Page 36 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

His lips twitched as he reached over and picked up the matching one. “Not just any board. It’s part of a set. The pieces are holographic, and I thought we might…”

“Play together?” She finished the sentence for him.

Gods, how was it possible that they were already in sync? It felt like they’d spent a lifetime together. “Exactly.”

“I don’t know, Captain,” she teased. “What will you do when you lose?”

A chuckle started deep in Ryker’s chest and rumbled through him. “Sweetheart, you don’t know this about me yet, but I don’t lose.” He slid his finger down the side of the board and pressed the hidden button. It lit up, and he added, “Ever.”

She snorted as black and white pieces appeared, flickering before stabilizing. “Maybe that used to be true, but now you’ve met me. You should get used to losing, Ryker. You’ll be doing it a lot in the future.”

“Cocky much?” Smirking, he settled the board on his lap.

“Only when I know I can win.”

Ryker grinned, watching the board carefully as Brynleigh made the first move. “Game on.”

CHAPTER 11

My Programming Does Not Allow Me to Discuss That

Two weeks later, the Choosing was at the one-third mark. Ryker stretched out his legs before him as he got comfortable on the couch.

It was late morning, and he’d been chatting with Valentina for over an hour. This was their fourth encounter that week. She’d spent most of that time talking about her favorite stores in the Red Plaza, an upper-class district in Golden City.

“Enough about me,” Valentina eventually said. “What do you do when you’re not hard at work, Captain?”

Thank the gods, they were done with fashion. It wasn’t that Ryker didn’t appreciate good clothes—he admired the female body as much as the next man and recognized how certain garments highlighted curves and beauty—but he didn’t care about fashion.

Leaning back, he closed his eyes. “Depends,” he said after a minute.

“Oh?” Valentina purred. “On what?”

“On whom I’m with.”

The fae laughed, but there was something strange about the sound. It was nothing like Brynleigh’s and didn’t make him feel anything inside.

Valentina was nothing like Brynleigh.

Over the past month, Ryker had slowly whittled his way through the other women, landing on these two as his best potential matches.

If he were smart, he would Choose Valentina. He knew that. On paper, she was the right wife for him. She was everything a proper partner should be. Well-educated, mannered, and already familiar with the way Representatives lived. He could hear his mother’s voice in the back of his head, urging him to pick the Chancellor’s daughter.

Valentina would produce heirs, which Brynleigh couldn’t do since vampires didn’t procreate. If he chose her, the Waterborn line would continue, mingling with the prestigious Rose line. Their children would be powerful, prominent members of society.

Theoretically, Valentina Rose was perfect.

Except every time Ryker spoke with the fire fae, he couldn’t help but compare her to Brynleigh. They had nothing in common. Brynleigh was real in a way that Valentina wasn’t. The vampire pulled on a part of his heart that no one else had ever touched.

Some of the other men had already chosen favorites. Therian and the shy Hallie spent every waking minute talking. Phillipe had taken an interest in Trinity, the werewolf. A few others were still dating several women, while it seemed some men weren’t making the connections they desired.

“On a perfect day without work, one where the sun was shining, what would you do with me?” Valentina asked.

He knew what an ideal day would look like if he were alone. His days were regimented down to the minute when he was at work. Everything, from when he stepped onto the army base to when the gates closed behind him, was accounted for. When he was off, he preferred not to do anything strenuous. He liked to play games, relax with his dog, and watch sports with his friends.

Ryker knew Valentina well enough at this point to know she’d never be okay with that. If he Chose her, his life would be filled with endless parties, enormous credit-card bills, shopping, stuffy dinners, and high-society events. He’d never have a night off or a chance to play chess or relax.

He was exhausted thinking about it.

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