Chapter Thirty-One
Cadence
For three blissful days, Ryker and I ignored the world outside his mother’s cottage.
With our shields lowered, we talked like never before, uncovering countless new things about each other.
We explored the surrounding woodlands, went swimming in the lake, and, to my complete surprise, I learned my husband was a fantastic cook.
We found peace in each other’s company, something I never would’ve imagined possible. Not after everything we’d been through. But as I twisted his mother’s ring around my slender finger, I had to wonder if it was all coming to an end.
With all he’d done to protect me while I was fighting for my life, a new sense of loyalty took root inside me, unexpected but undeniable. Despite all the things he had put me through, all the secrets and betrayals, he was there for me when I needed him the most.
That meant something to me. Maybe even more than the hatred I felt for what he’d done to my family. But was it enough to survive the venomous snake pit of the Unseelie Kingdom?
Ryker’s hand tightened around mine, his calloused fingers grounding me with his quiet strength. “Want to share what’s going on inside that pretty head?”
My gaze flicked to him, his storm-grey eyes seeing more than they should.
“I was wondering what it’ll be like when we’re back at the palace,” I said. “It’s difficult to imagine us holding onto this sense of peace when every courtier is circling like vultures, eagerly awaiting our demise.”
Ryker tugged on my hand, pulling me to a stop. His free hand gripped my chin, tilting my head until my eyes clashed with his. His touch was firm but gentle, and for a moment, the weight of court politics, trials, and bloodshed faded into the background.
“They can circle all they like,” he said, his voice deep and steady. “Let them bare their teeth. We’ve faced worse before, and we’re still standing.”
His thumb brushed across my jaw, a fleeting gesture that made my breath catch. “I don’t care if the entire court turns on us. They would soon learn what a mistake that was. I will not compromise, not when it comes to you.”
The fierceness in his voice startled me — not because it was unexpected, but because of how deeply it settled into the hollow places inside me, filling them.
I swallowed, unable to look away from his intense gaze. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It won’t be,” Ryker said. “But it will be worth it.”
Something stirred within me, slow but steady, like the first bloom of spring after a long, bitter winter.
It wasn’t loud or dramatic, but it was impossible to ignore.
Warmth spread through my chest, my heart racing and stuttering as if trying to catch up to the truth I hadn’t dared name.
It was the way Ryker looked at me as if I were precious.
Not for what I was to him, but for who I was.
Hope rose within me, bright though unsteady, catching me off guard. But beneath it lay something else, bold yet terrifying.
And it felt a lot like love.
My cheeks heated, and I pulled my gaze from Ryker’s just so I could breathe again. Without warning, my world spun, and it took me a second to realize he’d lifted me into his arms.
A soft giggle escaped me, and he grinned. “No more talk of politics or the Unseelie Fae. Let us enjoy this time for what it is.” Ryker strode towards the small fountain that sat in the middle of his mother’s garden.
Around it bloomed an explosion of color.
Wildflowers and cultivated blossoms alike, tangled in a riot of textures and scents.
Violets nestled beside star-shaped asters, their petals drenched in dew.
Pale bluebells swayed gently with the breeze, and bold marigolds opened their fiery faces to the sky.
Roses in every shade, from the softest blush to the deepest crimson, climbed the stone walls surrounding the garden, their scent sweet and heady.
The whole place felt alive. It was my favorite spot in this hidden oasis.
Ryker laid me down on the blanket we’d used for a picnic rug, and the moment I caught his expression, heat banked low in my belly.
“You look like you’re getting ready to feast on me,” I said, breathless.
“I’ll do more than that, Temptress. I’m going to devour you.”
With his intense gaze locked on mine, Ryker slid down my body, never once breaking eye contact. He raised the hem of my dress, dragging it up my legs before bunching it at my waist.
The cool air kissed my exposed skin, but Ryker’s heated gaze burned hotter than any flame. His hands traced the curve of my thighs with reverent slowness, and his fingers hooked into the delicate fabric at my hips. I lifted myself just enough to let him pull it away.
“Beautiful,” he said, his voice rough with desire.
The word vibrated through my body, sending shivers racing down my spine. He planted a kiss on the inside of my knee, then higher, his mouth leaving a trail of fire across my skin.
His warm breath fanned along my inner thigh, then he sank his teeth into my flesh, and I cried out. His tongue soothed the sting of his bite, and I tangled my fingers in his hair as he pressed open-mouthed kisses along the brutalized skin.
When he reached the apex of my thighs, I gasped, and my back arched off the blanket. “Ryker.” His name fell from my lips like a prayer.
His tongue speared my pussy, and unintelligible words tumbled from my mouth. The sensation was overwhelming: sharp, sweet, and utterly devastating. My hips bucked against his mouth as he worked me into a frenzy, his tongue tracing intricate patterns that made coherent thought impossible.
“That’s it,” he growled against my center, the vibration sending fresh waves of pleasure coursing through my body. “Let me hear you.”
I couldn’t have stopped the sounds escaping me even if I wanted to. My moans reverberated through the garden, carried away by the gentle breeze that caressed my flushed skin. Ryker’s hands gripped my thighs, holding me open for him as he devoured me with single-minded intensity.
Tremors racked my limbs, and my head pressed into the blanket as I tried to suck in a breath. When he closed his lips around my sensitive bundle of nerves and sucked hard, stars exploded behind my eyelids. I shattered, crying out his name as waves of pleasure dragged me under.
When he finally pulled away, his mouth glistened with my arousal, and his eyes were dark with hunger. He crawled up my body like a predator, and I welcomed the weight of him pressing me into the ground.
“Taste how sweet you are.”
That was the only warning I got before he smashed his lips against mine, driving his tongue into my mouth and forcing me to taste myself.
He rolled his hips, and I could feel the firm press of his erection through his leathers.
I reached between us, and my hands fumbled with the laces, desperate to free him.
The leather was supple but stubborn, and my fingers shook with need.
Ryker chuckled against my mouth, the sound dark and amused.
“Impatient, are we?”
He caught my wrists, pinning them above my head with one hand while the other worked at his clothing with practiced efficiency.
“Says the man who just devoured me like a starving beast.” I smirked.
“And I’m not nearly finished with you.”
He whispered the words against my lips, only making me more desperate for him. When he freed himself, Ryker released his hold, and I reached for him, wrapping my fingers around his girth. He groaned into my mouth as I moved my hand up and down his cock, his length hot and heavy in my palm.
I guided him to my entrance, and when he pushed inside with one hard, deliberate thrust, my eyes rolled to the back of my head as the sensation of him filling me so completely overwhelmed me.
His breathing hitched, and a tremor ran through his powerful frame. We moved together in perfect rhythm, a dance we’d long since perfected in moments just like this.
His forehead pressed against mine, our breaths ragged. The scent of wildflowers surrounded us, but all I could focus on was him: the salt on his skin, the way his muscles bunched beneath my hands, the raw need in his storm-grey eyes.
“Cadence.”
My name fell from his lips, the sound half pleasure and half pain. I wrapped my legs around his waist, urging him deeper, my nails digging into the hard muscle of his shoulders. Each thrust sent waves of desire crashing through me, building higher and higher until I could barely breathe.
“Look at me,” Ryker said, his voice strained. “I want to watch as you come for me.”
His pace quickened, becoming almost punishing in its severity, but I met him stroke for stroke, not giving him an inch.
“Mine.” He pressed his mouth against my throat, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin there. “Tell me you’re mine.”
The possessiveness in his tone sent a fresh wave of heat through me, and I didn’t hesitate. “Yours,” I said on a gasp, as he hit a spot inside me that made my vision blur. “I’m yours, Ryker.” The pressure built within me, a tightening coil of ecstasy that threatened to snap.
“Let go.” His voice was rough as gravel. “I want to feel your surrender as you shatter around my cock.”
My second orgasm struck with devastating force. I cried out, my body arching against his as waves of pleasure crashed through me. Ryker’s pace became erratic, each thrust more urgent than the last, before he found his release, emptying himself inside me.
We lay tangled together on the blanket, our skin cooling as we regained our senses. My fingers traced lazy patterns across Ryker’s sweat-slicked back, memorizing the ridges of muscle and the subtle imperfections that marked his body.
“You’ll be the death of me, Temptress,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my collarbone.
I laughed, running my free hand through his damp hair. “What a way to go, though.”
Ryker lifted himself onto his elbows, looking down at me with an expression that made my heart beat faster. There was something raw and unguarded in his eyes, and it terrified me as much as it thrilled me.
“When we return, promise me we will stay like this. Exactly as we are now.”
My eyes darted between his, seeing how desperately he needed to hear the words.
“I promise,” I said, before he claimed my lips with his.