There was no time to be upset about this. She lifted her chin. The time for talking was over. Exudingconfidence, she sauntered down the moonlit street. Her shoulders were back, she stood tall, and her face was blank.
True to his word, Ryker remained behind her, a silent shadow.
The familiarity of this moment was comforting in a strange way. Right now, Brynleigh wasn’t a vampire who’d recently been tortured. She wasn’t a broken-hearted woman.
She was a killer with a purpose, and she was damned good at her job.
From the outside, the Rosewood looked like every other building in this part of the city: three stories, red bricks, blackened windows. The only difference from the rest of the block was the burly werewolf in a suit guarding the entrance.
He raised a brow as they approached, his orange eyes glittering in the darkness. “Card?”
Names weren’t done at The Rosewood.
It was one of the reasons Brynleigh hadn’t been too worried about coming here—even if she and Ryker were recognized as participants of the Choosing, it wouldn’t matter. If Jelisette asked why Brynleigh took Ryker to The Rosewood, she would claim she was using him as a cover. It wasn’t exactly a lie.
Everything that happened in The Rosewood remained within its four walls. It was a temple, and secrets were the god its parishioners worshipped.
Identities were never revealed, which made The Rosewood the perfect place for high-powered Representatives to conduct unsavory business away from prying eyes. It fronted as a high-end dining establishment, but its true purpose was an open secret.
Brynleigh pulled out the phone Jelisette had given her and navigated to the second file. She tapped on it, and a black card with golden filigree borders filled the phone screen.
On the right side was an unfurling rose, and on the left was the phrase,When the night blooming roses wilt, the moon will never rise again.
A bit morose if you asked Brynleigh, but she wasn’t the one who had come up with the phrase.
She handed the phone to the werewolf. He studied the card carefully before flicking his eyes over to Ryker. “He’s with you?”
“He is,” she said.
Another minute passed before the guard returned the phone.
“Have a good evening, miss. The Rosewood welcomes you.”
Stepping back, he opened the door.
Tucking the phone into her pocket, Brynleigh strode forward.
Warmth at her back told her Ryker was following. Together, they entered the darkened establishment.
It was time to do what she did best.
The main floorof The Rosewood was everything one would expect from a fine-dining restaurant.
A beautiful Light Elf with raven hair and a lyrical voice sang onstage. Servers dressed in black delivered food and drinks. Fae, werewolves, elves, witches, shifters, and humans sat clustered around dimly lit tables and booths, speaking in hushed tones.
Brynleigh ignored them all. Navigating around tables, she headed straight for the thick black curtain at the other end of the room.
Tathdel’s file had noted the man’s penchant for flogging, and there was only one room in The Rosewood that catered to that specific kink.
No one so much as glanced their way.
If Ryker thought The Rosewood was strange, he didn’t comment on it.
Brynleigh pushed back the velvet curtain, revealing a dark, spiral stone staircase.
If the main floor was a fine restaurant, this was more akin to the entrance of a dungeon from the Four Kingdoms. A cold breeze blew past, and she shivered as she descended the steps.
An unmarked door waited at the bottom.