Chapter Forty-Five
Ryker
I offered Cadence my open palm, and her eyes darted around the room, searching. For what, I had no idea. There wasn’t a single fae within the realm that could save her from me.
She swallowed before placing her delicate hand in mine. Shadows encircled us in a dizzying rush, and before Cadence could even draw a breath, we were back in our chambers.
She swayed on her feet, and I wrapped my arm around her waist to steady her. “Easy,” I murmured.
I didn’t allow her to get her bearings, though. Instead, I lifted her into my arms and carried her to the mattress, setting her down. My shadows unfurled, following my every command as they snaked across her skin, securing her wrists and ankles to the bedposts.
Cadence glared at me from her position on the bed as I strode toward the door.
“What are you doing?”
Ignoring her, I informed the guards stationed outside that we were not to be disturbed, no matter the circumstances. I had plans for my wife, and the Wraith Borne could burn the entire Unseelie Kingdom to the ground before anyone would interrupt me.
On my way back, I grabbed a dagger from the mantle above the fire, playing with the sharpened tip until I drew blood. Cadence watched me as I approached. She didn’t allow her gaze to drop to the blade in my grip, despite every instinct telling her to look.
She was defiant, my wife. And no matter how much my presence affected her, she’d rather die than let it show.
“What game are you playing at now, Ryker?”
Again, I ignored her as I climbed onto the bed, crawling up her body until my thighs straddled either side of her hips.
Cadence was a beautiful woman. Her chocolate-brown eyes radiated warmth, drawing me in. Each glance threatened to pull me under, as though I could drown in their depths and never find the surface again.
Her chestnut hair gleamed as I caught a few loose strands, rolling them between my fingers. Its silkiness beckoned me, and I ached to nestle my face in it.
I wanted to bury her beneath my skin, to infect my body with her presence, my blood, my fucking soul. There would never come a day that I didn’t need more of her. She was everywhere, all around me, and yet, it wasn’t enough. It could never be enough.
“You’re hiding things from me, wife.”
She didn’t deny it. Instead, she raised her chin, glaring at me.
A low chuckle rumbled up my throat as I spun the knife on my palm. Cadence was no wilting flower. She wouldn’t make this easy on me.
Unfortunately for her, I reveled in the challenge.
I lowered the blade to her bodice, snagging the edge of her dress with the tip as I slowly cut the material from her body. My movements were precise, careful not to break her skin. By the time I was finished, her gown was in ribbons, and she lay bound and exposed before me.
My breath caught, because no matter how many times I saw her like this, the raw beauty of her naked form undid me.
“You are the most exquisite thing I have ever seen in my vast years on this plane, Temptress.”
I leaned forward, placing a kiss on her mound. She moaned as she shifted beneath me, and a wicked grin spread across my face.
“I will give you one chance to confess, sweet Cadence.”
My eyes moved to hers. She turned her face away from me, her lips pressing into a thin line, announcing her refusal.
I wasn’t angry. I preferred it this way.
“Very well.”
I dragged the flat edge of the blade along the inside of her thigh, watching as goosebumps rose across her skin. She shivered despite herself, and I didn’t miss the way her breathing quickened.
“Why don’t we start with Lord Barrington?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Her voice was steady, but her pulse hammered against her throat.
Stubborn woman.
I traced the dagger higher, letting it press against her folds. This time, she couldn’t hide her reaction. Cadence whimpered, her teeth sinking into her plump bottom lip to stifle the sound.
But it was too late. That one murmur betrayed her desire.
Cadence wasn’t afraid of my depravity, she welcomed it. My wife took everything I gave her, meeting me in the darkness where she belonged.
“I know you killed him, Temptress. I want to know why.”
When Cadence remained silent, I clicked my tongue, flipping the dagger around so that I held the blade instead of the hilt. I dragged the handle along her entrance, parting her glistening lips, and coating the metal with her arousal.
Cadence sucked in a breath, and I pushed the dagger inside her.
Her back arched off the bed, my shadows straining against her wrists, holding her in place. I thrust the hilt deeper, watching her body respond to my invasion. As I twisted the handle, her face contorted with unwilling pleasure, and her hips rocked against the knife in search of more.
The sight of her writhing against the blade had my cock straining painfully against my leathers. This was supposed to be a punishment for her, but I was being tortured right alongside her.
“I’m not hearing your confession,” I said, as I leaned down to capture her earlobe between my teeth once more. “Tell me why you ended him.”
I thrust the dagger deeper, and Cadence’s eyes fluttered closed. A moan escaped her before she could stop it.
“You’re so fucking wet for me, wife. Even when you’re defying me.”
She buried her face in the pillow, but I caught the flush spreading across her chest, the way her nipples tightened into hard buds.
Withdrawing the blade, I brought the hilt to my lips, and her taste exploded on my tongue. I groaned, readjusting myself as I returned the dagger to her entrance.
With slow, shallow thrusts, I fucked her with the handle.
My palm was slick with blood from the many cuts I’d inflicted, but I hardly felt them.
Cadence bucked and writhed, trying to force the knife deeper, but I kept it in place.
Pleasure bloomed with each thrust, but it wasn’t enough to send her over the edge.
She hadn’t earned that yet.
“Why did you kill him, Cadence?”
“I didn’t —” she started, but I cut her off with a sharp thrust.
“Do not fucking lie to me.” I leaned closer, letting my lips hover over hers. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice the little apothecary you were building in our bathing chambers?”
Her eyes widened in surprise, and then her upper lip lifted in a snarl. “He deserved it!”
“I don’t doubt that he did, but you placed yourself at risk, and that’s not something I’m willing to forgive,” I said, letting the first glimpse of my anger free.
It didn’t bother me that she had killed the spineless prick. What infuriated me was the fact that she put herself in harm’s way. Had she been caught, the entire Unseelie Court would have demanded her execution.
“Now,” I said, forcing myself to take a calming breath. “You’ll tell me what he did to earn your ire.”
She slammed her lips together, and I leaned forward, running my tongue over the seam. The handle of the blade sank deeper, and when Cadence cried out, I knew I’d hit the spot that made her wild.
I sucked her puckered nipple into my mouth as I moved the blade faster, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. Her body tensed, warning me she was just about to tip over.
That’s when I wrenched the dagger free, leaving her pussy pulsing and empty.
Cadence spluttered, disbelief and sweat drenching every inch of her.
“W-what…” she panted, unable to find words.
“I’ll let you come, Temptress, as soon as you tell me what I want to know.”