“Well, she’s lovely,” my brother snickered, breaking the tension.
I rolled my eyes, fighting a smirk. “Come on. You were right about Ryker losing it if he finds out I was gone. Best not to dance too close to death.”
Callum grunted before trailing after me.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Cadence
When I stepped across the threshold into Ryker’s chambers, dread settled over me, enveloping me like the warm embrace of a lover.
A moment later, I came face-to-face with the source of my unease.
Ryker stood against the far wall, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest, eyes the color of obsidian, as his shadows twisted and writhed around him.
Eamon paced the small space in front of him, pressing his thumbs into his eyes as he recited every place he had searched for me. His footsteps stopped abruptly, and he turned toward the entryway, toward me, and the sigh he released was one of pure relief.
“Cadence.”
I took a single step inside. Then another. The door thudded closed behind me, sealing us in. Callum shifted next to me, his eyes scanning the room as though he was searching for someone.
Eamon reached for me, his hands still trembling.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
I let him clasp my hands in his, just long enough to feel the quiet desperation humming beneath his skin. Then I stepped away.
My gaze flicked past him, finding Ryker. His shadows curled tighter, like a storm gathering force.
“You disappeared,” he said, his voice deadly calm. “Tell me why.”
I met his stare, refusing to flinch. “I needed air.”
His jaw tensed, a flicker of something darker — suspicion, or maybe rage — sweeping over his expression.
“You. Needed. Air.” He made every word count. “And you couldn’t wait for Eamon to return before heading out.”
His gaze flicked to Callum, and his eyes narrowed before returning to me.
Eamon’s voice cut through the standoff. “Now that she’s back —”
“She can speak for herself,” Ryker said, never looking away from me. “Can’t you, Cadence?”
I hated how my name sounded on his lips. Like a promise and a threat.
I lifted my chin, refusing to be cowed.
“Leave us.” When no one moved, Ryker shouted, “I said get out!”
Eamon flinched as if he’d been slapped, but Ryker barely noticed. He remained still, his gaze hard.
A tidal wave brewing beneath the ocean.
The shuffling of feet drew my attention, and I turned toward my brother, inclining my head. He studied me for a heartbeat before dipping his chin and exiting Ryker’s chambers alongside Eamon.
The silence stretched between us, taut as a bowstring. Ryker’s shadows pulsed once, then slithered back into his skin as if they were afraid of what came next.
He pushed off the wall and stalked toward me, each step precise and deliberate. “You keep lying to me, Temptress,” he said, clicking his tongue.
