Page 58

Ryker

My mind raced as I marched through the palace back to Cadence. A weight had been lifted from me, knowing that Riordan had made his connections available for my purposes. Yet, so much still needed to be done before I would be satisfied that she was safe.

My footsteps faltered for the briefest moment as a strange sensation washed over me. It wasn’t painful, but I’d experienced nothing like it before in my life.

A feeling in my gut told me it had to do with Cadence, and I wasted no time as I stepped inside my shadows, reappearing outside my chambers.

I swung the door wide open, and I had to clutch the door frame for support when I was confronted by the sight before me.

Lying in a small pile on the floor, mottled and charred, was the collar I had placed around Cadence’s delicate throat to prevent her from ever leaving me.

My mind struggled to make sense of it all, but a single thought drowned out the rest.

Cadence had finally broken free from me.

Only one person besides Riordan knew about the collar and its purpose. No doubt, Eleanor’s chambers were as empty as my own now were.

My heart thundered against my chest, and my vision blurred as rage consumed me. I could smell the magic that still lingered in the air, and it set every nerve ending ablaze. Eleanor had dared to enter my private rooms and take what belonged to me.

With a guttural roar, I swept my arm over my desk, upending the last remnants that remained. The action didn’t dissipate my mounting rage, so I picked up the table and threw it across the room. It crashed against the wall, splintering on impact and sending small particles of wood sailing in every direction. Shadows sprang free from my palms, and I slammed my fists into the cold stone walls.

But it wasn’t enough.

My shadows slithered around my bed frame, and I tugged, tearing through the carved posts like a blade through flesh.

“Fuck!” I bellowed.

But no matter how much I raged and tore the place apart, the wrath I felt at Cadence’s betrayal remained.

I took a deep, calming breath, and I tried to get a hold of my anger. As I surveyed the damage I’d caused, my eyes fell on the collar. I stalked toward it before crouching to pick up the remnants of the broken metal.

My fingers traced the intricate links as if I could somehow feel her there if I pressed hard enough. When that didn’t work, I curled my hand around the jagged pieces, the sharp edges cutting my palm.

But I felt no pain.

With every drop of my blood that splattered onto the tiled floor, my resolve strengthened. My shadows writhed around me as if the dark tendrils were feeding my growing ire.

Cadence had been here. She’d been mine. And now she was gone.

The door slammed against the wall, jolting me from my thoughts. I looked up and found Riordan standing in the doorway.

His gaze swept over the destruction, and he raised an amused brow.

“Redecorating?”

A low growl traveled up my throat, and I pushed myself to my feet.

“Cadence is gone.”

All amusement drained from Riordan’s face, and I opened my bloodied palm to reveal the shattered pieces of the collar.

“Well, that explains why the entire staff was fleeing for their lives,” he muttered.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You didn’t think I just stumbled by your chambers so soon after you left mine, did you?”

A menacing snarl lifted my upper lip, and Riordan rushed to continue.

“I was told that you were unleashing all kinds of hell and tearing the palace apart. No one wanted to ask what had upset you, so they sent me,” he finished with a sheepish grin, though it lacked its usual calming effect.

“We will figure this out, Ryker,” he said in a soothing tone. “Now tell me, was she taken, or did she escape?”

“Escape,” I admitted begrudgingly.

“How can you be so sure?”

“She hated the collar. Hated me for putting it on her. But she doesn’t understand the danger she has put herself in by running.”

“You locked her in a gilded cage, Ryker,” Riordan sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face. “Did you expect her to love you for it?”

“SHE IS MY MATE!” I roared, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. “She belongs to me. And now she’s out there, unprotected, conspiring with the fucking Blood Fae.”

Riordan stared at me intently, his eyes narrowed as he appraised me. It was as if he could see the desperation lurking beneath the mask of my anger.

“Why haven’t you used the bond to find her?” he asked quietly.

I glanced away, unable to answer.

“You’re afraid, but what is it that truly frightens you?” he muttered, as if he hadn’t meant to ask the question aloud.

I stiffened, and my whole body prickled at the accusation. “I’m fucking furious is what I am.”

“No, you’re scared that she ran because she hates you. That she’ll never forgive you for the things you’ve done.”

The silence that stretched between us was telling.

“And you’re terrified that if you use the bond to find her and drag her back here, she will never be yours.”

I turned away from my brother, my hands trembling as I gripped the armchair.

“There is no reality in this life or the next where Cadence isn’t mine. I don’t care if she hates me,” I said, my voice straining. “All that matters is that she’s alive. So long as she is safe, she can hate me to her heart’s content.”

When Riordan remained silent, I turned to face him. His gaze was trained on me, and his eyes were full of pity.

I didn’t want his fucking pity. I wanted my mate.

“Then we need to move,” he said, sensing my thoughts.

Riordan stalked toward the door, but paused. “What will you do when we bring her back?”

I clenched my jaw at his unspoken accusation. “She is safest with me, Riordan.”

“She’s safest when she trusts you, and right now, you’re giving her every reason to keep running.”

He didn’t spare me a second glance as he strode from the room.

My shadows writhed, feeding off my agitation. Riordan was right, but that knowledge did nothing to quell the incessant urge I felt to bind Cadence to me in any way I could. A primal drive pushed me to possess her, control her, and keep her by my side forever.

I suddenly understood what it might feel like to lose your mate. How your mind would descend into madness until only a rotten soul remained.

I gained a newfound understanding of what my father endured, though I could never forgive him for what he’d done.

As I strode from my chambers with renewed purpose, I was once again consumed by a single focus.

Find Cadence and return her to where she belongs.