“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.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Ryker
“Oh, gods.”
“Not the gods, Temptress,” I said as I pushed the dagger inside her. “Invoking the gods suggests salvation, and you’ll only finddamnation here. After all, you promised to be my ruin, so it’s only fair that I be yours.”
Her head thrashed against the pillow, each movement a silent scream of thwarted need. My shadows tightened around her wrists as she pulled against them, desperate for more friction, more pressure, anything to push her over the precipice I kept denying her.
I could see the moment her resolve wavered. Her breathing hitched, and her hands curled into fists. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she released a shaky exhale.
She was fighting a war against her own body, and we both knew she was losing.
“He… he touched Celeste.”
The blade stilled in my hand. “And that concerns you?”
“He was choking her, Ryker. Saying awful things. If I hadn’t intervened, he might have killed her.”
“You despise her. She is the reason you had to endure the trials. You could have died because of her.”
Cadence flinched at the venom dripping from my tone, but I wasn’t done.
“So, tell me, why the fuck would you risk your life, and the life of our unborn child, to protecthers?”
“Not everyone is as cruel as you, Ryker.”
Cadence glared at me, and a sinister smirk tilted my lips.
“Oh, Temptress,” I cooed. “You have no idea just how cruel I can be.”
I stood, shedding my clothing, as Cadence’s wary gaze followed me. Trepidation shone from her chocolate depths, but not as bright as the desire that swirled there.
