Page 37

Cadence

Riordan led me down a labyrinth of stone passageways I had no hope of navigating on my own.

“You’ll be there to guide me back through this when we return, right?” I asked, giving voice to my concern.

“Cadence, sweetheart, do I look like the type of man who would lead you into danger if I didn’t have a backup plan?”

“Yes.”

“Ungrateful fiend,” he muttered before releasing a dramatic sigh.

Despite my legitimate concerns, I laughed at Riordan’s antics. He was quickly becoming my favorite person in the Unseelie Kingdom. A small flicker of guilt assaulted me when I thought about all the time Malesh had devoted to helping me train, but I pushed it aside. It wasn’t him sneaking me out of my gilded prison.

“If you need a way back in, I’ll wait by the eastern gate,” Riordan said.

“What does that mean? What other alternative is there?”

“You won’t require my help if Ryker finds you first.”

The salacious grin he sent me had me questioning my sanity for even agreeing to this.

“What will he do if he catches me?” I asked, unable to hide the unease in my voice.

Riordan stopped walking and turned to glance at me.

“I know I tease my brother mercilessly, Cadence, but I promise he is a good man.”

When I cast him a skeptical look, he added, “Good… ish?”

“Why did that sound like a question?”

Riordan chuckled.

“All right, all right. He may not be a good man, but for those he cares about, he would level any kingdom, destroy any monster, slay any villain to keep them safe.”

Sadness flickered in Riordan’s gaze, and I sensed he was referring to the same thing Ryker had hinted at in the cave.

“Will you tell me?” I asked, not wanting to be insensitive, but also finding myself desperate to understand who Ryker really was.

Riordan hesitated for a moment before he spoke. “My mother is dead. Did you know that?”

I shook my head.

“She died when Ryker and I were children. She was my father’s fated mate, so when she passed, he became…” Riordan pursed his lips as if he was trying to find the right word. “Different.”

“Different how?”

“When a person loses their fated mate, their mind soon follows.”

I knew losing a mate had dire consequences, but I had never witnessed it firsthand.

“He changed from a loving father, a kind man, and a just ruler to someone cruel, distant, and ruthless.”

“I’m sorry, Riordan. I didn’t know.”

He shrugged, but I could tell it was painful for him to speak about.

“Anyway, whenever he had an… episode, he often became violent. One day, Ryker walked in on him beating me half to death.”

I gasped, and my fingers flew to my mouth. Overwhelming sorrow filled me at the thought of something so horrible happening to Riordan. His carefree, charismatic nature masked a dark past, and I’d been none the wiser.

“I was nine, Ryker was thirteen, and he didn’t hesitate to jump between us. He shielded my body with his and took whatever blows my father dished out. He didn’t so much as move to protect himself. All he cared about was protecting me.”

An icy gust of wind blasted us, and an eerie howl tore through the corridor with Riordan’s words, as though the stone walls were crying out in protest.

“When Ryker turned fifteen, he truly came into his power. He could have leveled the kingdom, bathed the land in blood, and taken the throne from my father that day.” Riordan sucked in a sharp breath. “And every day since.”

He murmured the last part so softly I couldn’t tell if he meant for me to hear it.

Having seen Ryker’s strength, I shuddered at the thought of what he may be capable of when pushed too far.

“Why didn’t he?” The words slipped free before I could stop them.

Riordan raised his head to look at me. Sadness lingered in his eyes, shadowed by something else… regret, perhaps.

“I was at my mother’s side when she took her final breath. She gripped my tiny hand in hers and made me promise that I would take care of the kingdom and our people. My mother was a good queen, someone who loved passionately and cared deeply. She also knew her sons. Ryker had little interest in becoming king, but she knew he would become what the Unseelie Fae needed. My mother asked me to guide Ryker, to stand by him and help him, even when his pride kept him from asking.”

Riordan’s grin was infectious, and a slow smile spread across my own lips despite myself.

“So,” he continued, “I made Ryker promise me he would never do anything to compromise the kingdom. That he wouldn’t let his impulses destroy the very thing our mother fought so hard to protect.”

Riordan sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

“I know Ryker is a dick and a pain to be around, but not everything he does comes from selfishness.”

“Only most things,” I teased, and Riordan rolled his eyes with dramatic effect, making me chuckle.

“A part of him still clings to the oath he swore to his baby brother,” he said sheepishly. “If you give him the chance to show you the side of him that I see, you won’t regret it.”

“Those descriptions are far too mild for Ryker,” I mused. “How about evil incarnate? Or a demon made flesh?”

Riordan barked out a laugh, then said, “You’re right, but you know what I mean.”

I smiled back at him, glad to see the earlier shadow of sadness had disappeared from his features.

“Now, are we joining the Wild Hunt or not?”

I met his eager grin with one of my own.

“Lead on.”

I swept my hand out in front of me, and Riordan stepped past me as he continued down the corridor. We walked for another ten minutes or so, taking four more turns before we reached… a wall.

I studied the tapestry that adorned the stone. A headless man stood tall, sword raised, as battle raged around him.

“Interesting choice,” I muttered.

Riordan chuckled under his breath before pushing the woven cloth aside to reveal a passageway.

“Come on.”

We stepped into a dark tunnel, and a flame appeared in Riordan’s palm.

“Fire Fae,” he grinned.

“Impressive,” I said, inclining my head. “What is this place?”

As I scanned my surroundings, I found no windows or exits. Only unending darkness.

“This tunnel runs underneath the castle. It’s the quickest way to reach the outer walls.”

I remained quiet as I followed him. My mind was busy processing and storing the information I had gathered for later. When I stumbled in the dark, Riordan’s hand flung out to catch me.

“Stay close. We’re almost there.”

We made the rest of the journey in companionable silence, and my heartbeat picked up speed the closer we came to the end. Ryker hadn’t wanted me to witness the Wild Hunt, which only strengthened my resolve to see it through.

The tunnel ended abruptly up ahead, and before I could question Riordan, he said, “This is it.”

He reached for a heavy steel lock and slid it out of the way. As he pushed the door open, moonlight flooded the narrow tunnel, and I was surprised at how late it had gotten.

The frigid night air kissed my exposed flesh, and I shivered. Riordan shrugged off his cloak and wrapped it around me.

“Won’t you get cold without your cloak?” I asked, even as I snuggled deeper into its warmth.

“Fire Fae, remember. I can always warm up.”

“Hmm, that’s handy.”

Riordan winked at me before he reached out and took my hand in his.

“Where is everyone?” I asked as I searched the surrounding forest.

“There is a clearing up ahead. If we hurry, we’ll make it in time for The Howl.”

“The Howl?”

“You’ll see,” Riordan smirked.

We moved through the forest, careful to avoid making any noise. The task proved harder than first anticipated, as every hidden branch in the darkness threatened to betray us.

“See there?” Riordan asked, and I followed his outstretched hand to where he pointed.

Through the trees, a large bonfire roared toward the heavens as men and women danced, laughed, and teased one another.

Then I did a double take.

Some women were completely naked. Not a stitch to be seen anywhere on their person.

“What kind of hunt is this?”

“It’s a fertility ritual. The women call upon the gods to bless their wombs, and then they run off into the forest. After a short head start, the men quickly follow, and whoever they catch, they —”

“I get it,” I said, interrupting him.

Riordan flashed me a mischievous grin, and right when I thought he was going to finish his sentence regardless, a commanding voice from within the clearing called the gathering to order.

Ryker.

“Ladies and lords, if I could have your attention,” he called.

The crowd grew quiet as the anticipation grew. People buzzed with excitement, shifting restlessly as they awaited the commencement of the hunt.

“Tonight, we stand on the threshold of two worlds: the civilized and the untamed.”

I could hear the smirk in Ryker’s voice, and the participants whooped and cheered for their prince.

“Tonight,” he continued. “We shed the societal expectations of our stations and become creatures of the darkness.”

More cheering erupted, and excited chatter broke out.

“Let us run until we feel nothing but the thunderous beat of our hearts. Let us chase until no thoughts remain, only instinct.”

Ryker paused for dramatic effect, then added, “Tonight, we belong to the hunt.”

No wonder Ryker didn’t want me to come.

He said he was leading the Wild Hunt, which meant he was planning on catching a woman and rutting with her in the forest like godsdamned animals.

Well, if he thought he could have his fun and still expect me to be waiting for him, ready and willing to serve him when he returned, he had another thing coming.

“What’s that look for?” Riordan asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

He glanced toward Ryker and then back at me.

“Oh no, it’s not what you’re —”

His words were drowned out when Ryker bellowed, “Let the Wild Hunt begin!”

A series of howls rent the air as the women darted into the forest. I jumped to my feet and quickly followed them.

“Cadence,” Riordan hissed behind me. “You can’t go out there alone.”

But I didn’t stop.

I ran and let the Wild Hunt claim me.