Page 48 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

She drifted off to sleep instantly, the land of dreams welcoming her with open arms.

CHAPTER 13

It Won’t Happen Again

Brynleigh’s brain pounded against the confines of her skull, making a valiant effort to escape. She groaned, and her eyes opened. That only made things worse. The pounding increased as she took in her surroundings. Her brows knit together.

Wooden rafters stretched high above her head, and the bed was decidedly less cloud-like than before. The scratchy mud-brown blanket covering her wasn’t delightful either. She wiggled her toes, the material itchy on her bare feet. White cabinets stretched along one wall, and the air was frigid. Several shiny medical instruments were displayed, and a doctor’s coat was on a rack nearby.

She was in an… infirmary. How did she get here? And perhaps more importantly, why was she here?

“Hello?” Her mouth struggled to form the words, her tongue heavy like she’d eaten sandpaper.

A woman in pale pink scrubs with raven hair appeared in Brynleigh’s field of vision. Kind blue eyes, much like Brynleigh’s had been before she was Made, peered at the vampire through a set of wide-rimmed glasses.

“Oh, good. You’re awake.” The woman unceremoniously grabbed Brynleigh’s chin and shone a thin, bright light into each of her eyes before nodding to herself. “Your vitals are strong.”

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” Brynleigh would usually be more polite, but between the headache and the strange surroundings, gathering information seemed more important than manners.

The woman didn’t seem to mind as she smiled. “You can call me Carin, dear. I’m the doctor who’s been looking after you.”

Doctor Carin crossed the room to a desk Brynleigh hadn’t noticed before. She picked up a black phone that looked like it belonged several decades in the past and quickly dialed.

Whoever was on the other line must have answered right away.

“She’s awake,” the doctor murmured. “What do you want me to do?”

Narrowing her eyes, Brynleigh tried to focus her hearing on the voice coming through the phone line. It was faint, but she picked up a few words.

“… keep… until it’s passed… the Chancellor says…”

Carin dipped her head. “Understood. Do you want me to knock her out again?”

Brynleigh’s heart seized. She would not allow that to happen, even if it meant going against the doctor. She needed to remain alert and figure out what was happening.

The doctor glanced at Brynleigh. “No, she looks normal. Pale, but they all are.”

Brynleigh’s fingers grappled at the sheet as she struggled to find her last coherent memory. The doctor’s words insinuated they’d already knocked her out once.

She didn’t remember any of that. She didn’t even remember putting on the black sweater that currently covered her arms.

Her mind swirled as she sought her missing memories. Evidently, she wasn’t in the Hall of Choice. This room was too small and quaint to be part of the massive building in the middle of Golden City.

Brynleigh had been on a date with her mark when?—

“Fuck,” she groaned.

Everything came flooding back all at once. The rebels. The bunker. And then… the blood.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Brynleigh fought the urge to scream. She’d been so close to falling into bloodlust and ruining everything. And then after…

The dream.

Heat rushed through her core.

Bad.

This was monumentally bad. Terrible, even. Brynleigh couldn’t wrap her mind around how awful this was.

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