“Traitor,” Callum murmured next to me.
“As heartwarming as this is,” Ryker said. “You and I need to talk, Temptress.”
“Temptress?” Callum repeated as he screwed up his nose.
My cheeks heated, and I did my best to ignore the cocky grin working its way across Ryker’s face.
“You look so pretty when you blush for me,Temptress.”
Callum groaned.
“Now you know how I feel.”
“Except, I’m not sleeping with him!” Callum pointed toward Riordan, who smirked back at him.
“Yet.”
“As much as I’m enjoying your brother’s discomfort,” Ryker said. “I’ll get to the point. I am assigning you a guard.”
“You are not!”
Had Ryker overheard me?
It was bad enough that Callum refused to leave without me, but now that a viable opportunity had presented itself, I couldn’t afford to let Ryker ruin my plans.
My brother’s life was on the line because I knew eventually Ryker would wield him as a weapon against me, and I would not allow him to become another casualty of the Unseelie Prince.
“Told you she wouldn’t be happy,” Riordan said, sounding far too amused at the situation.
“This is not up for discussion, Cadence.”
Ryker strode across the room, closing the distance between us.
“You attended the same council meeting I did. The vultures are circling, and I’ll be damned if I let any of those parasites lay a single finger on you.”
I shoved Ryker’s chest. Hard.
“And whose fault is that, Ryker?”
I pushed him again, and this time he took a step back.
“You’re the one who is constantly exposing me to danger with no thought for the consequences, and then you expect me to just accept further restrictions on my freedom like it’s of little concern.”
I stepped into his space.
“Fuck. You. Is it not enough that you have caged my magic?” I asked, waving my cuffed wrists in front of his face. “Upended my life? You want to take my dignity, too?”
My desperation to ensure my brother’s escape tightened my throat and heated my blood.
“I’m trying to keep you safe.” Ryker’s chest heaved as he ran a hand through his hair.
“From a problemyoucreated. You didn’t need to drag me to that meeting, but you did anyway.”
“Didn’t I? You are the future Queen of the Unseelie Fae!”
“A position I do not want.”
Ryker growled as he paced in front of me.
