Chapter Seventy-One
Ryker
I was being an asshole.
I understood that.
My brother was alive, and Cadence had delivered a miracle. But my nerves were raw, and a storm of emotions raged violently through my veins.
The beast inside me stirred, claiming the moment.
Instinct drowned reason, driving me to shield my mate at any cost, even from the one I would sacrifice myself to save.
“Temptress?” I said through clenched teeth.
Cadence rose to her feet. She stepped toward me, placing her delicate hands on my chest, and I encircled her waist. The action was so natural I didn’t have to think about it.
Peering up at me from under her lashes, she said, “My father severed Riordan’s soul from his body, and to save him, I had to anchor it.”
I gave her a curt nod, letting her know she had my full attention.
Cadence swallowed, and my grip on her waist tightened. “The only way to do that was to tether his soul to mine.”
My mind raced to make sense of what she was saying. Then it all clicked into place. “You created a bond between the two of you.”
She nodded, and my nostrils flared.
My brother was alive, I reminded myself. There was no greater gift than that.
Then why did I feel the urge to tear his head off?
Jealousy, red-hot and venomous, coursed through me. My chest tightened, and my hands trembled with emotion I could barely contain. A part of me relished the sharp, corrosive ache. Yet another part screamed in warning, desperate to stop the fire from spilling over.
“You love your brother. You love your brother. You love your brother.” I repeated the mantra in my head until my body loosened.
“Aren’t you happy that Riordan is alive?”
“Of course I am.” I snarled, undoing all my efforts to calm myself in an instant.
“Really?” Riordan said, his grin as bright as the midday sun. “Because you don’t seem all that… overjoyed.”
Callum snickered, and I considered whether Cadence and I even needed siblings. We had a son on the way; he’d make us a family. How much family did one person need? My own experiences were nothing to celebrate, and Cadence’s were much the same.
“Why do you look as if you’re considering my untimely demise?” Riordan asked. When I didn’t respond, he laughed. “Shit, you are, aren’t you?”
“Why do you find that amusing?” I demanded, making him laugh harder.
“No one is dying,” Cadence said, giving me a hard look.
I couldn’t help but smirk. I loved it when she became assertive. It turned me on.
“Besides, we have more pressing matters to contend with.”
I glanced around the hall. The guards stood scattered and unsettled, clearly at a loss. What they needed now was direction. A leader.
And damn it all the hell, that leader was me.
I crossed to my brother and offered him my hand. He gripped it without hesitation, and I helped him back to his feet.
“You aren’t going to kill me, are you?”
“Not today.”
“Good enough.”
I clasped Riordan by the shoulders and hauled him into a firm embrace, the kind neither of us was used to, and let myself breathe for the first time since the fighting ended. He was alive, and that’s all that mattered.
“Their relationship is… strange.” I heard Callum mutter before he grunted in pain. “What was that for?”
“Don’t ruin their moment,” Cadence murmured.
Pressing my brow to Riordan’s, I said, “I am grateful you’re alive. I might not say it often, but I love you, Little Brother. More than you could ever know.”
Riordan clapped me on my shoulder, lessening the emotion constricting my chest. “I know, Ryker, I know.”
“Good.” I cleared my throat. “Now go make yourself useful and oversee the guards.”
He flashed a grin and gave me a sharp salute before heading toward the dazed guards, giving out orders and taking command. He looked far too pleased with himself, and the sight made me chuckle.
Small hands wrapped around my waist, and I felt the warmth of Cadence’s body as she pressed herself to my back. “I’m proud of you, Ryker.”
“Don’t think your silken words will spare you from the punishment you earned with that little stunt, Temptress.” I twisted in her grasp, turning to meet her gaze.
“It was worth a try,” she said with a shrug. “I could heal that for you, you know.” She let her fingers glide over the wound on my neck, even though the flesh had already begun to knit back together.
“No need.”
The warmth of her touch drew me in, and I lifted my hands, letting my palms cup her face. I lowered my mouth to hers, parting her lips as I drove my tongue inside. She tasted like wildflowers and smoke, but more than anything, she tasted like fucking mine.
Purely, unmistakably, mine.
We pulled apart, and time seemed to stall as we stared at each other.
“You could have died, Temptress,” I said, kissing her eyes, her cheeks, her nose. “You can’t imagine the monster I’d become without you.” I placed my hand on her lower abdomen. “Without him.”
“Why are you so certain it’s a boy?” she asked, her tone light and playful.
“Because I have no idea how to raise a girl,” I said. “Probably murder every fae male not related by blood before they even thought of trying something foolish.”
Cadence chuckled, and I glared at her. “And don’t change the subject.”
“I knew the risks, Ryker,” she said, blowing out a breath. “Riordan would not have made it unless I did something drastic. It was my decision to make, and you need to respect that.”
Pride surged through me. This woman was made for me. She was the only one fierce enough to stand her ground when faced with my fury.
She once asked if she’d tamed the Night Cursed Prince. I told her she hadn’t. Not even a little.
But the truth was, the moment I saw her, her presence eased the darkness inside me. She hadn’t just tamed me, she’d conquered me: mind, body, and soul.
“Ryker,” Cadence said, her voice wavering with uncertainty.
“Yes, Temptress?”
“Eamon is dead.”
My heart cracked wide open again at the mention of my fallen friend. I shut my eyes, struggling to steady the storm within.
“I know.” The words trembled as they clawed their way out.
“He died protecting me.”
“And I’ll never stop being grateful for that. I owe him a debt I can never hope to repay. So, we will do the only thing left to us: we’ll send him to the gods in a manner worthy of a king.”