Page 4

Ryker

I was a cruel bastard.

I knew this because I couldn’t help but revel in the fear shining from within the chocolate depths of my mate’s eyes as she took me in.

It wrapped around her, squeezing her tight until her breaths became labored and her body trembled.

It was intoxicating.

I stepped into her space, and her breathing hitched. Her hands shook violently as she tried to steady them in the fabric of her skirts. Despite her obvious terror, however, she lifted her chin and looked me straight in the eye.

A feral grin spread across my face at her defiance. It was an expression that had made seasoned warriors cower at my feet plenty of times before.

Not her, though.

Not my mate.

Something akin to pride welled inside me as I stared her down.

She was strong, resilient, and perhaps a little unhinged.

And I couldn’t wait to tear her down and reshape her into my darkest desire.

“What is your name?” I murmured as I reached out and tucked a lock of her silky chestnut hair behind her ear.

My fingers lingered on her skin, and I traced the column of her throat before she swatted my hand away.

I chuckled at her defiance, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

My mate was a little spitfire.

“Shouldn’t you already know my name? You abducted me from my home! Or do you make a habit of stealing women from the streets?”

Her voice was a melodic symphony to my ears. Soft, yet firm, with a sultry undertone that I wasn’t sure she was aware of.

“Not often, no. Women fall all over themselves for the chance to land at my feet.”

“How fortunate you must be,” she bit out. “Now that we have cleared that up, if you wouldn’t mind returning me to my home, I’d be grateful. I’d hate to keep you from your harem, so I’ll just be on my way.”

She was adorable.

“That won’t be happening.”

“Why the hell not?” she demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest.

The movement drew my attention to her breasts, which were now pushed up and on display for my perusal. If I hadn’t already been certain that she did not know the effect she had on me, I’d say my little mate was a temptress.

“Because,” I drawled. “As my mate, your life belongs to me now.”

Her eyes widened in shock, and she inhaled sharply as she staggered away from me. When her thighs collided with the edge of my desk, I pushed forward, caging her in with my arms on either side of her petite body.

“No,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “I cannot be your mate.”

She stumbled over the word as though she’d never heard it before.

I ran my nose along her throat and inhaled a deep breath. Satisfaction washed over me when I felt her body tremble beneath mine.

“Oh, but you are,” I purred. “The moment I saw you in that marketplace, I sensed the pull. You beckoned me to you like a godsdamned siren.”

Her breathing stalled, and I pressed my body further into hers.

“No,” she repeated. “You’re Unseelie.”

I barked out a laugh, and she jumped in surprise.

“How very observant of you. Now, why don’t you tell me your name, Temptress?”

She paled at the moniker but quickly schooled her features.

“I owe you nothing,” she said with renewed bitterness. “My name, least of all.”

“You can tell me your name of your own free will, or,” — I quirked a brow in challenge — “I’ll summon a truth-teller right now and force it from you.”

Her eyes snapped to mine, and the fear I saw there had all my blood pooling below my waistband.

She seemed to weigh her options for a moment. Then she realized I’d have her name, regardless.

“Cadence,” she hissed. “Cadence Tiernan.”

“Cadence,” I repeated.

The word rolled off my tongue effortlessly, as though I had known it all my life.

Hearing her name from my mouth seemed to stoke Cadence’s ire, and she pushed against my chest, forcing me to retreat a step. She darted behind my desk as if it would protect her from me.

Her fight had returned, and that only made me more determined to break her.

“Even if I were your… mate.” Cadence winced as she forced the word between her lips.

“Even if I were, which I don’t believe for a second, it doesn’t excuse taking me from my home and turning my life upside down.”

I merely shrugged and folded my arms across my chest.

Her eyes narrowed with her barely contained fury as she growled, “I want to go home. I have responsibilities and people who depend on me.”

“No.”

“You can’t just keep me as your prisoner!” she shouted as she threw her hands into the air.

“I am the Prince of the Unseelie,” I said with a smirk. “I think you’ll find I can.”

“I know exactly who you are,” Cadence snarled, and I had to wonder which of my misdeeds had offended her to this extent.

Not that it mattered. I would keep her all the same.

“As my mate, you are the single greatest threat to me.”

“Then let me go. Be rid of me,” she pleaded.

A dark chuckle rumbled from my chest as I stalked closer to her. Cadence darted to the side, backing herself into a corner as she stood trapped between my bed and my armchair.

My hand moved toward her face, and I gripped her chin between my thumb and forefinger. I angled her head until she was facing me, refusing to let her escape my gaze, and her nostrils flared in anger.

“So my enemies can get their hands on you?” I tsked. “Do you even understand the power of the mate bond, Cadence?”

She clenched her jaw but didn’t respond.

“As my mate, should any harm come to you, I would be left weakened.”

“That’s only if the bond is fully formed,” she scowled. “And I have no intention of accepting anything that comes from you.”

My gaze traveled the length of her, taking in the swell of her breasts and the way her hips flared, before settling back on her face.

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” I murmured. “Besides, acceptance brings its own rewards, which reminds me, what magic do you possess?”

“I… I’m a healer,” she stuttered.

“A healer,” I hummed. “I won’t deny I’m a little disappointed.”

Indignant rage flashed across Cadence’s face, and she curled her palms into fists at her side.

“Since I’m worthless to you, there is no reason to keep me here.”

An amused smile pulled up the corner of my mouth. Did she think she could escape me?

“You’re smart enough to understand that fate doesn’t work like that.”

Cadence scoffed. “And how would you know anything about my intelligence, or lack thereof? You don’t even know me.”

“Your rapid quips for one,” I replied as I lifted a single brow.

Cadence’s cheeks flushed crimson, and a look of pure frustration contorted her beautiful face. She was doing all that she could to warn me away from her, and she’d only piqued my interest.

Cadence let out a resigned sigh. “Look,” she said as she raked her fingers through her hair.

I was struck with the overwhelming desire to wrap her silky strands around my fist and yank her to me as I conquered her mouth with my tongue.

Mine, an insistent voice snarled inside of me.

“I have a family back in the Seelie Kingdom. They will be worried. I can’t let them think I abandoned them or that something untoward has happened to me.”

She eyed me up and down as if to say something untoward did, in fact, happen to her. I wouldn’t argue the point. I was comfortable with the actions I had taken to secure her, no matter how unscrupulous she may find them.

“So, write them a letter. I’ll ensure they receive it.”

“Argh!” Cadence screeched. “I don’t want to write them a letter. I want to go home!”

“And as I’ve already told you, that’s not happening.”

Cadence lunged for me, and I grabbed her wrists in one of my hands as I spun her around, pressing her back against my front.

“Listen closely, Cadence, as I’ll only say this once.”

Her breasts heaved under my forearm, which held her hands pinned against her chest.

“From this moment forward, every action you take, every word you utter, every place you go, will be at my discretion. You are mine. Obey me, prove that you can be a good girl, and perhaps I’ll grant you more freedom. But make no mistake, Cadence. You cannot escape me. I can already feel the bond growing stronger, pulling me toward you with every passing moment we’re apart. No matter where you run, I will find you. You’d do well to accept it.”

I leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the side of her neck. She recoiled and jerked her head away from me.

“I see you haven’t quite accepted things yet,” I chuckled. “In that case, you will remain locked in my chambers. I’ll send a maid up to you to ensure you have everything you need.”

Releasing her, I stepped back and spun on my feet as I headed toward the door.

I’d only taken a few steps when something whizzed past my head, barely missing me. I straightened and glanced over my shoulder to see Cadence’s burning fury glaring back at me.

My gaze darted to the door. Buried deep in the wooden panes of the door frame was a dagger. The same one that had been sitting on my desk atop a wine goblet.

As I reached the door, I pulled the blade from the wood and toyed with the sharpened tip.

“I think I’ll take this with me,” I said with a wink.

Before Cadence could grab another projectile, I slipped through the door and locked it behind me.