Ruthless Games: The Complete Series by Rose Callie

Author:Rose, Callie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-04-06T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

Beside me, Ryland makes a strangled noise in his throat.

It’s the only sound I hear. The orchestra has faded away, and the hubbub of surprised voices around us is swallowed up by the rushing in my ears. I feel Theo stiffen beside me as he catches sight of Marcus too, and then all three of us move at once.

There are people standing between us and the doorway as they stare at the newest arrivals, but just like the music and the voices, those people seem to have faded into non-existence. Maybe I walk around them, maybe I walk fucking through them, I don’t know. All I know is that I need to get to Marcus.

To touch him.

To make sure he’s not a mirage or a hallucination.

My pulse picks up with every step I take, my heartbeat an insistent drum in my chest, and when I’m just two yards away, I open my mouth to speak.

But before the words can escape my lips, another figure finally breaks through the pinpoint focus I have on Marcus. Victoria, the girl I remember from the church, steps up beside him. She’s dressed in a blood red gown with a train that trails behind her, and her shoulder brushes against his as she looks straight at me.

It’s that look, that hard-edged, cool stare that brings me up short.

Instead of throwing myself into Marcus’s arms like I intended to, my footsteps stumble to a halt just a few feet from him.

His breathtaking multicolored eyes are still fixed on me, but I can’t seem to stop my gaze from bouncing back and forth between him and Victoria.

Something isn’t right.

Something is wrong.

Marcus’s face is a bit thinner than I remember, and a little paler too. His angular features, strong brow, and straight nose are just as beautiful as they’ve ever been, but something in his eyes makes my stomach tighten painfully.

“Marcus.” Ryland’s voice is a low rumble beside me, shock resonating through the word. It deepens and hardens as he adds, “Victoria.”

The girl with the green eyes and auburn hair styled in an elegant updo smiles, although there’s not an ounce of warmth in her expression. “Ryland. Theo.” Her gaze turns to me. “And you must be Ayla. I saw you at the church.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Theo’s voice resonates with suspicion. I feel him edge a little closer to me, as if he’s trying to physically protect me.

Victoria shrugs elegantly. “What’s the matter, Theo? I thought you’d be glad to see your friend isn’t dead.” Her smile widens, and she wraps one delicate hand around Marcus’s arm. “I hope you’ll at least congratulate us on our engagement.”

Marcus’s jaw ticks, his body stiffening.

The ring on her left hand glints in the light.

I stare at it, transfixed by the gleaming princess-cut jewel as all the blood seems to leave my body, replaced with… nothing.

There’s nothing inside me.

I’m empty.

I step backward, nearly tripping over the hem of my dress in my haste to escape. Ryland reaches for me, but shock has slowed his movements, and I slip from his grasp.

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