33. This was Wrong

CHAPTER 33

This was Wrong

B rynleigh's skin crawled without Ryker, and the urge to find him filled every part of her.

She needed him.

They stepped out of the darkness, her two companions releasing her hands as she kept shadows cloaked around them. The alley across from Horizon looked exactly as it had before, save for the crimson moon shining overhead.

But Brynleigh could feel in her bones that something was wrong.

It wasn't just from what they'd witnessed at the Hall of Choice, nor was it simply from having her husband stolen from her. The very air seemed to vibrate with… something.

Brynleigh raised her hand and gestured for her companions to be quiet and follow her. They complied, and the shadow-cloaked trio snuck around the building. A breeze tickled her cheek, and she glanced over to see Nikhail wielding wind. Even their footsteps were silent.

She sent him a small smile in thanks, her heart thundering as she led them around the corner. She curled her fists, expecting to encounter the burly guard at the door.

Except…

The back lot was empty. The guard wasn't there.

Brynleigh's brows furrowed, and she stopped in front of the door.

Nikhail glanced at her, then the building, before dropping his hands. "This is their meeting place?"

"Yes, but… something's off." Her skin crawled, and she shivered. "Where is everyone?"

Nikhail glanced at Indira. "Thoughts?"

"I don't sense anyone inside," she said.

Indira wasn't a human then. Maybe a witch?

"Neither do I," he replied.

But that didn't make sense. There had to be people here. If no one was here, how would they find Ryker?

Brynleigh wasn't stupid. If the rebels knew she'd deceived them—and obviously, they did to some extent because she hadn't known about this plan—they wouldn't keep the men in this location.

But she'd been banking on the fact that they'd find something . A clue. A lead. Even a fucking piece of paper would be better than nothing.

Now, though, she was beginning to doubt they'd even find that.

Nikhail moved towards the door, spinning a gust of wind above his outstretched left hand.

Brynleigh's brows furrowed.

"He's blocking us from the cameras," Indira whispered, answering Brynleigh's unasked question.

He strode to the door, put his hand on the knob, and turned.

And it…

Swung open.

Nikhail glanced over his shoulder and raised a brow. He tilted his head towards the interior, putting a finger on his lips.

"This doesn't bode well," Indira muttered, following the air fae.

Brynleigh's shadows writhed in agreement. She trailed the pair, keeping her footsteps silent as they entered the warehouse.

Only, they didn't have to worry about being quiet because?—

"Fuck!" Brynleigh screamed, horror twisting her stomach into knots. "This isn't right."

Her words echoed through the empty warehouse, the walls singing them back to her as if laughing at her awful predicament .

"This is the right place," she said, mostly to herself. "I shadowed us directly here. This is where the fight club and all the meetings I attended took place. There should be a clue here. Something."

And yet, the warehouse was as empty as the Void.

Even the air had somehow been scrubbed of anyone's presence. The only scents were those of dirt, dust, and stale air.

"Let's walk around and see if we find something," Nikhail suggested.

Brynleigh didn't think that would help, but standing still wasn't an option.

Walking through the massive space was like entering an abandoned cave. Every footstep echoed; every whisper was like a shout.

Soon, it was clear they were the only living beings around.

Despair curled Brynleigh's stomach in knots, making her want to fall on the floor and collapse in defeat. "I don't… there's nothing here."

What were they going to do now? She didn't want to return to the Hall of Choice and sit by helplessly, waiting for someone else to act. Especially if the Chancellor continued refusing to negotiate. She could very well let all the men die.

On the one hand, Brynleigh hoped that even Ignatia Rose wasn't that cold-hearted. After all, her son-in-law was in the group. On the other hand, the fire fae was a Representative, and Brynleigh wouldn't put it past her to sacrifice a dozen lives to hold onto power.

And that just wouldn't be happening. Not if Brynleigh had anything to do with it.

She had been through too fucking much to lose Ryker now. They'd worked too hard and come too far. By the gods, she wasn't done with him. They had so much life left to live.

There had to be some way to get to her husband. Some way to find him without knowing where he was. Not after everything they'd been through.

If only they had a bond, a link?—

Brynleigh's eyes widened, and her gaze shot to her left arm.

"Of course." She turned to Nikhail, who was running a hand through his hair and scowling at the empty warehouse. "I have an idea."

The air fae raised his brows. "What is it? "

She tugged up her sleeve, revealing the blue bracelet.

"Ryker gave me this. He said…" She swallowed, remembering the coldness in his voice on that day in the small bungalow. "He said there's a tracker in this. Could you… Is it possible to flip it around? Find him through that?"

She didn't know much about technology, but that seemed like something that should theoretically be possible.

Nikhail canted his head and glanced at Indira. "What do you think?"

The other woman drew her bottom lip through her teeth. "Can I see it?"

"Indira's a witch, but she's also a technical genius. If someone can make this happen, it's her," Nikhail explained.

"Okay." Brynleigh extended her wrist, and Indira stepped forward.

Her touch was gentle but firm as she twisted the bracelet around Brynleigh's wrist, studying it. "It's enchanted, but I think I'll be able to do it."

"Great," Nikhail said. "What do you need?"

Every single minute without Ryker felt like hours.

Even though only fifteen minutes had gone by since they left the warehouse, it seemed like an eternity had passed. Indira required a computer, so Brynleigh shadowed them back to Ryker's apartment.

She refused to return to the safe house lest Jelisette was there, and she could only shadow to locations where she'd previously been.

Brynleigh's heart hurt, and her body, mind, and soul ached. If someone had told her a few months ago she'd be desperate for Ryker's presence, she would've called them a liar.

Now, all she wanted was to look him in the eyes and know he was okay.

When they first arrived at the apartment, Indira had worked on her magic on the bracelet and released the magical lock. The bracelet fell away, and the witch took it to the computer to get to work .

Ryker's computer was password protected, but Indira bypassed it with a blue ribbon of magic and a few murmured spells.

A handy skill.

Brynleigh grabbed a few bags of blood from the fridge and downed them before chewing on her fingernails. Being here without Ryker and Marlowe didn't feel right.

Thank Isvana, Nikhail had contacted Atlas, who confirmed Marlowe had arrived at his house, leash dragging on the ground behind him.

That problem aside, nothing else was going well tonight.

The TV was on, and reporters on the nightly news were talking about the Reunion—or, more specifically, the lack thereof. The live stream had never started, and they speculated that it was because of technical issues.

Brynleigh and Nikhail watched the report in grim silence for a few minutes before the air fae's phone rang. He went into the hallway, where the faint, tense streams of his voice filtered through the crack in the door.

Brynleigh turned the sound off on the TV.

The steady clicking of keys filled the apartment as Indira typed away on the laptop. She cursed occasionally, but every time Brynleigh glanced over, the witch was hard at work.

So, Brynleigh resorted to what she always seemed to do in this apartment when she was nervous: she paced.

She'd never been good at waiting, even before her Making. Her fingers twitched at her sides, and she wished there was something for her to do. Being patient on a good day was hard, but it felt nearly impossible right now.

The door swung open.

Nikhail returned, scrubbing a hand over his face. His skin was paler than before, and when his gaze met Brynleigh's, her knees buckled.

She grabbed the back of the couch, and blood drained from her face.

"Is Ryker… is he…"

She could barely get the words out, barely breathe. Her heart raced. Ryker had to survive this. She'd already grieved him once, and she wasn't sure she would be able to do it again .

Nikhail's mouth pinched in a line. "He's okay."

But the look in his eyes spoke volumes, and Brynleigh knew something had happened.

"Tell me," she said.

He swallowed, and for the first time since Brynleigh had met Nikhail, he looked shaken.

"They executed Edward Kingstar on camera five minutes ago." Valentina's husband. "His wife is… inconsolable."

Brynleigh's stomach cramped, bile rising in her throat. Pity for Valentina flooded through her. She didn't like the fire fae, but no one deserved to lose their husband, especially not like this.

"Gods, that's horrible." Brynleigh trembled. "If that… if he…"

"It won't happen to Ryker." The air fae strode over to Brynleigh. How he remained so composed in a moment like this was beyond her.

"How do you know?" She'd tried so hard to be strong, but this… if Ryker…

She couldn't live without him.

Nikhail clasped Brynleigh's shoulder. "Ryker is strong. He's been through worse than this, and he'll make it."

He sounded so sure. So calm.

Drawing strength from Nikhail's words, Brynleigh inhaled deeply. "Okay. You're right. I know Ryker is strong. He's going to be okay."

He had to be okay. Their story couldn't end here.

"Yeah, he will be." Nikhail's amber eyes glowed. "We'll find him."

"Thank you," Brynleigh said. "I know we don't know each other well yet, but thank you."

"Anything for Ryker. We will get to him in time."

But they hadn't gotten to them in time to save Edward.

Brynleigh said a small prayer for the fae's soul before asking, "Did they take someone else?"

The masked man had seemed so dangerous. So deadly.

"Yes." Nikhail's voice was pained.

The typing stopped, and even though Brynleigh didn't dare look away from Nikhail, she was certain Indira was listening closely.

"Who?" She barely dared ask.

"Horatio Montclair, one of the vampires. He isn't doing well. "

The typing resumed, and Brynleigh closed her eyes for a long moment. Thank all the gods, it wasn't Ryker. She should feel happy about that.

And yet, all she felt was grief.

One man was already dead. Another was in harm's way.

She couldn't shake the feeling that, somehow, this was her fault.

"What did they do?" Brynleigh forced the words out of her dry throat.

"The rebels?—"

"I've got it." Indira stood up so fast that her chair tumbled to the ground. "I know where they are."