Page 2

Cadence

The sun warmed my face as I soaked in the beauty of the day. Inhaling a deep breath, I let the smell of freshly baked bread mix with the floral scents of the nearby flower display and made a mental note to collect a bouquet for the apothecary before leaving the marketplace.

“Cadence, are you even listening to me?”

I turned toward my brother and rolled my eyes. “Callum, as your sister, I have absolutely no interest in your sexual exploits.”

Callum’s lips twitched, and a smirk pulled up the corner of his mouth. “Even if said exploits were with Teal?”

“You did not!” I gasped as I clutched his forearm.

“I most certainly did,” Callum grinned.

“You know that if Roarke finds out you were fooling around with his sister, he will murder you without a moment’s hesitation,” I teased.

“Are you going to tattle on me, Cadence?” Callum asked with a raised brow.

“Of course not,” I scoffed. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“You know, one night with Teal might just be worth the risk.”

I narrowed my gaze at him, and he winked.

“You’re a pig,” I chastised, but I couldn’t keep the laughter out of my tone. If the wide grin on Callum’s face was any indication, he’d heard it, too.

A sudden sense of awareness prickled up my spine, and I resisted the full-body shiver that fought to break free. The surrounding air felt suddenly stifling, and my next inhale of breath was filled with suffocating tension.

I scanned the marketplace, searching for the unseen eyes that I knew were watching me. The feeling of awareness grew stronger before morphing into something far more unsettling as it crept along my skin.

A short distance behind me, I spotted a man dressed entirely in black. He had his hood pulled low over his head, concealing most of his face.

He just stood there, in the middle of the street, staring at me.

Despite not being able to see all of his face, I could make out his grey eyes boring into me from beneath the hood.

His unblinking gaze remained fixed on me with a disturbing intensity. I sucked in a sharp breath, unsure why I suddenly felt cold all over. Even though I stood in a wide, open marketplace, the man’s gaze made me feel trapped, cornered… like prey.

My heart thundered inside my chest, and my palms grew clammy. As if the man could sense my mounting discomfort and was enjoying it, he took a step closer, and a small smile spread across his lips, visible from beneath his cloak.

“Cadence?” my brother asked. “Are you all right?”

I pulled my gaze from the hooded man and faced my brother. “I… I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile.

Callum’s eyebrows furrowed in concern, unconvinced by my faltering grin, and he glanced around the marketplace, trying to identify the source of my unease.

I looked back toward the man, but he was gone.

“What errand were you running for Mama, anyway?” I asked, changing the subject.

Callum cast another worried look in my direction before he shrugged. “She wanted to make Papa’s favorite pie, and I stopped by at the wrong time.”

“Good. You’re always leaving their chores for me. It wouldn’t kill you to help out more,” I grumbled.

“Ah, but you are the responsible one,” he said, raising a finger. “Not to mention a healer. Isn’t it part of your role to be caring and compassionate?”

“I have a business to run, Callum,” I replied incredulously. “Yet still I make time to ensure our parents have everything they need.”

“Exactly! You own the apothecary and, therefore, can work when it suits you. Meanwhile, I must labor under the tyranny of old man Reynolds and his construction projects.”

“You are an Earth Fae, Callum. All you have to do is wave your hands, and the forest bends to your will.”

“It’s very hard work,” Callum deadpanned.

“You’re unbelievable.”

Callum grinned and nudged my shoulder with his. “You coming out tonight?”

I pursed my lips. Callum was the outgoing, sociable one of our family, while I preferred late nights brewing elixirs and perfecting my craft.

“Come on,” he teased. “You’ll never find a mate if you don’t venture beyond your apartment occasionally.”

“One,” I said as I rounded on him. “I neither want nor need a mate. And two, I have orders to fill. I know it may be a foreign concept to you, but people rely on me.”

“Ah! You wound me, Little Sister,” Callum said as he placed a hand over his heart. “At least think about it.”

“No promises,” I mumbled. Standing on my toes, I kissed my brother on the cheek. “I have to go. Try to stay out of trouble.”

“No promises,” he repeated with a smirk.

I shook my head and turned away from my brother, my basket clutched in my hands, as I headed back toward my store.

I’d barely rounded the corner when the feeling of being watched returned, stronger than ever. A tingling sensation crawled up my nape, and cold sweat beaded on my forehead. I glanced around, but couldn’t see anything amiss.

I quickened my pace as I hurried along the cobblestone street. Movement in my periphery caught my attention, and I turned abruptly, tightening my grip on the handle of my basket, ready to confront my pursuer.

But there was no one there.

“Get a hold of yourself, Cadence,” I admonished as I released a shaky breath.

I forced my feet to keep moving, and I almost sagged in relief when I saw the apothecary up ahead. The moment I crossed the threshold into my store, the tension drained from my body, and I let out a small chuckle at how unnerved I had been.

I placed my supplies on the counter and headed toward the staircase at the back of my shop, which led to my apartment upstairs. Exhaustion tugged at my limbs. The endless late nights spent filling orders were catching up to me.

I climbed the stairs absentmindedly, my fingers gliding over the smooth railing.

My thoughts drifted to the elixirs I still had to make before morning, and despite my exhaustion, a grin turned up the corners of my mouth. I wouldn’t be able to join Callum at the tavern after all.

I loved my brother, and I enjoyed spending time with him, but I preferred to do so in the quiet of my apartment, away from prying eyes and interested glances.

I was halfway up the staircase when a shadow moved at the base of the stairs, just at the edge of my vision. My heart thumped against my chest as I glanced down, but there was no one there.

Great. Now my exhaustion was making me see things.

I hurried up the remaining steps, wanting to be inside my apartment.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I leaned forward and gripped the door handle that would lead me into the safety of my home. The air shifted behind me, and a cold sensation raised the hair on the back of my neck.

Before I could scream, a rough hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my cries. My heart lurched as someone dragged me backward. I stumbled down a few steps before my attacker’s arm locked around my waist, pulling me flush against a hard chest. I clawed at the arm covering my mouth, my nails scraping across exposed flesh, but their grip was ironclad.

Something was pressed against my mouth and nose, and my vision blurred. My arms and legs flailed as I struggled to fight off my attacker, but a foul, potent smell overpowered me, and my limbs grew heavy.

The room grew darker with each step, and every instinct screamed at me to run, to break free. But my body had already conceded the fight.

Panic clawed at my throat, and I called upon my magic, the familiar tingling sensation bursting to life at my fingertips. Just as quickly as it came, however, my magic drained away, and my arms fell slack at my sides.

“Shh,” a low, masculine voice whispered from behind me, right before the darkness pulled me under.