Chapter Fourteen
Cadence
Callum was searching for my Da.
He’d silenced my protests when he’d leaned in, whispering that we had to know if my father was responsible for the attack.
Still, I’d hesitated.
I had no idea how long my father would wait before coming for me. My time may have already been up. Either way, my brother was out there, risking his neck to find out.
Guilt. Anxiety. Fear.
They all twisted my stomach as I paced the length of Ryker’s chambers, waiting for news.
My footsteps faltered when I heard the distinct sound of a floorboard creaking in the adjacent room.
I froze.
It wasn’t Ryker. His steps were heavier, more deliberate. These were softer, more tentative, as if someone were trying hard to stay silent.
Another floorboard creaked, and I scanned the chamber for a weapon. My gaze landed on a familiar dagger, the one I had plunged into Ryker’s shoulder, and I picked it up, my fingers wrapping around the hilt.
“Who’s there?” I called, trying to keep my voice steady.
There was no answer.
My knife work had improved, but I was far from a skilled fighter. I had always felt comforted by the knowledge that my magic was simmering beneath my fingertips, ready to do my bidding.
But Ryker had stripped me of that protection, and I hated him for it.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I moved toward the sound, every instinct screaming that something was wrong. The candlelight flickered against the far wall, casting long, shifting shadows.
Why the hell did Ryker have to keep his chambers so dark? Everyone already knew he was a broody asshole; he didn’t need the atmospheric lighting to prove it.
Another creak.
Closer this time.
“Ryker?”
Then a voice, quiet but hauntingly familiar, slid from the shadows.
“You shouldn’t be here alone. Not with everything happening beyond these walls.”
Instinctively, I backed away, my shoulders hitting the cold stone wall before I could stop myself.
“Show yourself,” I said, sounding stronger than I felt.
A figure emerged from the darkness, his hood pulled low over his head, his aura calm and far too confident considering whose room he was standing in.
My father.
I didn’t need to see his face. I would recognize his voice anywhere.
As he lifted his hood, I once again took stock of the scars littering his hands and forearms. I’d been desperate to learn more about his life during the years we’d spent apart, but the unforeseen turn of events that followed our reunion stifled my curiosity.
My father cocked his head, studying me, and I mirrored him. I struggled to reconcile the man before me with the one from my childhood. His eyes had hardened with time, yet a tiny flicker of recognition remained. It made me long for the father he’d once been.
Those eyes narrowed as his gaze raked over my body.
“Show me your wrists,” he demanded.
My wrists?
I raised my arms for his inspection, and he stepped forward, taking my hands in his. It was only when his grip tightened that I realized what he was looking at.
The cuffs.
He lifted his eyes, locking his gaze with mine. His jaw was clenched, and his nostrils flared as he exhaled sharply.
“You see, Daughter,” he said, gripping the cuffs. “He fears you. He is afraid of the power you possess, and he seeks to cage you because he knows he can’t control you.”
His words hit like a punch to the gut, and I flinched.
Ryker had caged me. He cut me off from my magic so I’d never be able to escape him.
And it hurt. More than I was willing to admit.
“We have little time, Cadence. I came to remind you of what’s at stake here.”
He dropped my wrists as he placed a hand on my lower abdomen.
“The future of the Wraith Borne and the Unseelie Fae rests right here.”
His fingers flexed against my stomach, and it took everything in me not to push him away and hide my unborn child from his hungry gaze. The man before me was no longer the father I knew, and I couldn’t risk exposing my vulnerabilities.
“I have allies inside these walls.”
A shiver raced down my spine at his admission. I hadn’t been foolish enough to believe that he wouldn’t have someone watching me from afar, especially given what I had learned in the council meeting.
Yet, believing something was one thing, knowing it for certain was another thing entirely.
“Who?” I said, my voice sharper than I intended. “Who are your allies?”
My father’s lips curved into a knowing smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “You think I would reveal my hand?” He scoffed. “First, you must prove yourself, Cadence.”
I swallowed hard, my mind racing through every person I’d encountered since arriving in the Unseelie Kingdom. Guards, servants, council members — any one of them could be his informant. The thought made me sick.
“What do you mean, prove myself?”
He moved away from me, circling the room with the casual confidence of someone who didn’t fear being caught. Each step he took was calculated, purposeful.
“The Unseelie Court is crumbling from within,” he said, ignoring my question. “The Prince’s power is built on shifting sands. Before long, you’ll need to choose a side.”
He was wrong.
There was nothing fragile about Ryker’s power. It was cold, bone-deep, and absolute.
But I didn’t bother correcting him. He’d find out soon enough that he underestimated him. If the gods favored me, I’d be far beyond either man’s reach by the time they collided.
“And you assume I will choose your side?” I asked, tightening my grip on the dagger still clutched in my hand.
My father paused his inspection of Ryker’s chambers, his fingers trailing across the scattered papers lying atop his desk.
“Blood calls to blood,” he said, lifting his shoulders. “You are my blood. That child you are carrying is my blood. Together, we will change everything.”
“I never asked for any of this,” I hissed, gesturing between us with my dagger. “You abandoned me, remember? You don’t get to walk back into my life making demands.”
“Abandoned you?” His voice dropped, dangerously low, and I tensed, ready to defend myself.
“I protected you. I kept my distance and ensured those who would destroy you could not find you. And now look,” — he waved his hand toward the cuffs adorning my wrists — “the very thing I tried to shield you from has come to fruition.”
“Don’t pretend you stayed away to protect me. You were building an army, too hell-bent on retribution to care about the daughter you left behind.”
His eyes narrowed, and as the silence thickened, I thought he might attack me. Then, as quickly as it came, his anger faded, replaced by an indifference that was more terrifying than his rage.
“Think what you will, Cadence. You’re a grown woman with her own mind.”
Despite the casualness of his words, there was a threat that hung heavy in the air between us.
“I shall execute my plans all the same.”
What the hell did that mean? Did he plan to continue with his schemes while leaving me out of it, or did he intend to force my hand if I chose differently from what he wanted?
“Before I go, I’ll let you in on a little secret.”
Gooseflesh erupted all over my body at his words. His tone was ominous, and a sinking feeling settled in my gut.
“Have you ever wondered why they call your mate the Night Cursed Prince?”
“Because he is a shadow wielder.”
“That’s true, but there’s also another reason. One known only to a select few.”
The cruel grin twisting my father’s lips told me I wouldn’t like whatever came next.
“The King was obsessed with producing a powerful heir, so much so that he consorted with the Blood Fae to ensure his success.”
Thoughts of Eleanor rose to the forefront of my mind, and I shivered. She had been powerful in her own right, and she had used that power to help Ryker leash me.
“And succeed they did,” my father said, drawing me out of my reverie. “The Queen birthed the first shadow wielder in eons. But the Prince was no ordinary shadow wielder. His powers surpassed all those who had gone before him, leaving him without a rival in this realm.”
“What is your point? None of this is new to me.”
My father’s grin grew wider, and his eyes danced with sinister glee.
“Few people know how he gained so much power.” My father sucked in a breath, enjoying every moment of recounting the tale. “While the Prince was safely nestled inside his mother’s womb, he consumed her magic. After he was born, she grew weak and never fully recovered her strength.”
Nausea swirled in my stomach, and I placed a hand over my abdomen, as though I could feel the child growing there.
“As the years passed, the Queen slowly deteriorated. Without her magic, the gifts of her fae heritage, health, and longevity were lost to her, until she eventually succumbed, disappearing from this plane entirely.”
Ryker… killed his mother?
“Is the Prince truly who you want to align yourself with? Knowing what you have learned.”
My head was swimming, and my father pressed his advantage.
“How do you know he won’t do something similar to you, too? He’s already tricked you into carrying his heir, who’s to say he won’t take it further?”
“How did you know about that?”
My father’s smile was victorious, but he didn’t answer my question.
A horn sounded somewhere in the distance, and he glanced out the window. “I’m afraid our time has come to an end.”
He strode toward me, and I stiffened. My father placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently as he lowered his lips to my forehead.
His touch contrasted with his demeanor, leaving me unsure whether I should feel comforted or alarmed.
“Think about what I have told you. You need to choose a side, Cadence. Time is running out.”
With his parting words lingering between us, he slipped from the room and vanished.