Chapter Fifty-Four
Cadence
Fear tasted foul on my tongue. My chest was too tight, and my heart was beating so fast that I feared it would give out before my brother returned.
I paced the length of Ryker’s chambers, my soft slippers barely making a sound on the stone floor. It was a stark contrast to the endless noise inside my head. The invasive thoughts that told me I’d been a fool to risk my brother’s life on such a dangerous task played on a loop, taunting me.
The windows rattled with each gust of wind as if the palace itself was warning me to run.
Not that I could.
Riordan, Eamon, and Malesh all stood guard outside the door. Ryker hadn’t wanted to jeopardize my safety when duty called him away. He’d all but confined me to his chambers, his most loyal men watching over me in his absence.
I suppose I should have felt flattered. If I tried hard, I could almost make myself believe his actions were a testament to his devotion.
But I knew a cage when I saw one.
A brittle chill of air swept through the room, washing over me and settling against my spine.
Something was wrong. I could feel it. The frigid dread that had crawled beneath my skin was a warning.
“Please let my brother return unharmed.”
I clenched my hands at my sides, and I gnawed at my bottom lip as I prayed to the gods that I no longer believed in.
It was so quiet. Too still. And I hated it.
I wanted to scream.
A knock at the door pulled me from my spiraling thoughts, and Riordan’s face appeared in the doorway.
“Lord Thorne is here. He has requested an audience.”
My eyebrows drew together as I tried to reason why he would seek me out.
“You don’t have to entertain him, sweetheart. I’ll happily tell him to fuck off.”
“It’s fine, Riordan. Send him in.”
I moved toward the armchair by the window and settled my skirts in place as I waited for the Unseelie lord. A moment later, the sound of shuffling boots greeted me as Riordan entered the room, Fallon right on his tail.
Riordan perched on the armrest of my chair, his forearm slung over the back, a practiced grin on his handsome face.
Fallon bowed, the movement stiff and hesitant.
“What can we do for you, Lord Thorne?” Riordan asked, his tone deceptively inviting.
Fallon cleared his throat, his eyes darting to Riordan and then to me.
“I had hoped to have a word with Lady Cadence in private, Your Majesty.”
Riordan chuckled, but the sound was no longer friendly.
“Ah, I’m afraid I cannot grant your request, Lord Thorne.
” He moved closer to me, his body covering mine as he leaned toward Fallon.
“My sister-in-law is very dear to me, and someone within these walls tried to take her from us recently, if you recall.”
Memories assaulted my senses.
The smell of my blood.
Frantic screams.
The phantom pain that lingered at my side.
Fallon cleared his throat. “I promise I hold no ill intentions towards the Princess,” he said.
I jolted at his use of my title. More so, considering I’d sent my brother on a treasonous mission against the Unseelie Crown.
Riordan shrugged, and Fallon’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. His gaze returned to me, settling there. “The purpose of my visit is of a… delicate nature.”
His eyes searched my face, willing me to understand.
My own narrowed in return, but I could not detect his meaning.
“It’s all right, Riordan,” I said, placing my hand on his forearm. “I am content to hear what Lord Thorne has to say.”
“Cadence.” The single word was a warning.
He did not like this. Not one bit.
“You’re just outside the door. If he tries anything, I’ll scream.”
“Ryker would not approve. In fact, he would likely cut off my cock for even entertaining the thought, and sweetheart, I am rather fond of the appendage.”
I rolled my eyes, giving him a gentle shove.
“Five minutes,” he said, pointing a finger at Fallon. “And I will be right outside.”
I returned my gaze to the lord. The self-assured bastard looked at me as though he’d already won.
“Nicely done, Lady Cadence.”
“I wasn’t aware I was seeking your approval, Lord Thorne.”
He chuckled, the sound threatening. “Your father said your tongue was as sharp as your wit.”
My blood froze in my veins, and my eyes widened. A savage grin worked its way across Fallon’s face as he stepped closer.
“It’s you. You’re the traitor who has been feeding information to the Wraith Borne.”
“Come now, Lady Cadence. It’s not like you haven’t done the same.”
I had, but not willingly.
His gaze raked over my body, and I resisted the urge to squirm under his scrutiny.
“Who could have imagined that, after all these years, the Prince’s downfall would be at the hands of his own mate?” Fallon drew his bottom lip between his teeth, savoring my discomfort. “And the best part is, the arrogant prick has no idea.”
“What do you want?” I said, venom dripping from my tone.
“Your father is no longer waiting.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, trying to reconcile this turn of events.
“It means,” he drawled, “that the blight we call the royal family is soon to be eradicated.”
“But I haven’t been able to retrieve the intelligence my father needs. How can he be ready to attack?”
“You were but one plan, Lady Cadence. One of many. Your father has contingency plans, none of which rely on you.”
“Then why come to me at all?” I asked, my frustration warring with my fear.
“To determine your loyalties, of course.”
The way Fallon delivered his rebuke made me think I had failed my father’s test. His dull green eyes assessed me, and his upper lip lifted as though he found me wanting.
“When is the attack taking place?”
“We can’t spoil all the fun, Lady Cadence. But rest assured, when it’s time, you will know it.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I forced my hands to remain still in my lap, fighting the urge to wring them.
“You have a choice to make.”
“What choice?”
“When the Crimson Enclave makes its move, you can either join your father or be crushed beneath the uprising.”
History was repeating itself as though my father had learned nothing.
“This is madness,” I raked my fingers through my hair, needing an outlet for my growing agitation. “And why are you involved in my father’s schemes? What do you gain from all this?”
Fallon shrugged. “Maybe I want your mate put in his place.” His tone was nonchalant, but there was more beneath it.
“Men like you don’t expose their throats without good cause,” I said.
“A tongue as sharp as your mind,” he chuckled, repeating his words from earlier.
“That doesn’t answer the question.” I crossed my arms over my chest, if for no other reason than to prevent myself from lunging at the arrogant lord and strangling him with my bare hands.
“The Crimson Enclave will require someone with a certain… understanding of how things work to help them reintegrate into the Unseelie Court.”
I scoffed. “You think my father will name you his successor.”
Fallon’s eyes darkened, and malice burned in his green depths.
I inhaled a sharp breath, realization slowly dawning on me. “You want the throne.”
Fallon gnashed his teeth, startling me. “I have stood by for decades, watching my father’s generation ruin this court with their antiquated views and lack of ambition. The Unseelie deserve to be recognized as the superior fae we are, and I’ll be damned if I let usurpers stand in my way.”
“What are you saying…” I trailed off, afraid to venture down the path my mind had wandered.
“I think you know exactly what I’m getting at,” Fallon said. “It’s time for the Seelie and Unseelie Fae to be united under one banner.”
“Your banner, I presume.”
“Naturally.”
My thoughts swirled as I considered Fallon’s intentions. He wanted to conquer the realm, enslave the Seelie Fae — my people, my parents — and bend every living thing to his will.
“What makes you so sure I won’t tell my father of your intentions?”
Fallon wanted something from me, but I didn’t know what.
“You’re not a fool, Lady Cadence. Your father is coming, and he will not stop until your mate is in the ground. And where will that leave you? Do you want to spend the rest of your life as your father’s puppet?”
His eyes scanned my body, heat banked in his gaze, and my stomach roiled at his insinuation.
A sharp, bitter laugh escaped me. “You can’t be serious?”
“Oh, I am many things, but a jester is not one of them.”
I was out of my seat before I even realized I was moving. “Never. You’ll die before you ever claim me, and the fact you believe otherwise only proves how delusional you are.”
Fallon’s hands darted out, gripping my wrists and tugging me toward him. “Careful,” he warned. “Keep going, and I might think you aren’t worth the risk.”
I reared back, spitting in his face.
But Fallon only grinned. “Oh, taming you will be the greatest spoil there is.”
He tugged me impossibly closer, his body pressed against mine.
“Before you consider selling me out to your father, remember this: I’ve had his confidence for over a year.
He trusts me. I have been sowing the seeds of doubt where you are concerned, and it would take very little effort on my part to convince him you are trying to undermine his plans by painting me as the villain. ”
He released me so suddenly that I stumbled back, my thighs hitting the armchair behind me.
I watched in stunned silence as Fallon reached into his pocket and retrieved a handkerchief, wiping my saliva from his cheek as though he hadn’t a care in the world. When he was done, he pocketed the cloth and turned to face me.
“Think about what I said, Lady Cadence. Your life may very well depend on my good graces.”
With his threat lingering between us, he spun around and headed for the door.