Chapter Seventy-Three
Cadence
My back hit the wall with a thud as Ryker leaned into me, his kiss urgent and consuming. He drove his tongue past my lips, fucking my mouth as he gripped my wrists, slamming them above my head. I moaned, grinding my hips against his, using the wall for leverage.
“Greedy for my cock, Temptress?” he cooed.
The thick ridge of his length pressed against my core, and a pathetic, needy whimper escaped me. Ryker nipped my lip before kissing me harder. His hands roamed my body, rough and relentless. His free palm squeezed my ass hard enough to bruise, making me melt.
“You like that?” he asked, already knowing the answer. The evidence of my arousal was dripping between my thighs.
Heat blistered between us, and Ryker released my wrists. His large hand settled on my throat, making my breath hitch. I raked my nails down his back, desperate for something to hold on to.
Ryker growled, the sound feral as he sheathed himself inside me with one brutal thrust. The wall scraped my skin as I bucked against him, but I barely noticed it. I wanted more. Needed more.
Ryker chuckled, and it vibrated through me, making my pulse pound in my ears. “Do you need to be fucked, wife?”
He dragged his mouth along my jaw, biting and sucking as he drove himself deeper, filling me so completely I could hardly breathe. “I want to hear you scream for me.”
I clawed at his shoulders, my fingernails digging into the muscle as he set a punishing rhythm. His hips pistoned into me, slamming me into the wall, but he didn’t slow his pace.
“Is this what you wanted, Temptress?” His hand tightened around my throat, holding me in place. “You want to be fucked like this?”
My body shook, tension coiling tight. “Yes, oh gods, yes!”
“That’s it,” he said. “Take it. Take all of me.”
Pounding erupted on the other side of the door, and I squealed at the unexpected intrusion. If Ryker heard, he didn’t show it as he slammed me into the wall, hand tightening around my throat as heat flooded my core.
The noise sounded again, louder and more urgent. “Fuck off,” Ryker snapped, never slowing his thrusts.
“For the love of all things holy, have some fucking mercy,” Riordan shouted from the other side.
“You’ve been going at it for days, and I have endured every second of it down the bond.
My cock is bruised and swollen from how much I’ve handled it, and not even my Killer can take the edge off.
Please, Ryker, I beg of you, knock it the fuck off! ”
“Not so fun sharing a bond with my mate, is it, Little Brother.”
The smug satisfaction in Ryker’s voice told me he was enjoying this far more than necessary. Riordan bashed his head against the door, groaning.
Ryker pulled out, then pounded into me again, harder this time. A scream tore its way free, and I clenched around him.
“Yes, Cadence, that’s it. Come for me. Show me who owns this fucking pussy.”
“Ryker! I know you’re doing this to fuck with me!” his brother yelled.
“It’s a small price to pay for saving your life, don’t you think?”
“I’m going to kill you!”
Ryker threw his head back and laughed, never slowing his pace. Each thrust sent lightning up my spine as I chased my release. My vision blurred, and then I was coming, Ryker’s name falling from my lips like a prayer.
I was too far gone to care about the sounds echoing through the room, which left no doubt about what we were doing on our side of the door.
Ryker’s body stiffened, and a moment later, he followed, spilling himself inside me.
“Oh, thank the gods!” Riordan said, the sound of his retreating footsteps following him down the hall.
Ryker and I stared at each other before bursting into fits of laughter.
“You’re cruel, my love.”
“He’ll get over it… eventually.” He leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. “Now go get cleaned up. I have a surprise for you.”
He lowered me to the ground, and I eyed him. “The last time you said those words to me, you left three mangled corpses at my feet.”
“If you’re asking me to tell you what it is, don’t hold your breath because I won’t. Just make sure you wear something nice.”
“Something nice?” I repeated, but Ryker didn’t acknowledge me as he strolled into the bathing chamber.
When he re-emerged, his hair was wet, but pulled neatly into a bun atop his head. He was freshly shaven and wore a black tunic and pants that were embroidered with intricate silver patterns along the lapel and cuffs.
“Don’t you look handsome.”
“Keep looking at me like that, and we won’t make it on time.”
“Like what?” I purred, fluttering my lashes.
Ryker growled and then stalked toward me.
“You’re a vicious little siren, you know that, Temptress?
” He pressed his lips to mine, his hand tangling in my hair as he kissed me.
When we broke apart, he said, “Now go. I promise you’ll love this surprise.
” He swatted my ass for good measure, then chuckled as I grumbled under my breath.
After I had freshened up, I slipped on the emerald green dress I’d selected and braided my hair.
When I stepped into the room, Ryker froze. His gaze traveled the length of my body from my head to my toes, making my skin heat. He swallowed thickly, then cleared his throat.
“Cadence, you look…” he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
“Beautiful, stunning, right out of your wildest dreams?” I offered.
“Those words don’t do you justice,” he said. “You’re ethereal.”
Ryker closed the distance between us, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close. His eyes darkened as he traced my lower lip with his thumb. “The gods themselves must have conspired to bring you to me, Temptress, because no man deserves such fortune.”
“We are fated if you recall,” I teased.
Ryker’s lips quirked. “I remember. The realization was so visceral, it prompted me to kidnap you.”
“No, you sent Malesh to do your dirty work.”
I swatted his chest, and he laughed. A genuine laugh, unburdened by duty or tarnished by resentment. I wanted to hear it again. Every day for the rest of my life.
Shadows gathered at our feet, drawing me out of my reverie. I clung to Ryker, still not used to the sensation of traveling through the darkness.
When the shadows dispersed, we were standing next to a small pool, nestled in a quiet nook of the forest. The water was crystal clear and glimmered like liquid glass.
Its surface mirrored the sky above, broken only by the gentle ripple of a passing breeze.
Around its edges, an abundance of wildflowers burst free in a riot of colors: delicate blue, soft pink, sunny yellow, and deep purple.
Their petals brushed the water, and the air was fragrant with their perfume.
“It’s beautiful.” I watched as a dragonfly hovered nearby, its wings catching the golden sunlight filtering through the trees. “But what are we doing here?”
Ryker nodded past the pool, and for the first time, I noticed the arch, overflowing with flowers, tucked against the rocks on the other side.
A man I vaguely recognized stood beneath it, his white and gold vestment blending in with the scenery.
To the side, Callum, Riordan, Malesh, and Melania waited, their bright smiles and eager waves making me both elated and suspicious at once.
“What’s going on?” I asked, as I turned to face Ryker.
He was down on one knee, a ring clutched between his fingers. A twisted band of black metal hugged an iridescent sapphire, shot through with vines of silver.
It was brutal but beautiful, just like him.
“Temptress, I chose you the moment I saw you. And while I don’t deserve you, I’m too selfish to let you go. Now, I’m asking you to choose me too.”
“But we’re already married,” I blurted, and I heard the others chuckle from across the pool.
“I want to do it the right way this time.” His gaze shifted behind me. “With the right people.”
I glanced over my shoulder, and my heart stopped beating. Callum and Riordan had stepped to the side, and between them stood my aunt and uncle.
A sob worked its way up my throat. “Mama,” I cried. “Papa.”
Tears filled their eyes as they smiled back at me, and I resisted the urge to fling myself across the pool to get to them.
Instead, I peered down at Ryker. “Yes. Today, and every day that follows, yes.”
Ryker stood from the ground, lifting me into his arms as he kissed me hard.
“That’s a relief, because the High Priest wasn’t happy about having to marry us again.”
Laughter spilled from me, and Ryker grinned. “Let’s get married,” he said.
“Let’s.”