Ryker crossed his arms and studied the alley. “Where are we?”
He was looking better now that they were out of the Void.
“Can’t you feel it in the air?” Brynleigh pulled the collar of her sweater away from her skin, the heat making her regret her clothing choices. “We’re in Sandhaven.”
The southernmost metropolis in the Republic of Balance, Sandhaven was the oldest still-standing city in the entire continent. Founded during the Rose Empire by the seventh Empress, it was still a thriving city.
And it washot.
Even now, with the moon high in the sky, it felt like they were standing in an oven. The air smelled of sand, heat, and sweat. Pockets of light dotted the street beyond the alley, sirens wailed in the distance, and the wind carried faint streams of music from the Rosewood into the hot evening.
It looked and sounded the same as the last time Brynleigh had been here, but something was different.
Brynleighwas different. Or maybe it was the fae beside her. Either way, nothing was the same.
“Let’s go.” She wanted to get this over with. Usually, she didn’t mind shedding a little blood, but tonight, the thought didn’t thrill her as much as usual.
Yes, Ryker’s presence definitely threw a wrench intothings.
She was halfway down the alley, her boots clicking on the cobblestones, when the fae’s hand landed on her arm.
Now,he touched her willingly.
Of course.
“What’s your plan?” Ryker asked gruffly.
Wasn’t it obvious?
“I’m going to do what I always do. I’ll enter the Rosewood, find Tathdel Crystalis, and kill him.”
Easy. Simple. Quick. It was her favorite way to work. In and out, without any complications.
Ryker stared at her. His mouth pinched in a line, his eyes darkened, and his grip tightened.
“You speak of death so easily.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t it bother you?”
Did he really care?
She could have shaken him off, but instead, she considered his question.
“I… it used to,” Brynleigh admitted.
Her first kill had been a few weeks after her Making, and it had haunted her for months.
His gaze searched hers. “And now?”
What did he want her to say? That she laid awake at night, thinking about the people she killed? That was rarely true. Now, she lay awake thinking about him.
“Not anymore,” she admitted.
Crimson stained her soul.
Besides, she only killed people deserving of her brand of justice. None of them were innocent, and she was doing the world a favor by getting rid of them.
Ryker looked like he wanted to say more, but in the end, he just nodded. “Okay. I’ll follow your lead.”
That was the end of their conversation. What else was there to say?