Did Owen, his on-again, off-again partner, know about his betrayal? Had he played a part in it, too?
More questions to ponder at a later date. There were so many fucking questions.
Right now, she had a fae captain to deal with.
His gaze drilled into her head, and she knew without seeing him that he was watching her.
Her cheeks heated. She lifted her eyes slowly, a little frightened of what she might see in his expression.
“It’s true.” Ryker’s eyes were wide with fascinated horror, a frown digging into his face and marring his handsome features. “You’re going to kill someone. Forher.”
Brynleigh stared at him, trying to decipher the emotions she saw on his face. Was he… angry with her again? How fucking dare he? It wasn’t like she asked for this. This was what he wanted. This washisdeal.
“Yes, I am,” she bit out.
This world was kill or be killed. That was how Jelisette worked. No matter what, someone would be dying tonight, and it wouldn’t be Brynleigh. Not if she could help it.
Ryker took a step towards her before he stopped. His fist clenched and unclenched, a line creasing his forehead.
“Who… Who are you?”
He looked at her like she was a monster.
Maybe she was.
“I’m the same person you’ve always known.”
She’d been this way since her Making. Her sire had made her into a creature of darkness, and her heart was black. She was the worst of the worst, and she’d always known it.
Now, he was learning that, too.
The answer didn’t seem good enough for him. He shook his head as though he was disappointed in her.
The fucking gall.
It wasn’t like Ryker was an innocent lamb, unused to the hard ways of this world.
Brynleigh bore the marks of his precious army’s torture on her soul—torture he’d allowed to happen.
Even though he hadn’t been responsible for Chavin’s destruction, she knew he had blood on his hands. His military records proved he’d been present at several battles, and he hadn’t flinched when he showed up in The Pit.
They were both predators, both deadly.
She stood and furled her fists. Her book was long forgotten in the face of the fae’s hypocritical anger.
“What did you think would happen when you sent me back to my Maker? Did you think we’d have a tea party and reminisce about times past? That I could just waltz in and get your Isvana-damned information?”
He kept staring at her, which only fueled the blazing inferno in her soul.
“No,” she snarled, pulling back her lips and showing her fangs. “I have to play the game, and this is how I fucking do it.”
Like a statue, he stood in the doorway. Of course, he was reverting to his earlier silence.
Her heart would’ve ached, but it was too far gone for that.
Groaning, Brynleigh shook her head and grabbed the phone. She opened the first file and scanned it. The document lacked Zanri’s finesse, which didn’t surprise her. The feline shifter was a whiz with electronics, and Jelisette hated them. Still, the information was all there.
Target: Tathdel Crystalis, Earth Elf