And then the man glanced at Brynleigh.
Ryker barely suppressed a snarl. He didn’t like the way the evil elf was looking at his wife. Not one bit. If it were up to him, he’d claw Tathdel’s eyes out so he could never look upon his vampire, or any other woman, again.
But Brynleigh had asked him not to interfere, so he wouldn’t.
Ryker raised a shoulder and smirked. “I’m not the one you should be worried about.”
By the time the Earth Elf’s gaze snapped back to Brynleigh, it was too late.
She’d already wrapped the elf in shadows and advanced with the speed of her kind. Darkness swept out of her, coating the entire room in a blanket of pure night.
Even with his fae vision, Ryker couldn’t see a thing. He pressed his back against the wall, his fingers finding the hilt of the knife sheathed on his thigh as he stared into the unnatural darkness.
Nothing impeded his hearing, though.
He had been around death many times. He’d delivered it, witnessed it, called it into being.
But this…
This was different.
The sounds Ryker heard in this room would forever be imprinted on his mind.
In the darkness, the Earth Elf pleaded for mercy. His cries fell upon deaf ears.
A vicious, animalistic snarl ripped out of Brynleigh. It should have frightened Ryker and reminded him that he’d married a killer, but helikedit. He’d always known Brynleigh could defend herself, but hearing it was an entirely different story.
Time seemed to have no real consequence in this room shrouded in shadows.
Seconds, or maybe minutes, passed as the sounds of death washed over him.
Try as he might, Ryker couldn’t forget that he was the reason Brynleigh was in this situation. It was his plan that had brought them here, and it was his fault she’d returned to Jelisette.
On some level, this man’s death was on his hands.
He’d forever remember the sound of teeth tearing into flesh and the elf’s final, strangled cry before silence—blessed, much-needed silence—blanketed the room.
In the quiet, Ryker’s heartbeat was a mallet pounding against his chest.
The air seemed to pulse as the shadows receded.
Ryker didn’t move until the last dark wisp was gone. His vision adjusted quickly, and his mouth dried as he looked over the scene before him.
Suddenly, Ryker had a greater appreciation of the fact that he’d survived his wedding night. He thought he’d understood how deadly vampires could be, but this…
Brynleigh wasn’t just a predator; shewasDeath.
She stood over the Earth Elf’s body, a few stray vines still scattered through the room where he’d tried to fend her off.
The evil man had failed miserably.
His head was bent at an awkward angle, two puncture wounds were on his neck, and a thick, bloody vine protruded from his chest. It was a horrid rendition of spring’s first blooms bursting through the snow.
“I had to make sure he was really dead.” Brynleigh frowned, eyeing the vine. “He was Mature.”
Her voice was strangely cold and detached, almost robotic. It was nothing like the one Ryker had come to know and love during the Choosing.
“I see. You did…” He swallowed past the dryness in his throat. “Well.”