Page 40 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

Frustration was a churning storm within Ryker. They wanted him to sit this out like a civilian. That went against everything he believed in. “No. I can fight.”

“Me, too,” Therian growled, coming up behind Ryker. Black scales rippled on the shifter’s skin, and his eyes flashed. His dragon was close to the surface.“Let me out; I can shift.”

Orion said, “No. Today, you are nothing but men going through the Choosing.”

Therian swore. “You can’t do that.”

“We can,” said Orion smoothly. “You agreed to it when you entered.

“These are obviously extenuating circumstances,” Ryker said through clenched teeth.

The guard’s face was as firm as stone. “I have my orders.”

Clearly, Orion wouldn’t budge. On one hand, Ryker respected that. On the other, worry coursed through him. Static still crackled through the headphones.

Another guard walked up, holding black strips of cloth. “I have them, sir,” he said to Orion.

“What the hell?” Therian growled, exchanging a look with Ryker. “What’s going on?”

The new guard, whose tag read Johnson, said, “We must take you to safety.”

“We—” Ryker started, but Orion cut him off. “You cannot help,” the guard said, his voice leaving no room for discussion. “The details of the attack are not for you to know. Outside these walls, you may be members of the military, but here, you are one of the twenty-four we are meant to protect.”

Ryker snarled. His water magic bubbled up, demanding he fight.

A woman screamed somewhere on the other side of the wall.

Another yelled, “I’m not putting that on.”

“Yes, you are,” was a soldier’s harsh, curt response.

The remainder of his words were muffled by distance, but another shriek echoed through the ballroom.

Ryker didn’t think Brynleigh was the one yelling. She wouldn’t do that. She’d probably bite someone who touched her without permission. And fuck if he didn’t like that thought.

Not the time.

The siren continued to blare.

“We need to go.” Orion turned to the participants, who were gathering around him. “You can’t see the women. The integrity of the Choosing must be maintained.”

Suddenly, the black strips of cloth and the woman’s screams made sense.

“You’re blindfolding us,” Ryker said.

It was a statement, not a question.

“We are,” Orion confirmed.

Another tremor shook the ground.

“No more talking. We need to go.” Johnson clenched his jaw. “If anyone fights us, we’ll tranquilize you. There’s no time for chitchat.”

Allowing someone to blindfold him and lead him into a bunker went against every single grain of Ryker’s being. Control was part of the very fabric of who he was. It was the reason he was so good at his job, and giving it up was not easy.

But when another woman screamed, he stepped forward.

“Do me first.” He took off his headphones and placed them on the table. “I won’t fight you.”

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