Page 59

Cadence

My breathing was ragged as I ran through the forest, reminding me once more that my stamina needed improvement. Regret clenched my chest at the thought of never training with Malesh again. The stoic warrior had grown on me despite his disinterest in the spoken word.

A twig snapped in the distance, and the sound of heavy boots trampling through the undergrowth reached me. Blood pounded in my ears, and my heart slammed against my ribcage frantically.

I knew exactly who was pursuing me. I could feel Ryker closing in around me through the bond.

“We have to move faster,” Eleanor hissed as she dragged me through the trees. “They are gaining on us.”

My lungs burned with every inhale, and my legs trembled under the unrelenting pace. We weren’t going to outrun Ryker. It was only a matter of time before he caught us.

“You go. I’ll create a diversion so you can escape,” I said.

“After all the effort I exerted to free you, not a chance.”

The tip of my boot got hooked on an exposed root, and I stumbled. I would have fallen if not for Eleanor’s quick reflexes. She gripped my upper arm and yanked me upright with surprising strength.

“I don’t understand how he’s still tracking us. The binding of the collar was broken.”

“It’s the bond,” I heaved out between ragged breaths.

Eleanor stopped abruptly, and I slammed into her.

“What did you just say?”

She flattened her lips into a grimace, and her tone sent a wave of unease crashing into me.

“He is my mate,” I whispered, and I realized it was the first time I had acknowledged it out loud.

Eleanor studied me intently, and an unsettling glint entered her eyes. It disappeared as quickly as it had formed before she barked out a harsh laugh.

“Then this is a futile endeavor. If he’s using the bond to track you, then he’ll be able to find you no matter where you go.”

My stomach sank with her declaration, but there was also another part of me that rejoiced. I chose to ignore that part and focus on the immediate problem.

“Isn’t there anything you can do?”

Eleanor eyed me before she blew out a breath.

“I could try to mask the bond, but that kind of magic, one that interferes with fate’s design, is not without risk.”

Her eyes dipped to my lower abdomen, and my hand moved to the spot without my permission.

“You know?” I gasped.

“As I said, when I forged the collar, I tethered myself to you just as I had done for the prince.”

A surge of frustration overwhelmed me, and it took me a moment to realize it was coming from the bond. I could feel Ryker’s anger, his desperation, and it terrified me.

“Do it.”

Eleanor scanned the forest, her eyes sharp and discerning, before she tugged my hand and pulled me toward a small clearing.

“We have to be quick,” she urged, as she settled on the ground.

I dropped to my knees in front of her, and the damp earth soaked through my dress. An icy shiver tore through me, and I pulled my cloak tighter around me to ward off the chill. Eleanor withdrew a dagger from her belt, and the blade gleamed dangerously under the moonlight. Dark runes etched its edges, and I swallowed, unable to conceal my apprehension.

“Give me your hand,” she demanded, and I turned my palm heavenward before extending it to her.

Without any preamble, Eleanor sliced the blade across my flesh, and crimson beads pooled in my open palm. The coppery scent of my blood filled the air, and a sharp stinging sensation erupted at the site. I tried to ignore it by focusing on Eleanor’s murmuring as she flicked the red droplets from the knife in a rhythmic pattern, but the sound was guttural, making my skin crawl.

Eleanor then pressed the blade to her hand, cutting deep. She rose from her position on the ground, her blood dripping onto the forest floor as she circled me. The runes on the dagger glowed faintly in the dark, and a slight tingle broke out over my body.

The bond screamed in protest, and a searing pain tore through my chest. I gasped, unable to breathe through the agony as I clutched my heart. Tears streamed down my face, and I cried out as choked pleas fell from my lips.

“Stop, please,” I begged. “The pain, it’s unbearable.”

“That means it’s working,” Eleanor reassured me, but her words fell flat as my body warred with my mind, both begging for relief.

Then, mercifully, the pain ebbed before fading away. My breathing was labored, and sweat coated my forehead, but I forced myself to stand on unsteady feet.

In the distance, a visceral roar of anguish echoed through the forest, and the creatures of the night fled in panic. My vision blurred, and I swiped away the tears that betrayed me. For the first time since meeting Ryker, I felt… alone.

“We have to keep going,” Eleanor said as she wiped the blade clean and tucked it back into the sheath at her hip.

“How long will it last?” I asked as I forced my legs to follow her.

“Long enough,” she said. “Now move. We’re not safe yet.”

We’d been traipsing through the forest for hours, and the further we delved, the more oppressive it grew. My limbs ached, and my dress was torn and bloodied from our desperate escape. I’d gathered countless abrasions along the way and would have given anything for a moment’s rest to mend my wounds.

“We’re almost there,” Eleanor said, her voice soft but urgent.

“Almost where?” I asked, as a feeling of foreboding settled over me.

“To safety.”

I’d put my faith in Eleanor because I’d had no other option. But now, with the bond concealed and Ryker unable to track me, doubt began to creep in.

“Where are you taking me?”

She huffed like I was a misbehaving child, and she waved a dismissive hand in the air.

“I told you already, somewhere safe.”

There was something in her tone that made my stomach twist, and my footsteps slowed in response. But before I could turn and flee, shadows emerged from the forest surrounding us.

“You led me into a trap,” I hissed, and Eleanor glanced over her shoulder at me.

A broad smile split her face, but it was far from reassuring. Several figures stepped forward, their faces obscured under their cloaks and their weapons reflecting the moonlight.

My magic stirred beneath my skin, and my pulse quickened.

This was no sanctuary.

“You lied to me,” I spat in Eleanor’s direction as I took a step back.

More figures emerged from the shrubbery, crowding me from behind and cutting off my retreat. Eleanor turned to face me, and she planted her hands on her hips.

“It was foolish of you to reveal such a deadly secret. But it’s far too late to run now.”

My hands clenched into fists, and my magic thrummed wildly as it danced across my fingertips, ready to do my bidding.

“What do you want from me?”

“For you to die,” she said sweetly. “We’ve been searching for a way to weaken the prince, and then you fell into my lap, as if the gods themselves willed our victory.”

“What are you talking about?” I demanded through gritted teeth.

“The death of his mate will be the prince’s undoing.”

Murmured conversations broke out all around me, but I blocked them out as I focused on the woman before me.

“This has been your plan all along.”

“Not quite. I truly freed you to spare you from the cruel fate of your people, but then you made the fatal miscalculation of revealing you were the prince’s mate. I wasn’t about to let such a prize slip through my fingers.” Her grin was downright disturbing as she stared at me, practically vibrating with excitement.

Realization struck me, and I suddenly understood who these people were.

I was standing amid the Crimson Enclave.

Bile rose up my throat, and I wanted to lunge across the space separating us and force my magic into her body until she withered and died.

Before I could act on my wayward thoughts, the crowd parted, revealing a tall man draped in a dark cloak. He had broad shoulders, and he angled his head as he looked me over.

There was something oddly familiar about the gesture, but I couldn’t place it. As he lifted his hand to lower the hood of his cloak, I noticed his skin was littered with fading scars, and for reasons I couldn’t understand, that made my chest tighten.

When he let his hood fall away, my eyes clashed with chocolate-brown ones that were full of compassion and regret.

“No,” I whispered, as I stumbled back.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the image in front of me, but it remained stubbornly unchanged.

“This isn’t real,” I whimpered as tears pricked my eyes.

The man’s features softened as he stepped closer.

“Cadence,” he said, his voice a low rumble that caressed me like a tight hug.

I closed my eyes, letting the tears stream down my cheeks as I sank into the sound. When I opened my eyes again, the man watched me with concern, his brows furrowed, unsure what to do.

I launched myself at him, my arms wrapping around his neck as I buried my face against his chest.

“Papa!”

His arms encircled me, and he hugged me just as tightly, gently stroking my hair.

“I’m here, Cadence. Everything is going to be all right.”