Riordan didn’t hesitate, yanking the dagger from his belt and tossing it, blade-first. Ryker caught it midair, eyes never leaving mine. He pressed the steel beneath my chin, forcing my head up so I couldn’t look away from him.
“You want to save him?” he asked, menace seeping into his tone. “Then swear a blood oath to me, here and now. You will never make a move against me again. Or your brother dies at your feet.”
“No.”
The instant the word left my lips, I wanted nothing more than to snatch it back.
“No?” Ryker repeated, amusement lacing his tone. “I guess you care little for your brother’s well-being after all.”
A blood oath wasn’t just a promise. It was a binding of two souls. Ancient fae magic entwined their spirits, sealing a vow that could never be undone.
It was invasive and unnatural. Not born of love or loyalty, but of authority and subjugation.
The very thing I had been fighting against all this time.
It wasn’t a choice. It was a life sentence.
And Ryker knew it.
He lowered himself to his haunches, his eyes level with mine as his fingers returned to my jaw. I tried to wrench myself free, but his grip only tightened.
“Bind yourself to me.”
My heart pounded against my ribcage, trying to escape the bones that confined it. “You’ll kill him anyway,” I said, hating the tremor in my voice.
Callum’s breath rattled, wet and uneven, a deadly reminder that time was not on our side.
“Every second that you hesitate, your brother slips closer to death. Decide. His life is hanging by a thread, and soon enough, the fates will decide for you.”
The dagger pressed harder against my skin, cold and sharp. I could smell the metal, the wildness in Ryker’s breath, the tang of iron that hung thick in the air. Every muscle in my body screamed at me to move, to fight, to claw my way free.
But Callum’s blood kept pooling beneath him. His lips were blue, and his chest was hardly moving.
“Don’t make me choose like this. Please,” I said, unsure if I was begging the gods or pleading with the man in front of me.
But Ryker wasn’t capable of mercy, and the gods had abandoned me long ago.
My hands shook as I stared at Ryker, desperate to find even a sliver of compassion in his expression. But there was none. Only the predator, waiting for my surrender.
I could feel Riordan’s stare on my face. He wanted me to concede, to bind myself to my very own monster.
“Do it,” I said, my voice splintered and raw.
Ryker’s triumphant grin sent a surge of bile climbing my throat. Shadows coiled around my wrist, dragging my hand up.Ryker sliced my palm with Riordan’s dagger, crimson liquid welling at the site. Then he mirrored the motion with his own palm.
He offered his hand to me. “Swear the oath, Cadence.”
I clasped my hand with his, our blood mingling. The sensation was vile, but it was nothing compared to the magic spreading throughout the room, suffocating me.
“Say it.”
The words felt like broken glass as they scraped their way up my throat. “I swear to never make a move against you. I will not betray you or aid anyone who wishes you harm. By my blood, I bind myself to you,” I said, holding his victorious gaze.
Heat burned up my arm as the magic took hold. The room spun, and Ryker’s shadows bit into my skin, crawling beneath the surface.
“You’re mine now, Temptress. Irrevocably mine.”
“I hate you.”
