Outside, thunder rumbled. The sky darkened, hiding the sun from view.
Ryker snarled, “That fanged ancient bitch. Whatexactlydid she do?”
If Brynleigh had been a wiser vampire, she might have considered bending the truth. But she wasn’t wise, and she didn’t want to keep this from him.
Taking a deep breath, she wove her fingers through Ryker’s freezing ones.
Bringing their joined hands between them, Brynleigh swept her thumb over the back of his hand and marveled at the ice crawling over his fingers. She probably should’ve been concerned about the way he was freezing everything, but she wasn’t. All she knew was he needed her.
She stepped closer until the warmth of his breath danced across her forehead.
“What did she do?” Ryker repeated with a growl.
Even now, he was beautiful in a way that made thinking difficult.
“She… choked me.”
If it was cold before, now it was as if they’d been transported to the Northern Region and dropped in the middle of a blizzard. Goosebumps peppered Brynleigh’s arms, and she shivered.
A snarl ripped through the apartment. “She fuckingwhat?”
The acidic tang of magic filled the air, and a feral look flashed through Ryker’s eyes. Maybe he was closer to losing control than she’d originally thought. Having already survived one life-and-death situation with an unrestrained water fae, Brynleigh wasn’t keen on dealing with that again.
The sky darkened further. Black clouds rolled towards the apartment building, covering the sun.
Brynleigh’s heart seized. They were indoors, but she didn’t know if the windows were storm-proof. Nothing had survived River’s storm.
No.
She couldn’t think about that right now. She had to focus on the situation at hand. She hadn’t been able to control anything that happened with River, but this was different. She and Ryker had something. She could calm him down… right?
She had to try.
“It’s fine, Ryker.” She spoke to him slowly, like he was an injured animal, and ran her thumb down his frigid hand.
“No, it isn’t.”
Brynleigh was willing to concede that he might be right. ‘Fine’ was probably a slight exaggeration, but she had survived Jelisette’s wrath.
That’s what Brynleigh did best. She prevailed. She had survived River’s tempest, the bombing at the Masked Ball, and the Pit.
It was fucking ironic that Zanri was the feline shifter because Brynleigh seemed to have nine lives.
“Maybe not, but I healed.” Trying to add some levity to this tenuous situation, she quipped, “At least I got a book out of the deal.”
Apparently, Ryker didn’t appreciate her attempt at humor.
“I’m going to kill her.” His grip tightened around Brynleigh’s fingers. “Her death will be painful for touching what’s mine.”
Brynleigh raised a brow at his claim. At any other time, she would’ve contested his words.
Wife or not, she wasn’t a fucking possession. She was her own person, and no one owned her, not even Ryker Waterborn with his too-handsome face, dimples, and alpha fae energy. This wasn’t the time of the Four Kingdoms anymore—women had rights. The High Ladies of Life and Death had ensured that was the case.
Still, the roiling clouds outside and the frost covering thewindows were a reminder that this wasn’t the moment to contest her so-called ownership. They had bigger problems at hand.
Thunder boomed outside as if proving her point.
“Yes, well, you’ll have to fight me for that honor, Captain.” Brynleigh forced a smile on her face despite the racing of her heart. “I’m rather furious with Jelisette myself.”