Chapter Thirty-Four
Cadence
I refused to drown in the weight of yet another betrayal. Ryker had a way of making me feel like he was the very air I needed to survive, only to steal it from my lungs in the next breath. However, the constant volatility of our relationship had gone some way to dull the sting of his deception.
The faint tapping of knuckles against the door pulled me from my thoughts. I knew it wasn’t Ryker. The sound was too tentative, unsure.
I crossed Ryker’s chambers, making my way to the entrance. The intricate carvings etched into the paneling of the doorway might have been beautiful if they hadn’t belonged to the gilded cage that held me captive.
My hand reached for the doorknob, then hesitated. I took a moment to steady myself before gripping the smooth metal. I wouldn’t allow any of the Unseelie Fae so much as a glimpse of my inner turmoil.
Letting out a controlled breath, I turned the handle and pulled the door open.
Melania stood on the other side, her golden braid draped over her shoulder as she fidgeted with the leather belt at her waist.
“Melania? This is a pleasant surprise. Please, come in,” I said, waving my hand toward the spacious antechamber.
“I am glad to see you have recovered from the trials.” There was a tense undercurrent to her words, and my spine stiffened in response.
“I won’t lie and tell you it was easy,” I laughed without humor.
“No. I can’t imagine it was.”
Melania studied me for a long moment, her brows furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. Her gaze swept over my body, as if replaying every vivid detail of what it had endured during the trials.
“You showed the swine of the Unseelie Court you are not one to be underestimated,” she said, admiration lacing her words.
“To be honest with you, Melania, their opinions of me are none of my business. Like me or hate me, I do not care.”
I slumped into the vacant armchair by the window and, with a wave of my arm, invited her to join me on the chaise.
“You may not seek their approval, but you have earned it all the same.” She pursed her lips, as if holding back more.
The tension slowly began to rise in the room, and I shifted uncomfortably. “Would you like me to call for refreshments?” I asked, just to cut the silence.
“No, thank you. I’ve come to discuss your proposal.”
A sharp jolt ran through me at her words. It wasn’t fear or excitement, but rather nervous anticipation.
“And?”
Melania let out a slow breath. “Against my better judgment, I have decided to help you, Cadence.”
The grin that spread across my face was impossible to contain.
“Before you get too excited, I have conditions.”
I sobered immediately.
“We give the food to the refugees. I want to know my treasonous actions will be of benefit to the kingdom despite my apparent lack of loyalty to the crown.”
“Done.”
Melania craned a brow. “Concede that fast during negotiations and your opponent will smell your desperation,” she said.
“Is that what you are? My opponent?”
Melania didn’t respond straight away, instead taking the opportunity to sift through her thoughts as though she was searching for the right words.
“We are not opponents, no. I only wish there was a better way to achieve your goals.” The slump of her shoulders had guilt eating at me. Melania was my friend, and I didn’t like myself for putting her in this position.
“I meant what I said, Melania. I do not seek to hurt your kingdom, I only want my freedom.”
“You would make a good queen, you know, if you stayed.”
My gaze drifted to the window and the courtyard below. I watched the children splashing in the fountain. It had become one of my favorite pastimes of late. Their delighted squeals and carefree grins made me want to forget the darkness, to linger in the light and soak in their innocence and wonder.
But I had long since learned the price of naivety.
“I can’t. Ryker has revealed the kind of mate he truly is, and I am inclined to believe him. He betrays me at every opportunity, and I keep giving them to him. If I don’t escape now, the cost will soon become more than I can bear.”
Melania sighed but did not argue. “I know a man,” she said. “He has become a leader among those displaced by the Wraith Borne. He appealed to the council for help, but none has been forthcoming. Now, he is no longer asking.”
Her unspoken words were deafening within the silence: the desperate had turned against the crown. My hands tightened around the armrest. The King had stood by, allowing his people to suffer the consequences of a war he started, all in the name of power and control.
Had Ryker been king, the Unseelie Fae might have fared better.
And our paths would never have crossed.
It was what I’d always yearned for, yet a small pang tugged beneath my ribs. A swell of emotion filled my chest, telling me we could work through our differences, begging me to stay.
I inhaled a sharp breath, tears pricking the back of my eyes.
The ring demands loyalty.
Suddenly, my mind cleared, and I pushed the longing away. It wasn’t real, just another consequence of Ryker’s most recent betrayal.
“When can you set up a meeting?” I asked, shaking off the feeling.
“I will reach out to him and see if he will meet. He does not trust easily. He’s been scorned too often for that, but he respects those who know their purpose.” I nodded, letting the weight of her words settle.
Strength.
That’s what I’d need to face what lay before me.
The strength to resist both the mate bond and the ring’s demand for loyalty.
The cold silence wrapped around me as I considered the path ahead. I still needed to sever the bond, otherwise, my efforts would be futile — not just for me, but for my brother.
Melania rose from her seat. “I’ll be in touch.” Then she strode from the room.
Outside the chamber, the wind whispered through the halls, a restless echo of the turmoil stirring inside me. Yet hope sparked within me, fragile but determined. Hope that I might still have the power to change my fate.