Page 32 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

“That sounds nice,” she said after a moment, realizing she needed to speak. “Does that mean you enjoy the snow? Is that a water fae trait?”

He snorted. “I mean, I like snow as much as the next person. I can turn my water to ice, but I feel the cold like any other fae.”

“Hmm. Vampires don’t feel cold,” she told him, a touch of smugness in her tone. “We’re made for the snow. I could dance in it, I suppose.”

She’d never tried. Jelisette wouldn’t approve.

“I’d love to see that,” he said. “Tell me, Brynleigh, would you keep me warm if we were trapped in an icy cave?”

A grin stretched across her face despite herself. She relaxed in her seat. “Maybe. If you’re nice to me.”

He laughed, the bass sound resonating through the headphones. It was beautiful, like a crisp winter’s night after a stormy day. Once again, her fangs reacted to his voice, and a fire burned in her gums. This reaction was quickly getting tiring.

“Oh, Brynleigh. I could be very nice.”

Damn it all, but she laughed, too. She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t stop the sound from bubbling inside her.

They chatted about the Black Sea, discussing various things they’d do on their trip until Celeste informed them their date was over. When the music started playing, Brynleigh leaned back and rubbed her temples.

“Fuck me,” she groaned.

This would be far more difficult than she’d ever bargained for.

CHAPTER 10

Game On

Afew days later, Ryker was back in the crimson hammock. He was settling into a routine. After breakfast, he would spend most of the day in the ballroom, getting to know the women. Eventually, when the Choosing was past the halfway point, they’d move onto actual dates, but for now, they focused on creating that connection.

Surprisingly, at least to Ryker, he was enjoying this process far more than he thought he would. Who knew talking could be so agreeable?

He crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. “What do you do when you’re not hunting for a husband, Brynleigh?”

The vampire was his first date today, and he’d be lying if he said an enormous grin hadn’t stretched across his face when her voice came through the headphones.

He still didn’t know what she looked like, but it didn’t matter. They were building a connection that wasn’t based on how the other looked. He wanted to know more about this humorous vampire that made him laugh. Of all the women here, Brynleigh and Valentina intrigued him the most.

Brynleigh chuckled, and the sound was tinged with a touch of darkness and the night. “I work for my Maker.”

That wasn’t inherently surprising. Most vampires in the Republic of Balance preferred to remain with others like them. In fact, outside of the Choosing, Ryker hadn’t met many vampires. They had a division in the army, but the Night Corps tended to keep to themselves. It probably had something to do with their aversion to sunlight… or maybe their general dispositions made them better suited to working alone.

“What do you do for her?” he asked.

“Odd jobs, mostly. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Whatever she asks of me.”

That, he understood. Life in the army was regimented, and whatever his superiors said, he did. It was the way of military life.

The hammock swayed beneath Ryker as he glanced at the garden wall. “Do you like it? Your work?”

She paused. “Mostly.”

“I understand,” he murmured. “There are moments when I wish I were anywhere else.”

Like that stormy night six years ago.

He frowned. That was… not something he liked to think about. He shoved the thought from his mind and focused on the vampire speaking with him.

Brynleigh sucked in a breath. “That makes sense. Sometimes the things I do for Jelisette… I wish things were different. That’s all.”

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