Page 49

Ryker

The door clicked shut behind me, and I rested my back against the smooth wood as I crossed my arms. Cadence disappeared into the bathing chamber, and I waited for her to finally let go, to release some of her simmering rage.

Once she had gotten it out of her system, we could both move forward with our lives.

Not a minute later, Cadence returned, her hands balled into fists at her side.

“Why Ryker?”

“You know why,” I said as I studied her.

My gaze landed on her belly and the vision of her swollen with my child had my cock stiffening. I’d never thought about having children before, never particularly cared for them.

But I was now.

And only because it was her.

“Are you trying to tell me that the Night Cursed Prince, the most feared Fae in all the kingdoms, can’t protect his mate?”

She cocked her hip to the side and folded her arms over her chest. At least she had given up the pretense that I wasn’t her mate.

“Well,” she demanded.

“I told you I had a plan, Cadence.”

“And what plan would —” her words fell away, and she swayed on her feet.

I pushed off the door as I crossed the room to help her.

“Cadence, are you all right?”

“Don’t come any closer,” she snarled.

Her wild eyes locked on me as her face drained of color.

“You knew,” she whispered.

“Knew what?”

“When you came in here earlier, you knew why I was sick. You knew I was pregnant.”

Fuck.

I hadn’t planned on revealing the circumstances behind her current state. When I didn’t respond, she closed the distance between us, her chest heaving as she brandished her hand in the air like it was a weapon.

“What did you do, Ryker?” she demanded.

I scrubbed a hand over my face, knowing this conversation was about to turn ugly.

“I swapped out your fertility tonic,” I admitted.

Cadence reeled back as if I had slapped her. Her mouth hung open as she gasped in shock.

“I told you I had a plan to secure our future. I promised you I would look after you. This is me keeping that promise, Cadence.”

“You… you think that justifies any of this?” she asked incredulously.

Cadence threw her arms out wide as she gaped at me. “You had no right to take away my choice, Ryker!”

“I did it for us. For our child,” I said through gritted teeth.

A bitter laugh erupted from Cadence, and tears streaked down her face.

“You only learned I was carrying your child mere hours ago. A child you forced me to conceive without my knowledge or consent.”

Her eyes narrowed on me, pinning me in place.

“So, don’t you dare say you did this for me ,” she said, her voice cracking. “You did this to me because it benefited you !”

My patience was wearing thin. I prowled toward her, forcing her to retreat until her back hit the wall. Leaning into her space, I placed my forearms on either side of her head, caging her in.

A dark, mirthless chuckle rumbled up my chest. “I did this because you refused to accept our bond. You refused to stop fighting the inevitable and surrender to your fate. At every opportunity, you reminded me you were going to leave me. That one way or another, you would escape me.”

My fingers traced the intricate links of her collar, and she shivered beneath my touch.

“So yes, I stacked the deck in my favor because I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you so soon after finding you.”

The confession slipped free without my permission, and Cadence inhaled a sharp breath. Her chocolate-brown eyes searched mine, but whatever she was looking for, she didn’t find it. Her shoulders slumped as more tears slipped down her cheeks.

“Your words are meaningless, Ryker. Everything that flows from your mouth is nothing but a sweet lie.”

My hand reached toward her face, the pad of my thumb brushing the soft flesh beneath her eye. Her tears soaked my finger, and I lifted it to my lips, tasting her pain.

“Was any of it real?”

“Was any of what real?”

Her tongue darted out, and she wet her bottom lip. “At the cave, when we visited the pool, were any of the things you told me… real?”

“Every. Fucking. Word.”

Cadence closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. More tears slid down her face, and I leaned in, running my tongue up her cheek as I caught them.

My lips hovered over hers as I whispered, “I told you that you could trust me to protect you. That I would take care of you. But I warned you I would do things my way. I never lied to you, Temptress.”

“A lie by omission is still a lie.”

I wanted her to scream and lash out at me until all her anger dissipated. Then I’d pick up all her shattered pieces and put her back together again.

We’d move past this, and we’d be stronger for it.

But Cadence did none of that. I had destroyed the strong, confident woman who was my mate, and I had no idea how to fix what I’d broken.

“Temptress,” I started, but she cut me off.

“Leave, Ryker.”

It wasn’t ideal, but if she needed space, I’d give her space.

I pressed my lips to her forehead, soaking in her warmth as I squeezed her hip.

“All right, Cadence, I can give you space.”

She didn’t meet my eyes as I stepped away, giving her the room she needed to move.

“I have some things to tend to. I’ll be back soon. If you need anything, call for Scarlette.”

Cadence nodded, but still didn’t look in my direction. With a heavy sigh, I headed for the door.

When the lock clicked shut behind me, I rested my forehead on the wood as I took a deep breath.

A broken sob met my ears, and then Cadence started screaming. The sound was filled with so much pain, so much agony, it hurt my fucking soul.

Unable to bear it any longer, I turned away from my chambers and marched toward my father’s study.

I was angry, and I needed an outlet for the raging emotions I was harboring.

If nothing else, this conversation was long overdue.