He was unforgettable. Like all creatures of the moon, he was beautiful, but there was something distinct about him. His face ensured no one could cross his path without remembering him.
A prickle of discomfort twinged in Brynleigh’s gut. None of this made any sense.
Ryker reached over, still not touching her, and swiped right. Another picture filled the screen, the time stamp marking it as having been taken a few minutes before the first one.
In this image, both their arms were visible.
Brynleigh’s mind emptied of all thought. Words were impossible to come by.
Unblinking, she stared at the picture as if it might miraculously change if she looked at it long enough.
Midnight ink wrapped around the vampires’ wrists. The unmistakable mark of a Binding stood out against their skin, proclaiming to all who saw it that these vampires belonged to each other.
Brynleigh couldn’t breathe. This was proof that Jelisette had lied to her. Her mouth dried, and her hands trembled. She lifted her gaze to Ryker’s.
“You were telling the truth.”
He nodded slowly. “I can’t lie.”
She knew that, but…
“How?” The words barely made it past her heavy tongue.
She had so many questions she wasn’t even sure which one she was asking.
How was this possible? How come she didn’t know? How come she was just finding out about this now? How many times had Jelisette lied? How was Brynleigh so stupid?
Pity flickered through Ryker’s eyes.
That was worse than everything else. Worse than the hurtful comments. Worse than his obvious hatred and anger. She didn’t want his pity.
She wanted his love.
He cleared his throat and slid the phone back over to himself. “These photos came from a security camera in the Southern Region. They were pulled as part of an investigation into a murder that occurred around the same time.”
Brynleigh stared at the empty table, trying to wrap her mind around this.
“I’ve never met that man before.”
How could she not have met her Maker’s Bound Partner? It seemed inconceivable.
“No, you wouldn’t have.” Ryker’s voice hardened. “Emery Sylvain is dead.”
CHAPTER 5
Living with Half a Soul
Brynleigh froze, her heart a booming drum as Ryker’s last words echoed in her mind.
Dead, dead, dead.
For the longest moment, she couldn’t breathe, let alone think. Dead? How could he be dead?
When her mouth started working again, she breathed, “Impossible.”
It couldn’t be true. Bound Partners didn’t up and die on their other halves.
All vampires were immortal unless killed, but if a Bound Partner perished, the surviving partner would be living with half a soul.