Page 60 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

It was time Valentina learned precisely who she was dealing with.

Brynleigh was a heartbeat away from throwing her shadows at the fire fae when Hallie screamed at the top of her lungs, “Stop!”

The sound was so sudden that for a moment, it felt like time halted.

Then, both Brynleigh and Valentina turned to the Fortune Elf. “What the hell?” they said at the same time.

“You can’t fight here.” Hallie took Brynleigh’s hand and yanked her towards the door. “They’ll kick you out. Is that what you want?”

Brynleigh’s eyes widened, and she glanced back at the fae.

Valentina stood there with fire flickering in her outstretched palm. “They could try to kick me out,” she said haughtily, “but Mother would never stand for it. I can do whatever I want.”

Lips curled, Brynleigh snarled. That was precisely why she was here. “You are a horrible, awful?—”

With a strength Brynleigh didn’t know the other woman possessed, Hallie jerked her out of the room and slammed the door behind them.

Hallie’s eyes flashed with silver, and she looked fierce. “Ryker was looking for you today,” she hissed. “Therian told me he refused to stop asking about you. Think about him, not that rich fae bitch.”

Brynleigh drew in breath to too-tight lungs. Wisps of shadows slipped from her hands. Her nostrils flared. She tried to do what Hallie suggested but couldn’t get Valentina’s sneer out of her mind. “She’s awful.”

“She is,” Hallie agreed. “But she’s also right.”

“What?” That was the last thing Brynleigh expected to hear, and it caught her off guard.

The Fortune Elf’s wings flared. “Valentina probably won’t get kicked out, but you definitely will. You were Selected, just like me. You know we’re not the same as them.”

When the words sank in, they were like cement around Brynleigh’s feet, holding her in place. Her friend was right. Brynleigh had to get her head on straight. She had to focus on Ryker and nothing else. She couldn’t fight Valentina, no matter how horrible the woman was. She couldn’t afford to leave after all she’d been through to get here.

Closing her eyes, Brynleigh inhaled deeply. She focused on the rhythmic throb of her heart, letting it ground her. Once she was certain she wouldn’t bolt back into the cinema and rip out Valentina’s throat, she exhaled.

Retracting her shadows and wings, she opened her eyes. “Thank you, Hallie.”

Without a backward glance, needing to put as much space between her and the fire fae as possible, Brynleigh stepped into the Void.

The complete and utter darkness of the space in between consumed her, and for a moment, she was utterly at peace.

In her room, Brynleigh showered away any lingering desire to fight Valentina. She wasn’t here for her.

Her vengeance was so close; she could taste it.

CHAPTER 16

Pen Pals and Nicknames

“Greetings and salutations, Captain Waterborn.” Celeste’s voice seemed more chipper today than normal, or maybe it was Ryker who was different.

Last night, he’d slept better than he had in years. The memory of Brynleigh’s wavy blonde hair and luscious scent kept him company through his dreams.

It surprised Ryker to realize that he did not regret visiting her yesterday. He’d broken the rules, but it was for a good reason.

He would do it again in a heartbeat.

“Morning,” he replied. Adjusting the headphones with one hand, he accepted a coffee from the Light Elf manning the temporary bar near the door. Thanking the elf, he moved towards the wall.

The library was significantly smaller than the ballroom in the Hall of Choice, and even with the headphones, he could hear the faint murmurs of the other men speaking as he situated himself in a cozy armchair.

“Your date is incoming, Captain,” Celeste said pleasantly. “Please, stand by.”

---