I spun to face her, backing her against the stone wall with my body. My hands braced on either side of her head as I leaned in close, our faces inches apart.
“Property,” I chuckled, my voice rough and menacing. “You want to know what you are to me, Temptress?”
Her chin lifted, though her pulse fluttered at the base of her throat. “Enlighten me.”
“Every. Fucking. Thing. And you just agreed to risk it all to prove you’re not scared of those who don’t even warrant your attention.”
I pushed off the wall, needing some space to calm down. Cadence was staring at me as if she had never seen me before. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open.
How could she not know that she’d already ruined me?
That every breath she took tightened the chains I willingly wrapped around my own fucking throat. I raked a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the desperation clawing through my chest.
“What the hell were you thinking?” I roared, my shadows exploding outward to coat the walls in writhing darkness.
Cadence didn’t flinch. Instead, she straightened her shoulders, her eyes blazing with defiance.
“You think I give a shit about the petty games and fragile egos of the council?” I stalked toward her, caging her in once more.
“I care about you, damn it. About protecting you. Keeping you safe. I can’t do that when you keep stepping into the fire just to prove you can’t be burned.”
Cadence’s expression shifted. Conflict, anger, and something softer flickered across her face.
“I am tired of being treated like a fragile doll that needs protecting, Ryker.” She crossed her arms as she glared at me. “I’m stronger than that, and you know it.”
“Your own stubbornness will be your downfall, woman.”
Cadence pushed against my chest, trying to create distance between us. “Get out of my way, Ryker.” She moved to the side as though she intended to step around me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I rumbled, gripping her elbow once more. “We aren’t done here.”
Without waiting for her reply, I continued down the corridor, pulling her behind me.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ryker
The moment we reached our chambers, I slammed the door behind us and whirled to face her.
Cadence backed away from me, sensing the dangerous edge clinging to me like a second skin.
I was enraged, apprehensive, but most of all, aroused.
My Temptress went toe-to-toe with the council, my father, and me, never backing down despite the scrutiny. She’d demonstrated exactly why she deserved to rule at my side and fuck me if that wasn’t a turn on.
My hand darted out to grip her throat. The delicate column of her neck fit perfectly in my palm, and her pulse hammered against my thumb.
“On your knees.”
I didn’t allow her to disobey, lowering her to the ground while maintaining my hold on her throat.
Her eyes flashed, but there was no fear in her gaze. Only challenge and desire that mirrored my own. She glared at me with the same defiance she had shown in the throne room.
She might be on her knees, but she was far from conquered.
“Do you have any idea what you did in there?”
She narrowed her gaze, but her quickening breath gave away the state of her arousal. “I won. I survived.”
