8. Predators and Prey

CHAPTER 8

Predators and Prey

C urses, each viler than the last, ran through Ryker's mind, frost crept down his spine, and his magic swirled in warning.

Zanri had mentioned the rules during his interrogation, too. Ryker wasn't entirely sure what they were, but he knew they were bad. Nothing that came out of Jelisette's vile mouth could be good.

A hitched breath that Ryker was intimately familiar with came through his custom headphones. His cock didn't get the message that this was a serious moment because it decided now was the time to come to life. He shoved those thoughts aside.

Forcing himself to stay on task, Ryker pressed his palm flat on his ear, as if that would help him hear better. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend they were still in the Choosing. Pretend their wedding night hadn't yet taken place. Pretend their love was still uncomplicated and unbroken and perfect.

Brynleigh whispered, "I know. I'm sorry."

A vicious, death-kissed snarl ripped through the air.

Instinct had Ryker drawing translucent orbs of water into his palms and readying to fight, even as he realized the snarl came through the headphones .

Then, a pained grunt filtered through the earpiece.

Ryker dissolved his magic, his own gut cramping as if he'd been punched.

It went against his natural predisposition to stay in the vehicle. Everything within him screamed to get up, to do something, to help .

He was a protector, through and through.

And Brynleigh needed him.

His heart broke all over again, and his anger was further away than it had been in weeks as he listened to the sounds coming from the safe house.

He flinched when skin slammed against skin.

He drew his own blood, his nails digging into his palms, when there came a muffled cry.

And when a heinous laugh filled his ears, the car handle bent in half from the force of his grip.

Ryker was intimately familiar with the sounds of a fair fight, and this wasn't one. Brynleigh wasn't defending herself against her Maker. She was just taking it.

Because of him.

He froze as a muffled cry filled his ears. This was his fault. He put Brynleigh up to this. He made this deal.

If she died, he would never forgive himself.

Suddenly, silence fell. Somehow, it was worse than the sounds of pain from moments before.

Too quick, too quiet.

Was it over? Had he waited too long?

Brynleigh's words resurfaced in his mind.

She'll kill me.

What in the name of all the gods had he done? Horror shoved all his earlier anger aside, and his heart pounded as he debated whether he should risk being seen.

Ryker was one second away from throwing caution aside when a whimper filled his ears.

A single noise had never sounded so good.

Alive.

Thank the blessed Obsidian Sands .

Brynleigh was still alive.

The fae captain closed his eyes for the briefest moment, resting his head against the seat.

He didn't want Brynleigh to die. Not at her Maker's hands. Not at Victor's hands. Not at anyone's hands.

Even though she'd wanted to kill him, even though he was still so furious with her that at times he could barely breathe, he needed her to live.

"What is rule number ten?" Jelisette asked.

Not even a heartbeat later, the sound of a hand connecting with flesh made Ryker flinch.

Brynleigh's resounding groan caused bile to rise in his throat.

What was the fucking point of asking a question if there wouldn't be a chance to answer?

Brynleigh was strong, though.

Heavy breathing came through the headphones, and Ryker imagined that she was holding herself up against a wall and staring at her Maker. Her eyes would be dark and her face grim as she gathered her strength.

"Once the game has begun, losing is not an option," she rasped, each word sounding weaker than the last. "The only alternative to winning is death."

At the mention of the so-called game, Ryker balled his fists. Games were good. They were fun. Chess was one that he immensely enjoyed—and he hadn't touched it since his wedding night.

But this?

Playing with life and death was not a game.

"And tell me, young one, did you win?" Jelisette's voice was a silky-smooth whisper laced with promises of endless pain.

Every part of Ryker was on edge as the predator made herself known. His magic had never let him down—except when it came to trusting Brynleigh, apparently—and he trusted the pulsing power in his veins when it warned him that Jelisette was one of the most dangerous enemies he'd ever come across.

Not only had the older vampire fed her progeny lies and forged her into a weapon of death, but she'd played her. Brynleigh was a victim in this, too.

Ryker knew that, but that knowledge left him with even more questions.

Where did that leave them? How could he forget everything else that had happened? He had to protect his family and the remnants of his heart.

"No." Brynleigh inhaled sharply. "I lost."

That was it? Did she have nothing else to say?

Ryker held his breath, waiting for her to continue and defend herself, but nothing else came. Why wasn't she begging for her life? Pleading for mercy? Doing fucking something to survive this encounter? Did she have no self-preservation instincts at all?

Iron mallets flung themselves against Ryker's skull, his headache returning in full force.

Time ticked by agonizingly slowly as the silence stretched on and on. Ryker's stomach twisted into knots, and a cold sweat coated his forehead.

By the Obsidian Sands, what was she thinking?

"Your… husband killed Zanri." Disdain and hatred dripped from Jelisette's words, and Ryker's insides curdled.

A pause, and then Brynleigh said, "Yes."

A lie. She knew the shifter was still alive. Ryker had told her as much.

More ominous, sickening silence. Each moment was worse than the last.

Ryker held his fist in front of his mouth, his head spinning. He was going to be sick, which was wholly unlike him. He was usually calm, reserved, and focused on the job at hand.

Not tonight.

"I should kill you for this failure," Jelisette said conversationally.

Ryker formed an ice dagger in his hand and gripped the car door.

"But I won't," continued the predatory, malicious vampire. "Not yet, anyway."

He paused.

"I… thank you. "

"Mhmm. Now, explain how you are standing before me. The last I'd heard, you'd been dragged off to The Pit. Usually, that's a one-way ticket to death. How did you survive?"

"It wasn't easy," Brynleigh admitted. "They tortured me."

Several seconds passed in that horrible, too-quiet silence.

Groaning as he melted his dagger, Ryker wished he had eyes inside the house.

"Yes, well, that was always a possibility," Jelisette said dismissively. "You know how those Representatives are."

A deep breath, then Brynleigh murmured, "I do."

The older vampire hummed, the sound as melodic as it was deadly. "And I suppose your husband freed you out of the goodness of his heart?"

Brynleigh laughed bitterly. "No. He wants me to do something for him, but he hasn't told me what it is yet. He's still… upset about what happened."

Understatement of the gods-damned century.

"You will inform me the moment he asks something of you," Jelisette purred.

"Yes, ma'am," Brynleigh said in a cold, robotic tone that sent ice cascading down Ryker's spine. "I understand."

A sound that was like knuckles cracking filled his ears.

"Does the captain know you're here tonight?"

Ryker's heart stalled, and he didn't breathe, waiting for Brynleigh's response. If she wanted to, she could ruin all this with one word.

"No, he thinks I'm sleeping off the torture."

Another lie. The ease with which they rolled off Brynleigh's tongue frightened Ryker. Her tone didn't change, her breath didn't hitch, and each word carried the same inflection.

Ryker exhaled, pressing a hand against his chest as his heart beat once again.

Brynleigh continued, "I shadowed here as soon as I was healed enough to get away. I must return soon, or he'll grow suspicious."

The fae captain had to hand it to her, she was weaving a masterful web of deceit. If he didn't know the truth, he would have believed her.

He had believed her .

But did Jelisette?

Gods above, waiting had never been so painful.

"Alright," the older vampire eventually said. "I'm assuming you're still looking for work?"

Such a strange way to refer to murder.

"I am," Brynleigh said.

"Mhmm." Jelisette made a clicking sound with her tongue. "And if I told you to kill the captain?"

Ryker's chest seized.

"I'd do it," Brynleigh said. "Although I think I've lost the element of surprise, thanks to Zanri."

Another pause. "Yes, well. It had to be done. The rules and all that."

"I understand," Brynleigh repeated.

Ryker fucking didn't understand. How two women could discuss murder so casually was beyond him.

Jelisette hummed. "Yes, I believe you might." A drawer opened. "Take this. I'll call when I have something for you."

Fabric rustled, and Ryker assumed Brynleigh was putting whatever her Maker had given her in her pocket.

Sensing the meeting was almost done, Ryker turned on the car. The engine purred to life like a quiet kitten, and he shifted the vehicle into gear. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

"Oh, and Brynleigh?" The coldness of Jelisette's voice made Ryker's breath catch in his throat. "If I find out you're lying to me, I will kill you. Your death will be long and drawn out. It will make whatever you suffered in The Pit seem like child's play. I will delight in drawing every last drop of your treacherous blood from your veins before driving a stake through your heart."

Fucking hell.

Ryker's heart twisted in on itself as the dark words hung in the air. This was his fault. He never should've made this deal. He'd assumed that Brynleigh had been exaggerating, that Jelisette wouldn't actually kill her progeny, but now…

By the Holy Obsidian Sands, he had vastly underestimated the older vampire's cruelty.

His heart was a galloping horse, and seconds moved like hours .

"I understand," was Brynleigh's murmured reply. "I knew what I was getting myself into when I came here."

Another long moment passed during which Ryker clutched the steering wheel with white-knuckled hands before Jelisette said, "You may leave."

Ryker closed his eyes, releasing a long breath.

"Thank you," Brynleigh whispered.

A cold, tinkling laugh came from the older vampire. "Don't thank me, daughter of my blood. Just do what you're told, and this time, follow the rules to the letter."

The unspoken threat hung in the air. Or else .

"Yes, ma'am."

A door slammed moments later.

Ryker did not release the steering wheel, even as a hushed "I'm coming" came through the headphones.

Shadows pooled on the sidewalk beside the car a moment later, and then Brynleigh appeared. She stumbled as her feet landed on the concrete before righting herself.

Ryker took one look at her, and a growl rumbled through his chest.

He threw the car back into park and was on the sidewalk before he even registered that his feet were moving.

He didn't need to ask who did this to Brynleigh because he already knew.

Jelisette de la Point had just signed her death warrant.

Brynleigh's beautiful black wings dragged on the sidewalk. Bloody, they hung limply behind her.

A long laceration ran from below her left eye down her cheek. Her right eye was black and swollen. Her sweater was ripped, barely covering her skin. Crimson dripped from her split lip.

Fuck staying hidden.

Who did Jelisette think she was?

Ryker's feet pounded the sidewalk as he ran toward the safe house. Red tinged his vision. Ice daggers were clutched in his palms. His blood roared in his ears.

Bitter anger coated his tongue, and his magic was a throbbing mass within him .

Jelisette would pay for this. He would tear the vampire limb from fucking limb, deal be damned. He'd?—

"Ryker, stop."

The words were barely a whisper, but it was as though she'd shouted them at him.

He was still wearing the headphones.

Turtles moved faster than Ryker as he turned and met Brynleigh's black gaze from down the street.

"She hurt you," he snarled, not recognizing his own voice.

Part of him recognized that he was being irrational. He shouldn't care if Brynleigh was hurt. Not if she was just an asset. Not since she was his would-be murderer.

But he did.

He cared too gods-damned much.

"Yes." Brynleigh looked resigned as she lifted a shoulder. "I told you this would happen."

She retracted her wings, wincing as the dark appendages slipped out of sight.

He growled, the need to kill someone surging through his blood.

She sighed, her sad, obsidian eyes pleading with him. "Please, let's just go."

In the end, that look had Ryker marching back to the car. He didn't want to cause her any more hurt.

By the time he'd returned, Brynleigh had buckled in and removed the earrings.

Her chin rested on her fist, and she stared out the window as blood dripped down her face. She was healing slowly, but it wasn't fast enough for Ryker.

He'd never felt the need to take a life as strongly as he did at that moment.

"What did she give you?" he asked, jerking the car into drive. He needed to get away from here.

"A phone and credit card," she whispered.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

And after that, no more words were exchanged between them.