“But what about his ability to shield…” I cut myself off. “He inherited both strains of his parents’ magic,” I said, closing my eyes.
“Exactly!” The excitement in his tone made nausea swirl in the pit of my stomach. “Imagine what I could accomplish with all that power at my disposal.”
“Not if Ryker kills him first.”
“Once you are no longer around to mislead him, my son will fall into line.”
The idea of Ryker ever conforming was laughable, and almost as absurd as thinkingIwas the one corruptinghim.
“If you believe that, then you don’t know your son at all. Ryker will kill Mathias, and then he’ll come for you.”
The King bared his teeth at me, his hands clutching the iron bars before he could think better of it. He sucked in a sharp breath, pulling away from the metal as he soothed his palms.
“My son will be so distressed by the loss of his mate bond he won’t be able to focus on anything else.” He leaned in, careful not to let his skin meet the bars. “And when he’s fallen as far as he can, I’ll give him what he needs.”
“Which is?”
“An enemy.”
It wasn’t hard to guess who he’d choose as the scapegoat. “The Crimson Enclave.”
“This time, he’ll eradicate your kind.”
“Ah, but you’re forgetting something,” I said with a conspiratorial grin.
“I doubt it, but let’s hear it.” The King crossed his arms over his broad chest, the faintest hint of trepidation furrowing his brow.
“Ryker doesn’t trust you. Even if he could set aside the fact that you ordered the execution of his mate —”
“The law is clear,” he said, not letting me finish. “No Wraith Borne shall be permitted to live.”
I shrugged, knowing full well Ryker had no regard for the law. “He’ll unravel your schemes, and mark my words, you will find no shelter from his wrath.”
The King’s nostrils flared, and he clenched his jaw. With one final look of disdain, he turned around and stalked away from me.
“Why?”
His footsteps halted. “Why what?”
“Why do you wish me gone so badly?”
Without turning to face me, he said, “It hasn’t escaped my notice who your father is, Cadence. You look just like him, you know.” He didn’t bother to conceal his hatred. “And I’ll be damned if I let that bastard, or anyone from the Crimson Enclave, take my throne.”
Chapter Sixty-Four
Cadence
A low hum reached my ears, and I glanced around the cramped space of my cell, searching for its source. Then the noise grew louder, deep and mournful, until it swelled into something unmistakably real. The keening wail crawled closer,and I clutched at my frantically beating heart that threatened to claw its way out of my chest.
I jumped to my feet, my hands wrapping around the bars that kept me trapped, not caring about the burn that heated my skin.
“Hello.”
Only silence greeted me.
The cry sharpened, seeping into my bones as it twisted and writhed, bleeding sorrow and grief into the empty dungeon.
The image of my brother, bloodied and broken, flashed through my mind, and unadulterated fear coursed down my spine.
