Page 97 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

Sipping his coffee, Ryker listened to his sister share the woes of life as a twenty-one-year-old in her fourth year of college. Apparently, there were many of them. It was nice to be with his family, but Ryker’s mind kept returning to Brynleigh.

After this, he promised himself, he’d see her.

No matter what.

CHAPTER 24

Nothing But a Physical Reaction

Brynleigh was living in a cloud. Her head was light, her eyes were exceedingly heavy, and something soft and cushiony was beneath her. The air smelled strangely crisp, almost void of scents entirely. That would have struck her as odd, except her mind was having trouble focusing. Everything was foggy.

She frowned and tried to shove past the dark mist. She was missing something vital, but she couldn’t remember what it was. That wouldn’t do. She pushed and shoved against the fog. It hurt, but she didn’t give up.

It was an unmovable wall. That wouldn’t do.

She slammed against the fog. Harder and harder, until she was certain that if she were hitting a real wall, she would have dislocated her shoulder.

Eventually, her perseverance paid off.

A crack broke through the darkness, a sliver that soon let light flood in.

Events flashed through her mind, slowly at first but picking up speed like a snowball rolling down a hill. She’d entered the Hall of Choice and met Ryker. They dated. Then, he’d proposed.

The next thing Brynleigh remembered was the feeling of Ryker’s lips on her neck, and then…

Oh gods.

Something had hit her. Hard. Pain, that strange mortal sensation that she’d rarely felt since her Making, had swallowed her. Demolished her.

And then she’d tumbled into blackness.

She’d been hurt. Maybe even killed? Brynleigh wasn’t certain. She didn’t feel dead, but then again, it was hard to tell. Vampires weren’t truly alive in the first place, so perhaps true death was simply… peace? But that didn’t make sense because when vampires touched silver or were staked, they screamed.

That was the mystery at hand.

Brynleigh was certain of one thing: when Ryker touched her, she felt alive. They had taken a leisurely stroll down a dangerous, forbidden path the night of the Masked Ball. Would she have let him go further if they hadn’t been interrupted?

Before, Brynleigh would have said no. But now…

Maybe.

There was no denying the fact that her body desired Ryker’s. She’d practically melted against him when they danced. But that was nothing but a physical reaction to his physique, right?

Good, old-fashioned lust. That’s all it was. Lust was a completely normal, absolutely valid response when presented with someone as handsome as Ryker. There was nothing wrong with that.

Yes, there is, a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her. He murdered your family. How could you forget that?

The voice was right. Ryker wasn’t hers to lust after. How could Brynleigh have forgotten who Ryker was, even for a moment?

She was definitely going to hell for this. Then again, it wasn’t like she was perfect.

Brynleigh had done many bad things in her life, especially after Jelisette Made her. Why not add one more sin on top of it? Especially when the other person looked like Ryker Waterborn.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she could?—

“It’s time to wake up, B,” a familiar masculine voice said near her ear.

Zanri. She would recognize the shifter’s voice anywhere. That had to mean she wasn’t dead, right? They were friends, but she’d never dreamed about the shifter.

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