Ryker’s beautiful eyes rose to meet hers. Her breath caught in her throat, and time, which had been playing games with her tonight, froze. His gaze sliced through the remnants of the crimson fog in her mind like a lantern shining in the darkness.
For one long, eternal, never-ending moment, she couldn’t breathe.
Her shadows, which had been flooding from her, froze. Entire universes could have collided in the time that her gaze locked onto his.
He washers.
Her Chosen partner.
Her husband.
Hereverything.
They dared threaten his life?
Brynleigh tore her gaze away from her husband.
“You,” she snarled at her Maker. “You did this. Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jelisette stepped around a table, making her way toward Brynleigh. “You broke the rules.Again. Did you think you could betray and outwit me? I Made you. I own you. And I will fucking destroy you.”
“Don’t listen to her. You’re stronger than she could ever be,” Ryker yelled.
“Isn’t that sweet?” Jelisette crooned as she reached behind her and pulled something out of her back pocket. “He thinks you can beat me.”
Brynleigh’s gaze darted between Jelisette and the captives. She needed to free them, yet her Maker was the most dangerous person here.
“Allow me to let you in on a little secret.” The ancient vampire sneered. “No one can beat me because I have nothing left to lose. You think you know pain? You knownothing.”
“I know pain.” Brynleigh’s hand went to the necklace at her throat. “I lost my family.”
Those high winds and deadly waves would forever be seared in Brynleigh’s memory. She’d never forget the screams of that night, the cries of death, and the horror of learning everyone she loved was dead. She would mourn them right up until she took her final breath.
“Your pain is nothing compared to mine. You lost your family, but I lost mysoul!”
Jelisette screamed the last word, her eyes widening as she pulled her hand out from behind her back.
Somewhere outside of herself, Brynleigh heard Ryker roar, but she didn’t dare move.
Her gaze was locked on the wooden stake in Jelisette’s hand, and her heart seized.
“You have no idea what it’s like.” Jelisette twisted the stake through her fingers. “Emery did not deserve to die like that. They took him, broke him, and destroyed him. He was my love, and theystolehim from me.
“He wasgood, my Emery. He never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it. He spent his immortal life fighting those who hurt others. And in the end, did it matter? No. The Representatives fucking killed him. They took him, and now, I will destroy them all.”
The stake was as sharp as any knife, mocking Brynleigh as Jelisette calmly walked around the last table.
Fear sluiced through Brynleigh’s veins like streams of ice. She glanced around, searching for a weapon. A knife. A blade. Something. Fucking anything that she could use to defend herself.
Jelisette didn’t even seem to notice the others in the room. All her focus was trained on Brynleigh, and nothing was more frightening than being the object of this dangerous vampire’s attention.
“I’m so sorry he died.” Brynleigh inched around the table, trying to keep space between them. “But you can’t just kill everyone else because he’s gone.”
Brynleigh understood where her Maker was coming from. Really, she did.
In theory, revenge sounded marvelous. Spilling blood in the name of vengeance was addicting.
But what no one had ever told Brynleigh, and what she almostdidn’t learn until it was too late, was that revenge could never heal a broken heart. Revenge would never cross the divide between life and death.