She couldn’t get him out of her head. Despite the anger she felt towards him for allowing them to torture her, her mind still sought him in her dreams.
Whenever she wasn’t plagued by nightmares, it was just them and their feelings, and it wasgood. Anger, betrayal, and deceit did not exist in her dreamscape, and they were happy.
But dreams were nothing but figments of imagination, and they never lasted.
When she woke, they faded away, and reality tumbled back into her. She couldn’t hide in the bedroom forever. Their silent little bubble would pop sooner or later, forcing them to deal with everything.
Chances were, when that happened, it wouldn’t be pretty.
So, for now, Brynleigh was content to be quiet, listen to Ryker, and dream of a world where they weren’t broken.
The silence shatteredat six p.m. that same day.
The Shadow had just declared his undying love for the Sparrow by providing her with the decapitated heads of her enemies as a wedding gift when a shrill ring sliced through the quiet.
Brynleigh jolted.
The book fell flat on the bed, and her eyes flew to the dresser. Sure enough, the phone Jelisette had given her was lighting up.
The door opened, banging against the wall.
Ryker loomed in the threshold.
Isvana help her, but Brynleigh’s core heated at the sight of him. She wanted him, even now, and she wasn’t sure what to do about that.
But this wasn’t the moment for desire.
He raked his hand through his hair, and his wide eyes landed on the dresser.
Grabbing the phone, he tossed it to her. “Answer it.”
As if she would do anything else. Keeping Jelisette waiting was a bad idea on any given day.
Brynleigh accepted the call, setting the phone to speaker. “Hello?”
“Tonight. The Rosewood.” Jelisette skipped pleasantries and went right to business, naming an elite club in the Southern Region that Brynleigh had been to a few times before.
“What do you need me to do?” Brynleigh asked.
She could almost feel Jelisette’s eyes roll.
“What I taught you, obviously,” the older vampire snarled. “Or did participating in the Choosing rob you of your ability to spill blood?”
Such a kind, loving, and compassionate Maker.
“Of course not,” Brynleigh said as calmly as possible. “I’ll do it.”
After all, she had no choice. Ryker’s deal dictated as much.
“Good. Your target is someone I’ve had my eye on for a while. He shouldn’t be a problem for you.” Jelisette paused, and the phone vibrated. “I’ve sent you the files.”
The call disconnected as quickly as it had begun.
Jelisette had never been a paragon of warmth, especially considering their line of work, but that was cold even for her.
Brynleigh turned the phone off as soon as thecall disconnected, not yet prepared to look at the files. She usually did this part with Zanri, but now she’d have to do it alone.
A fresh sting of betrayal ran through her. How many more times would she have to feel the weight of what had happened? She couldn’t help but wonder about Zanri, though.