Chapter Forty-Seven
Cadence
I woke to the feel of Ryker slipping inside me. Every muscle ached, and my skin was a map of bruises and bite marks. If any part of me remained untouched, I couldn’t find it.
During his torture sessions, Ryker had shifted from withholding orgasms to wringing them from me against my will. My memory was hazy, but vague images filled my mind. His teeth at my throat, the sharp sting of a slap, how he laughed when I cursed him, and how he made me beg after.
He said he was going to break me, but I promised he never would. I had no idea who was winning, only that every time I woke, I found myself wrapped in his arms, safe and secure.
Sometimes, that feeling was more terrifying than anything he could have inflicted.
“Good morning, wife.”
Was it morning? More importantly, which morning? He’d been fucking me for hours, maybe even days. I’d lost all sense of time, trapped in a brutal cycle of pleasure and pain until I no longer knew the difference between agony and ecstasy.
Light filtered through the drapes, but all I could focus on was the fullness of Ryker’s cock inside me, pulsing and ready to torment me some more.
He propped himself up on his elbow, smirking down at me with his usual blend of arrogance and lethality.
His hand drifted up my body, his fingers tracing the constellation of bruises blooming along my skin.
When his palm collared my throat, he leaned down, pressing his mouth to the soft spot behind my ear. “Are you going to feed me more of your lies, Temptress?”
All I could do was blink, unable to muster the energy to form words. My lips felt swollen from his violent kisses, and my voice was hoarse from screaming his name.
“Answer me.”
The only sound that escaped me was an animalistic whine. It was enough for him, though. He chuckled, burying his face in my neck and biting down.
A merciless pounding at the door saved me from any further torture. At least for the time being.
“Fuck off! I told you I’m not to be disturbed.”
“My most sincere apologies, Your Highness,” Riordan drawled, not sounding the least bit apologetic. “However, our father has summoned us to the throne room. We have guests.”
Ryker pulled out of me, leaving me relieved and aching all at once.
“What guests?”
“Foreigners, that’s all I know.”
“Seelie?”
“That would be my guess.”
“Fuck.”
Ryker’s jaw tightened, and I thought he was going to crack a tooth.
Then he threw off the blankets as he jumped from the bed.
He used the silken bedsheet to clean the sweat and come from his stomach, unconcerned with his nudity.
His body was a portrait of scratches and bite marks, but they did little to detract from his beauty.
He was magnificent. And monstrous.
He marched toward the breakfast cart and retrieved a glass of water. Placing the tumbler on the nightstand, he slipped his arms beneath me, lifting me to his chest as though I weighed nothing. He settled himself against the headboard before arranging my body in his lap.
“Drink, Cadence,” he said as he pressed the cup to my lips.
I drank greedily, letting the cool liquid coat my burning throat. Ryker stroked my matted hair, untangling the mess he’d made each time he had wrapped it around his fist.
The pounding started up again, and Ryker cursed.
“Ryker, did you hear me?” Riordan said, with no small measure of agitation in his tone.
“Of course I fucking heard you. The entire palace heard you.”
“Are you coming?”
“When I’m good and fucking ready!”
Riordan huffed. “Why must you make everything so difficult?”
“It’s one of my many talents.”
“Father’s patience is not infinite.”
“And you think I worry about such trivial things?”
“Fuck off.” The sound of Riordan’s retreating footsteps had Ryker grinning.
Then he set me down on the mattress with such gentle affection that my pulse quickened. “Are you sore, Temptress? Do you want me to run you a bath?”
A small noise of affirmation escaped me, and Ryker snickered before he disappeared inside the bathing chamber. I could hear the taps gurgling to life, and the sound made my eyes flutter closed as the rhythmic splash threatened to pull me under.
I must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes again, I was being lifted from the bed, the hard outline of Ryker’s body encasing me protectively.
The marble tub overflowed, and the oils Ryker had poured into the water filled the air with the scent of wildflowers and honey. Small rose petals dotted the surface, and the scene was an odd contrast to the endless torment I had endured.
Ryker stepped into the bath, water sloshing over the edge as he lowered us.
His touch was almost reverent as he cradled me between his thighs, washing me with slow, deliberate care.
He cleaned every bruise he’d left, every mark he’d made, murmuring words of adoration that I was far too gone to appreciate.
I let myself float in his arms, surrounded by his warmth, as I contemplated what I had allowed myself to become.
Ryker finished rinsing my hair before stepping out of the tub to retrieve a towel. He held his hand out to me, helping me out of the bath as he dried me off. Then he wrapped me in a robe and led me back into the bedroom, where he settled me beneath the covers.
He dressed in record time, not bothering to hide the cuts and bruises marring his own skin. My eyes drifted closed again as Ryker rummaged through his drawers in search of something.
A soft click had my eyes springing open, and I peered down, watching as Ryker removed my cuffs.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t murder me, Temptress, but I’m willing to risk it so you can heal yourself.”
It took a minute for my foggy brain to catch up, but when it did, I allowed my magic to flow through me, healing every abrasion on my body as I basked in the warmth of my power radiating within me.
I didn’t have time to truly appreciate the feeling before my magic was cut off. Ryker clicked the locks back into place and slipped the keys into his pocket.
“Sleep, Cadence,” he said against my lips. “I’ll have Scarlette bring you some food.”
With that, he rose to his full height and headed out the door.