Page 8

Cadence

I was warm.

Too warm.

In fact, I was sweltering.

There was a chill in the air when I’d fallen asleep, but now it felt as though I was cocooned in the warm embrace of the sun.

I sank into the mattress as I stretched my limbs to ease the discomfort.

My eyes flew open when I remembered I was not supposed to be lying on a mattress. I had gone to sleep on the floor to escape the insufferable asshole who occupied the bed.

As I glanced down at my body, my gaze halted on the large, corded forearm thrown over my middle. A quick peek over my shoulder confirmed what I had hoped to avoid.

I was in bed with Ryker.

That bastard must have moved me once I’d fallen asleep.

He had touched me without my permission.

Again.

The man didn’t understand boundaries.

As slowly as I could, I gently lifted Ryker’s heavy arm and placed it atop his thigh. I let out a relieved sigh when the movement failed to rouse him.

I inched away from his sleeping form, careful not to disturb the blankets strewn across his naked waist. My heart raced inside my chest as I neared the edge of the mattress before swinging my legs over.

Maybe it was foolish, but I didn’t want Ryker to see how much waking in his arms rattled me. He was the type of man who would identify your greatest weakness and exploit it to his advantage.

I eased myself out of the luxurious bed and winced as the floorboards creaked beneath my weight.

Ryker stirred, and he mumbled something incoherent as he flung his forearm over his eyes.

I waited a moment longer before taking a tentative step toward the door. When Ryker didn’t wake, I took another, then another.

I closed the distance between me and the door before reaching out and twisting the handle.

Locked.

Of course.

I whirled around and scanned my surroundings, intent on finding the keys Ryker had undoubtedly discarded somewhere nearby.

A familiar bejeweled dagger lay haphazardly on the nightstand, catching my eye.

Did he truly see me as such an insignificant threat?

I wanted to laugh out loud at the absurdity, but refrained.

Determined to teach him a lesson, I tiptoed over to the nightstand. My hand darted out, and my fingertips brushed the precious gemstones that decorated the hilt.

I picked up the dagger, careful not to scrape it against the wood beneath, and rolled it over my palm. The steel was cool against my flesh, and I wrapped my fingers around the base as I adjusted to its weight.

Satisfied that I had a decent grip, I lifted the hem of my nightdress and climbed onto the bed.

I looked down at Ryker’s sleeping form and then at the dagger gripped firmly in my hand. I lowered myself until I was straddling his waist, then I leaned forward and pressed the sharpened tip of the blade to the soft underside of Ryker’s throat.

We were so close that our breaths mingled, and I wasn’t prepared for the unwelcome shiver that raced down my spine.

“Is there something you need, Cadence?” Ryker murmured, his voice thick with sleep.

I pressed the dagger further into Ryker’s flesh. Not enough to draw blood, but enough that the threat lingered unspoken between us.

Ryker chuckled, and the sound sent butterflies soaring inside my belly, my body forgetting once again that I hated this man.

Ryker shifted beneath me, his hips moving upward as he readjusted his position.

I could feel the hard outline of his erection pressed against my center, and I peered between us, despite knowing the lower half of his body was concealed beneath the sheets.

When I glanced back up again, steel-grey eyes met mine.

“Kinky,” he rumbled.

I stiffened and mentally chastised myself for losing my advantage. Narrowing my eyes at him, I allowed the fury that had been building since he’d kidnapped me to course through my veins.

“I told you not to touch me without my permission,” I growled.

“I don’t need your permission, Cadence. You’re mine, and I’ll do as I please with what belongs to me.”

As I studied his face, I realized Ryker believed what he was saying.

And that enraged me.

Leaning into him, I let my weight press against the blade. Crimson liquid beaded at the tip, and I watched transfixed as it slowly made its way down the column of his throat.

The room darkened, and before I could stop him, Ryker had gripped my waist and flipped me so that he was the one hovering above me.

I tightened my grip on the hilt of the dagger and willed my arm not to tremble as I held it in place against his neck.

A black mist-like substance appeared behind his broad frame, and my mouth dropped open as I gaped at the mass. Dark tendrils coiled around Ryker’s arms, slithering up to his shoulders like a serpent.

“What are you?”

I was unaware I had voiced my question out loud until Ryker’s answer cut through the haze clouding my mind and chilled me to the bone.

“I am one of a kind, Cadence,” he murmured. “And I can be your strongest ally or your worst nightmare. That choice is up to you.”

My gaze darted back to his beautifully lethal face. His stormy, grey eyes had been completely swallowed by darkness. It consumed the whites of his eyes until only endless night stared back at me.

My heart pounded against my ribcage. I was torn between fear and a thrilling excitement I didn’t dare name.

“They’re shadows,” I gasped.

Suddenly, the moniker Ryker had donned for a century made sense.

The Night Cursed Prince.

Ryker’s lips curled into a sinister grin as his hand snaked up to grip my wrist.

“Don’t test me, Ryker,” I said as I pressed the dagger further into his skin, making more blood well at the site.

If he was in pain, he showed no sign of it.

“Oh, but I will,” he purred, just as his shadows wrapped themselves around my wrists, holding them in place.

Unbothered by the way the blade sliced through his tender flesh, Ryker leaned in close to whisper against my ear.

“Do you feel that, Cadence?” he murmured. “My magic is stirring, fighting my hold to reach you.”

A jolt of electricity shot through me the moment the words left his mouth, and my grip on the dagger faltered.

“There have been no shadow wielders for eons,” I said, struggling to grasp what I was seeing.

“I’m no ordinary shadow wielder,” he purred.

That much was abundantly clear.

The thought of what Ryker might be capable of made me shudder. I’d heard the stories depicting the devastation shadow wielders had wrought during the War of Night.

“And just think, if you accept our bond, you’ll share in the power that courses through my veins.”

His words crashed into me like a bucket of ice-cold water.

“Get off me,” I gritted out.

“So rude, Temptress,” he crooned.

I refused to acknowledge how my body came to life at his use of the pet name.

“Let go of me, Ryker. Now!”

Ryker made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat as he rolled off me. His shadows followed in his wake, taking the dagger with them.

He leaned over the bed, grabbing his trousers from the floor. Panic welled inside me as I watched him dress.

“Where are you going?”

Ryker barked out a harsh laugh.

“You want me gone, or you want me to stay? Make up your mind, Cadence.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I scoffed. “I’m not eager for more of your underwhelming company. I just don’t want to be locked inside this chamber all day.”

“You want your freedom, Cadence?” he asked, not bothering to look at me. “Earn it.”

“Earn it?” I shrieked, before cringing.

This time, he did look at me. Ryker raked his eyes over my scantily clad form, and I moved to cover myself with the sheets, remembering I was only in my nightdress.

He chuckled and shook his head.

“You seem to still be entertaining the idea that you can escape me, Cadence.”

The intensity of Ryker’s gaze had me fighting the urge to squirm in place. He lifted his thumb to run the pad across his bottom lip, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from showing how much that simple action had affected me.

“You want out of this chamber, Cadence,” Ryker said as he spread his arms out wide. “Submit to the bond, and I’ll grant you your freedom.”

Heat crept into my cheeks, but it wasn’t from embarrassment.

It was rage.

I grabbed the closest object and launched it across the room toward him.

Unfortunately, I’d grabbed a pillow, and Ryker merely swatted it away.

“I will never accept any kind of bond with you,” I hissed.

“Then get used to these four walls.” Ryker shrugged before pivoting on his boots and marching toward the door.

By the time I disentangled myself from the sheets and chased after him, Ryker was gone.

I pulled on the door handle, already knowing what I would find.

Locked.

“Fuck!”

I slammed my palms against the cherry-colored wood, but he didn’t respond.

“You can’t keep me locked up like an animal, Ryker!” I bellowed.

For the first time since I had arrived at the Unseelie Court, a small pang of despair tugged at my heart.

I slid down the door and buried my head in my hands.

My thoughts drifted to my parents, and how worried they must be. Callum would try to assuage their fears, but I knew my brother would be just as concerned.

An idea sprang to life in my mind, and I pushed myself off the ground as I scurried toward the desk.

After finding everything I needed, I sat down and began to write.