“Not only did they watch your humiliation, but they also reveled in it,” I growled.
“True. But they also lived under the rule of your father, who had turned them against the Wraith Borne. Maybe this is a chance for peace.”
I studied her as my jaw worked back and forth. I wasn’t pleased by the idea of anyone who had slighted my wife walking away without retribution, no matter how small the infraction.
But Cadence was right. This was a unique opportunity for my reign to differ from my father’s. With her by my side, perhaps we could mend what he had broken.
I released a resigned breath. The tension in my body faded as I ducked my head and slanted my lips over hers in a gentle kiss. “Only because you asked it of me.”
I returned my gaze to the crowd. “Your queen has saved your lives today. You breathe because she wills it. Remember that the next time you contemplate slighting her. There will be no second chances. Now get out of my sight.”
My gaze locked on Scarlette, but her eyes were fixed on my wife. They shared a silent moment, and tears of gratitude filled Scarlette’s eyes. She dipped her head in acknowledgment, then followed the rest of the Unseelie Fae from the throne room.
When it was only the two of us that remained, I lifted her hand to my mouth and pressed my lips to her palm. “You make me a better king. A better man. And when the time comes, a better father.”
Cadence smiled, and in that instant, all my demons vanished, leaving only the warmth of her light.
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 themabove 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 ashe 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 withmymate, 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.”
