Page 48

Cadence

“Prince Ryker,” the Priest intoned, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. “You stand before the gods, ready to tether your fate to the woman before you?”

Sweat beaded on my upper lip, and I felt as though I was drowning.

“Ryker, please,” I begged. “You can’t do this.”

“I can, and I will,” he said before returning his gaze to the Priest and giving him a single nod.

“Very well. Declare your vows at the table of the gods.”

Ryker’s steel-grey eyes locked on me.

“I, Ryker Ashborne, Crown Prince of the Unseelie Fae, bind myself to you, Cadence Tiernan.”

His voice was steady as his words rang out around us.

“Before the gods and those who bear witness here today, I vow to protect you, to honor you, and to keep you at my side until my dying breath.”

The Priest turned to me, his gaze expectant. When I said nothing, Ryker squeezed my hand. Whether in warning or reassurance, I didn’t know.

“My Lady,” the Priest murmured. “It is your turn to say your vows.”

“Cadence,” Ryker growled, and I lifted my chin in defiance.

Before he could threaten me further, Riordan stepped forward, his head bowed.

“Cadence,” he said gently. “Can I have a word?”

Ryker ran a hand through his hair, his agitation plain to see.

“You should talk some sense into her, Brother, before I resort to more unpleasant means.”

The warning was not lost on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to concede to him.

Riordan gripped my elbow and steered me to the corner of the chamber.

“You better not even think of defending his actions to me, Riordan,” I snapped.

He raised his hands in surrender, and some of the tension left my shoulders.

“The way my brother went about this is inexcusable,” he admitted. “But he isn’t wrong.”

A growl tore free from my throat, and Riordan rushed to continue.

“News of your pregnancy will put a target on your back.”

“I already have a target on my back because of your brother.”

“True, but if the Unseelie Council learns that you carry his heir, that danger will only grow. They’ll stop at nothing to protect the advantages they believe his betrothal to Lady Barrington brings to the kingdom.”

As much as I hated Ryker, I couldn’t deny the irrational flicker of jealousy that coursed through me with Riordan’s words. Riordan gave me a meaningful look, and I didn’t miss the message he conveyed.

I threatened their engagement, and a child only strengthened that threat.

“They’ll still feel the same way, even if I marry him.”

Riordan shook his head. “They might risk Ryker’s wrath for a mistress, but never a wife.”

When I raised an irritated brow at him, Riordan only shrugged.

“Ryker hasn’t announced you as his mate, therefore, most people believe you are his courtesan.”

I released a frustrated sigh as my fate closed in around me, strangling me into submission.

“Let him protect you, Cadence. He owes you that much.”

“If I marry him, I’ll never be free from him, Riordan,” I said, my voice sounding small, even to me.

Riordan gave me a pained smile as he cupped my cheek in his palm.

“There was never any escaping him, sweetheart,” he murmured. “You and I both know that once Ryker got his hands on you, he’d never let you go. I promise you I am going to do whatever I can to help you regain yourself along the way, but for now, we need to focus on keeping you safe.”

Concern tightened Riordan’s features, and a small piece of my armor fell away.

While he might be right, I still wasn’t ready to lose myself to Ryker’s will.

Though it didn’t seem like I had much of a choice.

Riordan wrapped my hand in his as he led me back to Ryker, who was pacing in front of the altar. He gave me one last nod before he stepped aside, rejoining Malesh and Eamon.

“Are you ready, dear?” the Priest asked.

I dipped my chin, and Ryker reclaimed my hands as he stared down at me.

Letting out a controlled breath, I said, “I, Cadence Tiernan, bind myself to you, Ryker Ashborne.”

I didn’t bother with his title because the gods knew he deserved nothing further from me.

“With the gods as my witness, I vow to be your ruination and make you regret ever treating me less than I deserve.”

A groan sounded behind me, but I didn’t pull my gaze away from the Fae prince standing before me. The ghost of a smile flickered across Ryker’s face, and he nodded for the Priest to continue.

The man raised his arms and chanted in the old Fae tongue. When he was done, a golden light shone from his palms, and he placed his hands over our joined ones.

“The gods accept your vows and bind you as Husband and Wife, in this life and the next.”

A jolt of pain ran through me with his declaration before it slowly receded. Ryker pulled me close and pressed his forehead to mine.

“You’re mine, Cadence.”

Both triumph and relief colored his tone.

“Forever,” he murmured.

I closed my eyes, and a small tear streaked down my cheek at the finality of his words.

Ryker gripped my chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to look at him. His penetrating gaze searched my face before he crashed his lips against mine.

I didn’t fight him, instead letting him devour me as I lost myself in the distraction his kiss provided.

When he pulled away, I rested my cheek against his muscular chest.

“I will never forgive you for this, Ryker,” I whispered, and I felt his body stiffen at my words.

“I don’t seek your forgiveness, Cadence, only your safety.”

He thought he was protecting me, but he was the biggest threat of all.

Ryker stepped back, his large hand once again engulfing mine.

“Come, wife. You need to rest.”

As Ryker led me out of the chamber, I replayed the events that had brought me to this moment. My mind was a riot of emotions, each fighting for dominance as I tried to quiet the noise inside my head. Ryker’s actions ignited a furious blaze within me, leaving me reeling from the chaos he created.

Above all that, however, was a tiny sliver of emotion I hadn’t dared to name until now.

I was going to have a child, Ryker’s child, and that knowledge filled me with… hope.

Hope that I would not suffer a life in Ryker’s shadow, miserable and alone.

My fingers brushed against my stomach as the reality settled deep into my soul. A life now grew inside me, and that both frightened me and gave me strength.

I hadn’t asked for any of this, but I already felt a fierce sense of protectiveness toward my child budding within me.

Ryker glanced at me from the corner of his eye, his fingers tightening around mine. It wasn’t painful, but possessive, as if he feared I’d vanish the moment he let me go.

“You’re quiet,” he said, his voice soft but cautious.

I snatched my hand from his grip and wrapped my arms around myself in a tight embrace. Glancing over my shoulder, I found the hallway empty behind us. The others had slipped away, and I hadn’t even noticed, too consumed by my churning thoughts.

“What would you like me to say, Ryker?” I spat. “That I’m happy? Grateful? I’m not.”

Ryker’s jaw tightened, and I could feel his anger radiating from him as he struggled to maintain his mask of indifference.

“I did what I had to, Cadence, and I won’t apologize for it.”

We walked in silence as we made our way back to his chamber, the tension between us thick and unrelenting.

But beneath my fury, a quiet, insidious thought lingered.

The game had only just begun.