Chapter Seven
Cadence
I rolled over and studied the sleeping Adonis lying in the bed next to me. Ryker had decimated the pillow wall I’d erected between us, but I had managed to escape his tight hold throughout the night. Now he clung to one of the pillows he’d been so eager to dispense with.
The image brought a smile to my lips.
If only he didn’t have to wake up and inevitably ruin things by opening his damn mouth.
I scooted to the edge of the bed and held my breath as I slid my legs from beneath the warm blankets. Careful not to make a sound, I padded to my closet and pulled out the first thing my fingers touched.
I dressed in silence before pulling my hair back and twisting it into a braid away from my face.
My thoughts drifted to the previous night as I worked.
I still couldn’t believe that Callum was in the Unseelie Kingdom.
He’d risked his life to come for me, and he’d almost lost it again when Ryker found him.
A shiver raced down my spine at the memory of my brother, bleeding and bruised, on the floor. No matter what happened next, I would die before I let Ryker take him from me.
I strode toward the door, and when my fingers brushed the handle, a voice sounded behind me.
“Going somewhere, Temptress?”
Ryker’s deep, rumbling tone made me jump, and I turned around to face him.
“Anywhere you are not,” I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.
Ryker rose from the bed, and my eyes roved over his muscular frame without my permission. When my gaze lifted to meet his, a knowing smirk pulled up his lips.
“Try again.”
I scowled at him and resisted the urge to do something juvenile like stomp my foot in frustration. Ryker only waited, as if the notion that I might not answer his lordship never crossed his mind.
“If you must know, I’m going to take Callum to breakfast.”
“And you had to sneak out… why?”
“Because I want to be alone with my brother.” When he gave no sign he intended to respond, I added, “Alone, as in, without you.”
“I understood you the first time, thank you, Cadence.”
“Good. Then I’ll be on my way.”
Ryker was across the room before I could blink, pressing his palm against the door, holding it shut.
“But here’s the thing, Temptress. I don’t trust you.”
“That makes two of us.”
A slow grin spread across Ryker’s face, but it was far from friendly. “You can see your brother, Cadence,” he said, ignoring my comment. “But I’m coming with you.”
I glared at Ryker. He’d do as he pleased anyway, and I wanted to see Callum.
“Fine, but don’t expect me to wait for you.”
His gaze never strayed from mine as he unfurled his free hand and sent his shadows sailing into the chamber. Curiosity demanded I turn and look, but I refused to break eye contact because he would view it as an act of submission.
A moment later, his shadows returned and surrounded him. When the shadows cleared, he was dressed and ready to go.
“After you,” he said, wearing a smug grin I itched to slap away.
I tugged on the handle, harder than necessary, and flung the door in Ryker’s face. I’d hoped to hit him with it, but the low chuckle that followed me past the entryway suggested I had failed.
“Which way to Riordan’s chambers?” I asked when I realized I had no idea where I was going.
Ryker didn’t answer me. Instead, he took my hand in his and pulled me down the hallway after him. The servants were becoming accustomed to my presence beside Ryker, and a few even sneaked an assessing glance or two in my direction.
But I paid them no mind. If they thought I was an unsuitable match for their Prince and future King, I wasn’t about to disagree with them.
We paused outside a door decorated with intricate swirling patterns around the frame. Ryker raised his fist and rapped his knuckles against the hardwood.
Shuffling sounded from the other side, and a low curse met my ears as though someone was rushing to greet us. The seconds unfurled before the door swung open, and Callum’s wild brown eyes greeted me.
“Thank the gods you’re here,” he breathed as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
I peered into the chamber to find Riordan sitting against his headboard, one arm tucked behind his head, and a lazy grin on his face.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he called when he spotted me.
My gaze swept the rest of the room. There was a single blanket lying discarded on the ground, and next to it was a plush, white pillow.
“Sleep well?” I asked my brother, unable to conceal my amusement.
He muttered something unintelligible before he eyed Ryker up and down, his gaze settling on our clasped hands.
“Breakfast?” I asked with an obnoxious amount of false cheer that I could almost gag on it.
“An excellent idea,” Riordan said as he jumped out of bed and grabbed a tunic.
Callum groaned, and I bit my bottom lip to stifle my grin.
I felt the weight of Ryker’s eyes on me, and when I peeked up at him from under my lashes, his gaze was burning with hunger as he stared at my trapped lip. I let it slip free, and I swallowed as I fought to regain my equilibrium.
“This way,” I said, clearing my throat.
Riordan leaned in to speak with Ryker, his words so low I couldn’t hear them.
I seized the opportunity to get loose from Ryker’s hold and linked my arm through Callum’s as I hurried down the corridor.
“We need to leave. Now.” Callum glanced around, making sure no one was listening. “That man is unbearable. If I have to endure his presence a minute longer, my head may explode.”
“I don’t think Ryker is very fond of you either,” I said, grinning.
Callum’s brows furrowed. “What?”
“You said he’s unbearable.” I shrugged.
“I was talking about the other one. The brother.”
“Riordan?”
“Yes, him.”
“Trust me, Riordan is the good brother.” I scoffed.
“Maybe that’s the case for you, but I can’t stand him. He wouldn’t shut up about how gorgeous I am and how golden my skin is, and how my hair reminds him of melted chocolate.”
Callum rolled his eyes in disgust as I stared at him. Then a very undignified laugh bubbled up my throat before I could stop it.
“It is not funny, Cadence,” Callum said, gnashing his teeth.
“No,” I giggled. “I’m sure it’s torturous to be told how wonderful you are.”
“Seriously? I tell you I am being harassed, and your response is to snicker at me. After I battled a dragon for you and everything. Ungrateful fiend.”
Callum’s tone was biting, but I caught the smile that tugged at his lips.
“All joking aside,” he whispered. “What’s our escape plan?”
“It’s not that simple, Callum.” I sighed. “You still haven’t heard the entire story, and with Ryker hovering over me, I’m not sure when we’ll get a moment alone.”
“If he so much as lays a finger on you, Cadence, I’ll kill him. I do not care if he is next in line for the Unseelie throne. I will end his life with my bare hands.”
“Don’t say things like that! The walls have ears.” I nodded toward a group of servants dusting the windows.
Callum lowered his voice. “Not that I’m advocating for you to use your magic, but why haven’t you just killed him and slipped away?”
“At first, I couldn’t risk exposure, but then he tethered me to him with magic.”
I chose not to mention the collar. It wouldn’t do anything to soothe Callum’s concerns.
“And once he discovered my magic —”
“He knows?”
Callum’s eyes were wide with terror, but he wasn’t afraid for himself. He feared only for me.
I gave a curt nod, then raised my wrists so he could see the cuffs.
“These are nullifying cuffs. They render me magicless.”
Callum skidded to a halt. His expression was blank except for the tick hammering away at his jaw. He was doing all that he could to rein in his anger, and from the way he was clenching and unclenching his fists, he was doing a poor job of it.
“Callum, don’t,” I warned, but I was already too late.
He spun around, his strides wide and purposeful as he closed the distance between him and Ryker.
“You fucking bastard,” he yelled.
And then he raised his fist and slammed it into Ryker’s face.