Page 110 of Bonded Chaos

“I knew you would.”

“How?”

I quirked a brow, ready to hear him repeat his earlier declaration that not even the gods could take me from him.

“Because you’re strong, Cadence,” he said, dropping the washcloth to the ground.

“You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. You were forced to make a choice tonight, and you chose to survive.”

I opened my mouth to respond but closed it again when words escaped me.

“And you’re stubborn,” he continued with a mischievous grin. “Far too stubborn to die, that’s for sure.”

A laugh bubbled up my throat, and before I could stop myself, it burst free. Ryker’s grin widened, and he cupped my cheeks in his palms.

“You are my mate, Cadence,” he whispered almost reverently. “You were created to stand at my side, and the gods would never have sent someone weak to tame the Night Cursed Prince.”

“Have I?” I purred, surprising myself.

I cleared my throat and tried again. “Tamed the Night Cursed Prince, I mean?”

I studied Ryker’s face, but his expression gave nothing away. His gaze dropped to my lips, and my tongue darted out to wet them.

Ryker leaned in close, his warm breath fanning across my cheek, and I inhaled sharply. His mouth moved to the shell of my ear, and he murmured, “Not even a little.”

It took a moment for my mind to clear from the lust-induced fog and to register his words. When I finally processed what he said, I shoved him in irritation. He fell to the ground, his back colliding with the hard stone floor as he laughed raucously.

I was defenseless against his boyish charm. He so rarely showed that part of himself that I longed for it every moment in between.

I grinned down at him, my annoyance fading away as I watched him struggle to rein in his laughter.

“You should have seen your face, Cadence.”

“You’re an idiot, Ryker,” I snapped, but there was no bite to it.

“No one has ever dared to call me an idiot before,” Ryker mused. “Well, except Riordan.”

“Yes, well, Riordan is an excellent judge of character.”

“Does your opinion of his judgment extend to all the good things he has been saying about me?”

“How do you know about that?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.

Ryker lifted a hand, letting shadows pool in his palm. The reminder of what those dark tendrils could do sent a shiver of excitement racing down my spine.

“My shadows hear everything,” Ryker said absently as he played with the black mass.

Wisps of darkness danced between his fingers and wrapped around his forearm as if embracing him.

“And they trade in secrets.”

“Well, that’s hardly fair.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Cadence,” Ryker rumbled as he sat up, bracing his arms on either side of my thighs.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”

Ryker hummed, and liquid heat coiled between my legs.

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