and took a long swallow. The blood settled in her stomach, taking the most brittle edge off her hunger. “Thank you,” she breathed.

The bartender nodded as Brynleigh drained the contents of her cup. The anger subsided as she downed the blood. The burning in her fangs cooled, and although she still desired to teach Valentina a lesson, rationality ruled her thoughts again.

“Can I have some more?” she asked.

The elf nodded, grabbing another bag as the door opened. Brynleigh watched over her shoulder as Matron Lilith entered, flanked by two guards. Both tall guards were broad of shoulder, muscular, and had scary-looking guns holstered at their hips. Their matching brown eyes swept through the room, and Brynleigh would’ve bet good money that they were brothers.

“Here you go.” The bartender handed the goblet to Brynleigh.

Matron Lilith sat on one of the crimson couches, folding her hands in her lap. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, the Opening Ceremony didn’t exactly go as planned.”

“No shit,” someone snarkily replied.

Brynleigh didn’t see who it was.

“What happened?” This question came from Esme, who had her arm wrapped around Hallie.

The Matron sighed and signaled for one of the guards to step forward. “Harper will explain.”

The soldier cleared his throat. “This morning, we received a tip that there may be a threat on the Chancellor’s life.”

A flurry of horrified gasps ran through the room.

“What?” someone exclaimed.

“Who would do such a thing?”

Valentina paled, and for a moment, Brynleigh felt bad for her. She imagined hearing that someone wanted your mother dead wasn’t pleasant. Then she remembered the way the fire fae had threatened to kill her, and the pity was dissipated like a morning mist.

If Chancellor Rose was half as much of a bitch as her daughter, it was surprising that it had taken someone this long to threaten her life. Brynleigh knew better than most that there was no safe place in the Republic of Balance. Not really.

“There’s no reason to fear.” Harper’s voice was matter-of-fact.

“No reason to fear?” Hallie questioned. “Someone was shot!”

Brynleigh was surprised by the force in the Fortune Elf’s voice, considering that Hallie had seemed close to fainting a few minutes ago. She was happy to see her new friend fighting back, though. Maybe Hallie did have enough mettle to survive in this cold, harsh world.

“I assure you; we are equipped to deal with any threats,” Harper replied. “The woman who was shot was a rebel. She will no longer be a problem.”

The undercurrents of his words were evident: the rebel was dead, and dead women couldn’t cause problems.

Cold-hearted. To the point. Jelisette would approve.

“Due to the unusual circumstances, the Opening Ceremony is over.” Matron Lilith gestured to the guards. “From now on, there will be added security around the Hall of Choice.”

“There’s no need to be worried,” Harper added. “This is a precautionary measure, nothing more.”

A hand raised in the corner.

“Yes, Calliope?” Matron Lilith nodded.

“What about the Choosing?” Calliope perched on the edge of a red sofa, twisting green threads of magic through her fingers. The Earth Elf’s black hair had slipped from its bun on the hurried walk back to the lounge, and several strands dangled around her face.

Brynleigh stiffened. She hadn’t even considered that such an act of violence could make the Chancellor halt the Choosing. She hadn’t even met Ryker yet. She couldn’t wait another decade to avenge her family.

For some vampires, ten years wasn’t a long time, but Brynleigh was young enough that time still had meaning for her. Ten years might as well have been a lifetime. If the Choosing ended now, the captain would return to hiding, and then what would Brynleigh do?

Twisting her necklace through her fingers, Brynleigh forced herself to breathe. Not for the oxygen, since vampires didn’t precisely require air to live, but for normalcy.

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