He didn’t even want to think about it.
But it was over now. They were together, and their life was shaping up to be something beautiful.
Clearing his mind of the past, Ryker focused on the stunning woman in his arms. Together, they studied the city. Even Marlowe was quiet, his soft snores rising from his favorite spot on the couch.
Several minutes passed before Ryker remembered the envelope he’d gotten yesterday.
“Hold on.” He kissed her forehead and stepped back, grabbing the letter from where he’d left it and returning to her side. “This came for us.”
She ran her fingers over the front.
“Mr. and Mrs. Waterborn,” she murmured, lifting her gaze to his. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me too.” He kissed her because he couldn’t seem to help himself. “Want to open it?”
The smile Brynleigh shot in his direction could have warmed even the darkest souls.
She carefully opened the envelope, revealing a smaller gilded letter. The size of a postcard, it slipped into her palm with ease.
The invitation was almost identical to the one Ryker had first gotten to confirm his place in the Choosing. Mere months had passed since then, yet it felt like centuries ago.
On the front, scrawling black letters read,You’re Invited!
Brynleigh hummed and turned it around. Written in the samecursive as the front was an invitation to the Reunion, set to take place a week from today.
“There you go. Seven days.” She tapped her index finger on the edge of the envelope for a long moment before looking up at him.
“All the pieces are falling into place. You do your army thing,”—she spun a finger in the air like a little tornado, which he found ridiculously endearing—“and I’ll work on the rebels. We’ll trap them before they harm anyone else, putting a stop to this once and for all.”
She sounded so sure. So confident.
Ryker admired and loved that about her, but unease crawled up the back of his neck. Would it truly be that simple? He hoped so.
He wanted nothing more than to put this entire portion of their lives behind them when the Reunion was over. He wanted to bring Brynleigh to his cabin and spend weeks enjoying life by the lake. He wanted long nights in front of the chess board, playing—and winning—against her.
He wanted laughter, joy, and peace, and he wouldn’t stop until they’d achieved that.
It was so close that he could practically taste it.
CHAPTER 31
A Return to the Hall of Choice
“You look positively stunning,” Hallie gushed from her seat in the limo beside Brynleigh.
Davis, Ryker’s driver, had picked them up half an hour ago from the Fortune Elf’s house. He had successfully navigated the traffic of downtown Golden City while the two women enjoyed a glass of Faerie Wine and chatted.
Brynleigh had been nervous about seeing her friend again, agonizing over asking Hallie if she wanted to ride with her to the Reunion. In the end, she’d messaged her friend, and the Fortune Elf had agreed to get together this afternoon.
Ryker and Therian, Hallie’s husband, were busy with last-minute plans for tonight. They would meet their wives at the Reunion. Ryker had called an hour ago, letting Brynleigh know he was taking Marlowe for a run before coming to meet her at the Hall of Choice.
It had been a long but fruitful week. Brynleigh had attended yet another rebel meeting and deceived even more of them into thinking she was on their side. She’d gone with Ryker to deliver the cipher and book she’d stolen to the army’s code-breakers. It looked promising, and Ryker seemed confident it would give them enough evidence to arrest and convict several suspected rebels.
She’d even braved Waterborn House and Tertia’s wrath yesterday to visit Ryker’s father. Tertia had been cold, which was expected, but Brynleigh had enjoyed seeing her father-in-law. He’d opened his eyes, and Ryker had been happy all night, even after Brynleigh beat him twice at chess.
None of that had been as scary as pulling up to Hallie and Therian’s house had been earlier today. Their quaint neighborhood looked like it had been lifted from a storybook. Laughing children ran on emerald lawns. Parents sat on porches, watching their offspring play. Even the houses seemed to radiate happiness.
Brynleigh had felt out of place. There was a reason that vampires didn’t go in the sun. With hearts as black as ink, they didn’t deserve to experience the beauty of daylight.