For a single moment, she was happy.
Then Ryker turned the knob, opening the door. Her illusion shattered when she took in the hardness in his eyes.
Happiness was a distant memory, and all that remained between them was hurt.
That thought weighed heavily on her shoulders, and she dipped her head. “Yes, I’m ready.”
There was no point in putting this off any longer.
He grunted a reply and spun on his heel, marching towards the front door. His posture was rigid, and he’d changed into black jeans and a T-shirt that hugged his muscles. He’d showered, his hair damp as it clung to the back of his neck, and his pointed ears were more pronounced with the haphazard way he’d styled his hair.
He moved with confidence, andpower rippled off him.
If this was Brynleigh’s last night alive—and that was highly likely, considering that her Maker was difficult to deal with on a good day—at least she would get to spend time with Ryker. Even though he hated her. Even though she was angry with him.
Even though they were broken, they still… were.
Brynleigh clung to that fact with all her might because the alternative was too much to consider. She was about to stroll into the lion’s den, having broken all the rules, destroyed the game, and fallen in love with her mark.
She neededsomethingto hold onto, something to give her a semblance of hope. Of life. Of love. There were worse ways to spend one’s last night alive.
Ryker stopped a few feet from the front door and turned. His gaze dropped to the bracelet he’d given her and then rose to meet hers again.
“Don’t try to run. I’ll find you.”
The words were a dark promise, echoed by the glint of violence in his eyes. The captain was a predator through and through, his natural darkness rippling off him in waves.
Thiswas the fae male she had always expected to meet.
Too bad she’d gone and fallen in love with him.
“Where would I go?” She frowned. “I have nothing and no one. I’m alone.”
She was a vampire with no family and no home. Her only friend was Hallie, and she couldn’t go to her. Even if Brynleigh knew where the Fortune Elf lived—and she didn’t—she assumed Therian, Hallie’s husband, had told her about Brynleigh’s betrayal.
Brynleigh’s husband hated her, and her Maker…
Well, she would find out soon how Jelisette felt about her, wouldn’t she?
That depressing thought spurned her forward. She wouldn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she leaned around Ryker and opened the door, careful not to touch him.
The gentle pitter-patter of an autumnal rain greeted her as she stepped outside. The moon’s silver light was barely visible through the clouds. A chill in the air spoke to the coming winter.
She inhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh forest air.
Not too bad for a final night alive.
She gripped the wooden railing, looking out over the forest from the wooden porch. Even though this rain was nothing like the raging storm River had called to destroy Chavin, Brynleigh’s childhood home, it still drew forth memories of that fateful night.
Her lungs burned at the memory of nearly drowning. Her heart ached as she recalled the loss of her family.
Running her fingers over her necklace, Brynleigh traced the individual loops. Thankfully, it had survived her time in the dungeon—the one Ryker called The Pit.
Brynleigh didn’t move until Ryker strode past her into the rain. He prowled through the trees like a predator, and she trailed him without a word.
They got in the car, buckled in, and Ryker asked for Jelisette’s address. She gave it to him, and he punched it into the GPS.
Once the map came online, he navigated the vehicle out of the woods.