Page 99 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

Ice filled her veins at the thought of something foreign being injected into her. She wanted to yank out the needle, but she was unsure of what would happen if she did.

“The rebels are getting bolder.” Brynleigh’s head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Her tongue was heavy.

Zanri nodded. “They are. They’ve been gaining traction over the past year or so, but this is…”

“More.” She shifted to look at him, and her neck ached. She lifted a hand, feeling for an injury. Although her skin was sore, there weren’t any wounds.

“Yes. Focus, Brynleigh.”

“It’s hard.”

“I know. Jelisette gave you her blood at the party,” Zanri explained. “After that, they brought you here to transfuse more. Even with all that, you almost died.”

That black mist was returning. Paying attention was a monumental feat.

Brynleigh blinked, and now there were two Zanri’s sitting beside her.

“I met him.” She yawned, unable to hold it in.

Zanri’s red brows furrowed. “The captain? I know you did. You’re going to marry him in two weeks.”

Her eyes shuttered. She fought to keep them open, but they weren’t listening to her. “He seems so… nice.”

“Fuck, Brynleigh. You can’t talk like that. You don’t know… you haven’t seen the worst.”

She wasn’t listening to Zanri. Her cloud was so comfortable, and she was going to return to its fluffy embrace. “I think… I think I like him.”

She might even more than like him.

Was this the medicine talking or something else? Brynleigh wasn’t sure. But either way, it seemed like Zanri should know. Maybe he was her friend. He was here while she was sick, after all. That’s what friends did, right?

Zanri grabbed Brynleigh’s hand, and he gripped it so hard that she was certain it would bruise. “Listen to me. You can say that kind of stuff to me but don’t ever let Jelisette hear you. Since you’ve been gone, she’s been even more volatile than ever. You don’t want to end up like me, B. Owing her…” His voice grew even more distant as Brynleigh fought to stay awake. “She’s setting something up. Even if you…”

Darkness was a beast drawing Brynleigh into its black embrace once more.

The next time she woke, golden curtains were pulled back. The shimmering silver moon cast its light into the gilded room. Opening her eyes was easier this time, and the mist was gone from her head. Thank Isvana, the song of her shadows had returned and was as loud as ever. Their dark tune was a welcome symphony.

Brynleigh felt like herself.

Reaching over, she yanked the needle out of her arm. Whatever the medicine was, she no longer needed it. No, what she needed was to center herself. To do that, she needed more specifics about The Lily. What was the layout? Who was here? And perhaps most importantly, where was Ryker?

An urgent need pulsed within her, pushing her to find him. Because he was her mark. After all, it was good business practice for vampires to keep track of the people they intended to kill.

She glanced at the nightstand, searching for her phone, before remembering that she still didn’t have it. She’d have to ask someone about that.

Step one: get a layout of the land.

Step two: find Ryker.

Step three: make a new, better plan. Probably something along the lines of adapting to her environment and grounding herself.

Zanri had said the weddings were in two weeks. That didn’t give her long.

Step one would involve getting out of bed. That seemed like a good place to start.

Brynleigh glanced down and frowned as she took in her outfit. Her ballgown from earlier was gone—not surprising, based on how much blood she must’ve lost—and in its place was a black spaghetti-strap tank top and a pair of gray sleep shorts.

Comfortable, yes. Great for clandestine activities? Not so much. That didn’t matter. While she preferred to wear leggings and hoodies when sneaking about, they weren’t prerequisites for the endeavor.

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