Her eyes widened in realization, and her jaw dropped. “You would use our mate bond to your advantage?” she asked in disbelief.
“I wish there was another way, Melania. I truly do. But Ryker has tied my hands, and I would do anything if it meant protecting my brother.”
Her mouth snapped shut, her expression turning contemplative. Despite her disgust, a hint of admiration shone from within her eyes.
“You’re more ruthless than I gave you credit for,” Melania finally said.
I didn’t recoil from her assessment. “Survival demands it.”
She hummed in agreement.
Melania’s fingers tapped against her forearm, a rhythmic beat that matched the pounding of my heart. She moved toward the window, peering out through the curtains at the palace grounds beyond. The longer she remained silent, the more I fought the urge to fill the quiet with desperate pleas.
I had laid my cards on the table. All I could do now was wait.
“You’re more like him than you realize,” Melania said with a wry smile, twisting her lips. “It is a shame, really. You would make a fierce queen.”
“Does that mean you will help me?”
Melania released a slow breath, her fingers drumming against her arm once more. “Freedom is rarely as simple as we imagine it to be, Cadence. You need to be certain it’s what you want?”
“Perhaps not, but I’d rather face those risks than allow someone else to chart my course for me.”
“There are fates far crueler than what Ryker has done to you,” she said, her gaze distant.
“Will you help me?” I asked again.
Instead of answering my question, she asked, “How do you intend to overthrow those who bring the supplies? It won’t take long for the King to add soldiers to the supply routes.”
I’d thought about it, and the simple answer was that we needed allies. Men and women who would benefit from the unrest.
I told Melania as much.
“It seems you have it all figured out,” she said, pursing her lips.
I held my breath, waiting for her response.
When I couldn’t stand the suffocating silence any longer, I said, “Will you help me?”
Melania stared at me, the seconds stretching between us, before she sighed. “I need more time to consider your request.”
I tried to hide the disappointment from showing on my face.
She hadn’t said no. Until then, there was hope.
Chapter Eighteen
Cadence
“Your turn,” I said, tossing Callum the practice sword.
Eamon chuckled from behind me, far too pleased with himself. “Don’t tell me you’re quitting. We were just getting started.”
My chest heaved from exertion, and I grabbed my waterskin, drinking deeply. The liquid tasted like metal and sweat, but I drained half the skin anyway. My muscles screamed in protest as I lowered my arm, and I could feel Eamon’s eyes tracking my every movement, cataloging each weakness.
“I’m not quitting,” I said, wiping water from my chin with the back of my hand. “Just giving Callum a chance to get his ass kicked.”
My brother tested the weight of the practice sword, moving it from hand to hand. He’d been watching us spar for the better part of an hour, studying our techniques with that calculating look he gets whenever he’s scheming.
