36. Bloodlust and Death

CHAPTER 36

Bloodlust and Death

B rynleigh was death, and death was Brynleigh.

As soon as the trio arrived at the Black Night's hideout, a red-bricked three-story building in the middle of fucking nowhere, the rebels attacked.

Nikhail had called the base for backup, but Brynleigh wasn't willing to wait. Ryker was inside, having the gods only knew what done to him.

Between Brynleigh's vampiric nature, the fae's air magic, and the witch's blue ribbons, they dispatched the six guards out front quickly enough.

Before they charged inside, Indira wove blue threads of magic in the air. She sent them into Brynleigh, helping fortify the vampire against the Fledgling desires of her heart. The last thing they needed was for Brynleigh to lose control and turn on them.

Unlike Emilia's painful magic, this felt almost… warm.

And then they went in.

There was so much blood.

Even with Indira's barriers in place, Brynleigh could feel the monster deep within her digging its claws into her soul. Every death brought it closer and closer to the edge. It took everything she had to hold onto control as she fought her way through the rebels.

Her fangs ripped through necks as though they were made of paper. Every scream, every cry, every plea for mercy fed the darkness in her soul.

She couldn't focus on anything except her need for Ryker.

They traveled down, down, down.

More rebels died.

Ryker was still missing.

They paused twice so Indira could pour more magic into Brynleigh, staving off her Fledgling bloodlust, but Brynleigh didn't think it would work much longer.

Where was Ryker?

People stood in their way. Brynleigh got rid of them.

Blood. There was so much fucking blood.

Every time they entered a room and Ryker wasn't there, a part of Brynleigh died.

But she wouldn't stop. She couldn't.

Nikhail had cut off a dead rebel's hand when they first arrived, and he was using the severed limb to unlock doors. It probably should've disgusted Brynleigh, but she didn't have room for feelings.

Remaining in control took everything she had.

Shadows poured from her, darkening everything in sight.

Her heart raced. Her skin was tight.

Part of her screamed to pay attention, to stop before it was too late, and this deadly monster shoved the last bits of her humanity aside forever, but that voice was growing fainter by the minute.

She needed Ryker like she needed blood.

Someone darted in front of her, and they raised a weapon.

A boom echoed through the tight corridor.

Fire burst through Brynleigh's side, but just as quickly, she began to heal.

The fools.

Nothing short of a wooden stake would stop her now .

There were more doors, more corridors, more guns.

Until there weren't.

The moment Brynleigh barreled through the last door, she stumbled to a stop.

Armed rebels surrounded a group of familiar men.

A mangled scream crawled out of Brynleigh's throat at the sight of Ryker on his knees.

Hurt .

Her breath came faster and faster as her last defenses against the bloodlust threatened to crumble.

The creature of death within her roared and clawed at her soul. It screamed, begging for her to release it.

And she almost did.

But then, his eyes met hers. Love and trust filled his gaze, infusing her with strength.

She inhaled, and it was like breathing for the first time. She shoved the monster down.

For Ryker, she would remain in control.

She had to.

But she lost seconds—precious, precious seconds—pushing the bloodlust away. Footsteps echoed on the cold cement floor. Across the room, separated by a few tables and chairs, was Jelisette.

"Greetings, daughter of my blood." Jelisette's lyrical voice was discordant with the darkness radiating off her. "I see you've been busy."

Brynleigh snarled, surprised that her voice still functioned after so much killing, and she balled her fists.

"Let my husband go," she demanded.

Jelisette snorted. "I don't think you understand the severity of the situation. But you will." She waved a hand in the air. "Take the others."

The last words had barely left her mouth before rebels came out of nowhere and converged on Nikhail and Indira.

They yelled. Wind and blue magic burst from the two as they stood back to back in the middle of the room. Power cycloned around their hands, tornadoes of magic that threatened death.

But Jelisette raised a brow. "Put your magic away, or we shoot them all right now. You won't win. You can't."

Nikhail stared at Jelisette for a long moment, his amber gaze assessing. Then he dropped his hands.

"Do as she says, Indira," the fae ordered.

The witch cursed but complied.

A deadly smirk waltzed across Jelisette's face as rebels approached cautiously, slapping prohiberis on the fae and witch before adding them to their group of captives.

But the guns didn't lower.

Instead, one of the rebels shifted, moving the barrel of his weapon to the back of Ryker's head.

A feral growl ripped from Brynleigh's chest.

This would not be the end.

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 was hers .

Her Chosen partner.

Her husband.

Her everythin g.

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 know nothing ."

"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 my soul !"

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 they stole him from me.

"He was good , 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 almost didn'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.

Death was final, and nothing could be done to bring back those who had crossed that barrier.

There was something deeply heartbreaking about spending one's life seeking vengeance.

Hardening one's heart took a lot of work. It was a painful process, and even then, emotions could ruin everything. Brynleigh's relationship with Ryker was proof of that.

Her Maker smirked.

"That's where you're wrong, young one. I can kill everyone, and with the help of the Black Night, I will destroy this country from the top down."

She stepped closer.

Brynleigh mirrored her sire's movements, keeping distance between them. "That won't work. "

"Oh, but it will." Jelisette's eyes twinkled with darkness and death. "First, I'm going to kill you. Then, I'll deal with the rest."

She turned towards the other rebels.

"Hold him. I want him to watch as I destroy her."

The rebel holding the gun to Ryker's head grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back. Ryker roared.

"No!" Brynleigh screamed. She turned to her husband, desperation leaking into her tone. "I'll save you. I promise."

"Now, now, daughter of my blood. Didn't anyone ever teach you not to make promises you can't keep?" Jelisette smiled. "None of you will be leaving here alive."