Page 46

Ryker

I stormed toward the practice grounds, sword in hand, ready to release my frustration. Arguably, my brother was not to blame for my darkening mood, but I wouldn’t pass up the chance to put him in his place.

I didn’t bother with the usual pre-training exercises, instead opting to dive straight in. Riordan raised his sword to meet mine, and the clang of steel rang out around us, sharp and rhythmic, like the heartbeat of battle.

Dust stirred beneath our feet, our relentless attacks not giving the well-worn ground a moment to settle.

“Correct me if I’m mistaken, Brother, but it seems you are aiming for blood on this fine day,” Riordan grunted. “My blood, to be precise.”

I didn’t answer him as I adjusted my grip on my sword, the leather-bound hilt slick with sweat. My strikes came fast and furious, the weight of my anger carrying every blow.

“Of course not, Riordan,” my brother said in a mocking tone as he danced out of reach with infuriating ease. “I’d never do anything to harm you under the guise of misplaced rage.”

His grin was as wide as a crescent moon, and I ground my teeth together to stop myself from taking his head off.

“Come on, Ryker. Not even the hint of a smile.”

A growl worked its way up my throat, and my jaw tightened as I redoubled my efforts. The sun was high in the sky as it bore down on us, and the relentless heat had my tunic soaked in minutes.

But I hardly noticed as I focused all my attention on my little brother.

“Stop grinning like an idiot, Riordan. You crossed a line, and you know it.”

I feigned left but brought my blade down on Riordan’s right. He stumbled back but caught himself in time to parry my strike, and the clash of our swords reverberated through the training yard.

“Ryker,” Eamon called, the concern evident in his tone.

I hadn’t even noticed his presence when I’d marched into the square. My mind had been consumed by the thought of Cadence in Riordan’s arms.

“Stay out of this, Eamon,” I warned. “This is between me and my brother.”

I lunged forward, aiming my sword at Riordan’s midsection. My simmering rage had boiled over, making my movements reckless.

Riordan barely deflected the strike before he spun out of reach. His eyes darted down to his stomach, and pain pinched his features as he stared at the red substance seeping through his tunic.

Riordan’s gaze snapped to mine, and he scowled. He launched himself at me, attacking with renewed ferocity as our swords met in a flurry of sparks and grating steel.

“You’re mad, Ryker, and I get it.”

I parried, returning the intensity of Riordan’s strikes.

“Do you, Little Brother? Because if you were anyone else, you would be dead with your entrails spread across my chamber floor.”

Riordan swung his sword in a wide arc before bringing it down on my blade in a vicious assault. I pushed back, our faces meeting in the middle of our swords before I shoved him away, only to advance on him again.

“This is only practice,” Eamon yelled, but we both ignored him.

“You upset her, and I stumbled upon the mess you’d created. Would you have preferred I left her to her misery?”

Anger surged through me like wildfire, consuming everything in its path.

“I did nothing to upset her! She told me she had no idea why she was even crying.”

Riordan reared back before slamming his head into mine. Blood burst from my nose, dripping down my chin and onto my tunic.

“Riordan,” Malesh called, sounding almost panicked.

I didn’t know when he had sauntered into the training grounds, nor did I care. My little brother had drawn blood, and I was about to show him why that was a very bad idea.

The look on my face must have betrayed my intentions, because Riordan’s scowl deepened as he tightened his hold on his blade.

“You deserved that,” he shouted. “Blood for blood, Brother.”

With a flourish, I prowled toward Riordan, and he settled into his stance, ready to meet my attack head-on.

“Oh, no you don’t! No creepy shadow eyes. You face me like a man.”

My control was slipping.

Cadence may very well be the death of me.

Recalling my shadows, I raised my blade and swung hard. Riordan deflected as he spun. He came at me from my other side, and I stepped out of range before advancing on him. Once again, steel grated against steel. Our movements became a blur as we traded blows, neither one of us willing to concede defeat.

We were both panting heavily as we circled each other.

“What did you expect would happen, Brother?” Riordan demanded. “That Cadence would simply fall into life here at the Unseelie Palace and forget that she had ever had a home before you?”

Yes.

Now that he said it out loud, it did seem a little unrealistic.

“You may have done nothing in particular to upset her on this occasion, but she’s hurting all the same.”

I wanted to argue, to deny his accusations, but how could I?

Everything he said was true.

Before I could respond, a wave of dizziness washed over me. My head felt light, and as I glanced around, my world tilted.

“Are you all right?” Riordan called.

I couldn’t answer him. Nausea twisted inside me, sharp and relentless, unfurling from my gut like a serpent coiling tighter with every breath. I stumbled, and I lowered my sword before my knees buckled.

Had I been poisoned? Was this the way I would leave this plane?

I staggered toward the edge of the training grounds as I clutched my stomach. I only just made it to the shade of the nearby trees before I doubled over, retching violently.

Riordan followed behind, and his concern quickly turned to laughter.

“Please tell me Cadence finally poisoned you,” he teased.

I glared up at him through watery eyes as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

“Fuck off, Riordan.”

This only made him laugh harder.

“Seriously though, what’s wrong? Did you eat something questionable at breakfast?”

The thought of food made me groan as nausea churned my gut. I sank to the ground and closed my eyes as I rested against the tree. Sweat coated my brow, and I had to focus on my breathing to dispel the bile threatening to come up.

“Do you want me to fetch a healer?”

“I’m fine,” I muttered, not at all sure that I was.

“You don’t look fine,” said Eamon, joining the conversation.

“Should I get Cadence?” Malesh asked.

Cadence .

An odd sensation flared inside me at the mention of my mate, and the nausea began to fade. It wasn’t gone completely, but it was as if I was experiencing it second-hand.

I cracked open one eye and then the other.

The bond surged again, and I realized with a start that the nauseous feeling was not coming from me.

I could feel Cadence through the bond.

“It’s not me,” I murmured.

“What?” Riordan asked.

“It’s not me,” I repeated. “It’s Cadence. She’s sick, and I can feel it through the bond.”

“She didn’t seem sick this morning,” Riordan mused.

“Fae rarely get sick,” Eamon added.

“Not unless she’s pregnant,” Malesh muttered to himself.

The word jolted through me, setting me ablaze from the inside.

Could she be?

I couldn’t stop the slow grin spreading across my face.

“Ryker,” Riordan growled. “What the fuck did you do?”