As if she would leave. She was bruised, battered, and starving.
Brynleigh was too tired to fight. Too tired to do anything, really. If he wasn’t going to kill her right now, then she would shower. Anything to get this grime and blood off her.
She didn’t look around as she walked to the bedroom. If she was still alive in the morning, she’d think about exploring then.
She closed the curtains, stripped off her clothes, and stepped beneath the shower head. Turning the water on as hot as it could go, she let the steam burn away the remnants of the dungeon.
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
Brynleigh wept for herself, for Ryker, and for the utter fucking disaster that was their relationship.
She wept until she had nothing left. Only then did she stumble into the bedroom and collapse on the bed, pulling a blanket over herself. Her hair soaked the pillow, but she didn’t care.
He hadlovedher.
And she had destroyed them.
CHAPTER 3
Broken Hearts and Lies
The old grandfather clock in the living room struck three in the morning as Ryker paced the length of the small one-bedroom bungalow’s living room. The unfamiliar floor creaked beneath his feet, and he raked his hand through his hair for what felt like the millionth time that night.
He ground his teeth, trying to extinguish the storm rising within him.
What a fucking disaster.
Of all the things Ryker had expected to be doing less than a month after his wedding, bringing his wife to one of the many safe houses owned by the army wasn’t one of them.
At least this home, though small, was equipped with all the necessities: a single bedroom, a three-piece bathroom, and a kitchen. There was a dresser filled with men’s and women’s clothing and a pantry full of staples.
More important than all that, though, were the wards. Vampires were unable to shadow inside of the magical perimeter.
The house wasn’t exactly homey, but after what had happened, that was probably for the best.
Ryker didn’t need to play house with the woman who’d planned on killing him.
Navy curtains covered the windows, and the location was isolated. Golden City was an hour away. Close enough that they could travel there if needed but far enough away that no one should bother them.
In freeing Brynleigh from The Pit and bringing her here, Ryker had added another title to his growing list.
Fae, son, brother, Captain, husband, and now… his wife’s jailer.
By the Sands, his life was fucked up.
Ryker groaned and rubbed his bleary eyes. He hadn’t even tried to sleep. Shutting down his mind, which was running a million miles an hour, would’ve been an impossible task.
It was Brynleigh.
Ryker couldn’t stop thinking about her. He vacillated between rage at her confession and horror at her condition when he’d found her. He kept hearing her say those four words.
I wasn’t going to…
Who knew a few words could make him throw away everything he’d worked for?
Stupid. He was so fucking stupid.
He’d berated himself the entire drive here for risking everything, but he was in too deep now. He’d put everything he had into this ridiculous plan, and soon, he’d find out whether it would all blow up in his face.